EXCLUSIVE: 'Catfish UK' Co-Host Nella Rose Spills the Tea on Season 2
“There was an animal involved, that’s all I’m saying.”
Back in May, Nella Rose was announced as the new host of Catfish UK‘s second season, alongside co-host Oobah Butler. The series first kicked off its U.K. edition in 2021, with a second season landing on MTV this month. We caught up with Rose to discuss all things Catfish and to find out more about what to expect from the new episodes.
What drew you to Catfish UK and made you want to be a part of it?
I’ve been watching Catfish since I was in year nine, it’s like my comfort show. I’ve always been fascinated and I’ve always just wondered how people end up in these situations and enjoyed the drama of when they actually meet up. When the opportunity came I was like “Of course I’ll do Catfish, are you crazy?” It’s been amazing so you guys are going to see me on Catfish for many years to come…
What do you think is different about the U.K. version compared to the original series in the U.S.?
For somebody that watched the U.S. one for so many years, the U.K. one is so much closer to home. We’ll be filming in South London, in East London, we’ll be driving past my friend’s house. There’s catfish round the corner from me and down the road. In America, they’re going to Oakland and Atlanta and it’s like “Okay, cool, but I don’t know where that is” so now we’re going to much closer to home. It makes it even more real.
Have you ever been catfished, or know someone that has?
I’ve never been catfished but I’ve seen people use my face. Do you know how many other Nella Roses there are out there with this exact face? So many. I mainly get catfished with food and with clothes, like when you order something online and it looks so good on the model? Clothes catfish me all the time.
Walk us through the investigation process behind the series, how does it work?
When I used to watch Catfish I just assumed the investigation process lasted 10 minutes and that was it, but let me just say that we’re actually sat there for a minimum of two hours, most people don’t know that. We spend at least two hours going through every single avenue and any possible thing we can think of. When you meet these people, on TV it looks like it’s just 40 minutes but in real life we spend long hours and days with them.
You’ve just met this person and it’s like “I cannot go back to them without any information,” so you sit there for hours and hours and sometimes we find nothing. Sometimes we have to go back and tell the person, listen you’re going to have to call them and let them know you’re with Catfish. The process is long and hard and the people who catfish are only getting smarter. They’ve even found a way around the reverse image search, they crop and edit certain things so that it won’t come up, and that was the main tool we had. People are so much smarter now, we’ve had instances where even we’ve been outsmarted.
You must get tons of requests from fans of the show. How do you decide who you’re going to help?
Whoever seems like they need the most help. When someone just seems so in love, you want to give them a happy ending. In the next season, there’s happy endings and then there’s scandals.
What have you noticed about the dating culture in the U.K. since filming the show?
One thing I’ve noticed is that people can go for long amounts of time without calling or FaceTiming. Texting truly is the new way of getting to know people. If your love language is words of affirmation, you could be texting someone for years. You could be getting regular voice notes from somebody that’s catfishing you and it’s not even their voice.
How do you think the second season differs from the first?
Definitely more tears. Way more tears. This season is also very vengeful, a lot of people have so many things they want to get off their chest. A lot of people seem to want revenge.
What support is offered for the people that go through these situations?
Every single person that comes on the show gets professional support. Also, we’re there to take them through every step of the way. That’s why I like when people come to use instead of doing it themselves because we support the hell out of you. We’ll come pick you up in the G, we’ll be with you every step of the way so you don’t have to meet someone by yourself at 11pm in a dark alley. Everybody gets support on and off camera.
Without giving too much away, what’s the wildest story you heard while filming the second series?
There was an animal involved. And the animal told us what we needed to know before the person even opened their mouth. That’s all I’m saying.
For any people who catfish reading this, what is one thing you’d like to say to them?
No matter how long it takes, I’m going to find you and I’m going to deal with you…
Catfish UK returns to MTV UK on June 8 at 9 p.m.
