Time to investigate! On the Wednesday, August 16, episode of Catfish, Nev Schulman and Max Joseph met up with Nicole Riot from Salt Lake City to get to the bottom of her nine-year struggle with fake online accounts using her photos.
Where It All Began
The episode kicked off with Nev and Max meeting up with Nicole to go over the trauma that comes with not having control over your online identity. Nicole admitted that it began when her Myspace got popular when she was 16. Since then, countless Catfishers have used fake online accounts with Nicole’s photos and name.
Nicole’s Ex-Girlfriend Ended Their Relationship Over Fake Accounts
Nicole, who admitted to emotionally coming out as a lesbian to her Mormon parents just two years ago, said that her relationship with her ex-girlfriend ended due to the fake accounts. Nicole said that her ex “kind of automatically assumed I made other profiles to talk to other people.”
Aside from her personal romantic woes, Nicole admitted to Nev and Max, “I feel bad for these other people who think they’re dating me.” The entire ordeal caused Nicole to withdraw from her former, happier, outgoing self. “I don’t let people in very easily,” she said. With that, she admitted that she wanted to track down one user specifically who was using her name and photos.
Nev and Max Have Brazilian Counterparts Named Ricardo and Ciro?
Nev and Max then randomly teamed up with Ricardo Gadelha and Ciro Sales — the two hosts of MTV’s Catfish Brasil — to research Nicole’s case. The four men managed to get in contact with Ryan from Cleveland who had been in contact with the fake “Nicole Riot” page for about 10 years. Together they concluded that the fake “Nicole Riot” was likely based out of Cleveland.
In Cleveland, Nev and Max facilitated an awkward gathering between Ryan and Nicole. Ryan definitely seemed crestfallen when Max revealed, “The real Nicole is gay, she’s not even into guys.” Nicole then hugged Ryan and the four of them headed off to meet the real person behind her stolen photos.
Ryan and the Real Nicole Meet Their Catfish
The most shocking moment of the episode had to be the revelation that both Ryan and Nicole actually knew the woman behind the fake “Nicole Riot” account. The Catfish, a woman named Arica, had actually dated Ryan 10 years ago for three weeks. Similarly, Arica had added Nicole on Facebook and started a casual online friendship with the woman whose photos she had stolen. Clearly betrayed, Nicole and Ryan were stunned.
Arica explained how she found Nicole’s photos saying, “There was this account called Fake Busters where they used to bust fake profiles.” Arica proceeded to explain that she used the profile to insult people that had blocked her on her real social media accounts.
Nicole Slams Arica for Stealing Her Photos
Nicole was obviously not having it. She proceeded to slam Arica saying, “I think this whole thing is complete bullsh-t and I think it’s all for attention. I feel betrayed.” She added: “People f-king hate me because of you … I think you’re f-king crazy.”
Arica ended the confrontation in tears, saying, “I feel terrible dude. I didn’t know.”
Tell Us: What did you think of Nicole Riot’s story?
Catfish airs on MTV Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET.
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