'Catfish': Where are Stephanie and Danny in their relationship post the show?
People underestimate Internet romances all the time but the September 9 episode of 'Catfish' featuring Stephanie and her story can prove that they are as intense as they come. She was in a relationship with who she believed was a man named Daniel 'Danny' since 2010. Danny and Stephanie first interacted on Facebook. She approached him first to explore professional prospects, she was a model and loved his photography skills and suggested they do something together. They spoke briefly but after knowing Stephanie was underage at that time, Danny refused to work with her.
That definitely wasn't the end of things between them and ten years down the line, the two still kept in touch, disconnecting for a couple of months. Stephanie went on to see other people while they were out of touch and had kids as well but Danny always lingered at the back of her head. When the pandemic hit, the two again hit it off, quite actively. However, over the ten years, these two have only spoken to each other via text: no phone call, no facetime, no video calls whatsoever and now Stephanie needs to know if this person is real.
Her worst nightmares were confirmed when 'Catfish' hosts Nev Schulman and Kamie Crawford began their investigation. The Instagram page that Danny was using seemed very legitimate and they managed to get him on the phone and he admitted to not having been in touch with Stephanie. Things were still suspicious when he declined to have a conversation on a video call with them. He was once again contacted by Nev and Kamie the next day and this time he agreed to have lied previously and confessed that he indeed was texting Stephanie over the past 10 years. They then asked him to join the video conference with Stephanie, he agreed and it was confirmed that it was the real Danny.
He said he didn't like speaking on the phone and on video calls and that's why he only made himself available to Stephanie all these years only on texts. He also admitted to having been ashamed of the neighborhood he lives in and that's why he kept delaying his in-person meeting with her. He also said that he only loves her as a friend and this agitated Stephanie to a point that she was ready to move on without him. In a one-on-one conversation with Danny, Nev told him that Stephanie had genuine feelings for him and didn't feel anyone else was good enough for her. He wanted Danny to be honest with her and if he had any feelings for her, now would be the time to speak.
All this information was new for Danny and in a sense, relieving. After finding out about her feelings for him, Danny found the courage to be real about his feelings as well. Once again they all got back on the call and he told Stephanie that he meant all those things that he said while they were texting and would like another chance. She was happy to oblige if he was ready to show he meant what he said through his actions.
An update at the end of the episode revealed that the two are in constant touch over calls and even though she's taking things slow, Stephanie is hopeful for a future with Danny.
'Catfish' airs Wednesdays at 8 pm on MTV.