If you have tuned into the new hit MTV series, Catfish, I’m sure you have questioned, what are these people thinking? If you haven’t seen the show, it is about people venturing out to meet the love of their lives—who they have never actually met.
All of the relationships on the show have formed over the Internet, and although many of them have had phone or text conversations, they have never met in person. Most of them don’t even know if the person they are talking to is real, or if they are pretending to be the person behind their Facebook pictures.
As the host of the show, Nev Schulman, explains there are signs to telling if you are a victim of an Internet hoax. In the most recent and popular Catfish story, newscasters and viewers alike are questioning if star Notre Dame linebacker, Manti Te’o, knew he was being Catfish-ed all along.
During the 2012 football season Te’o became a household name. In September, Te’o suffered great loss that was followed by great gain. The story of the Notre Dame linebacker who lost his grandmother and girlfriend in the same day was all over network news. During the September 15, 2012 game versus Michigan State, Te’o had 12 tackles. His success on the field was highlighted during Notre Dame’s almost perfect season. He received many awards and honors and was also the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy—his senior year was nothing shy of incredible. Throughout the season Te’o did not forget the ladies in his life, but rather honored them, and often talked about his girlfriend, Lennay Kekua.
Kekua and Te’o’s relationship was said to have started during the 2009 football season. Originally it was said that they met in Palo Alto, after Notre Dame played Stanford, the school Kekua attended. Their relationship continued and intensified as time went on. The rest of their interactions occurred over Facebook message, phone calls and text messages.
In April Te’o planned on visiting Kekua, but later that month he received a call from her brother saying she was in a car accident. Meeting in person seemed almost impossible as Kekua’s bad luck continued. In June she was diagnosed with leukemia, and she died on September 12, just two hours after Te’o learned of the passing of his grandmother.
Throughout the season Te’o gained popularity, and his strength was exemplified through his playing and in post-game interviews that were aired on ESPN, ABC, CBS and other network stations. The story of Te’o and Kekua’s love, that was cut short, seemed to be the talk of the 2012 season.
The 2012 season may be over for Notre Dame, but talk of Te’o and Kekua is just starting to get real. In December, Te’o found out that the love of his life, Lennay Kekua, was not real. They never met in person. She was not the person on the phone. She never existed.
For the duration of Te’o and Kekua’s three-year relationship he was communicating with Ronaiah Tuiasosopo. He was the man behind Kekua’s face, and he played an Internet hoax on Te’o—which went too far. On January 16, 2013, Tuiasosopo confessed and apologized, for creating the fictitious Lennay Kekua with Facebook pictures from a California woman’s profile.
Since then Te’o has been interviewed, and stands by his statement that he was the victim and that he had nothing to do with this hoax. The story of Te’o and Kekua has been one ongoing episode of Catfish, but hopefully for him his story of love and loss will soon come to a close.
*picture from NBC News
http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MS…