MTV has been pimping the hell out of this episode. It seems to involve a psychic who is catfishing some girl with messages from her dead father. This is a new level of crazy fools.
Kayla is an 18 year old with a kid and a baby daddy who live just down the road from their families in Kentucky. She was contacted two years ago by someone named Courtney who tells her that her dad wants to be a part of her life. Kayla says that she hasn’t had contact with her dad because he died when she was four. Other than this insanity, it follows the same pattern as the regular catfishing. They talk on the phone but Courtney will not video chat or meet up.
When they video chat with Kayla she says that in 1999 her dad ha “a mental breakdown” and killed her mom. Then a few years later in prison he had another “mental breakdown” in prison and killed himself. They put up partial news headlines for some of this stuff. She was raised by her father’s mother.
Kayla says that Courtney’s messages are very detailed and she knew all kinds of things that she says no one could know. She does not ask for money in fact she has sent Kayla gifts.
Every week, when I see the boys in the airport, it makes me want to get on a plane. Before I had Banjo, I was prone to just booking a trip within 24 hours of feeling this way. I just went on a little getaway four months about and a road trip last month or so, (yes I worked through both) and I am already ready to go again somewhere.
When they get to the house, the new couches are there, but production thankfully did not use that odd, watermelon colored paint. Everything is a nice neutral palette. I wonder if they get to choose the new furniture or if production does. Kayla and her Aunt Shannon both seem very nervous. Kayla tells a horrific story about her dad killing her pregnant mother and then putting her and her sister in the car with him and taking off. The police gave chase and shot at the car and spun the car out with them all in it. Shannon is Kayla’s dad’s sister. She seems kind of off herself. The father/brother/murder is named Frankie and based on Shannon’s explanation it sounds like Frankie and their father both had schizoaffective disorder. Basically, that is a cross between schizophrenia and bipolar. Kayla remembers going to visit her father in prison. Kayla doesn’t hold him accountable for the murder or the suicide because of his illness. This is very heavy.
Shannon says that she doesn’t believe that Courtney is a psychic. She says that the murder and the suicide were heavily covered by the media and she could just get her information from that. That doesn’t explain the bologna sandwich thing though. I wish they would stop talking about that because I would LOVE a fried bologna sandwich right about now.
Courtney looks batshit crazy. The messages from Courtney are extremely detailed and she looks a lot like Frankie to me. She seems like she could have good intentions.
For the first time ever, I honestly believe these two actually do need the boys to google for them. But first, Shannon pulls Nev aside and says that Kayla was two years old when all this happened (so already dates are not matching up,interesting) and that Kayla sort of absorbs the stories that she has been told over the years as memories. Shannon thinks that whoever is doing this is playing on the fact that Kayla wants to remember her parents in the best possible light. She is very concerned that she might be wanting to tell Kayla “how bad her dad really is.” Is? Basically the entire family has sheltered Kayla from any negativity surrounding both her mother and her father and their unsavory qualities. She is worried that all the things they are keeping from Kayla are going to come out. Kayla began asking a lot of questions once Courtney came into the picture.
The photos they show of Courtney are of someone who looks possessed. Like they make me feel ookey when they put them up on the screen and play scary music.
They guys go to an odd “coffee house” to use the wifi and Google information on Courtney. Courtney’s Facebook page seems real. I think she might have been on the jury at Frankie’s trial.
Okay, so they call a friend of Courtney’s from Facebook and she calls back and says that she lives next door to Courtney and has for nine years. They are very close. Courtney is a real medium and that Frankie has been at her (the neighbor’s) house a lot. She totally believes that Courtney is genuinely a medium who speaks to the dead. Kayla is crying and not acting. Well, this is a new one. The neighbor says that Courtney is a very nice person and in no way would ever exploit anyone’s situation or cause anyone any harm.
Kayla has a very distressing scene where she cries and is angry at God for taking away her parents. I think Shannon is wearing a wig as a disguise. That makes this seem more true to me.
When Nev goes out to the porch to make the phone call to Courtney we see THE WATERMELON PAINT ON THE SHUTTERS! Until I saw that I never realized that they did outside staging as well. I really need to get on this show! LOL. Courtney agrees to meet them all.
We have yet another person who has never been on a plane. I just can’t comprehend that. They fly to Jupiter Florida. They meet at a park, because the catfish usually doesn’t get a home makeover. They generally get a park near a large body of water. As they wait at a pavilion, they see a raccoon come up very close walking on two legs. It is super weird. Max films him. This has to be CGI right? RIGHT? Kayla has chosen an unusual outfit for this meeting. It’s a dress with a peach skirt and a bone colored lace top with a peach bra underneath.
The first thing Courtney says to Kayla is “You have your dad’s eyes.” This is creepy as fuck y’all, and I don’t watch creepy stuff. I am going to have nightmares for days. Kayla is crying and is afraid to make eye contact. Courtney says that she is telling the truth. She wanted to be able to give her peace of mind and closure. So creepy.
Courtney seems to be saying that this is the only person she communicates with. She says she worried for her own mental health when it happened. Kayla is standing there kind of dazed and confused saying nothing as Nev and Max interrogate her. I really wish I had skipped this show. Courtney says she got herself checked out and she doesn’t have any mental illness. I think if I were to go to my shrink and tell her that I am seeing ghosts and communicating with the dead that she would put me on antipsychotics. But not Courtney. Her doctor said it was nothing to worry about.
Meanwhile we are causing a psychotic break in an 18 year old with a family history of mental illness. Max needs a break. I don’t think I have ever seen Max ask for a break. He tells Nev that he feels like she is telling the truth. They both believe her. But Kayla says that she needs more proof.
Kayla interrogates Courtney for more information. Something she has not already told her. Courtney says her mother was a stripper and he was abused as a child. OOOOOHH if her mom was a stripper maybe someone in Courtney’s family is the real father. Maybe it will all be a ruse because Courtney is her aunt and she wanted to have contact with her niece!
I think this is one of the episodes where the catfish contacts production because they want to be found out. Kayla asks for a break until the scheduled meeting the next day. Nev actually suggests that Courtney talk to Frankie tonight. Max, Nev and Kayla all believe Courtney is really in contact with a dead guy.
The palm trees in this parking lot are beautiful. Maybe I will go to Jupiter.
The next day they go to Courtney’s house with Aunt Shannon! Let’s keep our eyes peeled for new furniture and watermelon colored paint, ya’ll. Courtney has some beautiful dogs. OOOOHHHH! Courtney got a lot of really pretty new seating. It’s a whole pit group. Is that suede? Leather? Sorry. I am going through some sort of furniture/home envy with a side of new dog fever.
Courtney says she did talk to Frankie last night and he could not understand why Shannon was there because he says Shannon never could stand him. He says she is a bossy bitch. Shannon agrees. Ooooh it’s leather. (sorry).
Back on track, he is haunting one of the foster moms that he had that he also slept with because he feels like she did not help him somehow. This is all too weird to recap. Courtney says Frankie is there but he won’t come out. He is watching. I am so tweeting TeeCee to come tell me how fucking dumb this all is. Or maybe not. She would likely just fuck with me more.
So Nev and Max go to the car so they can talk privately. But there are still cameramen in there. I never understand the point of all this. Shannon gets chills. This is sort of like playing with an Ouija board. Frankie comes through once pesky Nev and Max go outside. Everyone believes in Courtney!
Okay that was creepy as fuck.
I totally believed this. Am I crazy?
Nope. Me too. I’m usually the biggest skeptic. Speechless
“Nope. Me too. I’m usually the biggest skeptic. Speechless”
Please don’t call yourself a skeptic if you believe someone talked to a dead person based on a TV reality show. You make actual skeptics look bad.
He is entitled to his opinions of himself….he knows what he believes and who he is as we all do. Its been a year and I still believe it as we have experienced strange things in our life.
Afraid so… It’s rather obvious – a family member of Kayla’s, seeing the intense pain she still suffered (perhaps combined with fears of mental illness in the family amplifying an already incomprehensible grief/trauma), felt that this would provide solace. And it seemingly did.
My guess…? Five years marks when Kayla discovered all the “bad” stuff – the basement lockdown abuse, mom who stripped, and father who had intercourse with a stepmother of his. Imagine where she was at at that time – father brutally murders your pregnant mom, then kills himself in prison. Envision what you’d think about such things.
This – speaking “from the great beyond” to plead forgiveness and offer that all are now at peace/better off – presented a really great way of dealing with a truly impossible traumatic tragedy. But there’s no question in my mind – a family member set this up, for Kayla’s benefit. Was it the aunt? Someone else? Who knows.
I *still* wouldn’t change my position, but I’d be more open if Courtney could reveal something horrid Kayla didn’t already know about – meaning it isn’t a family member trying to help someone who needed/needs it, as that bit would be more likely to prove detrimental versus beneficial.
I’m sorry, but ghosts running around our planet – let alone “special” humans who can talk to them… well, it’s just absurd. It’s almost a religion all its own, yet one that flies in the face of all religions by imagining a flawed God that allows mistakes/ghosts to get left behind, then grants one in a million humans the means of “contacting” them (who 999,999,999 out of a billion, also only do so for lots and lots o’ $$$)… but leaving all that out of His Sacred texts?
But that’s almost beside the point – what makes me so sure as to my preceding explanation for *this* particular instance here, you likely ask? Max.
Max/producers/all of Catfish central went the way they ended up going because they were told the truth upon meeting Courtney. Revealing that truth/new knowledge, or merely openly questioning it and leaving it decidedly open ended, only hurts Kayla… and does little in regards to the show (or ratings). Kayla *needed* this, of that I have little doubt, and so I can’t be upset if wool were pulled over our eyes to offer her something that allows her to better make her way through a far too painful and difficult life than anyone deserves.
But Max has a way, way, waaaaaaay too fast change of heart. He got the real story in Jupiter, then went along as he did for Kayla’s benefit. Based on what was said by him, he seemed to be dancing around holding decidedly atheistic views early on, then miraculously comes on board. If there should be any mystery tonight, that one probably takes top billing – yet all makes perfect sense as sketched out in my noggin.
It is actually a religion. The Church of Spirituality, which is a faith that practices clairvoyance and as mediums has been around for about 200 years.
I completely agree with you. Couldn’t have put it better myself. Eventually when kayla has got everything she needs from the situation she will probably be told that her father has “passed on and is at peace now”. Hopefully, with no harm done. X
I would love to have that happen to me I miss afew of my loved one I hold alot of regret and I do try to tlk to my Dad alot being I know he looks down and says those wrds hed say to me.
Could it be the foster mom he slept with is behind all of this?
The Aunt- Shannon- has several Facebook posts about how she has visited mediums (including a reading by the LI Medium!) so clearly she does not feel it goes against her “beliefs”. In these posts she excitedly speaks of the thought of talking to “Kathleen” and “Frankie”. Courtney is also giving readings now so I smell a big pile of BS. Now Shannon may have given information to Courtney to help heal Kayla but there ain’t no magic here. And I live in FL and I saw a raccoon do that around here about a month ago. ALLEGEDLY.
I agree with you 100%. Aunt Shannon may have thought she was helping but Kayla will need intense therapy when this trick comes to light.
Really think that when Courtney says that torments her she realizes she slipped up and covered it up say Frankie torment a foster mom
I THINK CORTNEY KNEW FRANKIE AND HE TOILD HER ALL SHE KNEW MAYBE BEST FRIENDS
Just watched this episode and think this is a load of BS have lost belief in any previous+later shows.
That’s exactly what I thought !
Yes! I’m just watching this episode and had the same thought! When the stepmother is mentioned, I noticed the “psychic” start itching the palm of her hand a bit nervously. I think we’re right.
Psychics and mediums are not real but not because it’s not in the bible. If you are going to make and argument against an invisible and difficult to prove real but easy to prove fake in many cases please don’t use another thing in the same boat. Religions/God are just as unlikely and in most cases easy to prove fake. God doesn’t exist but if God did you would have NO idea if God allowed psychics to exist. Mediums are 100% fake but there may be a small amount of intuition that some people have. Not sure if it’s pyschic or just more aware of the subconscious than others.
All of these opinions put out there as facts… Just as crazy as some think speaking to the dead is! When Jesus returns I hope to hear all the excuses from such close minded folks. Thankfully our ancestors weren’t like this or many things that sounded impossible would not have happened…. Like flight! Or man on the moon, can you imagine?
You don’t know the Bible very well… there are over 14 references to spiritualists or mediums in the Bible. God doesn’t appreciate them or want us going to them, but they exist according to the Bible…
Leviticus (3)Leviticus 19:31
‘Do not turn to mediums or spiritists; do not seek them out to be defiled by them. I am the Lord your God.
1 Samuel 28:7
Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek for me a woman who is a medium, that I may go to her and inquire of her.” And his servants said to him, “Behold, there is a woman who is a medium at En-dor.”
Deuteronomy (1)
1 Samuel (4)
2 Kings (2)
1 Chronicles (1)
2 Chronicles (1)
Isaiah (2)
So true!
I realize you posted this a while ago but just watched this episode. I agree with everything you’ve posted. I don’t believe this is real for a second. Either a family member set this up OR (and this is an angle I haven’t heard anyone talk about) Courtney was a stripper who worked with Kayla’s mother. I’d bet a million that this some how revolves around stripping. I’m actually from Shepherdsville and if there’s one thing they do here is flap their gums about everything that goes on in this one-horse town! Hell, the neighbors probably knew more about Frank than Kayla does. That’s the way it works around here.
I don’t remember what the explanation was but I think it is in the comments. The aunt was in on it too I think.
THE TRUTH?? Courtney knew Lori Drawl from Ohio. Lori is a psychic or “Spiritual Healer”, and Lori knew the foster mother that Frankie Marshall Harbin, Jr. slept with, because she (the foster mother) was telling Lori Drawl that she thought Frankie was haunting her for what they did together, and for crossing the boundaries of a foster mom and not protecting him. The foster mom had always kept tabs on Kayla’s father, Chasity and Kayla. The foster mother told Lori all of this, and details about the father, and that is how Courtney, in turn, found out all the personal stuff about Kayla’s father. The foster mother knew a lot about Frankie, and relayed all this info to Lori, and Lori told Courtney, then Courtney thought it was so bazar and eventually looked up the family and tracked them down. Courtney and Lori feel bad about doing all of this, and now it’s too late to go back and tell the truth, especially since she’s making money from it. (Lori was a “healer” and now since Catfish, Courtney is one, too.)
It was not Lori’s intention for Courtney to do all of this. Lori was just talking about someone that had come to her, and then Courtney looked up all the info online and went crazy and was obsessed in finding the family.
For Courtney, it was all mostly just a mental breakdown and nothing better to do, when she pursued finding the family at first. (Her husband was always cheating and wanting her to “swing” and she couldn’t take it anymore and just had a breakdown. Courtney never expected, nor wanted to be on TV, and now it’s too late to turn back. She’s too into herself and her reputation to ever tell the truth about it, so will go to her grave with the lie…Lori is the same, and as long as they are making money off the the scams (healer/mediums) neither will say anything. Lori had the foster mother write down as much as she could – so she could “track him down” and bond with Frankie on the other side. (Frankie Harbin, Kayla’s father.)
I feel sorry for the family they have deceived. Both Lori and Courtney care too much about what people will think if they tell the truth. Right now Courtney is a hero, no one knows about Lori, but both will be the devil incarnate if anyone finds out the real truth.
How was all of this discovered? Someone hacked into Lori’s computer. 🙂
This comment is FALSE. I am Lori Drawl. Courtney told me about her initial interaction with Frankie many years ago. I do NOT know any of Frankie’s family or friends. I have no financial connection to any of this.
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
Sounds like you, Lori have a jealous troll!!! People are so evil to put others reputation out there. Stanhopes wench needs a hobby!!!
Forget them… Some of us could really use ur help.. Some folk don’t believe in anything, and or will post anything for bloody attention.. If ya’ll are truly gifted, Like in the bible.. Again, i’m sure i’m not just speaking for myself, some of us, I could use your help. 1Misscnn on tw. Thanks in advance.. lol just thinking, it’s 2020.. I pray everyone is still blessed by the best!! 🙂
No. By the end, I was all in.
Not crazy that’s not a real thing. But gullible and easy to trick. There has never been a proven psychic or medium…..ever. If you want to see how people trick others and even themselves into thinking they are pyschic then start by looking into James Randi, Darren brown or just research cold reading and mental illness. Courtney did not say a single thing that she could not have found online. If you pay attention she does classic cold reading tactics. When she was talking about the mom being a stripper she was being very vague and digging for reactions. Then she said her dad might have been locked in a closet or basement when he was a kid. Kayla jumps up and tells Nev and Max that Courtney told her that her mom and dad got locked in a basement but that’s NOT what she said. Beyond the fact that I have never seen a pyschic I couldn’t prove was a fake I’m going based on the fact that the family claims they don’t believe in psychics or ever visit them but they have flown out special for tickets they bought to see a famous fraud…. I mean medium. It’s on their Facebook page from four years earlier. Plus multiple other psychics they visited. Obviously catfish did not do the research and they had to save face.
7/30/17-Just watched this episode. I totally believed it for about 10 minutes. I was in tears telling my husband about it. I have no reason for why I was so emotional. I then put my detective skills into action and realized I was just Catfished!!! My heart goes out to Kayla Bec her aunt, mother and Courtney messed with her big time. Wow, I was Catfished by Catfish!!!
Yes you are crazy.
Update 2019 Courtney knows a medium who knew franks foster mom and she confided in Courtney and then Courtney looked up everything she could on this case ! So she knew all because foster mom told all ! Courtney fake and bad thing Opened that hurt to front burner ! Poor Katie needs professional help to understand and should of been told total truth of what happened ! If anyone would come forward it would be mom if really happens ..
Something I think people have forgotten because it happened quite a while ago, is that that the entire show is based on the initial case of Nev Schulman being catfished. So we really shouldn’t be surprised when he’s taken in by this psychic scam. A sceptic he isn’t.
So her dad faked his death with a prison guards help to get out of the joint then once out became transgender and guilt has gotten the best of him and he had to reach out to his family. Mystery solved.
“So her dad faked his death with a prison guards help to get out of the joint then once out became transgender and guilt has gotten the best of him and he had to reach out to his family. Mystery solved.”
As unbelievably ridiculous as that scenario obviously is, it’s orders of magnitude more likely than someone speaking with the dead, something there have never ever been documented scientific evidence of having happened.
I like your plot ao much better!
I was thinking the same thing! Courtney is Frankie because she defiantly looks like a man.
She’s not. Frankie is dead.
I have to say… This was one of my theories… Only because Courtney did have a bit of a masculine look/sound to her, and well… Crazier things have happened. We all know that, when evil is involved, where there is a will, there is a way.
Nope. Just a crazy, crack pot theory. Courtney is not Frankie. She’s not a medium either. Frankie is dead and Courtney got most of all of the info off the Internet or from the family. The family had seen many mediums/psychics before Courtney despite lying that they had never met any. In fact they even flew to a famous pyschic years earlier. So they obviously don’t think psychics are of the dark side. Beyond the fact that there’s a death certificate for Frankie and there was a funeral it’s not easy to become a woman. It takes years of therapy, meds and surgery. Plus Frankie had a severe mental illness. I can’t believe I need to explain why that’s a stupid theory.
“I totally believed this. Am I crazy?”
I won’t comment on your mental state, but this episode was ridiculous. To quote Carl Sagan “extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence”, and this wasn’t even close. There are many more reasonable explanations for this show than that this woman is talking to dead people.. Anything from Nev, and Max pulling a Hoax, we know reality shows have no problem playing fast and lose with the truth, to everyone on the show other than Nev, and Max being involved in a conspiracy, or anything in between.
Maybe the aunt set it all up. She found Courtney online, a woman who claims to have psychic abilities, fed her a bunch of info. about the dad that only close family would know, then had her contact the niece thinking that hearing from her dead father would bring some peace and closure. They did say that the aunt and grandma were the only ones who knew about the father sleeping with one of his foster moms.
“Maybe the aunt set it all up. She found Courtney online, a woman who claims to have psychic abilities, fed her a bunch of info. about the dad that only close family would know”
I was expecting that to be the big reveal at the end. The only problem with that scenario was Courtney’s Facebook friend verifying the story. That being said Cortney have contacted the woman, and asked her to play along. Of course people who want to believe this might say they couldn’t know Nev, and Max were going to contact that person. The problem with that is we don’t know how many of her Facebook friends they contacted. They may have contacted several who said they knew her, but only aired the footage of the one woman who backed up Courtney’s psychic story.
Another comment I want to make about the show in general is that I don’t believe any of this is real time in the sense that they go into these stories blind. I strongly suspect the producers have already done most of the legwork, including getting releases signed by people like Courtney, before Nev, and Max ever start filming. What a waste of time, and money it would be if they did the whole show only to have the “catfish” say, no I won’t go on the show. If you haven’t noticed the final contact of the “catfish” almost always starts with them saying no, and having to be talked into it, or calling back, and then agreeing, or they agree after the show spends thousands to fly the entire crew halfway across the country to go to the persons house. It’s all too formulaic to be real. I suspect the saying no, and then agreeing is basically scripted.
Mike, all of what you said is true. In addition to all of that, they stage the houses (both the Catfish and the catfished). You will also notice they are not allowed to where any shirts with brands or logos. Even the people being “surprised” by the camera (in places where they had to get permission to film) are in plain t-shirts and free from any caps advertising anything (other than perhaps a college or high school).
This season, they have used a very odd shade of red paint (sort of the color of the inside of a watermelon) and it hilariously shows up in almost every episode.
That said, even the behind the scenes information claims that while production knows the outcome and send the email they want the boys to open, SUPPOSEDLY Nev and Max are kept in the dark and play along with the audience. Also, there is generally at least one member of the situation that does not know the outcome. Generally, the person being catfished does not know the truth until it is revealed.
But you are correct, a lot of it is staged. And it is very formulaic. For awhile we never went to the Catfishes house (saving money on staging the set) and everyone met at “a nearby park with a large body of water.” I make reference to all the formulaic storylines in my recaps. 🙂
“I make reference to all the formulaic storylines in my recaps. :)”
I’ll have to make a point of looking at some of your recaps. This was the first episode that was so ridiculous I felt compelled to see what people might be saying about it online. 🙂
The show is Forty five mins but it’s edited from anywhere from a few days to a week or more of time. It’s not scripted and they have had many people say no and then they go there anyways and find them. I suspect that they blackmail them a little off camera and offer them a chance to either do it willingly or they would be seen as catfish chooses. Also if you have actually watched all the episodes you would know that they have had to stalk, berate and follow people to get them on camera at all. A few episodes they didn’t get the answer they wanted. Plus as a psychologist who is trained to read micro expressions I can tell you that they aren’t actors and it’s not really scripted but they do edit the show sometimes a little dishonestly and specifically in this episode they lied. Nev and Max did not believe Courtney. I think they go in having done a little research but not enough. I believe they found out what I did when I researched which is that the family had met many mediums over the years. It is likely the Aunt fed Courtney the info or that Courtney got the information off an episode of a medium show that the aunt Shannon was on. Courtney is making money from being a medium now so she clearly meant to use Kayla that way. She told them all that she’s never seen or heard a spirit before or after Frankie. That he is the only one, so how can she be making money from being a medium? Unless she’s a fraud like the rest of them are. Clearly Nev and Max had to save face as so they pretended to believe.
That crossed my mind
Hi Mike… new to this so hope I am replying in the right place.
I agree with some of what you’re saying and I have been wondering myself what goes on behind the scenes. There are two conclusions I am quite certain on:
– Security MUST check the houses out before they go there (as Tamara pointed out, they seem to get a home makeover, but me and my mum have always said it seems like they’ve just rented a show home for the day) and probably the catfish. There is NO WAY MTV would let nev and max just go to some random potential psycho-with-a-gun’s house without checking it out. Hence the cameras being there already to film the Nev and Max car arriving. I don’t mind this part, as long as the catfishee isn’t told ahead of time who the catfish is.
– I think the catfish must be offered money to agree to meet up. Nev may be quite persuasive and that might account for some of them in season 1, but now with the popularity of the show, all the catfish are going to know what’s up as soon as they hear his name, and there’s no way they would meet up on TV after years or saying no. There must be something in it for them. I don’t mind this factor either and it doesn’t ruin the show for me.
I have some questions. Why did Nev and Max do more internet searching? Why no update at the end? I smell BS. I am not a non-believer but my guess is Courtney is somehow related to someone who knew Frankie in prison or was a prison pen pal. Or Shannon is in on it with Courtney trying to give Kayla closure. Frankly (no pun intended) the level of BS that Catfish is expecting me to swallow is insulting. I know this crap is so staged but PUH-LEEZ- this reaches new heights.
Oops- “Why did they NOT do more internet searching?”
Exactly what I think. She knew someone frankie was in prison with and confided all these things to and that is how she knows all this info. Im surprised no one mentioned her body language. Closed closed closed. Sitting on the poo icnic table and at her home. That is what really gave her fakeness away to me. Guilty!
I have dealt with these types of situations for 30 years. It does seem that those involved with this episode appear quite genuine in their beliefs & abilities. But the sad truth is that Frankie is dead, not floating around wreaking havoc. What Courtney has subjected herself to is what are called “familiar spirits.” There are devil spirits (fallen angels) whose job it is to become very familiar with especially troubled people while they are alive, then when that person dies they they find a willing participant whom they will convince it is their dead loved one, hence the private details they’ve been gathering a lifetime will now fascinate people and believe they have power. Yes, there is a certain kind of power, but it is not from God. It mocks God & His Word. People claim it brings peace. Long term, nothing could be further from the truth. God gives peace, not turmoil. I have yet in all my years never seen a psychic bring home a missing person alive. They are always dead!! If it were power from God, that would not be so. And so why doesn’t God work that way? Because He gave us free will to believe what we choose. If we diligently seek answers in His Word (not the preacher’s version which is often more religious tradition instead of truly operating the power of God, which is the WORD itself!). Mostly unknowingly, these psychics love to fascinate people with their “messages” from beyond, Some will even put God’s name on it and say it is heavenly inspired. B.S.!! The adversary spends his short-lived existence killing, stealing, and destroying, and he has no shortage of minions… but their only goal is to make God look like a dick who can’t take care of His kids, and therefore, people will spend time talking devil spirits masquerading as they loved one… when they would be so much more peaceful and happy if they were to cast their cares to God and pour out their heart to Him. If you’d like more information on the true spiritual reality of what I’ve shared, start with a Google search of “familiar spirits”, then perhaps check out some of the accounts in Acts of the Apostles where the disciples regularly encountered people like Courtney… and see how they handled it. Then read on to see what happened when the people obeyed and burned all of their curious arts, books, and idols. There was great deliverance, healing, and many came to the knowledge of the truth to manifest and operate God’s power and no longer be tricked by the adversary who only gives “good feelings” for a while… then there’s a price to pay.
The much shorter answer is that the woman looked up facts of the case and decided she needed to be a “special” person who can communicate with the dead. Pair that with a bit of “cold reading” and there you have it. Does anyone confirm that he slept with a stepmother? I can claim he had fire-red balls and not have to prove it. Look at my special psychic talents.
The aunt and daughter both confirmed he slept with his foster mother.
I bet she had access to Frank’s prison mental health records. The records also may have been scanned as part of the prisoner’s electronic health record program. This scanning process may have been outsourced and Florida is infamous for cheap contracting wages.
I wish that EVERYONE who dabbles in the occult or believes in “friendly” ghosts could read what you’ve written here…. The Bible makes it clear that when one dies, they no longer have dealings here on earth. The encounters people have are with evil spirits masquerading as a loved one. It always ends badly…. and becomes a barrier to people in their relationship with God.
Amen! This episode was messed up beyond belief. Whether this was a women dealing with dark supernatural forces or a just a con artist, this young girl should have been sent to a therapist instead of this show.
I smell a jupitor, fl. medium show in our future.
Last week as a waited for a flight in Atlanta, I watched a NONSTOP flight to TOKEYO board.
Nonstop flight to Tokyo, funny.
Off topic but the Tokyo flight had to be a ball buster, 14 + hours.
I took Delta flight from Atlanta to Tokyo and back again. I was surprised that the route arced to Canada and Alaska to follow prevalent winds.
Ok. I have to watch this. Whoa..
Come on people – Let’s be logical here. There is no way that this woman is legitimate. But we don’t know her angle. I think she is some sort of semi-distant family member with access to this information. But why is she tormenting this young girl? They need to hire an investigator to find out who she really is. I hope that Nev and Max come out with an update.
“They need to hire an investigator to find out who she really is. I hope that Nev and Max come out with an update.”
No matter what happens in this future, if anything regarding this story, we can conclude one of two things. Either Max, and Nev are conning us, or they’re gullible idiots for buying into this.
I wonder if she was his pen-pal while he was in prison
“I wonder if she was his pen-pal while he was in prison”
That’s certainly a possibility someone mentioned before. She could be one of those nutcases who’s obsessed with psychopaths. She might have written one of the inmates who was incarcerated with him, might have dated a prison guard, might have known his Frank’s psychiatrist. Again as I’ve said before there are so many possibilities that Naive aka Nev, and Max never investigated, that are more reasonable than speaking with the dead.
I have to disagree. The only thing tormenting this girl is her family’s past. Sometimes extreme measures need to be taken to move on. This woman made her feel much better. As the girl grows up she will still need to come to terms with her past and heel. If all Courtney the girl were things that actually happened then what exactly is the damage!? If she lied and told her it never happened etc. then yes that would be awful. But all she is doing is providing comfort. And no one knows but her and never will if she made it up or if she is legit. If it takes an extremely caring stranger to push her in the direction of healing? So be it. If she feels better that’s all that matters. I’m not saying this directly to you btw but damn a lot of people seem jealous of this woman. She’s awesome, kind and beautiful either way. It’s insane how many people can’t handle someone like that because of their own insecurities. 🙁
Fake as fuck, not creepy.
Well in truth, it has been said that I’m extremely gullible. My brother got married last weekend, told me he was having mimes perform at his wedding. I believed him (and was horrified when he told me this). Anyway, when I got there I asked when the mimes started. All of my idiot brothers busted a gut over this.
By the way… Did you know they took the word gullible out of the dictionary? ?
Mimes at their wedding!!! I can’t stop laughing…LOL And then you asking what time the mimes start – priceless!! OMG I’m crying!!
Mimes? At a wedding? Hahaha…you have awesome (but mean) brothers! ??
This episode WAS creepy as fuck! The other extremely awkward part was when Kayla first met Courtney at the Park. The hugging/touch8ng was sooooo ackward. I don’t know why. Yes I do. Because. CREEPY AS FUCK.
Oh!! That damn racoon was a trip too! This epidode was not what I expected, not sure what I expected. But, this was not it. Thank you by the way. Because all I see is that God awful watermelon paint and new furniture in every episode. ☺
Though it seemed very believable I did think of one thing that could be a possibility to disprove the medium concept. Courtney could have been corresponding with Frankie while he was in jail. Lots of people write letters to prisoners who are involved in high-profile cases. If they became close this may have been completely planned for Courtney to do in the future to put Frankie’s children at peace with the whole situation. Even if it sounds far-fetched it would make sense if they were writing for a long time he would have shared personal details and she would have everything in writing to refer back to overtime. I would love to believe that she can speak to someone who is dead. I would be calling her myself because there’s people that I would love to talk to!! But I just don’t think as human beings we cam easily grasp the idea that it to be true…but who knows??
Seems like someone Frankie was in prison with could have learned all that info. They probably shared many baloney sandwiches…
I love watching this show because of how absurd it is and this one took the cake. If Kayla was actually gonna choose to believe in mediums then I would have had a lot more questions. This woman can’t talk to ANY OTHER DEAD PEOPLE except for this one guy who she didn’t even know while he was alive? C’mon. Why did Frankie choose this woman? A woman he doesn’t know? In a totally different state? If Frank can communicate w/mediums you’d think he’d pick a much more convenient one.
Also, to the author – it was revealed a few years ago that the people who do the catfishing are always the ones to contact the show.
No it wasn’t it was revealed that the people doing the catfishing are often the ones that call the show. In this case it was clearly the “psychic” that made the contact.
That’s exactly what I just said…
Jay, she said IN THIS CASE, it was the psychic who made contact. All other times, it is the person being catfished who contacts the show. You said the opposite…
I am really surprised at how dismissive and rude the comments are on this post. If it is not something you believe in – fine – but don’t ridicule those who feel differently. Their perception of this episode is just as valid as yours.
And aliens originally populated the earth and are living in our bodies…..And there is no such thing as climate change…
? LOL about the mimes!
However, a good mime is hard to find ~ I looooove their creativity.
We had to wait about an hour before a big show started once, but there was a mime working the crowd by imitating people as they went passed him ?…the time flew by.
“If it is not something you believe in – fine – but don’t ridicule those who feel differently.”
If people think idea’s are ridiculous they not only have the right, but in my opinion the obligation to hold them up to ridicule. Particularly when the ideas are not only ridiculous, but a potentially harmful, In this case by remaining silent I would be aiding “psychic” con men who prey on the most vulnerable, and gullible people.
Wow. So you are saying its your obligation to ridicule people who view this subject differently than you. Mmm… Okay.
“Wow. So you are saying its your obligation to ridicule people who view this subject differently than you. Mmm… Okay.”
No, I’m saying it’s perfectly OK to ridicule people who’s ideas you think are ridiculous, and/or dangerous. If you think my not believing someone can speak to the dead is ridiculous feel free to ridicule me for it. I have no problem with that because I’m perfectly secure in my ability to defend my opinion. It’s only people who recognize their views have no basis in fact, and know they are incapable of providing good evidence for them that have a problem with being ridiculed for them.
I for one am glad you are here to ridicule. I have been busy blogging and losing a fight with a tree (don’t ask). We ridicule all the time here… okay it’s mostly me…but nonetheless, I prefer ridicule to perpetually offended any day. As a courtesy to you, I moderated the most zealots to the window licking section conveniently located out of sight. 🙂
Carry on. We are not used to sanity showing up here very often. We will learn to adjust.
I lost my Dad and Brother at a young age and can totally understand her wanting to believe this. I’ve meet physics who I fully and totally believe in and others who I could tell were fake. Still when you desperately want to remember someone or hang on to their memory then you are more apt to believe things. I hope she got closure and leads a happy and adjusted life.
One of the two major skeptic takes seems to be that she was somehow in contact with the father while he was in prison. Wouldn’t it make more sense for her to be some sort of ex-girlfriend of his — someone he was cheating on his wife with? A lot of things make more sense from that perspective. The first thing she says in person is that the daughter has her father’s eyes… so, uh, that kinda sounds like she’s looked in the father’s eyes. In general, she treats the daughter like some kind of surrogate mother — so might that not be her angle? Unstable guy is cheating on his stripper wife (And at some point slept with a foster mom) but loves his kids; maybe the girlfriend also wanted to be their mom and still has a way to be that for this daughter? There are so many huge gaps in the information presented, and there is so very little research shown on the woman, that we just have no idea what could even be possible. What’s her current familial status? Single? Are her kids all grown, and perhaps all moved out — say, roughly around the time she suddenly decided to start contacting the daughter (Two years ago or slightly less)? Were she and the father roughly the same age? Where was she living when the father killed his pregnant wife (Or where did she live slightly before that)? Where was he driving off to with the kids? Asking questions and trying to find answers is what separates us from the animals (Or is it? You should try to find out!).
Mostly, I just want to know if I missed anything that answers something I’m wondering about. It feels like I must have, because the investigation segment was so very brief and there was never the typical Catfish “reveal all” by the end — just more and more and more of everyone believing what this lady says (Just reiterating what the family already knows), and then it ends, and there isn’t even a follow-up call. Left a very bad taste for a Catfish episode.
The other major skeptic interpretation is that the family brought this lady in (And then the Catfish guys) to give the daughter some closure. Honestly… this makes the most sense. Especially when Max surprised me by suddenly buying completely into the wildest story he’s EVER heard on this show. THAT doesn’t seem like him at all. The only person who seemed entirely legit was the poor daughter.
I’m liking the former girlfriend of the dead guy theory….
is courtney old enough to have dated him? he died 14 years ago and was in jail longer than that. I thought courtney looked too young.
“Is courtney old enough to have dated him? he died 14 years ago and was in jail longer than that. I thought courtney looked too young.”
She looks to be in her late 30’s, or early 40’s to me, so yeah that’s a possibility.
This Is exactly what I suspect. Not that I’m a sceptic but this unquestioned fact left a huge gap in Courtney’s story. Not to mention her motive to bring closure to Kayla as she might have had guilty thoughts.
“This Is exactly what I suspect. Not that I’m a sceptic but this unquestioned fact left a huge gap in Courtney’s story. Not to mention her motive to bring closure to Kayla as she might have had guilty thoughts.”
Something else that occurred to me after reading a comment here was that Courtney could have been the daughter, or another foster child of the foster mother Kayla;s father had sex with. If she were his foster sister she would have known of that, and known him well enough to know everything else she knew. Of course since the show never looked into her background we’ll likely never know, but again IMO such a scenario is far more likely than her speaking with the dead, and makes believing that a less rational conclusion to come to.
Courtney was 39 when the episode aired in 2016 which would make her approximately the same age that Kayla’s mother would have been. Courtney last name is Wolfe and her location, address and age are online.
So my guesstimation of late 30’s early 40’s was pretty accurate.
I thought she looked younger, but her face, other than her mouth, never moves. Botox.
I dont think Kayla’s parents were married.
This was a freaky episode. I was confused by the phone call to Courtney’s facebook friend Eric/Erica. Was that actually Courtney herself?
I thought thus was a setup by one of Kaylas family members, possibly the Aunt or even Grandma, to give her closure.
I wonder why there was no phone call followup?
I think there are mediums-but I dont think that Frankie is hanging around this strangers home and going over to neighbors houses for cookouts with her. When she said “you have your father’s eyes”-the ick factor was through the roof. I think that either a family member was on the jury or in jail with him (like someone else mentioned) -the bologna sandwiches were a giveaway for me-they feed them tons of bologna sandwiches in jail. Somehow Courtney became obsessed with the story, and has injected herself into it by “talking” to Frankie. Poor Kayla.
If you believed any of this, you might want consult a doctor or at least google. It was abundantly clear that this was a charade. She had to have been a prison pen pal or someone that was connected to kayla’s father.
It sad, they didn’t do or show any actual investigation or attempts to uncover the truth. Appears staged and unnatural. long turn deceptions are not healthy. I excepted more from these guys.
I’m going to tune in every week to see the new couches.
Since you pointed out the home decor, Tamara, I’m fascinated by the fact that all these random people they film with have brand spanking-new couches!
There is no conspiracy, she got her information by reading up on the case and probably talking to people who knew the family. “You have your father’s eyes” is the kind of thing you’d say to the gullible to sound legitimate. It’s easy to assume she’d inherit her mother or father’s eyes purely from genetics. She is a kook looking for attention. Never wear chiffon with tennis shoes, is my advice to Kayla. She’s the kind of kook that finds a spectacular case, and finds a way to interject herself into the story. It’s not supernatural. There is no way to prove any of the things she’s claiming. “Bossy bitch”-usually these kooks try harder to insinuate themselves with their victims.
I just watched the episode today so I’m a little late with commenting. I feel like this is not 100% truthful. I know in my line of work that there are easily available websites to get certain information. I used the death index when I learned of their names and for some reason their is one filed for her mother but not her father. I thought that was weird but giving the circumstances maybe they decided not to do a burial in his hometown for fear it would be vandalized because of his crimes, so maybe it was filed somewhere differently. Secondly she got ahold of the daughter 12 years after his death which I thought it was odd. Granted I only know the laws in the state in which I do certain investigative works but in my state any government logs, medical files, etc. only need to be kept on file for 11 years then by law you have the right to shred them. So when it comes to visitors logs and mailing logs (because they do open all letters and read them) they more then likely were destroyed just shortly before this woman would have contacted her. Also seeing that her family is listed through fb why would you not talk to them in regards to the “spirit” when it first started? It really bothers me that she contacted her after all files on him could legally be removed. Like I stated that’s if the same laws apply in her state which I’m pretty sure 11 to 12 years is standard. I just wish that they would have contacted the jail he was housed and spoke to guards that remembered him (I’m sure the one who found him would remember him) and see if there was any names that seemed familiar to them. Just not enough investigating for me to say I believe/don’t believe.
I just watched the episode today so I’m a little late with commenting. I feel like this is not 100% truthful. I know in my line of work that there are easily available websites to get certain information….
You hit the nail on the head! Literally no investigative work was done to corroborate stories or validate the information presented. It was reality tv at it’s finest!
It’s very telling that the girl WHO MOST WANTED TO BELIEVE still didn’t up until the end – I believe HER intuition was telling her, as much as she wanted to believe Courtney, she didn’t. Even the way she said something like “wait a minute, his foster mother (and apparent hook up) said something about smelling cigarette smoke too…” told us everything – I truly believe the foster mother and Courtney are in cahoots, for what purpose lord only knows…maybe the foster mother wants to be close to Kayla, but because of the circumstances the family wants nothing to do with her and this is her twisted way of being in her life. Insteresting “Frank” kept insulting the aunt – maybe she’s the one keeping the foster mother at bay?
FTR I actually believe in ghosts, but I NEVER believe these talking to the dead psychics. They prey on people who WANT to believe, and literally nothing she said was info she couldn’t have found out one way or another. Shame on Nev and Max for furthering this young girl’s manipulation by this woman – there’s no way they didn’t know the real deal, they’re not stupid. As painful as it would’ve been for Kayla to find out it was all a lie better that then this supposedly happy ending. A ”happy” ending with Frank in spiritual limbo, lurking around strangers houses, supposedly giving messages like “find my daughter and tell her I love her.” So ridiculous when you break it all down.
What a shock. Courtney now offering her special psychic services to the public now for a price. Even has her own public Facebook page and of course is “overwhelmed” by all the attention and requests for help she has received. I’m beyond disgusted.
I live in jupiter fl and have never heard of this courtney woman. I have raised four children here, all adults now, and they never heard of her. This is an extremely small community and everyone knows everyone, trust me. So if we had a world famous clairvoyant in our midst someone around here would have heard of her. I imagine Courtney lives in jupiter farms as i know the area pretty well and from the episode looked like the area. We have a lot to offer in Jupiter. Great fishing, an historic lighthouse, a boating lifestyle, and just great down to earth people. I love Max and Neve and love their show catfish, but that episode was painful to watch. Next visit to Jupiter the guys would be better off catching their catfish at the Jupiter pier
I live in Jensen Beach we’re practically neighbors
Lived in Jupiter and worked there 30 years, yes looked like the Courtney women lived in Jupiter farms, also never heard of her, and being a small community someone would know her .. either read on Internet or knew someone or is related in some way …
They met at Dubois Park in Florida. That freakshow Alison Dubois is a total fraud, imo. I see a correlation there…
Hi Tamara, great post! I wonder if you can clear something up for me. I’m outside of the US so I had to watch online on some streaming website, and hence cannot fully trust where the commercial break was cut out etc. Do you remember when Kayla took a moment to speak to Max, and told them “I know everything about my parents…. by this point I know what Shannon told you guys” and then gave them quite a menacing, confrontational look, as in “HA! Exposed you! What are you gonna say about THAT ONE, HUH?!” For me, abruptly after that look, it cut into the next scene. I was wondering what you think about this? Was there more I didn’t see, or do you think the conversation got nasty and they had to cut it out? Or maybe they revealed something about the programme that they didn’t want to show us? E.g. saying to Kayla “no, silly, that was just scripted for entertainment.”
There was a bit more: Nev’s reply to Kayla was that Shannon didn’t tell Nev any specifics other than the fact that Shannon was quite concerned Kayla might be hurt by what Courtney might have to say to her.
To me, what is really disappointing (and perhaps very telling) is the lack of real information? If I was presented with this situation, I would have a ton of questions to Courtney that were not asked -do other people “visit” her, what is her background situation, does she do medium stuff for money (they kept saying she had no motive on the show, but getting “famous” on a TV show is pretty significant motivation), where was she living when the father killed the mom (and verify it), etc.
This could be done very quickly. The fact that this level of basic checking was not shown, tells me B.S.
Also, Courtney keeps giving bullshit vague responses to questions that fake mediums give – like a vague description of abuse and trapped etc – I think it is safe to say that if someone goes on a rampage killing their girlfiend, they were probably abused in some way, the people who want to believe then fill in the details – most other facts like the stripper thing could be found online. If she was really talking to dead person, then she would have true hard data that very few other people would know.
“Also, Courtney keeps giving bullshit vague responses to questions that fake mediums give – like a vague description of abuse and trapped etc”
This reminds me of something my wife, and I brought up while watching the episode. First of all as you mention further along in your comment it doesn’t require a psychic to guess that someone who becomes a psychopath was likely abused, and likely locked on a room, or closet. That being said, IIRC Courtney said something about Frankie being locked up somewhere, and when Kayla relays it she says “Courtney knew he was locked in the basement”. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t remember Courtney ever mentioning a basement. This is where confirmation bias plays a part in this. Kayla has convinced herself that Courtney said basement, because that’s what she wanted to hear because confirms what she wants to believe about Cortney’s abilities.
“This could be done very quickly. The fact that this level of basic checking was not shown, tells me B.S.”
Yeah their fact checking essentially amounted to asking Courtney if she ever met Frankie. She says no, and that’s enough to convince them she’s speaking to the dead. lol
Lie detector test on this Courtney please!!! Have another episode!!! This woman is lying! ease keep Kayla and her baby safe !! Don’t let this lie continue!
I really don’t believe this. I feel either she found all this out in the transcripts or she was in jail with him or was a pen pal… She had no right to reach out to that girl and open up these old wombs…
OUCH. That typo hurt my uterus.
OH dear. I’m betting it’s not a typo.
It’s got to be some how connected to the foster mom who tried before to engage her with info about her dad visiting her and the smell of cigarettes. I don’t know what the motive would be but she doesn’t sound like a great person if she is sleeping with her foster kids. The aunt is also suspect, she changed her tune quickly.
I think Courtney knows foster mom who would know the food preferences and such.
I think the jury thing is a good guess. Or Courtney had a thing with Frankie at some point. Maybe she was one of those prison hags and glommed onto him. Or….Shannon. I did not trust her at all. Maybe Courtney and Shannon cooked this up using the kid as genuine because they wanted to be on TV. And if you were going to market your services as a medium, what better publicity? I’m thinking Theresa Caputi makes a lot of money and Courtney has her eyes on that prize. When the neigh it’s wife called back? Pretty sure that was Courtney.
Ghosts are way more subtle than this. It’s the rules of ghosting.
Something else I wanted to mention that I haven’t seen anyone point out is that Frank Harbin had a jury trial, and as was stated in and AP piece “Mr. Harbin was seeking an acquittal by reason of insanity or extreme emotional distress.” The transcripts of said trial are part of the public record, and likely could have been obtained by Courtney. Clearly things like the abuse he underwent, and having sexual relations with a foster parent would have been brought to light by his defense attorney. Who knows what other details might have been mentioned by psychiatrists and family members testifying during the trial.
I’ve gotten some moderated comments saying that Reddit has discovered proof that Shannon was on that New Jersey medium show contacting her brother and has been to see several mediums since.
Sounds like Courtney got her info from the fake psychic pipeline and began contacting the unsuspecting Kayla. Shannon being cast as the unbeliever seems creative on the part of production.
Yeah apparently Shannon, based on her own Facebook posts, contacted a couple of mediums, several times, going back as far as 2012, to as recently as 2015. Plenty of opportunities to milk her for information, which, as you pointed out, was likely passed on to Courtney. It makes sense she would contact Kayla given that originally she lived in the adjacent state (Ohio). Also we only have Kayla’s word for it that she never gave Courtney any money. If she had that might be something she wouldn’t even have wanted her family to know,
This is the first Catfish blog post I’ve read here (or anywhere), so can you ‘splain the furniture and paint thing?
No, no we cannot. But I can tell you that the Catfish posts are the most read posts EVER on this site even though comments are often small.
So you can read them all here. http://s17948.p858.sites.pressdns.com/tag/catfish/
Too much work. I’ll stay gloriously clueless.
If I remember correctly, Kayla said that Courtney moved from Ohio to Florida two years ago. But when Nev reached out to the Facebook friend, she said that she had been neighbors with Courtney in Florida for like 5 years. Did I miss something or did they let a significant contradiction go unchallenged?
A lot of people on Catfish seem to be looking for their 15 minutes of fame. My bet is that everyone involved in this episode was going along with a predetermined narrative. It would have been cool if Nev and Max found out she was on the jury or a prison pen pal, but most likely it was just a hoax they were all in on. Courtney making money off it now makes it even more clear.
Anyone notice how Courtney was like 7 feet tall??
I suspect courtney worked as a medical transcription person.
If this was a big story in the town it happened it wouldn’t it have been in the papers? I’m thinking most things are searchable online if you know where and how to look so the stuff Courtney knew could have been found just like other mediums do when they meet a mark. :/
I made my husband watch this episode after I’d already seen it. He said something I never noticed before.. Kayla looks a LOT like Courtney.. More than she looks like the picture of her own “mother” who was murdered. His theory is that Courtney is maybe Kayla’s birth mother, which makes me rethink the whole entire situation..
Woah. Just woah….
I thought it was weird when they reached out to Eric, but Erica replied. Never to hear about Eric again, when he was the one commenting on the posts. Bad…Terrible episode.
The whole Eric and Erica thing was weird.
So, I am hoping to put some of the theories to rest here. I don’t have any answers about this specific episode, but I believe the truth is somewhere in the comments above. Logic prevails.
That said, I would like to speak about the validity of the show. I have a friend who works on Catfish. He works on several MTV Projects and I am able to talk to him about the ins and outs of the show. One thing I can tell u is that producers do legwork. Nev and Max are kept in the dark for real reaction purposes. Also, Catfish isn’t creating the story, for the story is always in line with the truth. What u see on screen is in line with whats going on off. Where the validity takes a hit is when the people catfish the show, the show realizes it before hand, but continues the show because it is good reality and the truth is that these people really had the story happen, just that they created it out of thin air and the show knew about it post-filming.
Lastly, to Tamara’s point about the staging, it is true that very rarely do they go to the actual house of the Catfish or Catfishee. Typically because of safety issues, and mostly because places will not allow MTV to film there, i.e., government housing, apartment complexes, etc. So even though the scene is staged, the story is not.
I personally think they need to do DNA b/c somehow Kayla & Courtney are related….they look so much alike I would swear they had the same Dad 😉
Courtney is the foster mom. It explains EVERYTHING! Yes, she would have been young, but it’s possible!
Doesn’t anybody else but me think it’s all acting? That this whole episode was completely scripted and played by actosr so that MTV could get more viewers…
That’s what 90% of all Catfish episodes are. Even ones not half as ludicrous as this one.
Im an oldie who is skeptical of everything and watched this show out of morbid curiosity, because I lived in both areas. I think it is as simple as a scam where a “medium”(laff laff) maintains a pen-pal relationship with prisoners and them contacts their families. That is where Jupiter florida comes in: I lived in Jupiter for 3 looong and painful years. All that sunshine hides the reality that South Florida is a scammers paradise. EVERYTHING is a scam! Going to the dentist, simple things like getting your car fixed, EVERYTHING is a SCAM! Scammers move there to take advantage of rich golfers and old people. It is a haven for people who exist by taking from others. Living that reality, a “medium” living in South Florida has me looking over my shoulder and checking my pockets just thinking about it. A provincial teenager from BFE Kentucky would just be low-hanging fruit/play time for an accomplished scammer from South Florida. I have some pretty bizarre beliefs and am open to this stuff, but in this case, I think there is a simple explanation, no ghostus’s involved, just basic S’FL scammery.
I think they should have checked jail records to make sure Courtney has never visited him, or even been a pen pal
Just watched this episode.
Courtney is either an old girlfriend, related to someone on the jury or cellmate/prison mate.
They stated at the beginning that Frankie was found guilty by a jury and in the next breath that he had confessed. Usually a confession leads to a plea agreement, so no jury trial. If he entered the plea while the jury was “out”, then there would have been no guilty verdict handed down by the jury. Contradictions.
Disappointed the boys let this one slide. If there was a jury trial there are court transcripts and a defense lawyer whose job is to free his client, therefore all the “injustices” against Frankie ole boy would have been disclosed in an attempt to justify his reason for doing what he did. One would bet his defense lawyer brought all this up, how he was abused, “forced” to sleep with a foster mommy, etc. How Kayla’s mother was nothing but a tramp, a stripper, etc. and deserved what she got.
The boys dropped the ball on this one big time. They should have pulled the court transcripts to show all this information is indeed on public record. They should have investigated Courtney and any ties she had to the community Frankie lived in at the time, to see if she was an old girlfriend or whatever. He obviously was a playboy and got around. They should have checked to see if Courtney had served on that jury or had a relative or relationship with anyone on the jury. Also checked to see if Courtney had any family members or friends that could have served time with the killer, Frankie.
Absolutely no due-diligence performed. Very poor job boys, very poor job.
Wow!! Now guys you mentioned it, I do belive that Courtney is Frankli!! She is super super nice in a very obviuse way and that usually what transgendered do when they work hard to show Thier fenamizom side. And did you see how so random was when she commented on kayla’s eyes and just say ” she has her dad eyes” considering that Courtney’s eyes and Kayla’s are very similar.!!
THE TRUTH?? Courtney knew Lori Drawl from Ohio. Lori is a psychic or “Spiritual Healer”, and Lori knew the foster mother that Frankie Marshall Harbin, Jr. slept with, because she (the foster mother) was telling Lori Drawl that she thought Frankie was haunting her for what they did together, and for crossing the boundaries of a foster mom and not protecting him. The foster mom had always kept tabs on Kayla’s father, Chasity and Kayla. The foster mother told Lori all of this, and details about the father, and that is how Courtney, in turn, found out all the personal stuff about Kayla’s father. The foster mother knew a lot about Frankie, and relayed all this info to Lori, and Lori told Courtney, then Courtney thought it was so bazar and eventually looked up the family and tracked them down. Courtney and Lori feel bad about doing all of this, and now it’s too late to go back and tell the truth, especially since she’s making money from it. (Lori was a “healer” and now since Catfish, Courtney is one, too.)
It was not Lori’s intention for Courtney to do all of this. Lori was just talking about someone that had come to her, and then Courtney looked up all the info online and went crazy and was obsessed in finding the family.
For Courtney, it was all mostly just a mental breakdown and nothing better to do, when she pursued finding the family at first. (Her husband was always cheating and wanting her to “swing” and she couldn’t take it anymore and just had a breakdown. Courtney never expected, nor wanted to be on TV, and now it’s too late to turn back. She’s too into herself and her reputation to ever tell the truth about it, so will go to her grave with the lie…Lori is the same, and as long as they are making money off the the scams (healer/mediums) neither will say anything. Lori had the foster mother write down as much as she could – so she could “track him down” and bond with Frankie on the other side. (Frankie Harbin, Kayla’s father.)
I feel sorry for the family they have deceived. Both Lori and Courtney care too much about what people will think if they tell the truth. Right now Courtney is a hero, no one knows about Lori, but both will be the devil incarnate if anyone finds out the real truth.
How was all of this discovered? Someone hacked into Lori’s computer. 🙂 (Copied from the internet.)
This is so fake the guys should’ve done more homework
I think Courtney was Frankie’s cell mate in prison and knows so much about him because she knew him… then she got out of prison ang got a sex change.
I just wrote the same thing then I saw your comment
I think Courtney knows the Foster Mom. She would know his food likes also. You could find out the Mom was a stripper other ways…
Real or fake it really doesn’t matter MTV obviously got the ratings on this one because you are all talking about it, so I say… Don’t hate and just enjoy the entertainment.
“Real or fake it really doesn’t matter”
The problem is that it’s this kind of fake getting passed off as true which dulls people’s ability to tell the difference that results in a Donald Trump as president.
You seriously sound like a fool when you make comments like this. What in the holy hell does the election have to do with anything here? Get over it and yourself.
Daaaamn, who pissed in your Wheaties?? Go back to bed, ya grump!
this is not real, the girl kayla is being victimized. I first thought that Courtney was one of those idiot women who like men in prison and was frankies pen pal, and when you’re in prison, you have a LOT of time to chat which could explain all the details. then when I saw Courtney, I knew , she wasn’t frankies pen pal , she was his cell mate, maybe more because she is obviously a TG lady. shes big in stature, her hands and feet are big but more importantly they are not shaped like a womans hands. cellmates have even more time to kill chatting away than pen pals. they ended the episode like they did for this very reason, people are talking. some real background investigating would prove Courtney did talk to Frankie but he was alive at the time.
baloney and ketchup sandwiches, prison food!!
So many people are skeptical when it comes to this stuff. And without personal experience with spirits, it’s understandable why people wouldn’t just automatically jump at the idea people talk to ghosts. What I do find interesting is that a lot of people, including Kayla’s aunt, are religious and yet at the same time do not believe in the possibility of ghosts. To me it’s ironic given most religious people have no trouble believing in supernatural ideas, such as an almighty creator, and spirits surviving pass the grave to be able to go to heaven, or even hell. Yet they draw the line at spirits being able to interact with our very real world. Of course this is pure opinion, but to draw that line is ironic, and slightly absurd. I may be slightly biased in saying I believe this story could be genuine given my own spiritual experiences. All I can say there is if you aren’t a believer in ghosts, take a trip to Gettysburg! For many years I was very skeptical of mediums. Mainly because the only ones I ever really saw were cold-readers. They would ask questions of people, and make very general statements basically playing a hot and cold game until they got close to something. That, is really bull to me. But people like Courtney seem much more genuine. I am someone who loves studying science, and physics. The nature of our own existence and reality. And along with that comes some spiritual stuff as well. I truly believe in the chakras, and that people can have a spiritual connection. We all can. However it usually requires meditation, and carrying an open mind to connect on a spiritual level, by opening your “third eye”. And the way our society is, most people are made to be very skeptical of such superstitious ideas. And those who are, will never be able to see things on a spiritual level, because they aren’t channelling their energies, and allowing their third eye to open. I guarantee if we were opened to more of the studies done on this, and people were made more aware of the incredible abilities we all have, more people would be able to utilize them instead of a select few. It’s not just a rare group of people capable of this stuff, we all are. And society is brainwashed in so many aspects, this being one of them. The human body is truly extraordinary, and is capable of things that seem supernatural in their own regard. But, a people who are empowered, physically and spiritually, are much harder to control. And in modern society, it is all about power. Whether it’s government, or organized religion. Both want control. They both have guidelines, and specific rules we are supposed to follow. Rules created and designated by man. I just wish more people would become aware of things around them, and the things we are capable of, instead of following along like blind sheep. Didn’t mean to go off on a tangent, but I wholeheartedly believe this sort of thing is not only possible, but probable. Do not mistake this for faith in reality TV, because in more than 95% of situations presented to us under the label of “reality tv”, the scenarios are nothing short of pure fabrication. Although a select few shows have some real aspects. Maybe real stories, and real people, but staged events for purposes of on-screen drama. Given that it’s obvious that even in shows like Catfish, the people are very clearly prepared, mic’d up, cameras set, before the individual scenes take place. But it doesn’t necessarily make the entire background story false. Unlike the bachelor where producers decide who’s getting a rose and whonisn’t, I believe that Kayla’s story could be very real, as could Courtney’s ability to speak to spirits of those who have passed. And in all situations, unless concrete evidence can be provided to prove without a doubt it’s impossible, I don’t think anyone is in a position to say it’s in no way a possibility. Doesn’t mean you have to be a firm believer. But just because we are the most intelligent species on our planet, doesn’t mean we understand everything.
I believe that she knows the Foster Mom and getting all her information from her. T
She prob wrote the guy when He was in prison, before he killed himself.
Some people commenting better hope there is no God…
If you read this Courtney I am on face book Janeann Keenan Rollins would love for you to hit me up
I absolutely love the show “catfish” but i dont believe that this was real. Very fake and i could not wait to see this episode. Very disappointed that they did not do more work. I also think that the producers did do more work but
didnt want Kayla to have a mental breakdown knowing the “truth” to how this all came about.
Just watched this episode… LUDICROUS… the information is likely available in court transcripts (strippers, locked in basements, affairs with foster moms, bossy bitch, cigarettes etc.) and the rest on social networks! all you have to do is friend a relative under a fake name and either private message them or even easier scroll the timeline and VOILA! liked bologna sandwiches! it’s all phoney baloney! and Nev and Max believe it? yeah, right…either the show is fake or they are the ones getting catfished…or both!