Kodiak 'Catfish' and 'The Traitors' watch party deets

Hey guys, welcome and thanks for being here! I'm really stoked to launch this newsletter and have a place to put my thoughts for all things Alaska reality TV adjacent. EJ and I are writing this one from the couch.

Taking it back to 2016

When I was in college and doing a Full Glam Makeup Beat every day (Anastasia Beverly Hills the chokehold your brow pomade had on me), I was watching Catfish on MTV with Nev Schulman, Max Joseph AND Kamie Crawford – for those of you who may not know, the network announced just this September that Catfish is ending after more than a decade on TV. And fans of the show were left going "???" when Nev so nonchalantly shared the news on his social media with zero mention of Kamie. Booooooo.

Anyways. Catfish started in late 2012 following the success of the documentary movie that was co-directed by Nev's brother, Ariel. The show was in its fifth season when a woman named Larissa reached out to Max and Nev about an online relationship they were having with someone living in Kodiak. At the time, I was going to school at UAA. My friend who was a flight attendant for Ravn Alaska (rip) at the time texted me to let me know the Catfish crew had come through the Anchorage airport on their flight down, and would be back at Ted Stevens the following day to head back home. She was definitely not supposed to tell me that.

It was a brief interaction. I asked where Max was. He stayed in Kodiak an extra day. Nev was nice enough. I got a selfie, my friend who was also with me snapped this pic of me that's a bit better (you can't see the lipstick on my teeth as much). Again, I just need to acknowledge that the Full Beat, every day, was crazy.

Back to the Alaska episode, season 5 episode 14, "Larissa & Anthony." (There is another Alaska-adjacent episode of Catfish if you're interested, season 8 episode 90, Eli & Boulevard, which follows a guy who moved from Wasilla to Chicago). This ep centers around Larissa Rodriguez, a then-20-year-old from Washington who had been catfished in her previous relationship by a friend of hers, who was using the fake name José. Anthony told Larissa he was from San Diego but was currently living in Yakima, WA –the same small town that she was in – but after the tiniest bit of investigating they discovered he was actually living in Kodiak.

Catfish is so funny because so much of their "research" is simply reverse image searching photos. Upon meeting Larissa, Max and Nev hear she's financially invested and has sent Anthony $500 when he was in Kodiak.

What was going on in Alaska?

"Basically, he was like, 'I'm going to Alaska,' and I'm like, 'for what?' And he's like, 'Well I'm a fisherman, and I stay on the boats up there.'"

The two of them start their investigative work. After running the photos and phone numbers that Larissa shared, they end up calling the car dealership and chat with an employee named Hector. After explaining the situation, he says he has no staff named Anthony. When Nev explains that this person may have gone to Alaska for a few months, Hector says, "Ooooooh. That sounds familiar, but his name is not Anthony, man. His name is José."

Hector shared contact information for a friend of José's, who also worked at the dealership, named Mark. They call Mark up and get a little more info.

José from the dealership?

Yeah, are you guys still friends?

Kinda... I haven't heard from him since he left.

They confirm the number Mark has for José is the same phone number Larissa has for Anthony. Now we're getting somewhere.

The Kodiak Catfish. Oh my god, it's an island off the coast of Alaska. So we might be going to Alaska!

They find his Facebook page; his banner photo reads "Kodiak, Alaska."

This is the guy you're talking to.

I hope it's not.

Well, it definitely is... That's the guy you've been talking to for the last year, 100%.

Larissa, Max, Nev and crew make their way to Anchorage. After spending the night, they fly Ravn to Kodiak. All this time, Larissa has not heard from Anthony.

It's hard to believe that this is like, still America.

The Catfish team ends up staying at the Best Western Kodiak (badly blurred sign was a giveaway), but after the first night, it's still radio silence from José. So the team come up with this plan to walk around Kodiak with a photo of José to see if anyone recognizes him.

We should be able to cover the whole island in six hours. LOL.

They walk into Harborside Coffee & Goods and a local immediately recognizes Max and Nev, but not José. They ask the barista (white woman with dreads) inside who suggests they try the bar next door.

The opening shots of the B&B Bar show a patron skateboarding inside and a puppy running around with a leash around his neck. And whatdoyaknow! The bartender recognizes him.

I think he works over there at that seafood cannery.

She points behind them. They walk, quite literally, across the street to what I believe is Island Seafoods (per google maps) and pull up on him while he's at work. He comes outside and admits that he's not the person in the photos, and has been using photos of an ex-friend to try and get back at him.

The interaction does not go well. José tells Larissa he did this "as a game," and he sees her as just a friend.

You fled the Lower 48 to come to Alaska and start anew? That only generally happens when you, like, you've murdered somebody.

I got into some issues.

José admits that he's on the no-fly-list. They debrief for the day and agree to regroup in the morning. When they do, José says that he's accepted a job on a boat.

It happened yesterday, it was like a bubble that burst, and I accepted the job and I'm gone tomorrow. I want to get away, that way I don't hurt anybody or they hurt me.

So you're just running again?

Yeah.

They both gain some closure, and Nev and Max take Larissa to Safeway to get her $500 back (José never actually withdrew it).

And at least you wont be catfishing on that boat. You'll be cod fishing, right?

At the two-month checkin post-filming, Nev and Max call Larissa and ask if she has kept in touch with José.

He called me and told me that he's in prison.

Oh!

(total watch time: 41 minutes)

For Christmas, I got my dad into 'Survivor'

Last time we went out to Willow, my dad passed me the remote and told me to put something on. So I put on Survivor, because duh. Season 20, Heroes vs. Villians (Winner: Sandra) to be specific. Over the duration of the night and next morning, we had binged half the season. I got this text after we made the drive from Willow to Anchorage. He's since watched seasons 7 (Sandra x2) and 13 (Yul).

Season 4 of 'The Traitors' premiers Jan. 8

If you haven't watched The Traitors and love competition and a reality TV crossover, you have 4 days from the time this newsletter is sent to when the new season premiers. I'm excited for this cast, the trailer is goooood. Peacock also released the first few minutes, too. Natalie Anderson! Lisa Rinna! Porsha Williams! Maura Higgins! Jump scare: Michael Rapaport.

The show is based on the Dutch series with the same name, De Verraders, and has become a hit worldwide. I've watched all of the seasons on Peacock (UK, Australia and New Zealand) but there are dozens of others (30+). There is also a celebrity UK season with Alan Carr and Stephen Fry that is really good! EJ really liked it. It's like the game, Mafia, except made for TV with a multi-million-dollar budget.

I'm going to host a three-night virtual watch party on Discord for the first three eps of The Traitors dropping on Jan. 8. Because I am insane.

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