ALTON - A man from Alton starred in a recent episode of the MTV show “Catfish: The TV Show,” which tells the stories of people who have been “catfished,” or misled into a relationship by someone pretending to be someone else online. The episode, titled “Charles & Nikki,” follows the story of Charles Teague and “Nikki,” who met through the virtual-avatar-based social network IMVU.
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“We came across each other and she said my voice sounded amazing, so we became friends,” Teague said. “We started gathering feelings for each other over time being friends, then we eventually got together.”
While they “got together” via IMVU, Teague said things started to feel suspicious as more time passed and Nikki refused to show her face.
“I felt I was getting catfished when she never showed her face on camera, and my friend Zack is the one who actually told me she’s probably a catfish,” Teague said.
Teague’s friend was so confident Nikki was catfishing that he reached out to the MTV show, telling them Teague’s story in his application. Much to his surprise, they responded and he met the show’s hosts, Nev Schulman and Kamie Crawford.
“I was very surprised that they actually contacted me and Zack back because at first, I didn’t know it was true until Nev and Kamie were in front of me,” Teague said.
Teague said the experience of having a film crew document the story of his online relationship was “amazing,” and he was happy to see himself “actually on TV.”
“The experience with the MTV crew was amazing,” Teague said. “Nothing was scripted and everything was completely straightforward and honestly, they treated me very well and paid for everything I needed on the trip.”
Parts of the episode were filmed in Alton and in Florida, where Teague and the team searched for the truth behind “Nikki.” In addition to treating him well, Teague said the show’s producers were also fans of his music - Teague is an Alton rapper by the name of “2ooTurntTeague,” and his song “No Hook Pt. 3” is on all major streaming platforms including Apple Music and Spotify.
Teague’s “Catfish” episode is Season 8, Episode 68, “Charles & Nikki.” A trailer for the episode can be seen on the show’s Instagram page. The full episode can be watched through a wide range of TV providers and streaming services or through MTV’s website.
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