‘Catfish’: Nev Schulman and Max Joseph break down that bonkers season 6 premiere
As the hosts of Catfish for the past five seasons, Nev Schulman and Max Joseph have been duped before. But with each duping came a renewed understanding of just how wacky this show can get, and a feeling of relief in the sense that perhaps they’d finally seen all there is to see. But then our favorite MTV sleuths met Shawny — or should we say Ebony? — in last night’s season 6 premiere. The Rochester mother of three managed to turn the tables on Nev and Max like no scorned lover had before.
EW recently caught up with Nev and Max to break down that shocking episode, and, in addition to revealing the moment that surprised them the most, the duo also shared what’s in store for the rest of season 6.
“That was like the Keyser Söze episode!” Max joked of the premiere. Of course, he’s referring to The Usual Suspects‘ infamous twist ending, and while we won’t reveal that spoiler here, it’s understandable how Shawny/Ebony’s sneaky antics can draw the comparison.
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Shawny, who told Nev and Max she was communicating with a mystery man named Jack, was actually named Ebony. And the mysterious Jack was actually her ex-husband, Brandon. Brandon turned out to be the one getting catfished, as Ebony knew the whole time she was speaking to her ex-husband and had concocted the plan as a way to regain a closeness the two had lost. She called in Nev and Max to help mend the inevitable fight that would erupt once her secret was revealed.
“It’s one thing to get tricked,” Nev explained of Ebony’s big reveal. “But it’s another thing to specifically feel like you might be getting tricked, ask them if they’re tricking you, have them tell you they’re not, and then find out. asked her. We sat down with her, and was like, ‘Listen, this guy lives in Rochester. You live in Rochester.’ said to her, ‘Are you sure you don’t know who this is? Like, don’t mess with us.’ And she lied right to our face.”
Despite the shock factor in Ebony’s revelation that she knew who she was talking to the whole time, Nev and Max admitted that it was Brandon’s choice of transportation that surprised them the most. “Maybe the most shocking moment of this episode was that the catfish showed up on a bicycle,” Nev said. “That was the first time that’s ever happened, and we loved it. If it had been a bike-sharing bicycle, that would’ve been even better. Like a Citi bike.”
Advanced methods of transportation won’t be the only new concept coming to Catfish this season. The duo also teased the rest of season 6 and promised some serious drama.
“In terms of this season, we’ve got some strong contenders ,” Nev said. “Some stuff we’ve only joked about in the past are actually happening this season, like kind of Catfish conspiracy rings, like a ring of people committing catfish together. We did an episode that was so confusing and complicated that it might end up being a 90-minute special that I would say rivals my personal Catfish experience. It’s the only time I’ve come across a story that I think is as crazy and complex as my personal experience.”
And while Nev and Max have already listed the five episodes of Catfish they think are the most shocking, Nev revealed one last addendum to the list.
“Honestly, probably, I would say the number one most shocking catfish that’s happened… is the President of the United States,” he said. “I mean, this guy pretends to be something he’s not on the internet all the time. People fell in love with him, half the country fell in love with this guy, and it turns out, he’s a total asshole, and not going to do any of the things he said he was going to do. Made it all up, and joke’s on us.”
And while Trump certainly won’t be that 90-minute episode Nev teased, that doesn’t mean the guys don’t think he should be.
“ a four-year episode,” Max said.
Catfish airs Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.
