[suspenseful music playing]
[Michelle] Paul, AKA Parker, has been blocked.
Which lucky player is she on her way to see, though?
[music intensifies, stops]
No fucking way.
Carol?
-Paul? -[Parker] Carol?
[door slams]
-What? -What?
[Parker laughing]
-This is crazy! -Hi!
-It's so nice to meet you. -Hi. Nice to meet you.
[John] Take a seat!
I…
can't say I expected you.
I didn't expect this at all.
Whatsoever?
No!
You're not a man.
And I didn't expect you to be good-looking, not gonna lie.
-Oh, really? -Yeah.
-I appreciate it. I'll take good-looking. -Of course. Of course.
-So who is Carol to you? -Carol's my mom.
Paul's my dad.
I did say, like, a couple of times, when he mentioned daughter…
-You mentioned daughters, I was like… -Uh-huh.
-"Maybe a daughter going on here." -Yeah.
So why didn't you go in as yourself?
When you're our age,
when you're kinda genuine, you try to talk about things a certain way,
it comes across disingenuous
when you're actually playing yourself for some reason, 'cause we're younger.
-Yeah. -But you have your mom in front of you.
She's a genuine person, naturally speaking.
-Yes! -That's why I went with a parent.
What about you? Why'd you come in as your dad?
'Cause I feel like when people meet me,
they immediately assume I'm, like, a fucking bitch.
I get it all the time. People are like, "This girl is not welcome at all."
Right when I start talking, people are like, "Never mind,"
but obviously it's all about first impressions.
So going in as my dad is the same reason as you.
I'm like, "People are gonna like an older family man."
-Of course. -Yes.
So I am really sad being blocked, but I will admit to you,
you're doing a lot better job than I did, for sure.
I appreciate it!
[Michelle] While those complementary catfish are getting cozy,
the others are realizing
that a visit from Paul, AKA Parker, just isn't on the cards for them.
Does that mean he's not coming to see me? Come on, Paul.
Well, my sandwich is gonna get stale, so I don't think he's coming to see me.
I'm gonna eat. I'll take care of these.
[Emma] Argh.
-He's not coming. He's not coming here. -He's not coming. He's not coming to us.
I wonder who he went to see. Probably Carol.
-Alyssa. -Say, "Excuse me. Why did you pick me?"
What do you think of Bru? I don't know if you know him from TikTok or not--
Is he a TikToker?
-Yeah, huge TikToker. -What? No. You're kidding.
-[John] Yeah, radio superstar TikToker. -[Parker] Wait, what?
-Yeah. Big-time. Like, I knew right away. -What?
As soon as he popped up, I was like, "Oh my God. That's that guy."
-"I can't mention it. I'm Carol." -Yeah.
Yeah. No. Exactly. You don't wanna mention that.
She'd be like… Or he would be like, "Why is Carol watching TikTok?"
What do you think of Jared?
I'm not totally, like, gung ho on saying anybody's anybody right away.
[Parker] Yeah.
And I think he was very, like, touch and go with everybody.
-Like, he called me Circle Mom right away. -Yeah.
-I think he's a bit of a kiss-ass. -He is a kiss-ass.
-He's up everyone's ass for sure. -I know.
I guess he kind of has to be 'cause you're new.
So it's kinda like, I would kiss ass too.
So who is Rod Stewart? Is that, like, real?
-Jesus. Rod Stewart is real. -[Parker laughing]
Rod Stewart is a musician.
-Really? -Yeah.
-Like, an older musician or no? -Yeah. Yeah.
-How do you know who that is? -My mom loves him.
-Really? Really? -I grew up listening to him.
-Okay. -Yeah, he was in a band called The Faces.
Oh my God. I was so scared
that, in our chat, you were gonna mention Rod Stewart or music.
-It would've been done for me right there. -Really?
Yeah. I could not tell you one old person band at all.
I'm bummed to get to know you in that, like, I blocked you.
-I know! -I'm sorry.
Don't be sorry.
No, after meeting you… I'm not gonna lie,
I was gonna come in here and give you a lot of shit.
I'm not gonna lie. I was like, "I'm gonna tell whoever this Carol is off."
But I actually think you're a great vibe. I'm rooting for you.
-I appreciate it. -I'm rooting for you.
This sounds like a match made in heaven.
-It does. It's the best love story. -Don't know how we could go wrong.
-Ever! Of all time. -Meeting as our parents.
-Meeting as faking to be our parents. -Exactly!
-Endgame. -Nobody can beat that.
-How far are you from New Jersey? -How far is Miami from New Jersey?
Not far enough, I don't think…
-Really? Okay. -…for a visit.
-Okay. It was so nice meeting you! -It was so nice to meet you.
-I'm looking forward to seeing you soon. -Absolutely.
-Good luck. -Thanks so much.
-Of course! -Nice to meet you. I'm so sorry.
Don't be sorry. Literally don't apologize.
-Can't wait to see you again. -Sounds good. You too!
Bye!
What?
To be fair, I called it.
That has to be said. I did call it.
And she thought I was good-looking. I think this is a double win for your boy.
And Carol stays in the game, and she's playing great,
so I would put that in the diary as a really good night for me.
[Michelle] Good for you, Carol!
Wasn't as good for Paul, though.
As well as being exposed to the work of Rod Stewart,
she found out the first cut was the deepest
as she became our first player blocked.
And after dodging the blocking bullet, the others are tucking in
to some good old-fashioned bedtime and tactics.
We've got away with it today. Jared lingo was on point.
Yeah.
-He was fun, friendly, quirky. -Yeah.
The thing is, we have to stay undetected,
because we wanna win these people extra money.
Their money.
[Bru] I think the world of Carol so far.
She could be the Circle mom for everyone, but I wanna be the favorite child.
Like, [spluttering] that's the goal.
Goodnight, Circle, girl. I'll see you in the morning.
-[Emma] Goodnight, everybody! Peace! -Cookie, I think we're being kicked out.
All right.
Goodnight, Circle.
[Mel B] Incoming!
[Emma screams]
-[Mel B] Your pillow! -[Emma laughs]
["Buffalo Stance" by Neneh Cherry playing]
[Michelle] It's morning on The Circle.
And we are one player down after that blocking,
but we still have two Spice Girls on a special mission
to remain undetected and increase that cash money prize fund.
Good morning, Circle!
How'd you sleep, honey?
[Michelle] Ooh, Bonus content! They're serving us a sneak peek
to let us know that pop stars are really just like us.
-Mel? -[Mel B] Yeah?
[Emma] Does it make you feel better knowing that I'm gonna stew some berries?
[Mel B] No.
[sighs] Trying to be nice, and she's still like, "No! No!"
♪ Don't you get fresh with me ♪
Every day is something different in The Circle.
I felt confident I wasn't going,
but there's always that one chance, you know?
Like, "You're great, Crissa, but you gots to go."
I went into the blockings a little bit, um, nervous
just because I didn't know, you know,
if Carol would necessarily pull through for me, but she did.
Oh. Paul's waking up in his own bed this morning.
I know. Bless him. I wonder how he felt.
And I wanna know who he went to see.
I can't wait to see who Paul is. If he's real,
I'll feel guilty, and I had nothing to do with it,
so I can only imagine what Frank and Carol would feel like
if Paul is Paul.
This is divine in here.
♪ I'll give you love, baby Not romance ♪
♪ I'll make you move Nothing left to chance ♪
♪ So don't you get fresh with me ♪
-[screen beeps] -[gasps]
-"The Newsfeed has been updated!" -"Updated!"
Girl, it's [singing] morning!
If this is a video from Paul, well, Paul's daughter,
I would hope she wouldn't call me out.
Ooh! Something's brewing!
Circle, take me to the Newsfeed.
[screen beeps]
[shouting] Ooh! "Paul has left a message for The Circle."
It's Paul's daughter.
He's not real. He can't be real.
Hopefully, she doesn't expose me. Circle, play Paul's message.
[Parker] Hi, everyone. It's Paul.
[suspenseful music playing]
-[screaming] I knew it! Oh! -It's a girl!
Just kidding! As you can see, I'm not Paul.
I'm Paul's daughter, Parker.
[screaming] Oh my God! I'm freakin' psychic!
I realized my big-ass personality cannot fit inside a 56-year-old man.
Her big-ass tatas!
Like, first of all, she's hot.
Are you looking at her face or her boobs? Be honest!
-Face or boobs? -I''m looking at her boobs.
They're great!
A major piece of advice I wanna give you all is,
even though I'm out, don't trust everybody you talk to.
So, I wish you all luck, and I am out here rooting for you.
I will see you at the final.
[groaning, laughing]
Everything is a lie.
Whoo, [spluttering] that gets the heart… That gets you…
Don't need the coffee anymore. That's… She is enough.
What she said about not everybody is who they seem.
Oh. Who else is out there that's being a catfish?
"Don't trust everyone."
Hopefully people don't read too much into that.
You spend all this time with these people thinking you're getting to know them,
and you don't know anything, even when you think you know.
[Michelle] Honey, save it for the group chat.
[screen beeps]
Circle, please take me to Circle Chat.
[rhythmical music playing]
All right, message, "Wow." All caps with, like, three W's.
"What a way to start the morning!"
"#PaulInTheFamily" [laughs] and "#FirstCatfish."
He is the first catfish.
Oh my God. I wonder how many other catfishes there are.
Message, "Baby, I just spilt all of my good coffee…"
"…when I found out Paul was Paula." [laughs]
"She definitely threw a little shade on her way out. It's messy."
I just would love to know who Paul went to go see.
I'm gonna go, I'm gonna be upfront that Parker came to visit me.
And if I'm proactive about this,
people are definitely gonna respond a lot better.
They're not gonna think I'm hiding anything.
So, message, "Morning, everyone! Exclamation point."
"I had the pleasure of having Parker visit me last night."
I knew it! Oh my God.
Okay, so she… [gasps] That's who she was talking about.
Carol, you gave yourself away.
Parker said in her message, "Don't trust everyone."
So she's obviously gone there, realized, "Oh my God, there's more."
"There's more catfish! Carol's one of them."
Poor Carol. She might be in the firing line now.
Circle, message,
"I knew that cake was too good to be true. Side-eye emoji."
"#CakeBoss. #CarolSpillTheTea."
Send.
Man.
Part of me wants to call Carol out and maybe cast some doubt in the group.
Okay, so, Circle, message,
"Bru, I totally agree."
"When I saw that 'Paul's' cake was better than #MommaCarols,
I said, 'Hold on!'"
Like, a bunch of laughing emojis.
And send.
[music stops]
Wow, the shade, Alyssa! That hurt so bad.
Shots fired.
Alyssa may be a really nice person, but she's trying to be a bit like…
[mocking]
And it's not working. It's not coming across right,
which means she's not being herself…
-Yeah. -…which means she's not Alyssa.
I think it's important to cast a little bit of doubt,
which is why I wanted to bring up
that Paul's cake seemed better than Carol's,
who is an avid baker.
And Paul and Carol, in the game, didn't have enough of a relationship
for Parker to wanna protect her, so it makes sense
that she would throw her under the bus the first chance she got.
[Emma] I'm really shocked that Alyssa has literally just thrown Momma Carol…
-Momma Carol's cake under the bus. -…under the bus.
Baking is baking, but I never said I was a cake decorator.
So message, "Oh God, sweetheart,
I love to bake, but unfortunately decorating was never for me."
"Maybe I should take some lessons from you! Exclamation point."
"Smiley face emoji with the hands." Send.
"Take some lessons from you." That's a dig!
[both screaming]
That's some sass. That could be sassy.
I don't believe it. I'm sorry. I don't believe it.
[Bru] And the Circle Chat is now closed.
I think next up on the who's real and who's not,
Carol's kind of climbing up the chart.
This morning has been nuts.
I hope I didn't just fuck it all up, but we'll have to see.
Oh brother. This is gonna be a long game.
[Michelle] There are a few rules to live by for Circle survival.
Keep yourself as sharp as a razor.
[cheerful music playing]
Keep your mind clean and uncluttered…
and shake what your mama gave you any chance you get!
For Jared, played by Mel B and Emma Bunton, though,
game play is always on their minds.
-You have to believe you're gonna win. -I do believe.
[shouting] Yes!
Well, now.
-[screen beeps] -[gasps, screams]
-Alyssa wants to private chat. -Right.
-Let's do this! -What have you got for us?
The only person in The Circle right now
that I don't really have a good feel for is Jared, because he's new.
I'm a little suspicious of him, so I want to see if he'll say anything
that kind of gives himself away or just gives me more information.
Message, "Hey, Jared! Exclamation point."
"I just want to check in with you,
because you came into the game at a very dramatic time."
"How are you feeling?"
Was it dramatic?
No.
I hope he's excited and he's like, "Ooh!"
"Yay!"
Message, "That's very thoughtful of you to check in with me."
-"#Appreciated. #FillMeIn." -Fill me in!
A bit of innuendo there!
Yes! Yes!
[screen beeps]
I think the point of this chat
is to get the scale sort of tipped in my direction
so that he feels close enough to me to want to protect me.
"Obviously, Paul being Parker was a huge surprise,
although with Parker out of the game, you'll need a flirting buddy."
"What's the number one place you want to travel to next?"
Uranus.
[laughing] I think we should say something funny.
Oh my God.
So I think we could say, "We had our doubts--"
No, I don't think we do.
-You don't wanna tell her? We tell her! -I think straight away [spluttering] we--
I think Jared would smack her down with the flirting buddy.
Imagine he writes back, and he's like, "Hmm, you're not my type."
"Best of luck, though."
Why don't we start off saying, "Awkward"?
[both] "Not very good at flirting."
What emoji can we put there?
-Um. We need a shy one again. -Like… Or like a…
As if to say, "Oh, I'm sorry."
"Oh, sorry! I'm so rubbish at this!"
[screen dings]
"Awkward. Not very good at flirting, but I'll give it a go."
"#YoureACutie. #NextLevel." Okay. No. He didn't shut me down. I got nervous.
Message, "Sorry. To answer your question,
I don't have 'a number one place.' I have a few."
"Winky face emoji. Skiing in Switzerland, backpacking around Australia,
and wine tasting in Tuscany."
"Hopefully not alone. Heart emoji eyes."
And then can we put, "You? Question mark, question mark."
Yes, definitely, "You?" We need to ask her the question.
-Send. -Send.
Message, "I once brought a hair straightener
when I went camping in Girl Scouts, so I don't think backpacking is for me,
but I'm loving the idea of wine tasting in…"
-"…Tuscany." -We didn't invite you, Alyssa!
Oh, Melanie. That's quite forward of her. Bless her.
You know what we can say?
We said, "Hopefully not alone." Maybe she's taken that as…
-You know what? -"Do you wanna come?"
They have wireless hair straighteners these days.
So get… This is why I know Alyssa's not real.
Message, "Our jobs are polar opposites,
but I am super curious about how you got into yours!"
"Exclamation point" and send message.
-[screen beeps] -Ooh.
"Our jobs are polar opposites…"
See? She's dying to ask.
"…but I'm super curious about how you got into yours."
Right? So, what we… So, message--
We'll say, "Writing has always been a passion of mine." Something general.
-That's why I wanna keep it general. -Go on.
"Writing has always been a passion of mine."
"I've just…" Would you say niche? "I've just found my niche."
Excuse me, I started writing it, and then you completely took over.
-You've got a funny face now. -I haven't got a funny face!
-I promise you, I love you. -Rewrite it, then!
No, I love it! It's perfect!
[screen beeps]
"Writing has always been a passion of mine."
"I've just found my niche with writing children's books."
"Dare I ask, how did you get into your line of work? #Go…"
"#GoEasyOnMe."
Message, "I sort of fell into my job and ended up really loving the field,
so I'm hoping to be a sex educator in the future."
How do you fall into that job? She's a catfish. Um.
"Once that happens, I'm taking you up on the backpacking trip,
and I already know who's telling the campfire stories."
Who? What, she's saying we are?
She's saying she is, because she's that knowledgeable.
No, 'cause we're a writer, darling. She's saying--
-She's saying that we are? -We are.
We're the author, so we'll be telling the campfire stories.
Oh! And then "#IllBringTheSmores."
Message, "I think our campfire stories together
would make for a very interesting evening. #…"
"#IllBringTheWood."
"#IveSaidTooMuchBye."
-[Mel B] Nailed it. -[Emma] Nailed it.
I think we've got her on our side big time.
I feel a little bit more confident that he is who he says he is,
but I can never say for sure
this early.
I'm not sure she's real.
Nah.
[rhythmical music playing]
[Michelle] And after having shade thrown at her in front of the kids earlier,
Momma Carol's looking to save face and strengthen one of her alliances.
Yu Ling was rated low in the last ratings,
but I think that she has a lot more to offer.
I bet Carol knows how to knit.
I had a hand in saving her last night, so I wanna make sure
she knows I got her back,
but we're gonna do it the right way, the way a mom would do it.
I'm hoping that, you know, we come out with a stronger alliance here.
[screen chimes]
[gasps]
"Carol has invited you to a private chat"?
Um. Well, that's unexpected.
Message, "Hi, dear! Exclamation point. I just wanted to say…"
"…you're a lovely young lady, and I'd love to see you show that to the group."
"That's why I picked to save you last night."
"I'll always have your back."
Oh shit!
So maybe she's hinting that I'm not giving enough of myself.
Maybe she thinks that I'm being a little bit shy. Okay. All right. Um.
Message, "I so appreciate you saving me last night."
"I can't imagine how it must have felt for you to be in that position."
"It means the world to me to hear you say that."
"I definitely can't wait to open up more knowing that I have you in my corner."
Let's go!
Message, "I'm always here for you. Period."
"It is my pleasure to give you advice,
and I'm so happy I got to see this lovely side of Yu Ling. Heart emoji."
[shouting] "#MommaBearAndHerCub!"
I think Carol just signaled that I am her favorite of the children.
That makes me feel so amazing.
I love Carol.
[Michelle] And I love having the Spice Girls in The Circle. Why?
Come on, you know you're about to find out.
Super dare… King Dare!
-King Dare? -King Dare.
Do you remember King Dare?
No, King Dare. We used to King Dare. So you--
Then I did the hotel,
peeing in the bloody pot outside Elton John's room.
-Oh my God! -King Dare!
We used to do naked King Dares running down the hotel.
Oh, I love naked King Dares.
Running down the hotel, and standing outside the lift naked,
and waiting for the doors to open.
Whoever… Whoever stood there the longest was the winner of the King Dare.
And then when room service came in, King Dare.
-Very childish. -Yeah.
[Michelle] Peeing in a pot outside Elton John's room.
See, you guys? I told you pop stars are just like us!
And off the back of that revelation, here's another one for y'all.
[funky music playing]
Oh my God. It's so stinking cute.
-[door slams shut] -Oh!
That was loud. I'm sorry.
I love it so much.
Oh my goodness.
-Okay. Wow. -[playing the accordion]
[funky music playing]
Howdy, I'm Rachel. I'm 29,
and I'm a paranormal researcher from Houston, Texas.
Let me do that again not laughing at myself and my career. [laughs]
Having paranormal experiences as a kid
allowed me to open up that part of my brain,
and now it remains open.
Growing up as a Jewish, chubby kid, nobody told me that I was a dweeb,
so I have grown up my entire life thinking that I'm just the coolest.
People have started to become more comfortable
in telling me that I'm not, but I still don't believe them.
I'm going into The Circle as myself, because I'm the best.
That is a manifestation. [laughs]
[explosion sound]
I am definitely going to be a threat. They'll think I'm the happy, kooky one
and definitely not the person who is going to attack them from behind.
Ugh. That sounded gross.
♪ I'll do my thing ♪
I'm funny, I'm smart, and I'm nice,
and I think that's what it takes to win The Circle.
[music stops]
[groans]
Okay.
[ethereal music playing]
[moans]
This is a victory witch oil that was blessed by a witch named Vicki,
who I love very dearly,
and it's, uh, meant to divinely protect me and also maybe encourage--
Excuse me. Maybe even encourage a win. That would be nice.
[rhythmical music playing]
[Michelle] She brought witch oil to The Circle. I love her already!
And that's not all, y'all.
Yep, it's our second new arrival of the day.
Whoo! Oh my God!
I don't even know where to go first.
Ah! Look at this place. This is so nice!
Oh my… I got this old phone here? Hello? Yes. Hi.
This is Alex. Nice to… I don't even know!
[upbeat music playing]
♪ Hey ♪
All right, it's game time.
["Feel good" by Cherryade playing]
My name is Alex. I'm 28 years old.
I live in Scottsdale, Arizona, and I am a commercial banker.
It's kind of like I'm a catfish in real life,
because my personal life and professional life are very different.
Howdy, how are you? Yes, I would love to do this deal!
But in real life, I'm into, like, really nerdy stuff.
I love, like, superheroes, Dungeons & Dragons.
I just love games in general, and this is like the ultimate game.
♪ Take it down Take it down now ♪
That's why I'm going in as Nathan,
22-year-old, fresh out of college frat bro.
He's young, fun and hot,
when in reality, Alex is calculated and very strategic.
There is a formula to being popular.
So if I can craft the perfect profile,
I should be able to waltz through this game.
Not to sound cocky,
but I'm pretty sure I'm gonna be the smartest player in The Circle.
[music stops]
Nathan is gonna be single,
just in case anyone wants to slide into my DMs.
I wanna put Nathan's occupation as funemployed.
It's less threatening, and that's all about what this profile is,
is I wanna show that I am not a threat to these other players.
That's how you sucker punch someone. Get them to lower their guard. And boom.
When they're not looking, that's when you hit them hard.
[Michelle] Ooh! We got a Circle Rocky on our hands.
Let's see if Rachel's found the winning combo for her profile.
[Rachel] Circle, please take me to the Exploring album.
I love to explore.
Oh God, that's a lot of thigh.
My dad is watching this.
He doesn't know I have thighs.
That's…
Okay. Let's open up the top right, actually.
I like this picture because I think it shows my personality.
It shows that I'm happy, and I'm fun. I like nature,
and I might be, like, a little weird,
'cause, you know, people with colored hair,
what a personality trait. You know what?
Bah! Okay, Circle, make this my profile picture.
[gasps] Yep.
That's me.
[Michelle] It's a chilled, quiet morning on The Circle,
and you can hear a pancake flip.
-[ethereal music playing] -You can even hear a nail file.
Hell, you could probably hear a pin drop.
Let's drop something that really makes a noise, though.
[alarm blares]
-[Alex] First alert! -"Alert!"
Can I just eat? I'm hungry.
Okay. I'm alerted. "Alert." Hello.
First of many alerts.
I came here for peace, and now my soul has left my body.
[screen chimes]
Oh! "Two new players have joined The Circle!"
Fresh meat!
I know I'm new. I feel new. Got that first-day jitters.
-Are you kidding me? -I wouldn't have thought that.
[screen chimes]
-"Please welcome Rachel and Nathan." -Oh, I'm Nathan. Oh. [blows raspberry]
Two more people coming after my money.
I will not welcome Rachel and Nathan!
I'm not threatened at all, honey, but I am gonna let them know
that I am welcoming them with open arms.
We get rid of one person. Now, we get two.
You can't predict anything that happens here.
This is good for my game.
I would much rather have two of us enter at the same time
instead of just me entering on my own.
Look at that. We got a… We got a full house.
Nathan. Rachel. They look like they fit in the bunch.
Okay, very interesting group we have here.
Circle, please take me to Nathan's profile.
I wanna see what the boy looks like first thing.
Okay, Nathan! Okay.
He looks adorable.
I think Nathan would be very into Alyssa.
Being a bit older does not scare Nathan. Nathan is scared of nothing!
And she's a sex coach. That's interesting.
"#SmallAndSpicy" with the smiley face and the fire emoji.
Okay.
[Bru] Looks like the dude's rocking a mullet.
We got business in the front, party in the back.
[Alex] "Great Lakes grown."
That's funny.
I'm from Michigan originally. We can bond over that.
But Nathan's not from Michigan. Okay, gotta keep my story straight.
"Looking for my first big kid job."
If he could say the word vulva to me four times without smiling, he's hired.
[Michelle] Don't say it a fifth time, or a gyno will appear
and give everyone their annual checkup.
"Obsessed with beach, fitness, family, and partying!"
I feel like Nathan's gonna be fun. He reminds me of a younger me.
Frank looks like he's a partier. He's got a Solo Cup. He is on a boat.
These are all things him and Nathan can bond on.
It's really easy to be like,
"I'm young, and I don't know anything, and, like, I need a job."
I'm a little suspicious.
Circle, please take me to Rachel's profile.
[amusing music playing]
-"Occupation, paranormal researcher." -"Paranormal researcher."
-That's interesting! -[Emma gasping]
"I explore spooky things for a living, but I'm not a spooky person."
Rachel, you can't be trying to bring that spookiness onto The Circle.
I'mma need this to be happy.
I literally have friend chills because I wanna be her friend so badly,
because I love everything spooky.
You and I are gonna have to talk ghosts,
because I am the most superstitious person out there.
"About me, a 4'6"…"
That's cute as hell.
"Just happy to be here, y'all."
"Smiley face." Aw, we like her.
Jared. Twenty-eight and single. "Children's author"?
I love that. He's got a good vibe.
-Jared would get on very well with her. -Jared would like her.
Do you think they're both a bit nerdy? Which we love.
-Yeah. Yeah. -We love. Okay.
[screen beeps]
"Rachel and Nathan will now each…"
"…get to choose two people…"
"…to invite to a chat."
-Not sure we'll get invited to this. -I don't think we'll get invited.
[grunts] This is crazy. So I'm gonna have to pick two people,
which is gonna leave the others feeling like I didn't want to talk to them. Ugh.
I'm freaking out.
I feel, like, very powerful,
more powerful than I've felt almost in my whole life.
Hopefully, I get to talk to Rachel.
I feel like that would be best for my game.
Get her in with the girl gang.
This is a popularity contest,
and if you don't have your time to shine, it could be detrimental to your game.
I really hope it's me.
[suspenseful music playing]
-[screen dings] -[gasps]
-Oh! We've been invited! -"Rachel has invited you to a group chat"?
That's what I wanted!
Ah. That's good news.
-Thanks, Rachel! -Thanks, Rach!
Circle, please take me to the group chat.
Oh, it's Rachel, Jared, and me. Oh my God! Wait, this is perfect.
Oh man, what do I say? Okay.
Circle, message, um, "Hey, y'all."
"So glad to be here. I really can't believe it."
"I wanted to message you both directly
because I love what you had to say on your profile."
"Hoping we can get to know each other a little bit better. Party emoji." Send.
[shouting] I did it!
Message, all caps, "OMG! Welcome, Rachel. Confetti emoji."
"So happy you have joined The Circle family!" Send.
So, message, "Hey, Rachel, welcome!"
"You picked the best two. Winky face."
"Just messing. #GoodVibesAllAround."
"We were hoping we'd get to chat with you. You seem like our kind of gal."
"Like our kind of…" "Our!" "My!"
-"My kind of gal." -"My!" Oh my God, that was close.
"Are you ready for this crazy ride? I've never met a paranormal researcher."
"I'm intrigued. Tell me more!"
Jared is cool. He just… It seems like I've, like, heard it before.
"You ready for this crazy ride?" Like, "Buckle up, girl!" You know?
[laughing] But maybe he's just like that.
Message, "Rachel, we absolutely have to exchange ghost stories
because I am incredibly superstitious."
"Also, Jared, I've been meaning to tell you
that I make artist books in my spare time."
"I think we should collab on a spooky children's book."
Nice idea.
Really get good vibes from Yu Ling. I like her a lot.
Message, "Thank y'all so much! Exclamation point, exclamation point."
"I'd love to trade ghost stories, and a book collab is almost too perfect."
Oh my gosh. Yes.
Message, "Hey, Yu Ling."
Uh, "Let's…" Uh. "We need to…"
-Like, "Let's do this." -"Let's do this."
Why don't we put, "Why not? Question mark."
-No? -No.
Not, "Why not? Question mark."
[Michelle] Come on, ladies, you co-wrote "2 Become 1." You got this!
What, Jared? What?
What do you have to say?
"We need to put our…" "…put our heads together and get creative."
[amusing music playing]
Me and Yu Ling are literally just sitting here, like…
[Michelle] Yeah. This does seem to be taking "Viva Forever."
[Emma] Right, message, "Yu Ling, Rachel, let's do this."
"We need to get our heads together…"
Oh, Jared. Oh, you're typing.
-Jared would put something quirky. -"…and see what works!" Absolutely.
"So stir the cauldron with a drop of wisdom and a shake of…"
I wanna say spice, but we shouldn't.
No. "A pinch of Rachel's pink hair."
"#LetsNotForgetYuLingsCob."
[music stops]
Literally, what the hell are you talking about? [laughs]
-[cheerful music playing] -He's sweet. He's sweet.
This is sweet. Let's do this.
Message, "Sounds like the perfect witch's brew."
"Couldn't be happier with who I picked to chat with."
"New friends and business partners?"
"How lucky can one girl be?"
She wishes!
[laughing] You!
Oh, bless her. That's amazing.
I am taking away wonderful, wonderful, positive feelings for Yu Ling.
I just get very authentic feelings from her.
This could be an alliance.
Jared, I think he's really agreeable.
He was taking so long to reply.
You know, maybe that was him choosing his words carefully
and being thoughtful,
but there's something I don't fully trust about him.
[music stops]
[Michelle] Now that Rachel spiced up her Circle life with Jared and Yu Ling,
let's go over to fellow newbie Nathan
to see who he's popping his Circle cherry with. Pop, pop.
I need to get some game information
while really showing Nathan's personality here.
He is a frat bro. He is here for a good time.
I picked these two
because they also look like they are here for a good time.
[screen chimes]
-[Frank] Okay! -[Bru] Oh, thank the Lord.
"Nathan has invited you to a group chat." I know that's right.
Was getting worried there for a second, not gonna lie.
Ooh! My first chat.
I feel like he's the kind of guy who's gonna really
try to be friends first.
Bio is all about, you know, partying, and bros, and frat life,
so I can play that.
Message, "What is up! Exclamation point."
"It is great meeting both of you."
"Excited to finally be in The Circle. Circle emoji."
"Looks like the three of us would have a fun time drinking out and about."
"I got the best first vibes off both of your profiles."
Thank the Lord.
I love that so much.
We definitely could go out and have us a good old time.
All right, let's go, um… Let's go with, "Ay, friends!"
And that's like, Y, Y, Y, so a few Ys.
"Welcome to thee party!" So I'm talking T-H-E-E, all caps.
"I felt the same vibes about your profile. How are you feeling?"
Ah! Okay. This is… He's leaving it open for me.
Message, "Nathan! Welcome to the #CircleFamily."
"#WelcomeShotsOnMe," with a cling. And send.
Perfect! This is just the vibe I wanted to go for.
We are gonna keep it light. We are gonna keep it party-focused
and talk about the game.
Okay. Message, "I am feeling great
after the little bottle of champagne I drank."
"Have I missed anything exciting?" Child, you done missed a little…
a little tea, a little shade,
a few catfishes here and there.
Message, "We had a shocker this morning, comma,
already revealing a catfish, Paul, our 50-year old dad in The Circle,
turned out to be his daughter, who was a dime."
I would never say this in real life.
"Hey, you a dime piece" or whatever that is.
[Alex] Bru is a bro.
No non-bro dude would say "dime."
Okay. I wanna figure out who was the influencer.
I wanna know who caught the catfish.
They're who I need to look out for.
"First blocking, and you guys already found a catfish."
"Who were the legends that sniffed that out?"
[gasping]
[Bru] He's definitely pulling for stuff.
So, Nathan clearly wants to know who the influencers were.
I feel like that's something that, if I don't say it first,
then he's gonna feel like I'm trying to keep it from him,
and he may not feel like I'm open and honest.
Message, "Unfortunately, I was one of the influencers
that had to block Paul."
"After thinking it through with #MommaCarol,
we went with the player that we knew the least about
in the amount of time that we knew them."
I knew Frank was popular.
Message, "While I bet it was hard to do the first blocking,
props to you and Carol."
"Super grateful I got to talk with both of you."
"Hopefully, I get the chance to wingman you both." [grunts] "Flexing emoji."
Message, "It has been an absolute pleasure getting to meet you, Nathan."
"#ThreeAmigos."
Yes! That's what I wanna see.
I found out just what I wanted to know from this chat.
I figured out who the two influencers were.
This is good. I think Bru and Frank will be crucial for my game.
[rhythmical music playing]
[Michelle] With their first chats under their belts, newbies Rachel
and Nathan, AKA Alex, are settling in to that Circle life…
and the others are hitting some big personal targets of their own.
-Oh, this calls for a celebration! -[screen chimes]
"'90s Party"?
We're having a party!
"Players, it's time to go retro…"
"…as The Circle is inviting you all…"
-"…to a '90s party!" -"…to a '90s party!"
Ooh, ooh!
Oh my goodness!
I'm a '90s baby.
[squealing] I know that's right!
"You can collect your party items from your door now!"
-[Frank] Oh my God! -[Yu Ling] The party is here! Oh my God!
-[Emma] This is amazing! -Get in!
[laughing]
This is the type of shit I live for.
[Alyssa] Hold on.
[Alex] Damn, I used to do this all the time!
This is the best thing in the world.
If these are overalls…
[screaming] They are overalls!
These are my shoes that I used to wear.
This just feels right.
It's like I'm back at my mom's house. The sweater vest?
No one could do a '90s party like us.
'Course not!
[Michelle] And no one can do a secret, Spice-Girls-only alert like The Circle.
[alarm blares]
-"Alert! Alert!" -"Alert!"
[gasps] See, we need this 'cause I need to be able to sit down!
[screen beeps]
"Jared, during tonight's party,
the other players will be given some big news."
[suspenseful music playing]
Right.
[Mel B] "They will be told
that you are secretly playing in The Circle behind one of the profiles."
No way.
Oh my goodness. I think they might… they might guess.
-We've said nothing spicy. Nothing spicy. -Nothing spicy.
"Tomorrow, your fellow players will vote
for the profile that they think you are behind."
[shouting] Oh my goodness!
Right?
But the more of them that we fool,
the more money we can make for the prize pot.
Exactly.
-Think we better get ready, '90s ready. -Let's get '90s ready.
[Michelle] Now, our resident Spice Girls, Emma and Mel B, have their secret mission,
they're off to roll back the clock for our '90s party.
And the others are ready to celebrate the greatest decade ever too.
The question is, what song should we kick it off with?
♪ Ha, ha, ha, ha Yo, I'll tell you what I want ♪
♪ What I really, really want So tell me what you want ♪
♪ What I really, really want I wanna, I wanna, I wanna, I wanna ♪
♪ I wanna really, really, really Wanna zigazig ♪
♪ Ah! If you wanna be my lover ♪
♪ -You gotta get with my friends -Gotta get with… ♪
With my friends!
♪…last forever ♪
♪ -Friendship never ends -Ends ♪
♪ If you wanna be my lover ♪
♪ You have got to give ♪
♪ Taking is too easy ♪
♪ That's the way it is ♪
♪ So, here's a story from A to Z You wanna get with me ♪
♪ You gotta listen carefully We got Em in the place ♪
♪ Who likes it in your face And as for me? Ha, you'll see! ♪
♪ Slam your body down And wind it all around ♪
♪ If you wanna be my lover ♪
♪ You gotta, you gotta You gotta, you gotta ♪
♪ -Make it last forever -Slam, slam, slam… ♪
I don't even know what this is!
[Emma] Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey!
♪ If you wanna be my lover ♪
♪ Lover, lover, lover ♪
Whoo! [laughs]
Yay!
We did it!
[both laughing]
-[Emma] Oh, I love you! -[Mel B] Ah!
[screen dings]
Let's go! We get to chat '90s. I love it.
We must stay undetected, and I think we're all right at the moment.
Stick to the game plan.
-Jared all the way. -Yes. Yeah.
-Earn them all some money. -Exactly.
Message, "You guys! Exclamation point, exclamation point."
"This party was amazing. My outfit is giving me…"
-"…total Baby Spice vibes!" -"Baby Spice vibes!"
"So I danced like I was actually on tour with the Spice Girls!"
[Alex] "And a huge welcome to Nathan and Rachel."
"#WhatAnEntrance" with the double party man emoji.
Whoo! Yes, thank you, Alyssa.
Message, "Wow, what an incredible surprise for our first night."
"I'm a '90s baby, so hearing Spice Girls brought me right back there. #GirlPower!"
-Boom. -Yay!
"Y'all have got me in platform heels."
"#SlippingOnTheDancefloor." Oh my God.
I know that's right. Rachel better be in her platform heels.
-We've got a few Spice fans amongst us. -We have.
I wonder what they're gonna do when they find out.
-I know. We're here, guys! -We're here with you. We're here.
Message, "Wow! Exclamation point."
"I haven't danced like that in so long. Period."
"That took me back to the times right before I had kids." [giggles]
"#CheersFromMomma." I know that's right, child.
You was bussing it down before you popped out them babies, honey.
We came out 25 years ago, so she would be 39.
Would she be having kids at 39?
Message, "What was y'all's biggest and best memories from the '90s?"
"Mine was definitely being interviewed…"
"…by the news at the Spice Girls concert when I was six. [shouting] Team Scary!"
-We got a Baby and a Scary Spice! -[shouting] Yes! We got Baby and Scary!
I'm so jealous.
Also, I love that she's team Scary Spice.
We don't wanna get into a whole Spice Girls conversation with them.
-No. -Just in case.
I think we just keep on the down low.
-Shtum for now. Keep shtum. -Yeah.
I don't really have anything to add to this conversation as Nathan,
which is a bummer. I wanna be talking. I wanna be jiving.
I wanna be asking all the questions.
In the '90s, we were all over the world touring and performing.
We were, like, gigging every night in the '90s, baby.
-Hardly sleeping. -I know.
-Planes, trains, and automobiles. -Planes, trains and…
Literally.
It was amazing, though, wasn't it? It was amazing.
Message, "Man, I really wish
I could add something to this conversation,
but I am #OutOfMyElement." Send.
Oh, baby Nathan.
-We could say, "Me too, Nathan!" -"I'm not far behind you."
Yeah. No, I think we start off with, um, "Exactly, I'm not far behind you."
-Message… -Go on. Message, "Nathan…"
Oh. Jared? Okay, let's see this.
Jared said, "Nathan, I'm not far behind you."
"My sister got to go to all these concerts
while I got left behind playing with my Transformers,"
with a… a… a rolling-eye emoji.
Thank you, Jared.
Transformers are pretty cool, though, Jared.
I mean, It sounds like you're the real winner here.
He's 28. He was alive for the '90s.
There was stuff he could've… Like, some memory he could have.
This is the first time I felt a little bit of pressure,
because we really want to make them more money.
-But I don't think we've dropped the ball. -We haven't dropped the ball at all.
That's why I think we're just keeping our cool at the moment.
[Michelle] I think those words may come back to haunt you in about two seconds.
[alarm blares]
[Mel B] "Alert!"
"Alert"?
I was about to get the heels off and chill out.
No, it never stops in The Circle.
[screen beeps]
-"It's time to deliver your news." -"It's time to deliver your news."
What? Right now? [chuckles]
[suspenseful music playing]
-"Go to the Inner Circle now." -"Go to the Inner Circle now."
-[Mel B] Come on! -[Emma] Let's do it. Come on.
-[Emma] Let's do it. Oh my goodness. -[Mel B] Oh my God.
[Emma] Here we go.
Message, "The dance moves made my day. The worm is my go-to move. Comma."
"What's all y'all favorite dance moves? Question mark. Dancing man emoji."
And let's send that bad boy.
We got the… the jawn right here. I don't know what it's called.
You know what I'm saying?
It's… What is this called? It's giving butterfly.
[alarm blares]
-[Crissa] "Alert!" -[Alex] Oh! "Alert!" Oh, we're not done!
What do you got for us, Circle? Come on.
[Yu Ling] "Players…"
"…you are about to see…"
"…a very important message."
What?
[dramatic music playing]
Ladies and gentlemen, this is… this is not what we were expecting.
[sighs] Okay.
Come on, Circle.
This seems really serious.
I was #Ready, but now I'm #Nervous, #Stressed, #Scared,
#WhatTheFuckCircle?
Hi, guys. It's Mel B and Emma from the Spice Girls.
[shouting] Oh my God!
Oh my God! It's Mel B!
We hope you're having an amazing time at your '90s party.
-I'm gonna cry! -[Emma] Because guess what.
-We are! Surprise! -We are! Surprise!
What?
We're in The Circle too,
and we are secretly playing one of the profiles.
What in the flying fuck is going on, Circle?
Yes, we are catfishing.
But who do you think we are?
Wow, that is actually crazy.
Tomorrow night, you will have to guess which profile you think we are behind.
Are you serious?
And there will be consequences.
[Emma] You're just not gonna find us.
We're just too good!
-Catch us if you can! -Catch us if you can!
Oh my God! What?
I am speechless.
I ain't really calling y'all no bitches, but I'mma find you bitches!
[music fading out]
[theme song playing]