Sponsored by Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend. (MTV)

In case you've never used the verb ‘Catfishin’’--either because the concept is too vague, referring both to the idea of lying about your identity on the Internet and to those who sleuth out people who have lied on the Internet, or because you have remained blissfully unaware of the whole Catfish documentary and subsequent TV show--today is the day you join the learning curve.

Because as clunky and undefinable as it is, the term Catfish has now jumped out of its own self-referencing creation and joined the popular lexicon thanks to this  business of Notre Dame footballer Manti Te'o's fake girlfriend. And in an even weirder ourborous, the fake sister of the fake girlfriend reached out to original Catfish victim/MTV Internet sleuth Nev Schulman over the Internet while all of this was going down.

From yesterday's Deadspin story:

In yet another now-deleted tweet, Tei herself reached out to Nev Schulman, star of the 2010 film Catfish and executive producer of the MTV program of the same title. Schulman's movie and show are about romantic deception through fake online personas.

Of course, that demanded a response from Mr. Schulman, who could not be caught looking like he was tricked by Internet fakery twice, especially now that he's supposed to be an expert on this stuff.

Today, he told MTV: "My reaction is, quite frankly, no different from my reaction on the show. It doesn't really change anything for me that this victim is a high-profile football player. I think it can and obviously does happen to anyone."

Which is strange, because Mr. Te'o lied about a great deal of his backstory with Lennay Kekua, so calling him a victim, even if he fell for the hoax, seems a little inaccurate, as he embellished the story himself with personal meetings that never took place.

But also: why would the alleged Catfisher, Ronaiah Tuiasosopo, reach out to Nev Schulman? Because he wanted to get caught? Did he want to be on the show? Even in character as Kekua's sister, what could he have possibly gained from interacting with the Catfish crew, other than a super-villain-level of smugness at being able to wave his calling card in the face of the show's so-called "experts"?

Questions only time will answer. Or not. Either way, happy official Catfishin' Day!

Which is all to say good luck to Nev on his latest endevour, an MTV "docu-series" where he help couples find love over the Internet. And just to avoid any confusion, this show will also be called Catfish.

Here's the official release, which really has to be read to be believed. (It also puts the word "Unscripted" in quotes when referring to this show, which is always a good sign):

From the producers of the hit Sundance feature documentary Catfish comes a new MTV series that brings together couples who’ve interacted solely through LCD screens. Over the course of months they’ve supposedly fallen in love — but what will happen when they meet in real life for the first time?  With the guidance and help of Nev Schulman, the star of the original feature film, in each episode a hopeful romantic partner will go on an emotional trip to discover the truth about their significant other.  Is he who he says he is?  And if so, will love truly blossom?  These emotional journeys promise to be filled with mystery, surprises, and sometimes, even shocking revelations. Catfish is produced by RelativityREAL. Executive producers are Tom Forman, Nev Schulman, Ariel Schulman, Henry Joost, Marc Smerling, Andrew Jarecki, Brad Bishop and Jonathan Karsh.

Wait,  Mr. Schulman is now an Internet relationship expert because spoiler alert he was (allegedly) tricked into sexting an old woman?

You know what? Fine. It can't be worse than Skins.