'Catfish' Switches Up Its Usual Formula

Get ready for the most cliche love story you've ever heard — well, as cliche as a love story could be when the people involved haven't actually met. On this week's Catfish , "Jeff & Megan," the adorable Nev and Max introduce us to a guy who, like many of the people who seek their help, is waiting to make a big life decision until he meets the apparent love of his life in person. Jeff, a Navy sailor, is willing to give up his military career and move his life to Texas if the girl he's spent the last year falling in love with online is ready to take their relationship to the next level— but he's not 100 percent sure that she's the real deal. And frankly, neither am I.

Here's the thing: The girl in question, Megan, is seemingly perfect. What have we learned from Catfishes past, everyone? If the person is too good to be true, it's because they are (except in the case of Derek and Lauren, of course, but even that eventually came to an end) and Megan appears to have everything going for her. Not only is she absolutely gorgeous, with the whole blonde-haired, blue-eyed thing happening, but she's also got a successful career as a nurse. Yep, that's where the cliche comes in: The sailor and the nurse. A timeless love story. Sigh.

But in the year that Jeff and Megan have been talking, they've (predictably) never video chatted, and Jeff says the idea never even crossed his mind. That's our first red flag. When people in internet relationships fail to video chat after an entire year has gone by, it's usually because their gut is telling them that the person on the other end of the line is lying about who they really are. But who wants to give into that gut feeling when being in love feels so much better?

Then, red flag number two pops up. Jeff has attempted to meet up with Megan before, but she ditched him. The poor guy flew all the way to Texas and got stood up because of "family issues" — the oldest story in the book. And he still wants to share his life with this girl? I hope Megan's not lying, because if she's hiding something, she's taking advantage of a super sweet, extremely patient guy. Not to mention the fact that he's not so bad looking himself, and seems pretty smart — wait, why hasn't someone in the real world snatched him up yet?

The catch is this: Because of his military status, Jeff can't leave the base — so if he and Megan are going to meet, it'll be up to her to come to him. Yep, MTV is going to have to convince someone who's probably lying about their identity to get on a plane and fly to Florida to admit their mistake. Good thing Nev and Max are up for a challenge!

Is Megan telling the truth? Catfish experience combined with the cynicism this show has ingrained in me says no, but we get to find out for sure tonight at 10 p.m. on MTV.

Image: MTV