Shraman Mitra
One of the biggest cons of internet dating has always been authenticity. It is nearly impossible to judge whether you are talking to the person presented on the screen or a possible catfish is in play. Borrowing its idea from the 2010 movie of the same name, ‘Catfish,’ is a reality cum documentary show which focuses on online dating. Nev Schulman and Max Joseph served as the hosts since the show’s premiere in 2012.
In season 8, Kamie Crawford joined the show as Nev’s co-host following Max’s departure in the middle of season 7. The show follows the format wherein someone contacts the hosts, and through their help, tries to find out the reality behind their significant other whom they met online. With numerous couples featured on the show, some have had the potential to stay together after the cameras stopped rolling. Let’s look at some of the ‘Catfish’ couples and whether they are still together, shall we?
Zak and Garrett
Zak Awry and Garrett Hartman met online. Zak was from Wilmington, Delaware, while Garrett had his residence in Kansas. Soon minor issues like denying to video chat, not willing to meet up, and even disappearing for days fueled Zak’s suspicion that Garrett might not be who he was claiming to be. After Zak approached the hosts and tasked them with finding out Garrett’s true identity, things took a peculiar turn. Through their investigation, the hosts came across a social media profile that pointed towards Garrett not being gay and leading a possible double life.
The social media profile also hinted that Garrett’s real name might be Gary. Furthermore, when they were able to get in touch with a few of Garrett’s friends, they found out that none of them knew about Zak. They were also informed that he had an ex who was trying to get back at him by hacking his profile. With awful news almost imminent for Zak, the hosts tried to get in touch with Garrett one last time. That is when the Kansas resident received the call and agreed to come over and meet Zak in person.
During the meeting, Garrett bared all and revealed that the “straight” social media profile was created to hide his true sexual identity and that Gary is not his real name. He also revealed that a bad relationship in his past put him off meeting Zak and striking up a proper relationship with him. The episode ended on a positive note, with both men wanting to start a relationship together. Sadly, it looks like Zak and Garrett are no longer together. Reports claim that Zak and Garrett stayed in touch even after the cameras stopped rolling.
It is unknown when the couple went their separate ways, as they kept interacting on social media till May 2018, and Garrett even uploaded a few pictures proclaiming his love for Zak. However, we are certain that Garrett is presently dating Owen Stegner (pictured above), who has been featured on his Instagram account since January 2020. On the other hand, not much is known about Zak’s relationship status as he opts to stay out of the public sphere, and most of his social media accounts are set to private.
Dylan and Savenia
Dylan and Savenia had a different start to their ‘Catfish’ story. In a twist, the ‘Catfish’ hosts found out that both Dylan and Savenia had contacted them for their help. While Dylan wanted help to find out if Savenia is a real person, Savenia mentioned in her email that she was a possible catfish. Yet, she wanted to meet Dylan as she had a soft corner for him in her heart. In Dylan’s email, he explained that he had met Savenia online five years before the filming of the episode. He also mentioned that though she was the one to contact him first, she always refused to video chat. Dylan further revealed that Savenia’s modeling pictures on Facebook were the only pictures he had of her.
Even after being told about Savenia’s admission to being a catfish, Dylan wanted to try his luck and meet the woman who had stolen his heart. Further complications arose when it was hinted that Dylan’s estranged mother might be catfishing as Savenia, though this claim was quickly refuted. However, through their investigation, the crew found out that a 23-year-old girl named Riley was the most probable person that Dylan chatted with. With a meeting fixed, it turned out to be a great success as the girl was the same person from the modeling pictures Dylan had.
She revealed that she had kept away from video calling for so long because she was self-conscious of her appearance and felt her real-life self did not do justice to the edited pictures. A happy ending of this sort is a rare sight on ‘Catfish’ episodes. Unfortunately, Dylan and Savenia are not together as of the present. When the ‘Catfish’ crew checked up on the couple shortly after the episode aired, they were overjoyed to see Dylan and Savenia trying to make their relationship work. The couple revealed that they were in Virginia and were officially a couple.
Later, in a catch-up video released by MTV in June 2019, Dylan announced that he and Savenia had chosen to break up. Although the couple lived together, they soon ran into difficulties and decided to break up mutually. At present, Savenia prefers to stay below the radar and has her social media profiles on private. However, we do know that she is married and is now a proud mother. She is also working as an AKC Certified Dog trainer and evaluator. Dylan, too, prefers to keep out of social media, and thus, his current whereabouts are unknown.
Lauren and Derek
Like all ‘Catfish’ couples, Lauren Meler and Derek Shullenbarger met online. The couple used various social media platforms as well as the telephone to talk to each other, but Derek always denied a video chat. During the eight years the couple chatted online, Lauren witnessed drastic changes in her life. She had a baby and got engaged to another man. While she was engaged, Lauren tried her best not to talk to Derek and forget him. Yet, her feeling for him kept resurfacing, which finally led to Lauren breaking off her engagement.
When the crew began investigating Derek, his life threw up red flags all around. For starters, his excuses for not meeting or video calling Lauren were poorly constructed and careless. It seemed as if he either did not care or was trying desperately to hide something. Moreover, when the crew attempted to retrace the phone number Derek gave Lauren, they found out that it belonged to someone called R. LeVourne. Every single avenue the crew tested pointed towards Derek being a real Catfish. Yet, Derek managed to surprise the audience, and of course, Lauren when he finally agreed to meet her.
— Lauren Meler (@LaurenMeler) August 5, 2013
The meeting revealed that Derek was a real person, and Lauren was more than happy to make his acquaintance in real life. After appearing in season 2 of ‘Catfish,’ the couple reappeared in the reunion episode for the same season where Derek popped the question. Lauren immediately accepted his proposal, and soon, the single mother and her child moved closer to Derek, who lived in Maryland. They also revealed that they were planning on exchanging marriage vows sometime in 2015. Sadly, in a tweet, Lauren revealed that the heartbreaking news that the couple had a miscarriage in September 2013.
The "update surprise": I was 10 wks pregnant, but we had a miscarriage Tuesday. Now that the secrets out, let's move on.
— Lauren Meler (@LaurenMeler) September 29, 2013
In May 2014, MTV announced that Lauren and Derek had since called their engagement quits. The couple claimed that it was a mutual decision and that the split was amicable. There were no updates about the duo for years, though, in 2020, we learned that Lauren was working as a laser technician and skin therapist. However, with Lauren’s and Derek’s social media profiles currently set to private, they have clearly chosen to live a quiet life away from public intrusion.
Read More: Is Catfish Real or Scripted?
