Even after a decade, and over 200 episodes, of tracking down scammers and con artists, Catfish is still helping people. The show is currently running its tenth season and is still one of MTV's most popular reality shows. Usually, the show follows a formula of research, present, meet-up, and finally, discussion.
In most episodes, the discussion is teary-eyed, and the catfish and their victim find common ground; however, sometimes, things turn and get hostile. Some catfish push not only their victims to get verbally aggressive but physically violent with their lack of empathy; even Nev, Max, and Kamie get in on the dram sometimes because these catfish are too insensitive to let their victims face them alone.
Luis and Sydney (S5, Ep 19)
Luis thought he was talking to Sydney, but he was talking to a girl who just wanted money from him. Nae lied about some of the worst things a person can lie about, including being homeless and family members dying as an excuse not to meet up or get more money.
What made this fight crazy was Max's reaction to Sydney's lack of accountability for what she did until they called her out on her lies multiple times. Her air of indifference to how Luis felt sent Max over the edge and made him want to walk away from the confrontation without any further discussion, which is a big part of the Catfish process.
Dejay, Malik, and Josiah (S5, E1)
Catfish rarely finds themselves with two people involved with the same person, but that's precisely what happened with Malik and Dejay. Initially, it seemed like Dejay would find common ground with Josiah, and things would work out, but Josiah instantly became combative whenever he was questioned on why he catfished Dejay.
Josiah's temper escalated this situation because his temper clashed with Malik, who was about to get physical. But the real tipping point was when Josiah blamed his victims for everything happening, which angered New just as much as Dejay and Malik, making the situation even more explosive.
Joanna and Bo (S5, E8)
This reveal seemed like it would be tame, given that the catfish didn't try to deny that they did something wrong; however, that all changed when Joanna struck Ana in the face. This is one of the few times a catfish victim has hit their catfish before the crew can step in and break things up.
The fact that Joanna even got a slap in before production stopped her was surprising, given that Nev normally steps in before things go too far. This situation became even more out of hand when Ana implied that she was the victim of Joanna and accused her of lying.
Ramon and Paola (S2, E3)
Nev and Max try to stay objective through the reveals, but in this case, they can't remain in the background. In one of the wildest episodes of Catfish, the catfish's mom tried to defend her daughter's action; neither of the hosts could hide their disdain for the actions of Loyda.
Nev doesn't respond well to liars; in this case, he couldn't keep his temper in check, making the confrontation even tenser. Nev raising his voice was a shock as he's usually the level-headed half of his and Max's team.
Red and Jalissa (S8, E1)
Season eight of Catfish started with one of the most intense reveals ever. Ashley said she had a web of profiles that she was using to con Red and establish relationships. This confrontation became infamous because of Ashley's complete disrespect for Kamie and treating her like she wasn't necessary to the production.
With fans still getting to know Kamie's personality, it seemed like the situation would get explosive at any second. Ashley's aggression toward everyone on the production made this one of the wildest confrontations of the season and the show overall.
Artis and Jess (S2, E10)
In one of the best episodes of Catfish, Jess was revealed to be Justin. From the moment Justin got out of the car, it was obvious that Justin was looking for a fight as he started charging Nev and Artis before they got a chance to speak to one another. Justin not only confused Nev and Max but the fans at home as they tried to figure out exactly why Justin felt it was his job to expose cheaters and then fight them in a park on television.
Even though the situation was scary, Justin produced one of the most meme-able moments from the show and it's become one of the wildest Catfish reveals of all time.
Ryan and Micah (S8, E18)
In the new era of Catfish, Nev and Kamie have become the best duo and have been involved in some serious post-reveal fights. When Micah turns out to be Tony, Kamie expresses her disgust for him quickly. This fight became wild when Tony not only degraded women as a whole but came for Kamie and who she is as a woman. But in true Kamie fashion, she took a stand and made Tony even angrier.
Tony is one of the worst catfish because he sees nothing wrong with his actions. If this episode didn't occur during the Co-VID era of Catfish, it might have gotten even more out of hand.
Jason and Mar (S8, E29)
Fans of the show instantly felt terrible for Jason when it was revealed that Mar was Omar, and he wasn't as sweet as he seemed in his messages. Initially, it seemed like this story would have a happy ending with the pair, but as with most Catfish couples, it was not meant to be for them.
Everyone besides Omar was visibly upset with how Jason was treated, especially Kamie. Kamie went right for Omar when he tried to get her to leave the call because he didn't like being called out on his lies and scamming for money. Omar's attempt to show himself as the victim made this episode memorable and one of the craziest turns.
Alfred and Adonis (S8, E2)
Fans and the production crew alike were shocked when Antonio, Alfred's ex, showed up at the filming location and revealed himself to the person they were trying to track down. In most episodes where the catfish and the victim have a history, the situation gets wild, but this set the bar at a new high when Antonio and Alfred start hitting each other.
Besides the situation being a roller coaster of emotions for both viewers and those involved, the most shocking part of this reveal was that the couple made up.
Lucas and Many (S5, E13)
Every season of MTV's Catfish has wild moments, but season five provided the most explosive reveal when Nev started digging into "Lucas." With over 400 women on a list (he kept a list with notes on his phone), Nev and Max were ready to argue with Zac until the bitter end.
Zac's lack of care for what he had done pushed Nev to new limits on the show and resulted in Nev not only defending the victims but insulting Zac. Max didn't hold back with this confrontation and made sure that he and Nev made it impossible for Zac to continue his schemes which was a first.