Catfish Season 4 Episode 17 Recap: Why Can’t We Be Friends?

On this week’s Catfish, Nev and Max get an email from Ayissha who met a girl named Sydney almost 3 years ago on Twitter. The two are Cali natives but Sydney mentioned that she was living in Texas due to her schooling. They instantly shared a special connection and since Ayissha has never been a fan of video chatting, she decided she would just trust Sydney instead of ask her to chat. Big mistake! When Sydney relocated back to Cali, poor Ayissha was blown off every time she tried to make plans to meet her online love. Ayissha thought it would be best to end things with her but recently Sydney started to get in contact with her again.

During a video chat with Nev and Max, Ayissha gives some scary details about Sydney. After the two broke things off, Ayissha kissed another girl at a party. As if she were a fly on the wall, Sydney texted Ayissha that same night and told her that she had a feeling Ayissha was somewhere she wasn’t supposed to be. She then told Ayissha that she’s not who Ayissha thinks she is. She continued to spill the truth by sending photos of who she really is and telling Ayissha her real name is Whitney. I have a feeling this person is very possessive over the things she wants, meaning Ayissha.

Since this case might involve getting a restraining order, the guys go to Ayissha’s house to learn more about her stalker story. Turns out Sydney had a twin brother who would constantly harass Ayissha by telling her she’ll never compare to his sister’s ex. Ayissha also mentions that she was harassed by Sydney’s supposed exes. In the end, Sydney would stand up for Ayissha but she’s no fool and saw right through Sydney’s little game. Sydney also tried to make Ayissha miss her midterms by going to visit her in the hospital after getting a tumor removed. Ayissha tries to call all the local hospitals but each one tells her they have no records of Sydney being there. Ayissha had to drop out of her classes due to her not being able to take her midterms.

 

While Ayissha thought Sydney came clean by telling her the truth about being Whitney, it’s really all a lie. Ayissha posted the Whitney photos on Twitter and got an overwhelming response. People started telling her that they know who the girl in the photo is and her name is definitely not Whitney. After all of this you would think Ayissha wants nothing to do with this girl- nope! She thinks this catfish is a good person despite everything she’s done and wants to know who she’s fell for.

Nev and Max search Whitney’s Facebook page and find that she’s been in contact with mainly three different guys. They send a message out to each in hopes of getting some answers. When the guys search Whitney’s phone number they find a match for Whitney Shanice but has a different last name. Nev receives texts from two of the three guys he contacted, telling him they’ve never heard of a Whitney Shanice. It’s clear they’re lying because their posts are all over Whitney’s wall. Ayissha tells Nev that Whitney sent her a weird text asking why Nev and Max are contacting her real friends because now they think she’s fake. Right before leaving to Ayissha’s to discuss what they’ve uncovered, Nev gets the same message from the third guy he reached out to. Hmm…I wonder why all the texts are the same and Whitney knew about Nev and Max contacting them. They’re all her!

Since Whitney has created fake profiles to keep tabs on Ayissha, the guys think it’s time to call Whitney. When Nev calls Whitney she tells him that she was waiting for him to call. She doesn’t want to meet at first but Nev convinces her to come clean. Before heading on the flight, Whitney sends Nev a text with an address for a park near where she lives. It’s off to Texas and Ayissha’s first flight. This is one memorable first plane ride.

When the gang arrives at the park they notice someone sitting alone at the park. They walk up to this person and find out that it is indeed Whitney, but not the one from the photos. Whitney admits that she didn’t tell Ayissha the truth because she wasn’t sure if Ayissha would find her as attractive as she finds Ayissha. Whitney is dating someone as herself so it’s odd that she keeps Ayissha dangling in the wind. When Nev brings up the incident with Whitney supposedly being in the hospital, she says she doesn’t remember it. Ayissha is fed up with hearing her lies and begins to cry out of frustration as she walks away. Whitney says she still has feelings for Ayissha and didn’t mean to hurt her the way she did.

Whitney opens up about how difficult it was for her to be accepted once she came out. She went online to look for acceptance and friendship with who she is. Whitney feels she’s just accepted who she is and now wants to apologize to Ayissha. Before accepting any apology, Ayissha wants Whitney to know what she’s saying sorry for. The crew leaves in hopes of getting somewhere with the apology the next day.

When the gang meets with Whitney, she shows how much Ayissha meant to her when they started talking while getting emotional. Whitney could never let go of the person who made her so happy and help her bring acceptance into her life. The two girls come to the conclusion that they can still get in contact with each other if they ever need someone to talk to. The apology was accepted and this Catfish ending was one of the most peaceful ones I have ever seen.

Two months later, Ayissha is busy with school and hasn’t been in contact with Whitney. She can’t see them being friends because of the trust issues but Ayissha still accepts Whitney’s apology. Whitney is enlisting in the Navy and hasn’t been involved with any fake profiles. I’m glad to hear that Whitney was able to find happiness in the end.

What were your thoughts on this episode of Catfish? Did you think Ayissha was crazy for wanting to keep Whitney in her life after everything she’s done? It’s strange how quick she was to change her decision once they met up. I guess seeing Whitney in the flesh made her realize all those lies were real and standing in front of her. Have you ever dealt with someone who made fake profiles to keep tabs on you? I think if one needs to go to such extremes then maybe they shouldn’t be in that relationship. It’s obvious they have some trust issues to work out. I was kind of disappointed to hear that Ayissha and Whitney hadn’t kept in touch. Ayissha made it clear that she wouldn’t be friends with Whitney but when they said their goodbyes I thought they could. Leave your thoughts in the comment section below.

New episodes of Catfish premiere Wednesday nights at 10/9CT on MTV.

Photos: MTV