In season four, episode 16 of MTV's "Catfish," Nev Schulman and Max Joseph help Ayissha come face-to-face with her catfish that held her hostage in an emotionally and mentally abusive relationship for three years.
When California-native Ayissha met her catfish, it was through a profile named "Sydney" on Twitter. The girls were mutually attracted to each other and exchanged numbers.
During a video chat interview, Ayissha told Schulman and Joseph that she fell in love with "Sydney," who said she was from California but moved to Texas for school. When "Sydney" moved back to California, Ayissha tried to meet up with her long-distance online girlfriend multiple times and was stood up. When she confronted "Sydney," the girls started arguing and broke up.
"Sydney" texted Ayissha when she was at a party where she hooked up with another girl, writing: "I know you're somewhere you're not supposed to be." When Ayissha asked how she knew her location, "Sydney" revealed that her real name was "Whitney" and sent her what she claimed was her real profile.
Ayissha tweeted a picture of "Whitney" and multiple people came forward to confirm that the girl in the photo was not named Whitney.
"I guess our job is to catch the phantom menace," said Joseph.
The investigators contacted three separate profiles that engaged with "Whitney" the most on Facebook. The next day, the accounts all messaged back saying they did not know who Whitney is.
Schulman and Joseph reported back to Ayissha with their findings, which included a full name and address for "Whitney," whose real name was actually Whitney Shanice. Ayissha revealed that Whitney texted her, angry that investigators were "snooping around." Ayissha seemed visibly nervous about upsetting Whitney.
"It's like being in an abusive relationship, but mentally," she told Joseph. "I'm scared of the unknown, it's like a ghost in a way."
Whitney Shanice agreed to meet Ayissha, Schulman and Joseph at a park near her home in Houston. Whitney explained that her struggle with coming out led her to be bullied. She said used her online profiles to become someone else and escape her problems, and was unaware of how much she hurt Ayissha.
The next day, Whitney realized how much pain she put Ayissha through for the past three years and gave her a heartfelt apology. Ayissha was hesitant at first, but she accepted.
"You don't have any control over me anymore," Ayissha told her.
Watch a clip from the episode below.
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Catfish: The TV Show, Full Episodes
