In Nev Schulman’s first episode back following allegations of sexual misconduct, the Catfish host and executive producer remained tight lipped on the claims while continuing with business as usual during the Wednesday, July 11, two hour episode.
The allegations, which caused a pause in Catfish production, were eventually cleared by MTV after an investigation took place. While Nev repeatedly denied the claims, the ordeal was not covered on the show’s first episodes back since the sexual misconduct news broke.
The first story involved Kiara, a 21-year-old woman from Virginia Beach who found herself in a two-year online relationship with a woman named Cortney. During their online courtship, Cortney and Kiara had agreed to have a child together and Cortney even claimed to have hired a surrogate using $1,000 dollars of Kiara’s money. When the alleged baby arrived, however, Cortney refused to let Kiara see the child and kept dodging attempts at visitation.
When Nev and Max Joseph stepped in to solve the case, they revealed that Cortney’s sister Brittney was actually the person behind the account. The baby was real, but it belonged to the real Cortney and her boyfriend. When Kiara discovered that her money was used by Brittney to fix her car, she was devastated. Kiara then confronted Brittney saying, “I spent my money, time, energy … You really made me feel like I was a mom. You really put a lot of obligation and responsibility on me.” The first hour concluded with a Kiara and Brittney parting ways and Kiara being paid back in full.
The second half of the two-hour premiere featured Nina, a married woman and professional web cam model who was determined to discover the identity of one of her most loyal clients that she had developed feelings for, a man named Jon Flynn. With the support of her husband Mike, Nina worked with Nev and Max to discover the truth about the man who nearly broke up her marriage. Nina admitted to meeting Jon when she and Mike were divorced, prior to the couple remarrying in 2016.
During the search for Jon, Nina confessed to Nev about her past as an abuse survivor revealing, “I was emotionally abused and physically abused and sexually abused from age 11 to age 15. And then I met Mike and felt like there was enough protection and support and if I told him, things would be OK.” Through this, she admitted to being vulnerable throughout their divorce, during the time she became close with Jon.
Eventually Nev and Max discovered the true identity of Jon Flynn was a longtime webcam client and friend of Nina’s – a man named Miles from Ohio. Miles admitted to spending about half his income on payments and gifts for Nina. Nina appeared truly heartbroken by the reveal. Clearly conflicted about choosing Miles or her husband, Mike, Nina eventually decided to stay with her husband, the father of her children, and block Miles on all communication platforms. She did, however, admit that if Miles had admitted his true identity to her when she was willing to run away with him, it “probably wouldn’t have been that big of a deal.”
Miles definitely seemed heartbroken by Nina’s decision but ultimately supported her. In a check-in two months later, Nina admitted to missing Miles as a friend.
Catfish airs on MTV Wednesdays at 9 P.M. ET.
