It's hard to believe that when the much-hyped documentary film Catfish dropped over ten years ago it would spawn such a TV empire for its home network MTV. Following the buzz of the film, a TV version was promptly launched which explored a new case of online dating each episode.
The show was another hit for MTV and soon there were spin-offs such as Catfish: Trolls which saw stars and social media personalities coming face to face with people who anonymously hurled abuse at them online.
Next there was Ghosted: Love Gone Missing, a show about people's quest to track down former friends or romantic partners who had seemingly dropped off the face of the earth.
And, of course, the format inspired a slew of international remakes in countries such as Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Colombia and the UK.
Is it any wonder? In a 2021 world of Tinder, Bumble, Grindr, Hinge and whatever else you may find yourself on, the show's concept has weirdly never felt more relevant - particularly after a year of lockdowns driving many of our relationships into new virtual territories.
If you've found yourself in a suspicious new romance over the last year, you could be in luck as Catfish UK has this week put out an open call specifically seeking Irish applicants to take part in the upcoming series.
The show's producers are looking for Irish people who have "fallen for someone using a fake profile, never had a video call or met in person or those who are keeping a secret from their online date."
A spokesperson from Viacom, the company that produces Catfish UK said: "Each episode brings couples together who've interacted solely through the internet."
"They've supposedly fallen in love or become best friends. We arrange for them to finally meet in real life for the first time," they continued.
"Whether someone is worried that they're in love or friends with a catfish or would like to come clean to the person they're catfishing, we can help them.
"We're looking for couples and friends who have never met up in person or even seen each other on video chat," the spokesperson elaborated. "Whether they want to finally meet their online love or friend face-to-face, have something to confess or simply want to get to the bottom of why they always cancel dates, we would love to hear from them."
Applicants must be over the age of 18, and they can apply online, email [email protected] or phone 00 44 7743 00 1261 for more information.
Featured Image Credit: MTV UKTopics: Ireland