[theme music playing]
[Narrator] The ultimate game of social media, strategy,
and gameplay is back,
where players can enter as themselves or try and play the perfect game
as somebody else.
We've got more shocks and twists coming down the line than ever before.
And this time, things are about to get really disrupted.
But who will survive the most brutal season yet?
Oh, honey, I don't know,
but whoever does will walk away with 100 G's.
Hold on tight.
I'm Michelle Buteau, and this is The Circle.
["Pump Up the Jam" by Technotronic playing]
[Buteau] Oh yeah, we're back, baby.
Out here repping Atlanta once again.
We're in the Deep South, and we're about to go deep
into the most savage, fierce, and fun social media game out there.
[elevator dings]
[Buteau] Oh okay, I just heard that elevator ping,
which means we have our first new hot baddie in.
[funky music playing]
[woman] Who decorated this?
Oh, look at the tchotchkes. [gasps] Oh my God. Look at the tchotchkes!
Look… Oh, hello.
Hello?
Oh my God. How am I supposed to get up on here? Hang on. Hang on.
[speaking Yiddish] Oy! Oy, gott. Oy gevalt!
All right. Are you ready back there?
Is this the thermostat? Yep. Who-- Who puts a thermostat on 70?!
I'm Deb. I'm 54-able. That's 54 and adorable.
I'm from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and I am in higher-ed technology.
[guffawing]
♪ I got the jungle room! I got the jungle room! ♪
[gasps]
[meows]
[Deb] I miss my husband so much when I'm away from him.
[squealing] I brought him with me! Here he is. This is Phil-low.
Look at us. Look.
Because of what I do for a living, I'm on college campuses all the time.
I'm always with college kids, and my own kids are Gen-Z'ers.
So I'm going to come into The Circle as 26-year-old Rachel,
this adorable, young, amazing girl,
but with my smarts and my life experience.
'Cause nobody wants to listen to 54-year-old Deb.
I say it, people go, "Forget it. That's not fun."
But 26-year-old Rachel,
if she says something's cool, then it's cool.
"Please set up your profile!" Oh shoot.
I got the lingo.
I understand what they're doing. This right here is rizz, baby.
"Please pick one image as your profile picture." Boom, let's go.
Circle, take me to the center picture.
Wow. I love the fact that Rachel has her hair pulled back.
I love that Rachel is smiling.
There's no filters. Rachel's real.
Make this my profile picture.
Pittsburgh 412. Recently single.
I might flirt, might not.
The biggest challenge for me in The Circle is just going through menopause.
I could win The Circle if that apartment is at 62 degrees.
[Buteau] A menopausal catfish? Don't act like y'all know what's coming.
Circle, who's gonna follow that?
K Fern in the house, party people! What is good?
I'm Kevin Fernandez, aka K Fern.
I'm 23 years old, and I'm from sunny San Diego, California.
[kissing]
Mama Fern, Pops, G, Zo. We made it.
If I had to describe myself in three words,
it would be "life of the party."
I'm a wine and alcohol sales rep.
And yes, that does mean that I can hook you up
-with free wine and alcohol. -[liquid pouring]
Whenever someone hears of a salesman,
they think of some sort of sleazy salesman
that's gonna do whatever it takes to get the sale…
[whispering] …which I totally am.
Circle, please open that bottom right photo.
This one's written in the stars. Circle, set this as my profile pic.
I am not gonna be going into The Circle as a sales rep.
I'm gonna be switching up a little bit,
and I'm going to be going into The Circle as none other than a lifeguard.
"Lifeguard on duty and life of the party off duty."
"#WorkHardPlayHarder."
This shows a perfect balance of responsibility
and absolute party animal,
which I think I achieved with this bio right here. This is…
a masterpiece.
[Buteau] Question, am I contractually obligated to call him K Fern?
While I wait on that answer, Circle, who next?
Ooh!
Open sesame.
Oh!
Good looking.
My name is Darian. I'm 29 years old, and I'm a teacher from the Dirty South!
Oh my goodness. [groans]
I wanna come into The Circle as myself because can't nobody do me better than me.
[funky music playing]
Circle, take me to my profile album.
I wanna come across as the Southern gent with good vibes,
but I wanna come across as, like, wholesome.
Ooh! Okay. This is nice, and it's also giving Mr. Hope,
like the handsome-ass teacher that I am.
Being a sixth-grade teacher, you know, I deal with a lot.
I have to deal with different attitudes, different personalities.
That's something I may have to deal with in The Circle.
So anybody wanna come with drama, guess what, I'mma be prepared.
For relationship status, put "single."
S-I-N-G-L-E. That's what it is.
The girls cannot say no to the Southern charm.
I mean, just look at me. How could they say no?
[twinkling]
Mm. "Describe yourself in three words." I'm gonna go with "fun."
I'm a fun person. They gonna wanna talk to me.
I'm loyal. You stick beside me, I'mma stick beside you.
Then I'm confident, you know, to make things happen,
so I think these three words really describe me really, really well.
If I win $100,000, I wanna put more into my youth organization
to help underprivileged kids get the resources they need to go to college.
I'm gonna be honest. Ain't nobody standing in the way of me winning $100,000.
I don't care who it is. It's already in my bank account.
♪ It's time to win this $100,000 ♪
♪ It's time to win 100K! ♪
[Buteau] So Darian is a teacher who's looking to win for the kids?
What a nice young man.
Circle, what other fine gentleman will be joining us?
[both exclaiming]
[electronic whirring]
I'm JoJo.
And I'm Nicky.
[both] And we're the Scarlottas.
[both laughing]
I feel like Luke Skywalker
if he had high blood pressure and cholesterol issues.
And hyperhidrosis.
Born and raised in Staten Island, New York.
Twenty-four years old. Construction workers.
[Jojo] The embodiment of the Staten Island stereotype.
-You're looking at it. -In front of you. In front of you.
We are entering The Circle together. 'Cause we don't like to be apart.
-How long we've been apart? Five days? -Five days. Yeah. We are one.
Obviously…
Our stereotypical New York personalities
might rub somebody the wrong way in The Circle.
So we are gonna be entering The Circle
as my beautiful, amazing girlfriend, Gianna.
[both] Hey, Circle, set up Gianna's profile.
[Nicky] Gianna is honestly one of the most genuine people I've met.
She reminds me a lot of my mother in terms of her characteristics.
You can't fake being genuine.
We got the makeup routine down. We got the skincare routine down.
-We also got the bra size. -What's her bra size again?
Not only is Gianna genuine, down-to-earth, and fantastic,
she's a smoke show.
Start off, "Hi." Four exclamation points.
Circle, add "Soon to be nursing student."
-With the graduation cap and gown emoji. -That's a good emoji.
-That is a good emoji. -"Single and ready to mingle."
"Party emoji."
"#PartyTime."
[Jojo groans]
When we win the 100,000,
we are actually gonna help pay off our parents' mortgage.
Then we're gonna go to the casino.
-Rest on slots. -Yep.
-This is harder than you can believe. -What is this? Young and the Restless?
It's what we gotta do to get where we gotta get.
-But I love you and I miss you. Come here. -You're gonna kiss the screen?
[Buteau] Okay. We got a teacher, two catfish, and a fake lifeguard.
I think that's more than enough reason to open our first Circle Chat.
"Paint your own owl."
-[TV dings] -[Deb screams]
Oh my God!
[Darian screams]
"Circle Chat is now open."
Oh shit, Jo!
-Oh shit. -Get your ass in here. It's open!
[loudly] I'm freaking out, man!
Okay, what-- I have to talk to people.
I have to be Rachel. [shouting] I'm Rachel!
Am I ready for this? Are they ready? I dunno. Are we ready for this?
Let's get a party going on in the chat. Let's make this a K Fern party.
Take me to Circle Chat.
[TV whirs]
[Deb] This is it, Deb.
Holy shit!
Wait a minute. Look at them!
They're babies.
Oh no.
This is where we see who we can potentially be allies with.
Who could be a potential flirt for Gianna. Let's go.
We'll figure that out when we get to that. We need to focus on our first impression.
I think what we should do is let maybe one or two people have the intro,
the opening introduction.
Maybe we wait it out to see how we can respond.
-Yeah. -We don't wanna be the first to write.
I wonder who's gonna say something first. [groaning]
Circle, message, "Hey, guys."
"I can't believe this is actually happening."
[tooting]
"Party emoji, mind-blowing emoji."
"#SoExcited."
And "#CircleFriends." Send.
Oh my God. Rachel, look what you've done.
♪ I'm the first one talking Don't know if that's good ♪
Okay, Ms. Rachel, hopping out there sending that first message.
Rachel got the party started. I'm so stoked.
I love that. Rachel seems like such an outgoing person.
Look at that smile. Message,
"What's good, Circle Squad!"
"Exclamation point."
"So stoked to be here! Little dance-y guy emoji."
Circle, send message.
[TV dings]
Okay, Kevin. He put the dancing emoji. Yeah, we about to get this thing popping.
"So stoked to be here"?
"Stoked"?
That's my word, isn't it?
"Stoked."
"Stoked" is 100% a Cali word. We definitely gotta have him on our radar.
He's somebody we could flirt with. He'd love Gianna.
[Jojo] Yeah, he'd love that. Circle, message,
"Hi, beautiful people! Two exclamation points."
[Jojo] "So happy to be here and can't wait to get to know each and every one of you."
-"#IsThisRealLife." -"Is this real life?"
Kind of an underwhelming first message, to be honest. Um…
First impressions are everything. Circle, open Gianna's profile.
[TV whirs]
Man, Gianna got me blushing and stuff. Gianna really does,
'cause she keeps on looking at me with those beautiful brown eyes.
"Single and ready to mingle."
Gianna has my attention right now,
but I feel like putting "genuine" into your profile
is maybe trying to play off that you're not genuine.
Oh my God!
Gianna's from Staten Island? That's my hometown.
Message, "Gianna,
I'm freaking out that you are from Staten Island."
"My mom grew up there. I've been there."
-[Nicky] "BestIcesEver" hashtag. -[Jojo] Oh my God.
-Ralph's Ices! She knows where Ralph's-- -That's crazy, bro.
-Rachel could be our biggest ally. -Okay. 100%.
[Nicky] Message, "OMG! Three G's, two exclamation points."
[Jojo] "No way, what a small world."
"As long as I can remember, I've been eating Ralph's Ices!"
[Nicky] "Drool face emoji. #BestInTheWorld."
[Nicky, Jojo] Send message.
Oh, Gianna! Oh, Gi-- [guffawing]
I love it! We're bonding, baby. Gianna is definitely from Staten Island.
If we weren't from Staten Island, we wouldn't say "Ralph's."
-Exactly. -[Kevin] Dude, who is Ralph?
What are these things?
I've never been to Staten Island, so this is… I don't know.
Message, "What's poppin', everybody?"
"This is crazy! Super excited to connect with you all."
"#LetsGetThisPartyStarted. Dance man emoji, champagne emoji."
Send message.
Darian! Okay.
This is what I'm talking about.
Hey, Darian, welcome to the K Fern party.
Circle, take me to Darian's profile.
Oh, Darian, you are cute!
Rachel is in education. Darian is in education.
They're in their twenties. Oh no! What if I have to flirt?
Okay.
Oh, Phil, I'm gonna have to turn you down.
Looks like a nice guy from the picture. Could also be a fake picture.
[Jojo] I know. You never know.
[Kevin] "Lover of tequila."
Dang. He loves tequila. I happen to sell tequila.
Darian is already my Circle bro, for sure.
-[TV whirs] -[Kevin] Circle, message,
"Darian already popping bottles!?"
"Exclamation point, question mark."
"He really got this party started."
"I love it."
[Darian, Jojo] "When's the dance battle between us going down?"
[Darian laughing]
Me and Kevin gonna be rocking.
♪ Let's get this party started! ♪
-[Darian] ♪ Ooh, ooh ♪ -[Buteau] ♪ Ooh, ooh ♪
The party's already started, but the band's not all together yet,
and the next player's about to take the stage.
[woman] This is so cool! We're doing it.
Mm-hmm.
My name is Heather. I am 26,
and I'm a touring, merchandise, and VIP manager for rock and metal bands.
I'm not a dude, but on the inside, I'm thinking about
shotgunning a White Claw, wondering who's winning the game now
and when can I get some goddamn chicken wings. [laughs]
Boots.
Oh, look. More boots.
When people read my messages on my phone,
I'm saying "dude" all the time, I'm saying "bro" all the time.
So I feel like if I enter The Circle as Heather,
they'd think Heather was the catfish.
Circle, take me to set up Andy's profile.
Andy is a bass player in a metal band. We live very similar lifestyles.
Circle, open up the middle photo.
So he looks like a typical band dude, but he's got the soft smile.
Let's lock this in as our profile picture for Andy.
[screaming] Look at him!
I was a fan of his band.
We did try things out.
I got friend-zoned.
-[breaking sound] -It's fine. I'm not bitter about it.
Andy's single in real life, and he's gonna be single in The Circle.
We want all the ladies to kind of see that face
and be like, "Ooh, let's go slide in his DM's."
Circle, let's please put, "Don't let the tattoos scare you off."
"I'm actually a softie at heart. Black heart." 'Cause we're metal.
[hoarsely] Andy is gonna win The Circle!
[burping loudly] I feel good.
[metal music plays, stops]
[Buteau] Metal catfish Andy came to The Circle to rock.
And this next player came to put the place down on lock.
Oh, I love this color! It matches my shirt! Oh God!
[screaming]
I'm Jadejha. I'm 24 years old, and I'm from Houston, Texas.
We're gonna put this right here 'cause,
Grandpa, you about to watch me whoop some ass.
I am entering The Circle 100% as myself.
Circle, take me to the picture of me wearing a pink [sputters] with my mimosa.
That's the one.
I need to look innocent enough so that people underestimate me.
Circle, make this my profile picture.
Aw!
She's so cute!
"Occupation." This is where it gets good.
"Cybersecurity engineer."
Okay, strong Black woman in tech.
My job is literally like The Circle.
I protect virtual systems of private companies.
I make sure that the bad guys stay out and the good guys stay in.
This is already just me doing my job, but now to win $100,000.
People are gonna be like, "What the hell?"
Most people don't think that a cybersecurity engineer looks like me.
♪ Look like me I'm that girl they wanna be, ha! ♪
[Jadejha] Like, I didn't grow up having a lot of money.
I went through homelessness. Like, it was bad.
I feel I've had to work three times harder
based on the cards I've been dealt, and there's nothing wrong with that.
I wouldn't change anything that's ever happened to me in my life,
because it's put me exactly where I am today.
"Lover of all things fitness, traveling, and bottomless mimosas. Clink!"
"My struggles don't define me. My smile does." [exclaims]
Somebody get this girl an award!
[Buteau] Girl, we don't give awards for profiles.
But I will give an award to this next player
for the Best First Line in The Circle ever.
[woman squealing] Oh my gosh, Samson!
It's giving, like, modern 19 or 1800s.
I don't know the time periods. I didn't take geography.
I'm Savannah. I'm 22 years old. I'm from Texarkana, Texas,
and I'm a student, and this is Samson.
I am extremely accident-prone.
And anytime people see me, I am covered in bruises.
Like, look at this.
There's more on this leg too.
[TV whirs]
[Savannah] "Please set up your profile." [screams]
We… we need to sit. We need to sit.
Come on.
[exhales]
Wow, it's getting hot.
Maybe that's just me.
My strategy is I'm just gonna overshare everything.
Circle, let's add my bio.
Okay, so, "Beauty and, parentheses, titanium" and then "brain."
When I went to college, I got into a really bad car accident
that pretty much mangled my face.
Turns out they found a brain tumor in my pineal gland.
"#BrainSurgeryQueen."
Who would lie about that?
"Always slaying and praying. #BlessedHotMess."
The miracle is not just that I'm alive.
'Cause I was supposed to be dead in that accident.
The miracle is I have a purpose. I am here at The Circle.
Okay, Circle, set this as my profile.
Are we gonna win The Circle? [as Samson] Yes! [chuckling]
Come on, Sam. We're gonna get comfortable.
[Buteau] Samson is my spirit guide,
because nothing should happen before a good nap.
But no time for that now, because all our players are in.
The Circle is complete. So let's get them all into a group chat.
[Darian] Message, "Kevin, we can start the dance battle right now."
I'mma put "#YouDontWantNoSmoke."
I want all the smoke. I want the whole fire, bro.
[Deb] All right. Oh my God!
Three people have been added to the chat.
-Welcome to the party. Let's do it. -Let's dance, baby.
Oh my God.
We are literally, like, playing the game. We are in.
[screams silently]
"Jadejha has been added to the chat!" You damn right I have!
Message, "Hey, y'all!"
"Exclamation mark, exclamation mark, exclamation mark."
"This is literally the craziest thing ever."
"A laughing emoji."
"I feel like I wanna scream. #ThePartyIsHere" with the clink-clinks.
Send message.
She's ready to join the party. I'm like, getting lured in right now.
Circle, take us to Jadejha's profile.
Let's look more into it, we gotta see what she's about.
[Nicky] Jadejha.
-Jadejha's a beautiful woman. -A smoke show.
Looks like she's holding a… a Mimosa, right?
Interesting. It's a little filtered.
Maybe it's because I haven't grown up with social media.
I just-- These overly, like, perfected pictures make me nuts.
-"Cybersecurity engineer." -You gotta be really smart to do that.
Like computers and coding and…
I can barely work my iPhone.
Ja-damn! She look fine as hell.
Oh my God. Jadejha, damn!
Ooh, I love a beautiful Black woman, Circle.
"Twenty-four, hard-working, stylish, single." Mm-hmm.
Circle, message,
"My favorite drink is a Tequila Sunrise…"
"…because when the sun rises, I'm ready to drink tequila."
[blowing raspberries]
[Buteau] I'm no teacher, but I think that line was an F-minus.
[Jadejha] Come on! Be for real.
Circle, please open Darian's profile, please.
[screaming, laughing]
"Single"! We could change that if you want to.
I literally feel my heart, like,
it's beating…
towards him.
Okay, we're going to keep what we have going. So, Circle, message,
"IDK about you guys, but I could go for a shot of tequila now."
"[whimpers] emoji. #FeelsLikeFirstDayOfTour."
Send.
That's what I'm talking about, Andy!
So there go another brother of tequila. A lover of tequila.
Circle, take me to Andy's profile.
Dude, Andy is one of the bros!
"Thirty-four"? Damn.
More than ten years older than me. Hey, but it looks like he has a young soul.
"Bass player"?
Is that the drums or is that a guitar? I don't know.
This is interesting. At first glance, he seems like he's not catfishing.
To say you're a bass player, you have to be a bass player.
[Nicky] A hundred percent. He looks the part.
He could be a potential ally, and we could possibly flirt with him.
-Maybe even have a Circle relationship. -Yeah, 100%, 100%.
Take us back to Circle Chat.
Circle, message,
"Long Island Iced Tea! Exclamation mark."
"I like my drinks how I like my nights. #LIITAF."
Circle, send message.
What the hell is that hashtag? That is not a hashtag.
"#LIITAF."
I… I actually don't know what that means.
[laughing]
-No! -Long Island Iced Tea as…?
Circle, please pull up Savannah's profile, please.
[Nicky] Looks like a good time in the picture. Another beautiful woman.
She looks like she would be Andy's type. This is where it's gonna get interesting.
[Deb] "#BrainSurgeryQueen"?
Have you had brain surgery?
Do you want to do brain surgery?
Nobody told me brain surgery was a hashtag.
We got another dog mom? So we got two dog moms?
Rachel, I see you and Savannah having a dog mom thing going on,
but Savannah look kinda… She look kinda cute.
These Texas women already got me feeling some type of way.
Would it be weird for 34-year-old Andy to be flirting with 22-year-old Savannah?
But is she real? Let's be real, like…
[exclaiming] Savannah!
"Brain surgeon queen."
So obviously she's studying to be a brain surgeon. Shout out to you.
A student doing something that I never could do.
So what's going on in that very smart brain of hers?
Whoa!
[Jojo] Message. Go ahead.
[Nicky] "You haven't lived until you've had a New York espresso martini."
-With two exclamation points. -[Jojo] Two exclamation points.
Or just one. One exclamation point. "Simply to die for."
"Martini emoji."
"#TiniTime."
Circle, send message.
An espresso martini? I feel like people who drink espresso martinis
are, like, middle-aged women.
Those are actually good. I have had those.
[Darian] Oh, well, well, well.
[all] "The Circle Chat is now closed!"
Ah, man. It was just getting fun.
Okay.
I need to take all this information…
[TV whirs]
…and think about it.
But first I have to pee.
Okay.
[Buteau] There you go, Rachel. Come up with a plan,
and follow through on it.
As the players unpack and settle in, they begin to make The Circle their home.
Surprise, surprise, our death metal diva brought a lot of black.
The boys are keeping things neat.
And while Rachel explores every nook and cranny of her apartment…
It was just easier when I was a kid.
[Buteau] …the rest of the players get in some playtime.
And do we got a game for them!
[TV beeps]
[Deb shouting] Oh my God! Oh.
[screaming] What is this?
[all] "Risky Quizness"?
Ooh.
[Buteau] Our first game is all about risky choices.
And it could lead to some huge rewards.
[Darian] What are we about to do?
Bring it on, Circle. Bring on the risk. I'm ready for it.
All right, Circle, open Risky Quizness.
[Buteau] Waiting at their doors are two paddles.
[Darian laughs]
[Buteau] In Risky Quizness, the players will be asked a series of spicy questions.
These questions are so spicy, they'll cause heartburn.
"Would you send someone a nude photo?"
[Darian] Wow! Mm!
Okay.
-[Kevin] Oh. -[Jadejha] Um…
Oh, and the kicker.
"Would you send someone a nude photo?"
I'mma have to say thumbs down.
No, I can't do that. Although this body do be bodying.
I know Gianna would say yes to this. She's sent me a couple of nude photos.
Andy's doing it. Heather's doing it. Why not?
I'm sorry, Mom. Guilty as charged.
"Would you send someone a nude photo?"
[guffawing]
Rachel sends nude photos. Yes.
[Buteau] Okay, Rachel. But would Deb send one to Phil?
Once all the players have given their answers,
The Circle will reveal the results for everyone to see.
-And judge. -[Darian] Wow! [laughing]
Slaying and praying. Thank you very much.
Really? Jadejha said no?
Jadejha is not a freak. The rest of us are.
[Jadejha] That was a no-brainer.
No, you don't get to see all these goodies for free.
[both] "Would you join the mile high club?"
Oh God!
Oh no!
I'm already in the mile high club.
-Me personally? Yeah. Obviously. -Yeah.
Would Gianna? I think so.
-With me, of course. -Do you think that'd be a good answer?
They're gonna expect Andy to say yes, because he's, like, tatted up band dude.
It'd be fun. Twenty-six years old? Be able to say that? Why not?
-Circle, lock in "yes" as my answer. -[Kevin] Yes.
[Jojo] All right.
I could see how that could be a little fun,
but there's just too many logistics that I can't get with.
Big no!
-Hell no! -Oh God, what did everyone else say?
[blowing raspberries]
I cannot believe that many people said yes!
Oh heck yeah! Okay, that makes me feel better though.
I'm on the same page as everyone.
Everybody's rocking with me on this one except for one person.
Wait a minute! I'm the only one who said no?
Oh, she's definitely standing out. [groans]
Jadejha might be a classy girl. I'm here for it.
-Maybe she thinks we're all disgusting. -Y'all need Jesus.
"Would you jump into an icy lake to save a dog?"
[Buteau] That's easy. Who wouldn't save a dog?
And who wouldn't say that they would save a dog?
This isn't risky to me. This is just being a good person.
If it's my dog, absolutely.
I'm a lifeguard, for crying out loud! That's my job. Fake job. But of course.
That's a major yes.
Gianna would 150 million percent jump into an icy lake to save a dog.
Thumbs up.
Yes, I'd save the dog! Who wouldn't?
Hell no! I can't even swim!
[Buteau] But, Darian, they don't know that.
Get somebody else to do it, 'cause it ain't gonna be me. Hell no.
Everyone better go green on this, I swear.
If you say no, you're asking to get booted.
-[Nicky] Oh! -[Jojo] Oh my God!
[Nicky] Oh no! Darian?
[Jojo] Darian!
[shouting] Oh damn! It's just me!
Damn! Ooh, I hope they're not judging me.
[Buteau] I'd judge someone who didn't judge you.
Darian! I don't trust you.
What type of person says no to saving a dog?
I can't even swim, and I would.
Deal-breaker! Rachel can only be friends
with people who would save the dog.
You look like an asshole. Sorry to break it to you.
Ass!
"Would you read texts on your partner's phone?"
Oh!
[laughing]
[Darian] Damn, Circle.
Now that's risky.
Honestly, I don't know who's gonna have the balls to admit to it.
Okay, okay, I have to answer as Rachel,
not a woman who's been married for 28 years.
This is personal, Circle, 'cause this just happened to me.
I just caught my ex cheating by going through his phone,
but we don't wanna come out and say that.
I've done it before. Hell, they've done it before.
[Nicky exhaling]
I would personally read 'em, yeah.
-I think you would. -Yeah.
Nah. Their business is their business.
Bing!
Lock in thumbs down.
Circle, lock in yes as my answer.
I'mma just lock in yes as my answer, because I mean, hey, it's happened.
Darian, bro. What?
Oh, I knew he would.
I can't believe I was the only one.
Darian! Darian! Okay.
Dammit. Oh my God.
What? I feel like people going with safe answers.
They were… Maybe I should've went the same route.
Somebody take the thumbs away from him.
-Trying to make alliances. -He showed his true colors.
Maybe he's not a good person at heart. I don't know the guy.
The Risky Quizness got the best of him, because those were two horrible answers.
Now we'll have to push back the wedding. Go to couples therapy and everything.
"Thanks for taking our risky quiz." You're welcome, Circle.
-Anytime. We'd love to do it again. -I got my eyes on all y'all.
All y'all. I'm the only one in here telling the truth.
Darian.
-Stock plummeted. -Yeah, you took a major dive, my friend.
[Heather] Darian needs to explain this dog thing.
Why are you not jumping in a lake to save a dog?
They probably thinking like, "He wouldn't save his dog."
"Maybe he wouldn't save me in The Circle," or something like that.
In reality, it's just I can't swim.
How I'mma save a dog if I can't swim?
So hopefully they don't dig too deep into that.
[Buteau] Darian, they don't need their shovels
when you already digging your own grave.
And after all that talk about risk,
the players keep it safe with some cleaning…
You liked these the other day.
-[Buteau] …and some snacking. -You want the big one?
[Buteau] And Gianna, aka JoJo and Nicky,
can't get their Staten Island catfish connection out their mind.
[Nicky] I'll tell you what, Rachel should be the first girl
that we have a private message with.
We also agree with her on almost everything.
And the important burning question is
we need to find out if her mom's really from Staten Island,
or if she said that and shot something in the dark.
[Jojo] She made it… Yeah, exactly. Let's frickin' go.
Circle, start private chat with Rachel.
[Deb screaming] Gianna!
Oh my God. Hang on just one second.
I'm really starting to sweat. Hang on. One second. Okay.
Take me to the private chat with Gianna.
[Nicky] So message,
"Hi, sissy! Exclamation point."
"I'm still in shock about your mom. Shocked face emoji."
-"Which town is she from? Question mark." -[Deb] "Need all the juicy details, LOL."
-Okay, let's be careful. -Don't you bullshit me, Rachel.
We have a very good feeling about you. Please don't let us down.
Message, "Hey, Circle Sister,
I remember what high school she went to,
because I always thought it was a strange name. Port Richmond."
"Port Richmond"?
-[Jojo] Oh shit! -[Nicky] Rachel, I knew you were genuine!
-Oh my God. Let's regroup. -Oh my God, right next… That's so true…
Where's Port? That's the original Ralph's right there. Holy shit, Rachel.
-You're not full of shit. You're genuine. -That's insane, bro.
Bro, that is crazy. 'Cause if you grew up in Staten Island,
you know the original Ralph's Ices.
It was in the '70s, the '80s, they made it.
It's the original location in Port Richmond.
That's the high school her mother went to. Wow.
Oh my God. Message, "OMG." Capitals. "I'm screaming."
Gianna! "OMG, I'm screaming!"
"What I would do for an ice after a slice."
I know the restaurant she's talking about.
"I literally grew up 15 minutes from Port Richmond High School."
"My uncle still coaches the football team."
"Did we just become besties?"
-[screaming] "#IThinkSo." -People don't understand.
It means everything to us, and I guarantee it means everything to her.
-Yeah, 100%. -Guaranteed.
Oh man. This is exciting. I don't even know what to do.
Okay. Think.
What would Rachel do?
Message, "GTFO! Exclamation point, exclamation point."
"Head exploding."
"What if our moms knew each other growing up?"
"We are totally besties…"
"…and we answered all the questions in the game the same."
"#SuperCircleSquad."
-Rachel. -I love her.
Just when we think you can't get more lovable.
Circle, message, "I literally love you! Two exclamation points."
"Just so you know, comma, I got your back to the finish line,
best believe we are all getting together after this."
"I cannot wait! Heart, heart, laughing emoji!"
I'm dead. I'm dead.
-We found our strongest alliance already. -Yeah. Day one.
After this conversation, if she screws us over,
I'm gonna literally cry.
-Yeah. -I'd literally have a breakdown.
I'd say, "Rachel!"
Message, "I love you more!"
"And just so you know, I've got your back,
and we are going to the finale together."
"We just became one, and our name is #Rianna."
That name is taken.
"Rachanna."
"#StatenIslandForTheWinBaby."
Send message.
There is nothing better she could've even said to that.
"We just became one, and our name is Rachanna."
-Write that down. Rachanna. -Rachanna is nice.
Oh my God. "Staten Island for the win." Rachel, you're part of the family.
Listen, you and your mother are gonna come over to our house,
and my father is gonna cook you the best Sunday sauce
youse ever had in your life.
You know, if you are who you are, I have such a nice boy for you.
It's my son.
[Buteau] Slow it down, matchmaker.
And after announcing he would let a dog drown,
Darian would sure like to make a match with anyone.
-[TV dings] -[Heather screams]
Okay. "Darian has invited you to a group chat."
Time for you to redeem yourself, Darian, because after that risky game,
bro, my opinion changed on you.
[both] Circle, take me to group chat.
Darian is the one I am most suspicious of,
so maybe he has something to say that's gonna change my mind about him.
Circle, message, "What's up, bros?"
"I wanted to start this chat to keep the party going."
"The Risky Quizness game was something else."
[Kevin] "Kevin, I know that you're a lifeguard."
"I really could use some swimming lessons so I can save my dog,
because I don't know how to swim."
Oh! He saved his ass there.
The whole "I can't swim" thing.
And going to Kevin for that was smart, 'cause Kevin's a lifeguard.
Dang, that is a good excuse, 'cause if you don't know how to swim,
then you're not gonna be able to save a dog.
Circle, message,
"The party never stops."
[Darian] "And I got you, bro." Let's go, Kevin!
"I'll have you saving dogs left and right." [laughing]
Oh shit. I'm gonna be the dog saver. He say, "I got you, bro."
I need him to stick with them words for the remainder of The Circle.
If you got me, Kevin, I got you straight up.
I'm a dude. I'm a bro. What's up, bros? Okay.
Message,
"Yo! Three O's, exclamation point. Thanks for the invite."
"Darian, props to you for being honest about that text question."
"I bet that took a lot of balls."
"I'm more shocked that Jadejha wouldn't send a nude photo."
[screaming] Oh shit!
Right, Andy?
That's because that has to be a lie, bro.
Everybody and their damn mama have sent the nude photo.
Your mama had sent the nude photo to your daddy.
Okay, Circle, message, "I feel like Jadejha's really just playing it safe."
"Because she's the good girl."
That's a good read, because Jadejha is in what?
High-tech sales or whatever it was? Lemme read this.
Circle, message,
"Very true, Darian."
"I caught the same vibe from Jadejha."
"She's the ideal beautiful good girl."
Again, I got a thing for beautiful Black women, so Jadejha has my eye.
[Heather] "Did any of the other ladies catch your guys' eyes?"
That's what we want to talk about because I have to be like,
"I'm the old grandpa of the group, sorry."
Message,
"As single and as available as I am…"
"…there's no way I can flirt with someone ten years younger than me."
[Darian] "I didn't expect to be the grandpa of the group,
but if either of you guys need a wingman, I got you. Smirk face, laughing emoji."
Hey, that's a team player. See, we a team already.
Andy, wingman of the year.
Like I said from the jump, Andy's the wise dad.
He's the wise grandpa in this.
He's not scoring points for the squad,
but he's dishing assists to the fellas, so that we can score points.
And that's how you win a championship right there. You assist in the scores.
Circle, message,
"Jadejha's definitely a beautiful girl, and I have my eyes on her."
It was good chatting, fellas, but the party has reached after hours."
"#TilTheDoorsOpenAgain."
Circle, send message.
That was a bro chat. That was my first chat with the bros.
We're good. We're chilling.
The girls definitely just talked, though. The girls definitely just talked.
There was a girl chat, and I wasn't in it,
'cause I'm Andy.
[sighs]
[Buteau] As evening descends on the first night in The Circle,
our players are making themselves at home and letting the chips fall where they may.
Drumroll please!
[making drumroll noises]
-[Darian laughing] -[Jadejha laughing]
[Darian] Don't know why that was so exciting, but that was.
-Oh my goodness! -[Buteau] K Fern's playing with blocks.
How did I actually do that?
[Buteau] Gianna's playing with themselves.
I've been following through with the shots.
You know how you're supposed to look at the end of your punches?
[Kevin] Chill, chill, chill, chill, chill, chill!
[Buteau] And The Circle's about to play with all of them.
[alarm blares]
Oh my God, it's an alert!
-My God! "Alert"! -"Alert"!
-[Darian] "Alert"! Oh man! -[Jadejha] "Alert"! Oh Jesus.
Oh God. Circle, what do you have to say?
"Players, you must now rate each other."
Oh no!
-It's rating time, baby! -Yo! Shit's about to get real.
Already?
"The top two rated players will become influencers."
Those first impressions are gonna mean everything right now.
Would love to be an influencer, but wouldn't be mad
coasting in the middle either.
Anything can happen, but we're not worried.
We have complete confidence that we will not be in the bottom one or two.
Circle, take me to my very first ratings as Andy!
[suspenseful music playing]
For my first rating, Circle, put Jadejha in first place.
I definitely see that that connection is gonna form,
and this is gonna help me later down the road.
Circle, lock in Andy as my first place.
My guy right there.
I feel good about where I'm at with the boys right now.
Circle, I'd like to place Gianna in first place.
My Circle bestie.
We've got the Staten Island thing going on.
We had the same answers. We got each other's back.
[Nicky] Circle, lock in Savannah second position.
Due to her being a female, a dog lover, fellow dog lover.
Circle, put Kevin in the second position.
Together, we could have a pretty strong alliance if we flirt,
'cause I do think his looks are… All right, boy. Come through.
[Kevin] Circle, lock in Darian as my third place.
He saved himself. He redeemed himself.
I wanna keep the fellas alliance going.
[Heather] Can we lock in Jadejha at fourth, please?
Jadejha, I feel like, might not have an opinion about Andy yet,
and she might rank him fairly low.
For me, fifth place has to be Gianna.
What woman in her early twenties is drinking an espresso Martini?
That's somebody's auntie.
Circle, put Rachel in my last place.
Rachel is giving me a little bit of catfish vibes.
Her picture, it's just too, like, cute and quirky.
I'd like to place Kevin in my last position.
I feel like Rachel doesn't have anything in common with you.
This is a lot. This is like a workout.
[both] Circle, submit my ratings.
[electronic warble]
[Deb screaming] Oh no!
"Ratings complete."
Samson, you better say a prayer that we get to stay.
[Buteau] That's a lot of pressure to put on such a little dog.
[chill music playing]
[Buteau] It's the first day in The Circle, and Rachel is channeling
that get-up-and-go 26-year-old.
[yawning]
God, what time is it?
[Buteau] And Savannah is channeling that Barbie Dreamhouse vibe.
-[harp music plays, stops] -[Buteau] But now that she's awake…
Are you guys all freaking out like me?
Are you wondering what the heck is going on?
[Buteau] …Rachel wants to make another connection in the game.
I really want to talk to Savannah today.
I want to get her story.
I think she and Rachel will very likely hit it off.
Same age, both dog lovers,
and I hope that she likes the fact that Rachel wants to know about her.
People like to talk about themselves. Circle, take me to a private chat
with Savannah.
[TV dings]
[gasps] Oh my God. I literally voted her last place,
and now I feel like a terrible human being.
Circle, take me to the private chat with Rachel.
[Deb] Okay. Um, message,
"Hey, girl! Your profile and your answers during the game
have left me wanting to know your story."
"I am sincerely interested in finding out more about you
and what '#BrainSurgeryQueen' means."
"I'm sure it must be something important in your life."
"Care hugging emoji, heart emoji." Send.
Aw, wait. Okay, that's cute. And this is exactly what I wanted.
I wanted people to ask questions
so I could have some… some room to overshare
and kind of prove that I'm not a catfish.
Message, "Hey, Queen. Thank you so much for starting this chat."
"I had surgery in 2021 to remove a tumor from my brain."
"They took it all out, and recovery was hard,
but I got some brand-new hair extensions out of it."
"#TitaniumBrain."
"#IronWoman."
I want to respond as a… as a… as a mom, but I can't.
I have to respond as Rachel, but I want to be sincere. I… I…
This is a hard one. Um…
I just, uh…
[voice breaking] …think about Savannah's parents.
How scared, um, they must've been.
Savannah's 22.
My, uh, oldest son passed away at 22.
[voice trembling] So my son is here with me.
He's a part of me.
I'm just so glad she's here
and her parents have her.
And, uh… I love her attitude.
Whew.
Message, "Thank you so much for opening up to me about this."
"I can't even imagine what that must've been like for you."
[Savannah] "I love that despite what happened to you,
you kept your sense of humor."
"Those extensions are fab." Stop. That was so cute.
Okay, Rachel, I really do like you.
Message,
"I'm so glad I got the opportunity to open up to you."
"I've gotten great vibes."
"#DidWeJustBecomeBestFriends."
Oh, Savannah!
I think we could join forces and put our brains together.
Message, "#YesWeDidJustBecomeBestFriends." [laughing]
[Savannah] Did I just make my first alliance?
Okay, I literally feel like a terrible person for voting her last.
[TV whirs]
Rachel, I'm so sorry.
I really do like you.
I just kind of thought you were too good to be true.
Maybe Savannah is supposed to marry one of my boys.
[chuckles]
[Buteau] I hope he likes tiny little pink dogs,
and I hope y'all like these things.
[alarm blares]
-[all] "Alert"! -"Alert"!
-What are we doing here, Circle? -I'm freaking out. I'm freaking out.
I'm freaking out.
"The rating results are in."
-Oh my gosh. -[Deb] Holy-- No, I'm not ready.
-Oh my God. -This is all in one day? Y'all are crazy.
"The top two rated players will become influencers."
The plan coming in wasn't to be an influencer right away,
'cause we don't want to necessarily throw a target on our back off rip.
-However-- However-- -I'm not gonna complain if…
However, if we are an influencer, I'm not gonna sit here and moan about it.
"The influencers must then choose one player to block from The Circle."
[chuckles]
[Deb] This moment calls for the thing that gets me through many stressful times.
Tiny hands have been brought out.
[ominous music playing]
Low-key, I don't know if I would want to be an influencer,
because I would feel so guilty blocking anyone on the first day.
-Drum roll, ladies and gentlemen. -All right.
Okay, who's in last place?
-Come on! Who do we got? -I'm not complaining if we're influencers…
No, obviously not. I just don't wanna be bottom of the barrel right now.
Not last. Not last.
Please don't be me. Please don't be me.
-[Jojo] What? -[Nicky] What?
We're in last place?
-How the hell are we in last place?! -No! Absolutely not!
You're my number one.
It's not me! It's not me!
[Heather] It's not me!
[Darian] Ooh-wee!
Nobody wants to be in last place. Ooh, that's a red flag.
Why did people rate Gianna low? I mean, I rated Gianna low.
-How the hell are we in last place? -How are there six people in front of us?
Are you sh-- Nah. This has gotta be a joke.
If I rated her fifth, that means other people rated her down there too.
This is good. We're on the same page with everyone so far, except for Gianna.
Get the hell outta here, b-- Get the hell outta here, bro.
Who is in sixth place?
I'll take fifth. I'll settle for fifth. Fifth is fine, but sixth? Not yet.
I'm like…
[screaming] No! [sobbing]
Rachel, no!
-What? -How the hell is she sixth?
[Deb] I will avenge us, if I'm still here.
We are gonna go Staten Island all over them.
Wow!
Wow, I'm in fifth?
[groaning]
He wouldn't save… [sputtering] …a freezing dog in a lake,
and he'd go through his partner's stuff. He's fifth. Ahead of us.
How do y'all look at that man and wanna place him anything less than one?
[Kevin] Hey, I'll take it. [clapping]
You know what? I'm not mad about it.
I'm not that mad about it at all.
That literally means I'm in the top three.
So one more away, and I could literally be an influencer.
Who's in third place, Circle?
Now that I know I'm in the top three, let's make it to the top. Eff it.
If I'm one or two, I'm drop-splitting right here.
[music intensifies, stops]
Okay! It's me. Okay, top three.
[screaming] Oh my God! I'm an influencer!
What?
[laughing] Oh my God.
-Our influencers are Andy and Savannah? -Yeah. How the hell…?
[Savannah crying] No way.
[sniffles] I can't cry. I got eyelashes.
Let's see who is crowned numero uno and who is second place?
They hold my fate in their hands.
In their hands.
Oh my God.
[Heather] Oh my God. Okay. Who is it? Who's first? Who's second?
[crying] What?
[sniffles]
What?
Oh my God.
I'm first? [laughing, crying]
-[calm music playing] -[sniffles]
[Savannah screaming]
Let's freaking go!
[electronic warble]
[Jadejha] Look at the blue check marks!
Is it hot in here, Sam, or is that just us 'cause we're on fire?
Happy for you, Savannah.
Is she really going to try and keep me in this game?
That is the question.
I'm hoping that the chat that I had with Andy earlier today…
I hope he really appreciate it
and he wants to keep on rocking out with your boy.
What the hell just actually happened? Like, of all people, us last?
Rachel sixth? Our biggest ally?
We're both on the chopping block.
[Buteau] Just wait, Gianna. The Circle is only getting started.
[chill music playing]
[alarm blares]
-"Alert!" -"Alert!"
[both vocalizing]
-What?! -We just had ratings.
"It's now time…"
"…for the influencers to decide which player to block."
[Darian] Ooh!
I just got done crying. I'm not ready to, like, think about game right now.
It feels really good to have this power, but at the same time,
I don't wanna hurt anybody's feelings. Like, I…
I just wish we could all just be one little happy Circle family.
"Andy and Savannah must go to the Hangout…"
"…to make their decision."
It just got real, real quick.
Somebody's already about to go home.
I wonder who ranked us so low.
-Yeah. -I hope it wasn't them.
[Buteau] Andy and Savannah are The Circle's first influencers.
They're now on their way to the Hangout to discuss who will be blocked.
[laughing] Okay.
Okay.
This is cute.
We're at the Hideout. Whoo!
I'm an influencer. First day.
Look at this place.
Look at the little influencer book. [screams]
Oh my God!
Stop it. This is… I cannot believe I'm here.
Oh my gosh. I don't even know what I'm feeling right now.
It's definitely a double-edged sword being an influencer this early,
which is kind of scary.
We've gotta be smart about it or we could really…
make people not trust us.
But I really am glad that it's boy and girl.
Like, having a 34-year-old guy,
that's kind of gonna take away any drama
that would be started from both of us being influencers.
I mean, I rated her last, so I don't know how she got here,
but clearly some people are vibing with her already.
[Savannah] Circle, message,
"My fellow blondie,
we made it!"
"This is going to be a tough decision,
but I wouldn't want to be making it with anybody else."
"How are you feeling, King?"
Okay, I'll take it. I mean, I'll wear the crown. That's fine.
Oh my gosh, Savannah. All right. Let's just jump right into it.
Message, "Savannah," in all caps.
"Let's do this, Queen!"
"I would like to take Darian off the table."
"Although his answer to the dog question in the game made me skeptical,
he saved himself by telling me he can't swim,
and I feel like there's more for us to learn."
That's what I was thinking.
I'm willing to get to know Darian. I can't swim either.
Message, "I think that is a great pick."
"Before I make my pick officially, I'd like to see your thoughts on Rachel."
"We had a great chat earlier."
"#WheresYourHeadAt."
Okay. So, Circle, message,
"As far as Rachel goes, comma,
if that's who you want to take off the table,
I'm all about it."
"She definitely struck me as a warm and welcoming player,
and I want the chance to chat with her more."
Praise Jesus, Andy.
Okay, this is good. That means we're saving Rachel.
I just really hope that Kevin doesn't go home.
Message, "What are your thoughts on Kevin?"
I don't want her to leave here thinking that the bros are a thing,
even though we are. So message,
"Kevin gives me total frat guy vibes,
and I'm not mad about it."
[Savannah] "I don't have any reason to distrust him yet."
"How do you feel about him?"
Well, total frat guy is kind of my type.
"He is first on my list to chat with next."
"That might just be the college sorority girl in me."
"#GreekLove."
[Heather] Good. College sorority girl. You're probably in Tri Delta, aren't you?
I'm the opposite of a sorority girl. [chuckles]
"So that means we're down to two,
Jadejha and Gianna."
[Buteau] While the influencers continue their deliberation,
the others get their first trademark Circle surprise.
How is this for eight-year-olds? We're 24 and can't figure this out.
-It's honestly a little sad. -It's embarrassing.
[alarm blares]
-"Alert"! -"Alert"!
[all] "Alert"!
What the hell?
What is going on?
"At points during your time in The Circle…"
"…you will be given the chance to activate disruptor mode."
What the heck is disruptor mode?
Circle, girl, you've been doing enough disrupting as it is,
but you mean I get to disrupt?
I need some insight. Come on, break it down to me.
"The first player to activate disruptor mode…"
"…will become the disruptor."
I don't know what that actually entails.
I can only imagine everybody else like…
-[both] What the hell? -What the hell, Circle? What the hell?
This about to be some sneaky shit. I feel it.
[Nicky] "Being the disruptor may give you an advantage…"
"…or disadvantage in The Circle." Okay.
[Darian] So it's 50/50.
Nope! It's already bad!
"The possibility of huge reward
carries huge risk."
[groaning] Circle!
[Kevin] Oh wow.
My grandma told me a long time ago,
"You can't trust people because of their potential."
And low-key,
Circle, I don't know if I can trust you because of your potential.
I'm a risk-taker. Rachel's a risk-taker.
With a name like "the disruptor,"
anything can happen.
I'll take the risk of being the disruptor than risking our fate in this game,
in The Circle right now, through the hands of Savannah and Andy.
I feel like Savannah has my back,
but if I put all my eggs in the Savannah basket,
and then I… I lose out, I…
I have stuff to lose right now.
I'm in a good enough spot, and I don't really wanna mess that up.
My heart's pounding out of my chest.
-Emotional roller coaster. -It's only day one!
It sounds like a trap.
[Buteau] The players have been given just enough info.
Will they initiate disruptor mode? Is it worth the risk?
Countdown clock, hit it.
-Wait, "3"? You're not even gonna say 10? -Is it worth the risk right now?
If I say no, my fate is in other people's hands.
-[Jadejha] "2"! -Oh God.
-Oh shit. -This could put more people against us.
-It could backfire. -Think.
-"1." -Let's do it.
-See, now I feel like I'm panicking. -Should I do it, bro?
No. No, no, no, no, no!
That looks spooky right there. I'm not doing it. I'm not going to do it.
I'm not doing it.
[Kevin] I'm not doing it. I'm not doing it.
-[Nicky] Disrupt! Disrupt! Disrupt! -[Jojo] Disrupt! Dis-fricking-rupt!
-[Nicky] Oh damn. -Shit.
[Deb] Oh God.
Okay.
I don't trust it yet.
I feel good where I'm at.
[grunts] Andy, you better come through.
[Deb] What have I done?
We don't know what's gonna happen right now.
It's all up in the air right now.
Who would want to be the disruptor?
There's pressure in my ass, because my heart is sitting there.
Shit. Did we just fricking… Did we just block ourselves?
Okay, I don't know what we just did, but we needed to do something.
[Buteau] Is it good? Is it bad?
Are we gonna make you wait?
You know it.
[theme music playing]
[theme music ends]