What are the odds? Hosts Nev Schulman and Max Joseph teamed up with Kelsie to discover the identity of her elusive online beau, Bandon, on the Wednesday, July 5, episode of Catfish.
The episode kicked off with Nev and Max meeting up with Kelsie in her hometown of New Braunfels, Texas, to dig into the true identity of Brandon. Kelsie admitted, “We’ve been friends on Facebook for over three years now.” She added that when she called off her wedding a year ago, he was there to lift her spirits and they ended up forging an incredible bond.
Max Is Convinced That Brandon Is Using Someone Else’s Photos
Their online love hit a snag, however, when Kelsie drove 10 hours to meet up with Brandon at Louisiana Mudfest only to be snubbed after his “truck” broke down. Because of this suspicious behavior, Max was instantly convinced that there was a catfish in their midst saying, “He’s not the guy in the pictures, I’ll tell you that right now.”
After careful deliberation and research, Nev and Max concluded that Brandon’s Facebook page was legitimate — he’d been an active and consistent member since 2009. “You’re not talking to Brandon, you’re talking to somebody close to Brandon,” Nev said. Things took an exciting turn, however, when Nev and Max called Brandon and he answered excitedly, saying, “I’m not hiding anything that I’m aware of. … I definitely want to meet her.” Max remained suspicious while Nev and Kelsie jumped for joy.
Catfish Cancels, Cites ‘Truck Problems’ Again
After a disastrous travel day including canceled flights and long drives, Nev, Max and Kelsie made it to Missouri and were ready to meet Brandon. Then, dramatically, they were completely shut down. Brandon feigned bad reception and canceled their plans to meet due to problems with his truck — for the second time. Nev intercepted, saying, “We can give you a ride.” Nev later called the excuse “bullsh-t.”
The Catfish Wasn’t a Catfish!
Nev, Max, and Kelsie were later surprised when Brandon texted saying he had procured another vehicle and was available to meet. Then, to everyone’s shock, Brandon emerged from an ATV and it was actually the man in the photos. That’s right, there was no Catfish at all. It was really him!
A Rare Catfish Happy Ending
Kelsie was overjoyed and the duo embraced immediately. Brandon admitted he wasn’t hiding anything from Kelsie and he was simply aggravated over his broken-down truck. He explained he had yet to come down to Texas and visit because, “I’m pretty strapped for cash, dealing with my truck.” Brandon then admitted to having feelings and they spent the rest of the day together picnicking and riding around on his ATV.
Kelsie and Brandon are still in contact two months later. And they even fly back and forth to visit each other.
Tell Us: What did you think of this week’s episode of Catfish?
Catfish airs Wednesdays on MTV at 10 p.m. ET.
