Here's everything to know About Nev Schulman now that Dancing With The Stars 2020 is underway. The host of MTV's Catfish made a huge splash in his debut routine, but does he have what it takes to nab the Mirror Ball trophy? Maybe the answer to that lies in his background.
Schulman's creativity was likely honed on the bucolic New York campus of Sarah Lawrence College. He studied photography there from 2005-2007, but was expelled after getting into a physical altercation. The incident didn't define him or his legacy. Instead, he went on to form a production company with his brother, Ariel, at the age of 19. From there, he became involved with the contemporary ballet scene in New York and started photographing dancers and performances. Schulman's artistry eventually led him to fall in love with a woman he met online. Their connection was so strong, it became the subject matter for the documentary Catfish. In the film, Schulman's love interest turned out to be a much older woman pretending to be the girl of his dreams via a fake social media profile. The documentary was a hit on the festival circuit, but more importantly, his disappointment became part of the cultural lexicon. In 2012, MTV turned the film into a series in which Schulman and Joseph help young men and women determine whether they're victims of a catfish. Two years later, with the show now a success, Schulman wrote a book called In Real Life: Love, Lies & Identity in the Digital Age. He followed up that accomplishment by appearing in Tyler Perry's film, Nobody's Fool. Schulman may be hardworking, but he's still got a few quirky personal traits fans might not know about. He's a tattoo aficionado, but has ink in an unlikely place for a guy. Nev Schulman...has a tramp stamp.
His permanent faux pas even made a surprising debut in his critically lauded documentary. When he realized it, he was mortified. "The one thing I probably asked to have removed more than once was the shot of my tramp stamp, because I’m so embarrassed," he told AV Club. He even made a startling admission about the tat to Us Weekly. "I regret it every day," he said, just before copping to other bad fashion choices like frosted tips and piercings.
When he's not in the limelight, Schulman is a devoted husband and father. He married Laura Perlongo in 2017. They celebrated the birth of their daughter Cleo in 2016. She was followed by son Beau in 2019. Schulman also mixes business with pleasure in his creative undertakings. His brother Ariel is a lifelong collaborator, and good friend Henry Joost worked with him on Catfish the movie. Schulman's buddy Max Joseph eventually starred opposite him on his MTV series of the same name.
Nev Schulman is an unexpected addition to the top of the Dancing with the Stars leaderboard. His stellar first performance was fun, high-spirited, and wonderfully executed. Although his career in show business started because of a terrible betrayal, Schulman has managed to show his joyousness in this latest endeavor. He has some pretty stiff competition on the show. However, this gifted filmmaker will likely be one of the finalists in the coming weeks, thanks to his work ethic and fancy footwork. Who knows? Maybe by the end of the season, Schulman will be just as famous as the term he's coined.