MTV's reality show "Catfish" has blown up ever since its debut in 2012. It's a show that depicts what most consider modern love stories, and helps people who have developed online relationships finally meet face to face. Many times, the person on the other side of the keyboard isn't who they claim to be, a situation very similar to the documentary the show stemmed from.
The documentary was made for show creator Nev Schulman's personal 'catfish' experience when he found out the young woman he fell in love with online wasn't a model, but was actually a middle-aged mom.
The documentary went to Sundance and won, causing an overwhelming amount of fans to begin writing Schulman about their similar online experiences. Schulman realized how relevant his story was to our world today, and set out to help others with theirs.
We had the unique opportunity of chatting with one of the "Catfish" casting producers, Valerie Hamerling, who gave us insight about the show and the casting process.
"We basically get thousands and thousands of applications, so I sift through them, I interview people and I fact check everything," Hamerling said. "We can only pick a few but we do read literally every application. I interview hundreds and hundreds of people because I can see potential in a lot of different stories."
The casting process for "Catfish" is more detailed and takes a little more time than most reality shows. Hamerling and other casting producers take the time to get to know each of the potential applicants throughout the process, all while spending an extended amount of time fact checking and looking for authentic feelings within each individual. They always want to make sure there is a great story to tell.
"With this show, if you really want it, you can make it happen because we do read every application and we are so interested in helping people that if you want to apply and take the time to fill it out thoroughly, we're willing to look at the application and you will probably get a phone call if you're honest enough and the story is kind of along those lines."
When applying for a show like "Catfish," honesty is key. With the extensive application process, frauds rarely get far before they are found out, and while most believe all reality TV is dramatized by producers, "Catfish" is unique in it's authenticity.
"These are strangers that haven't met before; there's not really that much you can dramatize. This is a show that shocks me how much time we spend carefully picking people to be on to carry the show. It's pretty real."
Hamerling believes the show caught on quickly with the public because people in this digital age relate to the stories told. Many relationships today begin via social media, especially with the various matchmaking websites created, apps like Tinder, and, of course Facebook. The issue with meeting someone online is they are usually never exactly like the picture they paint for the rest of the world to see. This is a major theme the show presents as many people realize the person they fell in love with over the web isn't who they said they were.
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