Tristyn's Catfish Turned Out To Be The Real Deal -- But Did She Still Tell The Biggest Lie Of All?

The Catfish manifesto usually rests on one exclusive rule: lie, lie and lie some more — so in the unusual event that an elusive online dater turns out to have instructed them truth about his or her identity, it’s usually a good sign. Yet by the end of the show’s most recent adventure, we were forced to wonder: Can you tell the truth about your identity while still faking your feelings?


On Wednesday’s episode, which took Nev and visitor host Kamie Crawford to Kalamazoo, Michigan, MTV’s resident online detectives met with a 22-year-old student named Tristyn, who’d fallen in love with a 20-year-old restaurant worker named Lara.


Tristyn explained that he stumbled onto Lara’s Twitter page right after searching the #Michigan hashtag and was instantly smitten. Although, as is the case with any good Catfish story, there were red flags. While Tristyn and Lara — who lived just 1/2 hour away from each other — texted constantly over the course of their three-year connection and had spoken on the phone, she rejected to FaceTime and frequently broke plans to meet up. Still, she frequently told Tristyn how badly she wanted to move to Colorado with him and begin a new life.


So Nev and Kamie got down to agency, and immediately after scanning through Lara’s Facebook page — which they both admitted seemed strikingly real — they stumbled upon Lara’s friend Harlie, whom they FaceTimed. Harlie confirmed that all the social media handles Lara had given Tristyn were real and added her phone number was real also.


Still, the news didn’t sit well with Tristyn, who seemed sure he was being toyed with. On one hand, it was good news that Lara’s account appeared to be real, however if it was and she had avoided him for three years, didn’t that mean she was simply uninterested?


Things went from bad from worse any time Nev and Kamie determined to show up to Lara’s workplace. There, Nev met Lara’s friend, who mentioned he was pretty sure Lara was in a relationship.


In a unprecedented bit of Catfish resignation, Tristyn — despondent over the news — mentioned he wanted some space and was willing to cut the story short. Still, Nev wasn’t willing to give up, and as soon as Lara finally returned Nev’s previously unanswered call, she agreed to meet at a local park, where Nev ventured without the heartbroken Tristyn.


Lo and behold, the Lara whom Tristyn had all however fallen in love with showed up. She apologized to Nev and Kamie for ghosting Tristyn, explained that she didn't have a boyfriend and insisted she sincerely cared about Tristyn. She was simply afraid of relationships, she mentioned, and was sure that if she met Tristyn, he’d be disappointed.


“I just don’t even date,” she mentioned. “It’s not anything to do with him. I work a lot, and I know it’s not an excuse…I do like him; if anything, my feelings are much.”


plus it was like she really meant it while she finally came face to face with Tristyn, and the two appeared to hit it off. By the episode’s end, they’d even determined to take a vehicle ride with each other, while in which Lara adoringly took Tristyn’s hand in hers.


“I’m sorry it had to come down to this -- I’m just way out of my comfort zone,” she mentioned. “[But] I want you in my life.”


Sadly, the relationship didn’t evolve as successfully as it started, and two months soon following the meetup, Tristyn confessed to Nev and Kamie that things didn’t work out -- soon after several days with each other, he and Lara had rifted apart because of trust issues. Still, Tristyn mentioned he was glad to have ultimately gotten closure.


Yet why did things end so speedily? Thinking back on Lara’s behavior, we're wondering whether she ever sincerely cared about Tristyn. Right considering that, to have ultimately met immediately after such a long time only to proceed to break up immediately after several days seems, well, fishy.


So what do you know — was Lara genuinely just also nervous to meet Tristyn, or did she lie about her investment and was just toying with him? Share your thoughts, then be sure to tune in to the next Catfish Wednesday at 8/7c!