[Michelle] Previously on The Circle:
Courtney became the Joker…
My big goal is to make the players
think it's Emily.
…and put his new power to good use…
"Now choose a player to become one of the influencers."
[tone]
I got picked!
-…making an important blocking. -No!
"The player we would like to block is…"
[intense rock plays]
-[chimes] -[Terilisha] Terilisha.
-[chimes] -"Blocked."
-Thank God. -[screams]
[Michelle] Two catfish were put to the test…
Maybe I should use the liquid one?
That don't look like a 21-year-old girl did that.
[Jack groans]
Ready to throw my hook. This'll let me know if he's a catfish.
Okay, let me think.
Think hard. I know you're thinking hard.
-I'm happy with that message. -I got him!
You're not that good.
[Michelle] …which led to a double blocking.
Everyone's ratings are out of whack!
[Michelle] But there was one more twist to come.
-Who are you? -I'm Emily. [laughs]
I'm Lance!
[buzzes]
[both] "You're being given a second chance."
[Lisa] "Meet your new profile."
-No way! Let's go! -Oh, my God!
[music ends]
[hip hop plays]
[Michelle] The Circle's brought the drama with a capital damn tonight.
Not one but two players, Lance and Emily,
were automatically blocked after coming bottom of the ratings.
[tone, chimes]
Circle, you savage.
[music continues]
But lucky for these guys,
'cause they've just been given a lifeline to continue their Circle hustle.
[tone]
Let's do this shit. [claps] Let's go.
[tone]
[music swells]
[tone]
[music fades]
-Who the fuck is this dude? -He looks really nice.
[whimsical music plays]
-[Lisa] How old are you? -Twenty.
Oh, you're 20. I'm-- I'm 42.
-So we have a good amount of… -Yeah, we got the range.
[Lisa] What's gonna be tough is just playing someone that's so much older.
-Like, I'm not that old, you know? Um… -[Jack] Yeah. No.
But we do have a guy's perspective. Um…
I've lived like a fifth of the life this guy has.
Yes, but I feel like friends of mine have had dads that look like that.
-My dad looks like that. -[Lisa] Really?
[Jack] No mustache…
We'll channel our dads. Know what I mean?
-We gotta have big dad energy. BDE. -Yes, big dad energy,
and I think people are gonna like this guy.
-Let's go. -[Lisa] Okay. We got this.
Not every day you get a second chance.
Okay, Circle, please take us to our new player's profile.
-[laughs] -[tone]
[music continues]
-Oh, he's a psychic! -He's a psychic!
[both laugh]
-[Jack] Oh, my God, yo -[Lisa] Oh, my God.
[Lisa laughs]
[Jack] We can pretend to know things about them that we already know.
-That would be funny. -[Lisa] That is a brilliant idea.
Circle, please take us to our photo album.
[tone]
Oh, wow!
[laughs]
[Jack] The 'stache has gotta go.
[Lisa] I know! What's his name?
This guy gives me grandpa energy.
John is my real name. It's my grandpa's name.
-Solid name. -[Jack] Yes.
Thinking about old guys, you're like,
-"That's John." -John, yeah!
Circle, let's name him John.
-[tone] -Put in 64 as our age.
[Lisa] Hometown?
We could model him after my grandpa a little.
He's from West Virginia.
Okay, that sounds very, um…
-Friendly. -[Lisa] Yeah.
[Jack] Circle, let's go with Morgantown, West Virginia as our hometown.
[Lisa] I like that.
So, Circle, let's say, "Hey, everybody. I'm John."
"Full-time psychic, part-time Santa who loves adventure."
[Lisa giggles]
If we want to be like the most friendly old fella, maybe we go gay.
Yeah, we have Courtney and we have River, and I know a lot about gay men.
Yeah. "Loving partner of 38 years to my amazing husband Terry,
and father to three children."
[Lisa] I like John. I think John's solid.
I don't know. I got to figure out which of my hobbies fit in.
-I love to read. Is he a reader? -[Jack] Maybe.
I used to do improv. Maybe he takes improv classes.
Let's say, "I love to cook, cozy up with a good book,
and do improv! Exclamation point."
-[Lisa] Love it. -[Jack] Looks good.
Uh, Circle, let's lock it in.
[tone]
[both] "You'll join The Circle tomorrow."
-We're gonna crush this. -Yes. I think we are too.
I think it's gonna be really great.
-My psychic powers are telling me… -I know.
We gotta channel in our psychic powers.
[music ends]
[Michelle] A 64-year-old gay psychic father of three.
There's gonna be a lot of questions. Good thing he does improv.
Meanwhile, others are pouring one out for their blocked homies,
who aren't really blocked.
I'm kinda bummed Emily's gone.
I felt like Emily would've protected Trevor
-had she given the opportunity to. -[solemn music plays]
I was absolutely stunned that Lance did not come see River.
I felt like we made a real connection, so I really expected him to come here.
I'm still quite pissed off Emily didn't come and see me.
I wonder why she didn't come and see me.
And then there were six.
I definitely gotta kick it into gear now.
And this… This is… This is…
I may have to get a little risky these next couple of days
to make sure I know I end up on top.
[music fades]
["Everybody Wants to Rule the World" by Tears For Fears playing]
[Michelle] It's morning, and Lisa and Jack wake up
to their first day as John.
And student Jack is learning those personal assistant ropes.
[Jack] Would you like a bacon, egg, and cheese sandwich?
[Lisa] Yeah, why not?
We'll test my cooking skills.
[Michelle] Others are waking to what they think is a normal day in The Circle.
I needed this.
[Michelle] A little morning bath never hurt nobody.
[yawning]
♪ Everybody wants to rule the world ♪
I have lived to see another day.
[Mitchell] I mean, that was the real deal last night.
The Circle does not play games.
[Michelle] Mitchell, that's literally all The Circle does.
-[Deleesa crumples paper] -[chimes]
♪ Newsfeed has been updated ♪
Oh, my God.
Circle, take me to the Newsfeed.
[tone]
I know what this is.
"Emily has left a message for The Circle."
Okay, so we're about to see who Lance and Emily really are.
Circle, please play Emily's video.
-[intriguing music plays] -[tone]
[Jack] Everybody, it's Emily.
Well, actually, my name is Jack.
-What? -Knew it! It's a dude!
[screams]
Emily was Emilio.
My best friend is called Jack?
I entered the Circle as Emily, who's a good friend of mine from college,
honestly, because I wanted to play a fun, strategic, cutthroat game,
and I kinda wanted to mask myself behind the guise
of a cute, five-foot college sorority girl.
Yeah, you got me. She's cute.
But when it came to makeup, it was not good as y'all probably noticed.
Yeah, your makeup, that got you, dude.
While I totally respect people playing a hardcore strategic game,
people are lying, people are not even who they say they are,
they'll tell you what you wanna hear.
"#GotYourBack."
He's talking about Chloe. He went to go see Chloe.
Oh, my God!
Is Chloe gonna say he came to go see her?
I gotta go touch up on my makeup skills before I catch y'all suckers later.
Peace out.
You did your homework well, but not thorough enough, Mr. Jack!
As much as I hate that he did that to me, it was a decent strategy.
Catfish to catfish, much respect.
[music fades]
Next. Where's Lance at? Come on, bring me Lance, baby.
Circle, please play the video message from Lance.
[tone]
[Lisa] Hi, guys, it's me, Lance Bass.
Okay, I'm not the real Lance Bass.
-Oh, my God. -That his mom? Who is that?
My name is Lisa,
and I have been Lance's personal assistant for almost 15 years.
Oh, my God.
Lance is one of the most popular people I know,
and I wanted to see what it's like to be in his shoes.
I played the game as true to Lance as possible.
Mm, wow.
Maybe being too nice was my downfall. Who knows?
I made some really special friendships in here,
and I promise you guys, I'll introduce you to the real Lance,
but for now, it's bye, bye, bye from me.
Shew!
You just never know in here, man. You just never know.
There is a part of me that is definitely disappointed
that it's not the real Lance Bass,
but she just promised she'd introduce us, so…
-[chimes] -Oh! "The Circle Chat is now open."
That's what I want to see.
Okay.
[Michelle] But before they get to it, The Circle has a treat for the new guy.
Oo! "Alert!"
What do we have here?
[tone]
"John, later this morning, you will join The Circle."
-[tone] -"For now you are in lurker mode."
[laughs] Lurker mode? Oh, that's exciting.
"You'll get to secretly watch fellow players in Circle Chat."
Oh, that's amazing.
I guess that's meaning that we can see what they're talking about.
[Jack] We can spy on them.
Circle, take me to The Circle Chat.
[tone]
I cannot wait to see what everyone thought about these catfish.
[Lisa] Oo, I can't wait to see.
Yo, this is gonna be so weird.
This chat is gonna be juicy.
Who about to lie and say Emily didn't go see them?
Who about to lie?
-Message: -[tone]
"Wow, a double whammy catfish knockout."
"Can't believe I was flirting with a dude. #Emilio." Send.
-Sorry, bro. -[laughs] Sorry, Mitch.
That's why Mitchell stopped flirting with me,
'cause he was flirting with Emily!
-Circle, message: -[tone]
"Was anyone else's mouth on the floor
when they saw not one but two catfish on that screen?"
"Damn, I'm shocked." [gasps]
-Send message. -[chimes]
-Message: -[tone]
"OMG! Exclamation point. Exclamation point."
"#TwoCatfishCaught."
"I suspected Emily after her makeup disaster,
but Lance? #TotallyFooled."
-Send. -[chimes]
Fuck that challenge, man. Fuck that challenge.
-Circle, message: -[tone]
"Absolutely gutted to see both of them go,
especially when I classed Emily as my best friend."
"Can't believe she didn't even come and see me!"
"I wanna know who she really came to see! #PlotTwist."
-Send message. -[chimes]
Chloe, you're lying. Chloe is lying.
Chloe is lying.
Wow, so she didn't go to see Chloe,
that's who I thought she was coming to see. Didn't see me.
-Message: -[tone]
"Now which one of y'all are about to lie and say she didn't come see you?"
-"Question mark." Send. -[chimes]
-[mysterious music plays] -Ah!
Khat is coming out firing, baby. Boom, boom, boom!
-Circle, message: -[tone]
"Okay, not… All in caps. …again."
"Somebody has gotta come clean. Who did Emily and Lance go see?"
-[chimes] -She genuinely didn't come and see me.
Chloe, you need to tell us something.
-Message: -[tone]
"Clearly Emily and Lance both went to see someone,
-so who was it?" Send. -[chimes]
This is great. None of them'll come clean,
so they're gonna have less trust in each other.
-Message: -[tone]
"Damn, I can't believe that she didn't go and see her bestie Chloe."
"#YallStillPlayingGames." Send.
[chimes]
I don't know what vibe I'm getting from that message Trevor just sent.
I don't know why anybody wouldn't say it. Who cares?
-[Chloe] Circle, message: -[tone]
"Why would I lie about Emily coming to see me?"
"I would be too excited to tell you all. #SayItHowItIs."
-Send message. -[chimes]
You're lying. You're lying.
Oh, it's annoying that people just won't own up to it.
Someone's lying.
People are definitely getting a little paranoid now.
This was very insightful.
-[Jack] Yeah. -Very insightful.
Only thing I learned from that chat is that Chloe is lying.
[Michelle] Wow, the sun might be out this morning,
but the chat has brought the shade, honey.
[cheerful music plays]
With John waiting in the wings for now,
Trevor, played by Deleesa, wants to check in with Mitchell…
-Ho, ho, oh, my gosh! -…who's in a bit of hot water.
I feel like Mitchell is a wild card.
I don't know if he was able to form really good connections so far.
I think it would be smart on Trevor's end to build a bromance with Mitchell,
and I think it would be good to have Mitchell on Trevor's side.
Oo.
-Now we got some jet action. -[chimes]
Hey, my guy Trevor!
"Trevor has invited you to a private chat."
Boom!
Circle, please take me
-to the private chat with Trevor. -[tone]
Message: "Yo, even though I knew Emily was a catfish,
I was hoping she wasn't, and I was excited to hook you guys up."
-[chimes] -"#DoubleDateWithTheEmilio."
[laughs]
We can start off there. Laugh and joke about it.
Build our little bond and connection.
A little bromance.
I thought Emily was gonna be my Beyoncé from day one.
We got on well,
and we got catfished, man.
[chimes]
[Deleesa] "Mitchell. Tell me about it."
"My Beyoncé turned out to be Jay-Z."
[cackles]
[inhales] "Ah, we're gonna just laugh at that."
[chimes]
-Message: -[tone]
"From day one, I knew we were gonna be boys."
"I just felt like you were a genuine, stand-up guy."
"#AlphaEnergy."
Literally, I got alpha energy. Like, I'm the man. Like, the man!
You the man too, but I'm the man. You know what I'm saying? Like…
♪ I'm a bro, I'm a bro ♪
[Michelle] Presenting the self-proclaimed Jay-Z of The Circle
dropping it like it's hot for y'all.
Now Chloe, fresh from being burned by catfish Emily,
is doubling down on her strategy game.
If you go out like this, you will attract the male species.
If you put the makeup in the designated areas on your face,
[inhales] like so.
[Michelle] It's a shame no one can see you but us.
Meanwhile, Khat's still convinced Chloe lied about not meeting Emily,
and she wants some straight Texan truth.
I definitely want to talk to my Southern queens.
I want to try to see how they feel about Chloe
when it came to the information given in the group chat
from Emily and Lance's video.
And this whole Emily/Jack spilling the tea.
Circle,
launch chat with my Southern queens, Courtney and River.
-[chimes] -[Courtney] Oh!
"Khat has invited you to the Southern Queens Chat."
What's going on here? I do feel like she has an ulterior motive.
Maybe she figured because me and River are allies
that she could wiggle her way in,
but you ain't no Chloe, so we gonna have to see.
I'm excited. Thank you, Khat.
[tone, rings]
Message: "You messy hoes gotta be up to something
after all that tea that was just spilled."
"Looking Emoji. #ImTryingToGetInWhereIFitIn."
-Send. -[chimes]
Oh… my… God.
That was a lot of tea that was spilled.
[Courtney] "#ImTryingToGetInWhereIFitIn." [laughs]
Khat, what are you do… [laughs]
If you think we'll throw our sis Chloe under the bus,
you are sadly mistaken.
Circle, message:
"Khat, you fit in perfectly with me, my Dallas queen! Exclamation point." Send.
[laughs] River ain't know what to say, bitch.
I think River's just positive, and I think that's a positive vibe.
Play hard all you want, but just let's keep it light and fun.
Message: "Chloe said she'd be excited
to share with us if Emily came to see her…"
[Courtney] "…but after that video,
I don't understand why she would be excited?"
"#Contradicting."
Chloe would have been excited to meet her Circle BFF regardless,
whether it was Jack or the real Emily.
She's putting shade on my girl Chloe, and I'm not crazy about that.
If she can unseat Chloe, she's gonna unseat her.
Don't have to say they don't like her or she's a catfish.
I'm trying to see, do they have as much doubt as I do?
We're gonna really have to dance around this,
or like make her feel maybe, like, we agree a little bit,
and then go to the Cardashians like, "Chloe!"
Circle, message: "LMAO."
"Miss Khat, you have me choking on my popcorn in this bed."
[Khat] "Listen, I'd be excited to tell the group someone came to see me,
because my ass is still here, truth be told."
Okay, message:
"#Confused. Emily was close to other people."
"Perhaps she went to see one of them." Send.
[chimes]
River said "Bitch, you stupid or what?"
[laughs]
I think they're trying to make me feel like they are aligned with Chloe.
Message: "Why wouldn't anyone fess up to Emily paying them a visit?"
"#ThisIsABunchOfMess." Send.
"#ThisIsABunchOfMess." I agree with you about that, Khat.
Message: "Mitchell is a possibility."
"Perhaps they had a one-on-one we don't know about." Send.
[chimes]
Hell no! Hell no! Hell no!
Message: "That doesn't make sense."
"Why would Emily visit Mitch? Question mark." Send.
She's going after Chloe. She doesn't think it's Mitch.
Circle, message:
"Mitch did say that he was flirting with #Emilio."
"I don't know why anyone would lie. #IDontUnderstand."
-Send message. -[chimes]
They're playing strict and tight. They won't say much.
I think that Khat wanted me and River both to be really messy about this,
and be like, "Yeah, girl! Right! Mm-hm. Why Chloe lying her ass off?"
But I think that, in two different ways,
me and River definitely straddled the line.
Message: "Khat,
I know it must be hard trying to catch up having just come in here."
"There's always unanswered questions in The Circle."
-"#JustTryToHaveFun." Send. -[chimes]
Message: "Yeah, I guess I can see that."
[Lee] "Definitely needed to get that reality check."
"Thanks, you guys. You definitely cleared up some things I was thinking."
Okay, good.
Little Miss Alley Khat,
you need to end this chat and get out,
'cause I know how I'm going to rate Khat,
and I'm hoping River's thinking what I'm thinking.
We need to have a Cardashian chat
and get Chloe up on what's going on with Khat and the 411.
[Michelle] To the Cardashian-mobile, bitches.
[Khat] This is the one conversation that didn't go the way I wanted.
They're definitely playing low-key, and playing both sides of the field.
That's why I hate that I said Chloe's name.
That gives Courtney and River ammunition to go to Chloe and say,
"Khat was trying to say that she thought you were lying."
I definitely have to cover my ass now, because it's out big time.
[Michelle] Let's leave Khat chasing her tail,
'cause The Circle's been quiet for a while almost like it's about to…
-[buzzes] -[Chloe gasps]
[all] "Alert!"
-We gotta get ready. -Let's get the lies about John.
I don't know at all what this could be,
considering we had a double blocking last night.
Anytime I see an alert, that means something bad is coming.
-[tone] -"A new player has entered The Circle."
That's us.
Uh-oh.
Stir it up. Stir it up.
I hope whoever this person is is not a threat.
-[tone, rings] -Who are you?
John!
-[Jack] We're in! -John! John's arrived.
Looking like a handsome son of a gun, John.
Look at John. He's so cute.
[Deleesa] Oh, I like that he's older.
He's got a great mustache.
You're probably almost as old as I am.
We'll snoop in his profile.
[all] Circle, take me to John's profile.
[tone]
-[Mitchell] My guy John. -Oh, you're a psychic.
What? I love psychics! I go to 'em every week.
[laughs] Don't point your psychic powers here.
That's all I'm asking!
And he's from Morgantown, West Virginia.
"Hey, everybody, I'm John!"
"Full-time psychic, part-time Santa…"
[Chloe] "…who loves adventure."
It's so quirky,
-I feel it's believable. -It's believable.
"Loving partner of 30 years to my amazing husband Terry,
and father to three children."
We can bond. We're both parents.
"I love to cook, cozy up with a good book, and do improv."
I love to do improv too!
I've basically been improv-ing.
'Cause I have a mom around his age, I can be like his little daughter.
The Black one. [laughs]
[Mitchell] So far, he sounds like a living legend.
But is he too good to be true?
I hope it's true. I want this profile to be true.
Uh…
[Mitchell] I gotta have a conversation with John,
see what he's all about.
[Michelle] The Circle's got you, fam.
[all] Circle, take me to Circle Chat.
[rings]
-What do people in West Virginia say? -Yello!
I feel like John is going to get a very, very, very warm welcome.
I think we kick off the chat hot and heavy like usual.
Message: "John, what up, you legend?"
"Welcome to the #CircleFamilia."
-Send. -[chimes]
"Welcome to the #CircleFamilia." [laughs]
Circle, message: "Welcome to The Circle, John."
"I wish my granddad was as cool as you."
[Michelle] Me too!
-[chimes] -[Deleesa] "#PartTimeSanta."
"Heart emoji." Aw, Chloe!
Circle, message: "Hey, John."
"So excited to have you here! Love that you're a psychic."
"Tell me what's in your crystal ball! All caps. Crying laughing face."
"#PsychicJohn."
Should we, "Can't wait to get to know everybody."
-"#IForeseeGreatTimesAhead"? -Yes. Yes.
Let's slip in that psychic thing.
Circle, message: "Hey, y'all, so pleased to be here."
"Can't wait to get to know everybody. I foresee great times ahead."
Ah, bless him.
Yes, John. Love that.
Message: "Being a psychic is a super power you need to have in The Circle."
"I think we all are on the hunt. #DontForgetTheJoker." Send.
-[chimes] -Khat, stop it!
Let it the fuck go! Please!
Circle, message: "A big…
All in caps.
…welcome to you, John."
"Rainbow heart emoji."
"I hope when I'm your age, I'm living the dream life."
[Lisa] "Your husband's name?"
-We said Terry. -[Jack] Terry.
[Lisa] Message:
"Hello, River. My husband's name is Terry. Missing him already."
"This is the longest we've ever been apart."
And send.
-[chimes] -[Lee] John, I know! I feel the same,
'cause I'm missing my husband!
And this is the longest I've ever been apart from him.
Oh, my gosh, John, you have my heart.
I think they're liking him,
because again, who's gonna be, like,
not friendly to an older man like that?
Message: "John, how hard has it been leaving your children? Question mark."
"I see you have three."
[Lisa] "For me, it's been hard leaving one."
"Can't imagine how you're feeling."
-Okay, so let's work this out. John is 64. -Yeah.
-So he's been with Terry 38 years. -Yeah.
-So should we say maybe Ben is like 34? -Yeah.
Circle, message: "Trevor, it's never easy,
but they're all grown up and have left the nest."
I respect you, John. I respect you already.
John has been on point, answering quickly and everything.
I'm surprised he's like…
[snapping]
…real quick with it.
"Thanks for the warm welcome."
-Should we do a smiley emoji? -[Jack] Yeah.
"Smiley face emoji." [chuckles]
"Looking forward to talking later."
"Can't wait to see what The Circle has in store."
"Smiley face emoji." Send. [laughs]
-[chimes] -You should know, John.
You're the psychic.
If John really is a psychic, we in danger, girl.
John, I love you.
I want you to be real, but I know it's The Circle,
and you can be as fake as they come.
[Michelle] Afternoon in The Circle, players are unwinding.
Newbie John is settling right into one of our fun split screens.
[strums out-of-tune chord]
Mitchell has been possessed by the spirit of rock and roll,
[whimsical music plays]
and Chloe is rolling her way into the next Charlie's Angels movie.
You know what all this means, though. Right?
"Geek Chic Quiz!"
[Michelle] That's right, Chloe. It's game time.
Now, we're talking.
Ah, I'm not good at quizzes.
What're we getting quizzed about?
I hope it's not too geeky. Don't put no math up there. [chuckles]
[Michelle] Geek Chic Quiz will have two teams.
The Circle has selected newbie John,
played by Jack and Lisa, as the first captain.
"New player John…"
Yes!
[Michelle] And as top of the last ratings, Chloe got to be the other.
Oh, I'm so excited!
[Michelle] They gotta channel that gym-class vibe
and pick who they want on their team.
We'll go Trevor.
John picked Trevor!
Can I please choose…
Khat?
That's me. Chloe chose me. Okay.
River.
River! [laughs]
Mitchell.
Let's go, Chloe!
-Thank you! -Courtney.
Let's crack open that door to being BFFs, John.
[Michelle] Because it's not a Circle game
without hilarious yet completely unnecessary costumes…
Whoa, Nelly!
Oh, cool.
I surely wore a lot of these in high school.
Glasses!
Do people actually wear this stuff?
What's bad is this is something I would probably buy.
[Michelle] For anyone not familiar with quizzes,
here's how it works.
They answer questions. That's it.
I literally don't know how else to explain it.
It's a quiz, you guys. Come on!
-[Lisa laughs] -Hey!
[Michelle] Damn, coordinate!
I don't know if you can get any geekier.
It is go time.
[Michelle] It sure is. Let's do it.
Class is in session.
Come on, come on, come on. Give it to me.
-[tone] -[Michelle] The first round's science.
Now our captains have to pick a player to represent.
There's no playing hooky,
'cause each player must be used at least once.
Please pick me.
Please do not pick me for the science round.
Circle, message: "I'll try the science round."
-[chimes] -John, you better push through.
You should already see the answers because you are psychic.
"Khat, go on, my girl. You've got this."
Okay, I'll take this. I'll take this. Okay.
Come on, Khat!
Go, John!
[tone]
"Which planet is this?"
Okay.
Okay, is it Saturn or Uranus? Saturn or Uranus?
It's Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, Satur-- err, Neptune.
Neptune, okay.
-[peppy music plays] -[chimes]
Everybody's on the same page.
-[tone] -"The answer is…"
[tone, chimes]
-Uranus. -Uranus!
Go, John! Go, John.
Let's go!
Woo!
[Michelle] Both teams have conquered space.
Next up is math.
Okay, math.
Don't pick me.
Circle, message: "Go for it, River."
-[chimes] -[groans]
Circle, message: "Mitch, you got this, bro."
I will not let you down, Team Chloe.
Let's go.
[tone]
Oh, my God.
What?
"How many Shades of Grey?" Okay.
"Times number of Toy Story films."
"Minus stripes on the flag of the United States."
"Plus problems in Jay-Z's hit song
equals what?"
Um…
[Lee] Uh, Fifty Shades of Grey.
Times… How many Toy Story films are there?
I think there's three of those.
Stripes on the American flag.
There's 13.
I really think it's 15 stripes on the flag.
[Lee] Uh, "Problems in…"
See, there's the problem. Jay-Z's hit song.
[scoffs]
"99 Problems."
Three minus 13…
350 minus 15…
All right. I have my answer. I'm gonna go for it.
I think the answer is 286.
-Twenty nine. -Yeah, 180-something.
336.
I'm saying 286.
Mitch should have this.
-[peppy music ends] -[chimes]
-Message: -[tone]
"Fifty Shades of Grey…"
"…seven Toy Story movies"?
"Minus 15 stripes…" Where did you get 15 from?
"Plus 99 Problems equals 434."
-I don't think that's right. [chuckles] -Okay, message:
"It's Fifty Shades of Grey times three Toy Storys,
Thirteen stripes on the flag plus 100 problems." Send.
[chimes]
"A hundred problems"?
A hundred problems, River?
How does he not know that Jay-Z's hit song is called "99 Problems"?
River, your math is not right still, bro.
-[tone] -[Mitchell] "The answer is…"
-"286"? -[chimes]
I was close.
I mean…
But not picking up on the "99 Problems" by Jay-Z,
they'll think River should've known.
This is gonna out me. Darn it.
You win some, you lose some.
So right now, it's one-to-one.
[Michelle] Thanks, Mr. T. Let's see if anyone can score on sports.
I already know. I already know it's gonna be Trevor. I already know.
Trevor's our guy for this.
He wears a Yankees hat in his picture. Sports fan.
Do I have some stuff in here on sports?
I have pages on pages, but is it gonna be what's up here?
[Chloe] Easy, I've got Khat on my team!
"Chloe. Khat, I believe in you, baby girl."
Okay, come on.
If I don't answer this question right,
people are for sure going to question whether Trevor is really Trevor.
Let's go. Give it to me.
[tone]
"Name these three basketball players."
Trevor and Khat should both know this.
Let's go! "Name these three basketball players."
Michael Jordan, Dennis Rodman, and… What is his name?
-[tense music plays] -[groans]
[Deleesa] I don't know nothing about sports.
I don't know nothing about sports!
Scottie Pippen! Scottie Pippen! Let's go!
[Deleesa] Oh, my God. Okay, the blonde hair, for sure, I know
is Dennis Rodman, and I know the 23.
He got my J's on. That's Michael Jordan.
[sighs]
Why do I think that's like Scottie Pippen?
Is that Scottie Pippen?
Hold up. I feel like I should have something here.
Any basketball fan should know these three players.
You're not in here.
Oh, why is this not in here?
I think Trevor will probably be great at this.
[exclaims]
[tense music continues]
Are you kidding me?
I have full faith that Trevor will know this.
-Yeah, if he is who he says he is. -Yeah.
Is that Scottie? Come on.
If Trevor doesn't know,
I definitely will be raising my eyebrow at him.
Uh…
Message: "Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen, and Michael Jordan."
I'm gonna have to go with Scottie Pippen.
[sighs] Message…
[music swells]
-[chimes] -[music fades]
[Deleesa] Oh! Khat put the same answer!
[groans] Oh…
[tone]
"The answer is…"
[tone]
-[chimes] -"Dennis Rodman, Scottie Pippen!"
He didn't let us down.
Go, Trevor! Woo!
Woo! Oh, my God. I'm so proud of Khat.
Yeah, I got it. I got it.
I'm such a guy! I did it! I fucking did it. I did that shit.
I did it! [laughs]
And clearly Trevor is Trevor. I'm so happy.
[Michelle] If he messed that up, could've been Trevor's last dance.
[tone]
The next round is a brain teaser.
-Well, it's our guy Courtney. -Yeah.
[Chloe] I've got this one.
I've got glasses on. I'm gonna smash it.
-Message: "Bring it home, Courtney." -"Bring it home, Courtney!" Great.
I think that he would do better than Chloe in this.
If I don't think too hard, then hopefully, I'll just win it.
"Sophia has to walk one mile north to school…"
"…and one mile south back from school."
"One day, instead of walking home after school,
Sophia walks two miles east and one mile south to the store."
I don't even know my north, east, south, or wests.
"In which direction does Sophia have to walk to get home?"
Does she go back on herself or go the other way?
-She's got loads of options. -I'm thinking west.
Or would it be the opposite of south? It'd be north! North!
The answer is…
♪ Dun duh-duh duh ♪
North. North. North.
Circle, give us the answer.
[tone]
"West!" It is me!
Does she not know the compass directions?
I've never had to use a compass in my life.
You use Google Maps for goodness' sake.
[Michelle] She does have an extremely valid point.
-[upbeat piano music plays] -[tone]
"Congratulations, John's team. You have won the Geek Chic Quiz!"
We won! We won!
-Dance, I'm happy! -Woo!
-Let's go, John. -Let's go, John.
[upbeat pop music continues]
[sighs]
Not gonna be a sore loser.
If Trevor would've got that answer wrong,
everybody would've came at Trevor's throat.
Trevor would've been the next one blocked.
People are gonna start looking at River as a catfish.
"99 Problems" by Jay-Z.
I put "100 Problems."
[Michelle] It's okay. Not many've heard of it.
It only went double-platinum.
[funky music plays]
And as evening descends,
psychic John foresees his very first private chat
with The Circle's hip-hop expert, River.
I think that River is a really good ally to have in The Circle.
He's really well-liked.
I think he would have our back if we got in there good with him.
Agreed.
[chimes]
"John has invited you to a private chat."
Okay.
-[rings, chimes] -Lee and John are very much similar.
Definitely need to make sure that I'm channeling you, not me.
Circle, message:
"Hey there, River. How are you doing? Great effort in trivia."
"Your question was tough, glad our team earned a victory."
"Smiley face emoji." Send.
-[chimes] -That's perfect. That sounds very John.
That does.
[Lee] Very nice. Very nice, John.
Message: "You're such a sweetheart to reach out, John,
but thanks to you and the team, we won."
"How you feeling about The Circle?"
-"#ItCanGetCrazyInHere. #PrideBrigade." -[Jack] Yeah.
Just do it.
Circle, message:
"Feeling so excited, but a little overwhelmed." Send.
Maybe we drop a little psychic thing at some point.
Yeah, hopefully, he'll wanna open up maybe about his being recently single.
Maybe, Circle, message:
"I pride myself in my ability to read energy."
Good.
"And yours…
is fantastic so far."
[Lee] "I don't mean to pry, but I'd love to hear more
about your recent relationship. Sounds like it may have been difficult."
"If you need to talk, I'm a great listener."
John is coming across as real to me.
This is very much a man a little bit older than me.
We're very direct. We can be very blunt.
-Message: -[tone]
"#EasyAnswer. He cheated. I caught him."
"I'm feeling better, but it'll take time to trust again. #TheCircleHeals."
-Send. -[chimes]
If I was in John's shoes and got a message from River like that,
I'd be like, "I want to give River a hug."
-[Jack] Circle, message: -[tone]
"You have to love yourself before you can love someone else."
-Send. -[chimes]
That is great. That is great advice from John, and so true.
I tell myself that all the time.
Good advice. John, I really like you.
I think we've founded our ally.
[Michelle] With these two catfish getting to know each other,
down the hall, our Essex Juliet
wants to check in with her Bronx Romeo.
I've been thinking recently,
in my gut, I now 110% believe that Trevor is who he says he is.
He got the basketball players right,
and I really just want to let him know that…
[scrapes counter]
I do like him.
[yelps, screams]
I just hope he feels the same way.
Circle,
open private chat with Trevor.
Oh, my God. My heart is pounding.
-[chimes] -[exclaims]
Circle, open private chat with Chloe.
[chimes, tone]
Just meeting him in real life
is the thing that I'm most excited about.
[yelps]
Okay, stop getting all soppy, Chloe.
I'm not even used to messaging guys first, so I don't know what to say.
What my Chlo want?
-Circle, message: -[tone]
"Over the past couple of days,
I have really felt that you are who you say you are."
"I've been scared… Dot, dot, dot. …but now I feel like I'm ready…"
[Deleesa] "…to open up about my feelings toward you. XX."
[clicks tongue] Oh…
Chloe!
[exhales]
Don't fall in love.
That's gonna make me feel bad. You would hate me.
-Message: -[tone]
"If I was the next to go,
I genuinely mean it when I say
the only thing I'm looking forward to
is finally getting to meet you."
"Monkey covering eyes emoji." Send message.
-[chimes] -[Deleesa] Oh…
That's like…
Girl, you don't want to meet me. Not this.
I'm actually sweating.
I don't wanna shoot her down.
At the end of the day, I have to play up this catfish character.
I'm so deep in it now, I have to run with it.
Message: "That would be the prize for me, finally getting to see that…"
[Chloe] "…beautiful smile in person."
[gasps]
Message: "Flirting was always there,
but I was patiently waiting for you to give me more."
[chimes]
Message: "I want to be your prize. Crown emoji."
"#ImASimpleGirl. #NotThatHighMaintenance."
-Send. -[chimes]
In real life Chloe's gonna hate me.
I do have morals, so of course I feel bad,
but at the end of it all, it is a game,
and I have to do what's best for my family.
Message: "I love this chat."
"Thank you, baby girl, you touched my heart."
[Chloe] "#AlwaysBeenMyNumberOne."
[gasps]
Now I really hope my gut is right about Trevor. [laughs]
For Trevor's game plan, that was a great chat,
but I feel like a douchebag because
her feelings are gonna be hurt
once she finds out that Trevor is me.
[upbeat pop music plays]
[Michelle] With the gameplay ramping up,
John is pondering the important question every Circle player must ask themselves.
[Jack] You rather go to prison for a year,
or go to prison until you completed a Rubik's Cube?
-I'd probably go to prison. -I probably would too.
[Michelle] Pro-tip, if you go to prison,
I'd leave them leopard-print shorts at home.
Earlier, Khat told River and Courtney
about her suspicions over their fellow Cardashian, Chloe.
I need to open a private chat with River,
because that conversation with Khat was very revealing.
She sort of came right in for the kill, and I did not enjoy that.
So, Circle, please open a private chat with River.
[chimes]
"Courtney has invited you to a private chat."
Okay.
-[chimes] -[Courtney] Circle, message:
"Hey, River. I was feeling…
uneasy
after our conversation with Miss Khat today."
-Send message. -[snickers] Yeah.
River ain't waste no time. He started typing.
Message: "Same. Seems like she's targeting our Cardashian sweetheart."
-"#NotIfICanHelpIt." Send. -[chimes]
Yes! Let's go!
Message: "I think she's desperate because she came in late, but…"
-[chimes] -[laughs] "#TeamCardashians."
And, River, I feel the same exact way.
I am very happy that Courtney's not a fan of Khat.
Circle, message: "I completely agree."
"As friends, I really feel like
we've got to let our good sis know what went down."
"Shall we invite Chloe to our kiki?"
-Message: -[tone]
"Absolutely. Let's bring her in."
-A couple of exclamation points. Send. -[chimes]
-[exclaims]
My babies!
And I don't want to scare her 'cause she's excitable. [chuckles]
Circle, message: "Hey, Chloe,
just wanted to check in and see what's up with you."
-"Red heart." Send message. -[chimes]
-Circle, message: -[tone]
"Oh, God, I feel like a bomb is about to drop."
"Tell it to me." [laughs] Girl!
-Circle, message: -[tone]
"Earlier, me and River were in a group chat with Khat
where she aggressively questioned us about your truth
about Emily coming to see you."
-[chimes] -What?
I knew someone would think that Emily has come to see me.
Why would I lie about Emily?
Message: "Chloe, I don't wanna scare you,
but it's clear that Khat is targeting you."
"She'll have to come through us to get to you! #DontPanic!"
Oh, my boys! My boys have got my back.
This bond is getting tighter and tighter,
and nothing's gonna come between the three of us.
-Circle, message: -[tone]
"I knew that Emily not coming to see me would shock other people."
"Boys, I want you to understand Khat is definitely a game player."
"The other day, she was fangirling over me…"
-[chimes] -"…hard. #FakeFriend."
Period!
I do trust these boys and what they are saying.
These boys don't like drama, I don't like drama,
and there's no reason for this to end in drama.
Message: "For me, it's you guys
that I want to get across the finish line." Send.
-[chimes] -You tell 'em, River!
See, River! Yo, that's exactly what I was thinking.
-Message: "Boys, -[tone]
we will get across that finish line,
but we've got to clean this mess up first."
"#PlayWithFireYoureGonnaGetBurnt."
-Send message. -[chimes]
She said we gonna light this Alley Khat on fire,
and I'm here for it!
I don't know who Khat thinks she is.
Message: "I love you both. Rainbow heart emoji."
"More chats like this will get us there."
"Dancing man, dancing girl, dancing man."
-Send. -[chimes]
I trust both of them 100% with my game.
[Courtney exhales]
I am so relieved that this chat went well.
I am so happy.
It's a popularity game, and being a snake doesn't get you popular.
[Michelle] But apparently, winning a quiz gets you a bomb-ass VIP party!
[tone]
"Cool Kids Party." Okay!
[blows raspberries]
That's us.
-Not those geeks. -No.
"You have been invited to the Cool Kids Party."
Well, I'm a cool kid.
I love to party, and I know that my team won.
And that was me, Trevor, Courtney, and John.
I always wanted to be one of the cool kids.
[tone]
"You can collect your party supplies now."
[upbeat party music plays]
What is it?
-[Jack] My Lord. -[Lee] My gosh.
Shut the front door.
This looks lit.
[gasps] Pizza!
Circle! USA!
Geek Chic Winner!
-Kids, it pays to be smart. -Smart. It sure does.
Work hard, play harder.
[party music continues]
Oo!
I loved it. Thank you, Circle.
-A bit rusty. Oh, hoo! -Come on, frat boys! Woo!
Chug! Chug! Chug!
Yeah, Lisa!
Ain't got no *NSYNC y'all gonna play? Where my lights?
Y'all not gonna turn my lights on?
[Michelle] Ask and you shall receive.
-["Pony" plays] -Whoa!
Hey!
Y'all better stop playing. Gonna play this song?
-Come on, Ginuwine! -This is like a strip song!
I know!
Hey! Hey! Hey!
["Pony" playing inside]
[Michelle] This is so fun. Too bad not everybody was invited.
["Pony" playing in distance]
How many calories is this? Does it not say?
I cannot believe we didn't get a party. Absolutely gutted.
If I was this close and this was to open its eyes, I would probably
shit myself.
That would be so scary.
♪ You're horny ♪
♪ Let's do it ♪
[Deleesa] ♪ Ride it ♪
♪ My pony ♪
Throw your Ariana ponytail from left to right to this!
♪ Let's do it ♪
♪ Ride it… ♪
-[Jack] Tell Lance I'm joining. -[Lisa] You'll fit in.
♪ My saddle's waiting… ♪
-I might have to be a stripper, yo. -I'm dying. I can't…
♪ Sittin' here flossing… ♪
[kettle whistles]
Chill out. Chill out.
["Pony" playing in distance]
We're having our own party right here.
♪ My saddle's waiting ♪
You're making me laugh. I can't! I can't do this!
["Pony" fades]
That's good. That was fun.
Fun-fun.
[Michelle] And it was even more fun-fun for us to watch.
You know what else is fun-fun for us to watch?
These party group chats. Mm-hm.
-Message: -[tone]
"Hey, team, excellent performance in the challenge."
"I knew I picked the right people. Smiley face emoji."
"How's everyone enjoying the party?" Send.
[chimes]
I'm saying John is a psychic, and he should know.
Circle, message: "Hey, John, are you up for a little psychic fun?"
"Everyone think of a number between one and ten, and John can guess."
I love that!
[laughs]
We can't do the number thing, because…
-Well, we can. -We can.
It's not like gonna make or break them thinking that we're not psychic.
Message:
"Not quite in my realm of abilities but I'm willing to give it a go."
"Maybe I can give everyone an energy read as well."
-"Who's up first?" Send. -[chimes]
We know a little about their energies already.
Hope John doesn't feel like I'm trying to suss him out.
That's the only thing. The psychic, girl, I'm here for it.
Now think of some numbers.
I'm thinking of seven.
If he says, "River is thinking of 7" I'm gonna say, "I'm a believer."
Okay, message…
River said, "I've got my number, John. Go!"
I may tell him he got it right if he didn't.
Circle, message: "River, I'm gonna guess three."
"As far as your energy goes, it seems great."
"I foresee a very bright spot in your future,
although I can't distinguish whether it's in The Circle."
-Send message. -[chimes]
-Message: "Oh, my God! -[tone]
Exclamation point. #TrueBeliever. It was three."
-"It was three!" Oh, my God! -Oh, my God! We did it.
"#TrueBeliever. It was three. I'm hanging on to the bright spot future."
"Glad you're in The Circle, John."
My actual number was seven, not three,
but I wanted to make him feel good and keep the party vibe alive,
and that's why I said it.
That's, like, scary.
My number will be seven.
And even if John is wrong, girl, I'mma say John is right. [snickers]
Message: "Courtney, my guess is six."
"You've had recent struggles in your real-life connections,
but I see someone new and valuable coming your way very soon." Send.
The energy reading was it,
because that one, "new and valuable," is River.
I'm saying. I'm just giving my own interpretation.
It's funny, 'cause John hasn't been here.
How does he know this stuff about people?
You know, like, are you really a psychic?
Your number was wrong, but I'll tell you that you were right.
-Circle, message: -[tone]
"Holy shit, John! You are right on the money."
"I love the number six, and you guessed that!"
-[chimes] -Oh, ho! [hollers]
I'm actually psychic!
-We've done it twice! -[Jack] We're psychic!
So is he lying too? Are we all lying? [laughs]
John, you might have to be my psychic from now on.
Give me some good stuff, though.
Don't call Trevor out, okay? [giggles]
Okay, we gotta get Trevor's. So what are we gonna say about his energy?
My number's four. That's my, like, my favorite number.
Message: "Trevor, I think you may have picked eight."
"I feel as though you may have a recent romantic interest,
but you're unsure if your connection is as authentic as you feel it is."
-Send. -That's great.
Oh, wow.
Uh…
It's just, like, crazy. Like, that's definitely Chloe.
Number's wrong, but
let's big John up and let's just say…
-Message: -[tone]
"You're on the money here."
"Wow, I didn't expect you to get my number eight
-or personal interests right." -[chimes]
[Jack] "Glad you're here. You fit in."
At least one has to be bullshitting us.
[Lisa] Right? I hope!
I think John is a 64-year-old man.
I believe him, and I think he's awesome. I like him.
I think all three of us are BSing him, honestly.
I think our energy reading was pretty good for the scenario.
Me too. And because we know them as best you can in here,
and so we were armed with that knowledge, so it made the energy reading--
-We weren't too specific. -No.
We were just specific enough, but not…
-Not a giveaway. -[Lisa] No.
[Michelle] So John the psychic is pretty psyched
with his performance at that reading.
And speaking of reading the room,
Khat wants to start a private chat with Chloe.
Hold on to your wigs, y'all.
It'd be a good idea to talk to Chloe
after that conversation with Courtney and River.
Just in case they did talk to her and say I brought her name up.
I wanna make sure she knows I play an honest game.
I wanna let her know basically, shortly, what I said,
and it's out of her best interest.
So, Circle, open a private chat with Chloe.
[chimes]
"Khat has invited you to a private chat."
[tense music plays]
Now the games have begun.
[rings, chimes]
-Message: -[tone]
"Hi, baby love. How's it going?"
"Question mark. I wanted to message you, because I feel lost and out of place."
-Send. -[chimes]
[Chloe] I mean, for one, don't call me "baby love."
And I'm fuming.
-Circle, message: -[tone]
[sarcastically] "Hi, baby girl."
"How's my number one doing?"
"Just in the kitchen cooking at the minute."
"You've just always got to remember to stay true to who you are."
"Love heart emoji. #YouveGotMeAsASister."
Send message.
[chimes]
She could be saying that just to butter me up.
The game plan is just trying to make sure
that I keep Chloe close and tight next to me,
just in case River and fucking Courtney try to fucking backstab me.
Message: "You're so right,
and I have to keep remembering this is a game."
"In my chat with Courtney and River, I threw some bait about you just to see
if they would bite, and still nothing."
-Send. -[chimes]
Nah, you didn't throw bait with Courtney and River at all.
Do not try and bullshit me with that.
-Circle, message: -[tone]
"If someone is being a snake,
it always bites them back."
-Send message. -[chimes]
I just know she's sitting there lying through her teeth.
I don't know if Chloe knows or not.
I think she could be being nice.
Message: "I think I'm getting consumed
on things that don't matter and missing the fun."
[chimes]
[sighs]
Circle, message:
"I genuinely was shocked when Emily never came to see me."
"She was obviously just a game player."
[Khat] "If you wanna talk my ear off, it's fine. I'm always here."
Like, I feel good, but if I could feel better…
I need to do this.
I know exactly how to close this shut. Exactly how.
[intense music plays]
[Chloe] "This game can break you down,
but I'm feeling better that I can finally put my trust in someone."
"Thanks again. Can't wait for our next chat."
"#WhatGoesAroundComesAround. #IveGotYourBack."
I am not standing for this bullshit that she's chucking at me right now.
I'm so glad this is happening. I feel better.
[music continues]
Courtney and River, ha ha.
She still thinks she's got my trust, and she hasn't.
[sighs deeply]
Boom.
[music swells]
[music ends]
[upbeat music playing]