The popularity of MTV's documentary-style reality show "Catfish: The TV Show" has been spreading consistently since the show debuted in November. Its success has been achieved through aggressive and smart scheduling by MTV, access to the show on MTV's website (where fans can watch full episodes) and positive word-of-mouth by hardcore fans. In the name of full disclosure, I am one of those fans. 

According to Urban Dictionary, a catfish is "someone who pretends to be someone they're not using Facebook or other social media to create false identities, particularly to pursue deceptive online romances." In other words, a catfish may use fake photos, a fake name and an entirely fake story to pretend to be someone they are not. To understand the concept of the show, it is helpful to know about its origins and the original documentary film "Catfish."

The documentary "Catfish" debuted at Sundance in 2010. The film follows the experience of filmmaker Nev Schulman as he travels across the country to meet the woman of his dreams - a woman he connected with via Facebook and spent months communicating with by email and phone. They had shared photos, hours of phone and text conversation, to the point of having what felt like an intimate relationship. The reality he uncovers at the end of his journey is breathtaking and shocking. You must watch the documentary in full to understand what it truly means to be 'catfished' and to get a glimpse of how Schulman himself experienced the dysfunction of being so completely deceived. 

The TV version of "Catfish" is directed by and stars Nev Schulman and friend Max Joseph. Each episode of "Catfish" follows a different pair as they take their relationship from online to meeting in person for the first time. In each episode, one-half of the virtual couple has contacted Schulman asking for his help to determine whether the person they've been communicating with for months (or years) is truly who they say they are. More often than not, the person is not who say they say they have been.

Watching "Catfish" (the TV show) makes elements of it seem scripted and dramatized. That being said, the message remains extremely relevant. People frequently lie and distort things online. It's so easy to. 

In the past week, Notre Dame football player Manti Te'o has revealed that the girlfriend he believed he was in a relationship with and spoke about at length to reporters for months, never existed. According to reports, Te'o was part of an elaborate hoax to lead him on and embarrass him. Since the story has come out, renewed interest in Schulman's "Catfish" documentary and TV show has surged. In an era of constant online and social media communication, it seems that none of us are safe from potentially deceptive online encounters.

ABC News reports that Schulman reached out to Te'o and is helping the football star to try to get to the bottom of the social media hoax. It will be interesting to watch and see what information he is able to turn up. If anyone knows how to untangle the deception, it's Schulman. Drawn from his own personal experience, he's become an expert on the topic of catfish. 

Check out the trailer for MTV's "Catfish: The TV Show" below. The show airs every Monday night at 11pm PST on MTV. To watch full episodes on MTV.com click here.

Reach staff reporter Ashley Riegle by email. Follow her on Twitter here.