03x04 - A Flirtatious Alliance

[bunniefuu]

["Enola Gay" playing]

[Buteau] It's another day in The Circle.[/i]
Let's get some lights on up in here.[/i]

Ooh, that's better.

-Good morning, Circle![/i]
-[Buteau] What's up, y'all?[/i]

I'm ready to start the day with you.

[kisses]

God, I love you so much.

♪ These games you play ♪[/i]

♪ They're going to end
in more than tears some day... ♪

[Buteau] After last night's party,[/i]

Ashley's not the only one waking up
in a great mood.

Things got... [chuckles]

...real rowdy in here.

Thanks for the invite, Jackson.

And then I got to chat with Isabella,
hottest girl in The Circle. [laughs]

It was an absolutely magical night.

Literally got to go

to the one of the best parties
I've ever been to in my life. [chuckles]

As a guy in this game,
I'm making groundwork with the ladies.

I think it's really important,

and I feel like...
I feel really good about it.

We got Michelle invited
to a friggin' party

that I know she wouldn't have
normally been invited to.

Yeah, who says


[Buteau] Literally nobody,

but I know three people
who didn't have a good time.

Not that you'd know that
'cause they're playing it so cool.

[Daniel] Message,
"Hey, guys! Just wanted to see

if y'all's night
was just as exciting as mine was."

"#NotInvitedToTheBall."

We weren't on the damn guest list,
and I'm angry, damn it!

Circle, message, "Wow!
I went to bed super early for no reason."

"Oh yeah, we weren't invited."
Message send.

Circle, message, "Guys, what do you think
was talked about at the party?"

"Question mark."

[chuckling] "#ImSoDamnNosy."

Message, "All I wish is
that there was a game of spin the bottle

because I would have d*ed

to see Mama Michelle locking lips
with anyone in that group."

"If the bottle landed on you,

is there anyone particular
you would want to kiss?"

Oh, no. [laughs hysterically]

[Buteau] That would've been quite a thing[/i]
to pull off in separate apartments.[/i]

Message, "Daniel,

the woman that I'd kiss

would definitely be Kai."

"That girl is hella beautiful."
Send message.

Wow! So he's attracted to Kai.

Circle, message, "If I had to give a kiss,

it would be to my two sweetest guys,
on the cheek, Calvin and Daniel."

[squeals] Oh my God! I can't!

Oh, I love her! I love her!
I love her. I love her. I love her.

I'll take that, you know?
She's not kissing no one on the lips.

She has too much to lose.

Circle, message, "Daniel,
who would you kiss? Question mark."

[scoffs] Me? Carpe diem.

Message, "Honestly,
I would be worried to kiss anyone..."

"...because I've never had my first kiss."

[scoffs]

I'm really, really surprised
he never had his first kiss,

but you know...

"If I was to lose my first-kiss virginity
to anyone in The Circle,

it would be Jackson."

[Daniel giggling]

'Cause that's how I feel.

Send it, Circle.

[giggling]

I knew it.
I know Daniel inside and out. I knew it.

I want to prove,
whether you are in the closet

or whether you are not,

that you do not have
to make a big statement

if you don't want to.

Straight people don't come out.

So why can't we just be us?

Circle, message,
"Daniel, I love you for your honesty."

"That's exactly what I'm about."

"You and Jackson would be cute!
Smiley face!"

[Buteau] Okay, listen up and grab a pen.[/i]
We're about to see Matthew, a gay man,[/i]

playing Ashley, a lesbian,
flirt with Nick, a straight guy.

[Matthew] Obviously, I wanna chat
to Daddy Nick because I love him.

We had two new players come in yesterday.

I really wanna make sure that he knows
my loyalty is him first and foremost.

Circle, launch private chat
with Daddy Nick.

Ooh.

Ashley has invited me to a private chat!

Well, alrighty, then!

Circle, take me
to the private chat with Ashley.

I wonder
what she's gonna come at this with.

Circle, message, "Couldn't be happier
to have you in the '90s party with me."

"That said,
how's my ride or die doing today?"

"#SexiestMuffinInTheCircle."

"Sexiest muffin in The Circle."

What are you talking about, Ashley?

I wasn't gonna flirt
coming into this game,

but he flirted with me.

So, Ashley, for this game,
you went from lesbian to bisexual.

[Buteau] Actually make that a gay man[/i]
pretending to be a lesbian[/i]

who's now pretending to be bisexual.
God, I love this place.

I think I want to give off
more friend vibes in this chat

so that I can use flirt vibes on Isabella.

Circle, message, "I was stoked
that you got an invite to that party."

"It's a shame we couldn't tear it up
together on the dance floor." Send.

I'm playing the field

just like I'm playing the field
with everybody in The Circle.

All right, sweet.

Circle, message,
"Totally feel you on that,

but we were tearing it up in spirit."

-"How do you feel about the new players?"
-Valid question, Ashley.

Does this mean we're gonna have
to touch on the Isabella topic?

I think it does.

[Buteau] By Isabella topic,[/i]
do you mean the catfish[/i] you met[/i]

in the Circle Chat
for the first time yesterday?

Circle, message,

"When I read Isabella's profile,
it seemed almost too perfect."

"Definitely need
to get to know her better." Send.

I like
the "it's almost too perfect" thing,

'cause that makes Ashley think
I'm not totally sold on Isabella yet,

so she won't feel bad.

Playing the field still.
Got both things going.

As Ashley, I think it's important
to flirt when necessary.

I don't wanna come off
as the jealous type.

So I think I'm not gonna say anything

in regard to,
"Is Isabella your normal type?"

More so, I think it's better

that we can bond
on the fact that she's beautiful.

So message, "100% I loved the vibes
Isabella was giving off from the start."

"Beautiful, fun and kind."

"As far as Jackson,
he seems super chill and authentic."

"As always, so good to talk to you."

"I'm about to do my stretches
and squat till I drop."

"Winky, winky"?

Hell yes.

I definitely feel like
Nick and I have a super-great connection.

That was a great chat.

[Buteau] Nick is a bro[/i]
who is yo-yo-yoing in more ways than one.[/i]

Meanwhile, Jackson, played by Rachel,

is doing a bit
of a back-and-forth of his own.

This is me trying to parallel park.

Oh no! Get me out of here!

[Buteau] And successful clone Michelle,[/i]
played by Ava and Chanel,[/i]

still needs to give off
the whole I'm-the-real-Michelle vibe.

So now,
they're about to have a chat with Kai.

Message, "Good morning, sugar.
How are you feeling?"

"Last night was so much fun." Send.

Aah!

She called me sugar.
That's such a southern thing.

Message, "Good morning, Mama Michelle.
I am on a natural high from last night."

"It genuinely was a blast.
How are you feeling about everything?"

-"Kissy face emoji!" This is good!
-Oh, Kai! She's warming up!

Message, "I'm really glad
that we're getting a chance to talk..."

[Chanel] "...because I wanted you to know
that you're like my mom away from home."

-[Ava] Oh my God!
-Ooh, this emoji.

-"#SouthernLoyalty." Oh my God. Yes!
-Aw.

[Ava] Message,
"It felt so good to have this party

after such a wild couple of days."

"How are you feeling
about the new players?"

"I kind of wish I was 30 years younger..."

"that Jackson is nice on the eyes.
Side eyes."

Oh... [smacks lips]

...okay. Mama Michelle got some taste

'cause he is soft on the eyes.

Message, "#EyeCandy is an understatement."

"Purple devil emoji."

"I'm definitely getting a good vibe
from the new players." And send.

Kai is young. She's fun,

and she potentially has
a little crush right now.

So let's make Kai feel comfortable enough
to say, "Oh, go for it."

-"Yeah, honey. Come on. He's cute."
-Okay, okay.

[Kai] "Go for it. Laughing crying emoji."

"It feels like yesterday
when I was your age."

"Have y'all had a chat yet?"

Mm.

Mama Michelle is trying to get some juice.

[Buteau] Calm down, Michelle.[/i]
You may be a smooth catfish,[/i]

but you're swimming dangerously close
to Kai's BS detector.

Michelle, Michelle, Michelle.

How do I want to play this?

She's asking have I had a chat with him.

Do I wanna admit
that I had a conversation?

Do I feel like that's information
that I want her to know?

Not necessarily. This is still a game.

[Chanel] Kai, "There's actually a few
I have my eye on,

but you know
us southern girls never kiss and tell."

"#Calvin. #Jackson. #TooHardToChoose."

This is so f*cking good.

I'm just gonna
keep a little bit to myself,

leave her wondering,
but yet love on her at the same time.

I mean, honestly, in real life,

I don't tell my mom
about every guy that I like anyway,

so I don't know
why I would start now in The Circle.

[trilling]

Circle, message, "Sugar,
it is definitely too hard to choose,

but that's what mamas are here for."

"Us southern girls don't kiss and tell,

but we definitely know
how to keep a secret."

"#SecretSafeWithMama."

Send.

We have indirectly,

through the whole relationship thing,
guy thing, have let her know

that if there is a secret,
if you have something to tell

that you feel you cannot tell
anyone else in The Circle,

you can tell Mama Michelle.

You know,
Mama Michelle was kind of pressing me

about the guys and who I'm talking to,

and even though I know that
Michelle and I have a great connection,

I still have to be extremely careful.

I gotta make sure that I stay focused

and keep my eyes on that 100K prize.

[Buteau] Well,[/i]
Michelle may be playing the game.[/i]

It looks like the other players
are just straight up playing.

This is actually Shaq sh**ting
from the free-throw line.

[Buteau] Shaq ain't nothing[/i]
but a poor man's Calvin,[/i]

a multi-millionaire poor man's Calvin.

Applaud me, Circle. Applaud me.

[Sophia] Nothing but 100s.

Okay, back at me. [snickers]

I got too crazy.

[Buteau] Okay, before one[/i]
of these athletes injures themselves,[/i]

let's have
an officially sanctioned Circle game.

Oh!

"Honest Review"?

What is this?

It's a game! It's a game! It's a game!

[Buteau] In today's game,[/i]
our players will embody the phrase[/i]

"Can I speak to your manager?"...[/i]

That sounds scary.

...by submitting anonymous reviews
about each other.

Oh no! We're gonna find out
what people think about me, huh?

[Buteau] They get to choose[/i]
which player they review[/i]

before rating them out of five stars.

If you don't like me, let me know.

"This will give you the opportunity
to be truly honest."

The claws are about to come out, honey.

I live for this drama, but I also don't.
I hate it, but I like it!

[Buteau]
First to submit their review is Isabella,[/i]

played by real-life sister, Sophia.

All right, Circle,
we're gonna go with Nick.

This review is gonna just be solely based
on him flirting in the chats.

I'm just gonna poke fun at that.

I know everybody is gonna know
what I'm talking about.

I'm gonna give you three stars
'cause I feel like two is a little harsh.

I think three is a happy medium.

I need to write this like I'm a man,

because, even though it is anonymous,

in case I'm the only girl
he's been flirting with,

I cannot have the attention
come back to me for this.

All right. "Bro, you always tryna act
like you've got mad game."

[laughing] Here we go.
Yes, we got a negative Nick review.

Damn!

Three stars? [chuckles]

"Bro, you always tryna act like
you've got mad game..."

"...yet the only way you can pull in here..."

"...is by using your dog
in your profile pic."

[laughs goofily]

"#AllBark..."

"...NoBite." [laughs]

[gasps]

[scoffs]

I mean,
I completely agree with this review.

The shade is real!

I heavily rely on my dog.

You're not wrong. [laughs]

[Buteau] Just like a restaurant on Yelp,[/i]
the player being reviewed[/i]

will be given a chance to reply.

Circle, message,

"I don't recall
ever acting like I have 'mad game'..."

"...but you, my friend,
are absolutely correct."

"I actually grabbed this photo
from a photo album called Wingman..."

"...which consisted entirely
of photos of me and my dog."

[chuckling] "#Guilty."

[Calvin] "#MansBestFriend."

[clicks tongue]
This is my guy, man. Come on.

How did I know he was that guy?

[Nick] If I had to guess,

maybe it was written by Isabella.

My flirting skills were not very good
in that chat.

Maybe she's calling me out on it,
in which case, I like it.

[Buteau] Next to send his review[/i]
into the world is Ashley.[/i]

My review is gonna be Calvin.

The way he's playing the game,
the way he's smooth-talking everyone,

and ring-lead the entire group
is too much of a thr*at for me.

And Ashley cannot shine through
with him being there.

Two stars, and my review,

"Calvin, you dominate
every conversation you're in."

[laughs]

Oh my God! Calvin!

-They gave him two stars!
-Two stars!

"Calvin, you dominate
every conversation you're in."

"In my experience..."

"...the smoother the talker..."

"...the faker the person."

-Wow!
-sh**t!

You're damn right! Shut up, man.

He gotta be smooth! Look at him!

He has no choice but to be smooth.

I didn't think that about him.
I just think that's just how he is.

The great thing about this message is

I'm not the only person
who sees that Calvin's a thr*at.

Possibly Michelle saying this.

In my experience, like... I don't know.

[sighs]

That sounds like someone
who's scared of me.

That's what that sounds like.

People realize
that everybody likes Calvin,

and that he probably is gonna have
the power to block people.

Hopefully, it'll throw people
onto the scent of his trail,

and hopefully,
it'll throw Calvin off on his game.

[Calvin] Circle, message,

"First things first. LOL. And I quote..."

"Who hurt you?" [chuckling]

[chuckling] "Crying laughing emoji."
Right!

"...because it seems like
you are very salty and intimidated by me."

"Everyone in The Circle, except from you,
know that I'm a 100% genuine..."

"...and that's what it is."
You better tell him, Calvin!

My guy. I knew it, dude.

That's a good way to respond.

-Okay.
-Okay, he's mad.

If it wasn't anonymous,
they wouldn't say that to me.

You know, I...
I'm definitely intimidated by you.

There's a good reason to be.
You're a good player.

However,

it's time you gotta go.

If people want to play like that,

if that's what you wanna do, fair enough,

'cause I can play that game.

No problem.

[Buteau] Next up[/i]
to submit her secret review is Kai.[/i]

Circle, I want to do an honest review
for Daniel.

My goal with this review
is definitely gonna be

to take the attention off of me
and divert it to someone

who I feel like hasn't been putting
their all into the game.

People who play it safe
end up riding under the radar,

and then out of nowhere,
come out the woodworks,

and then, bam! They shock us all.

Two stars.

"Daniel makes me severely suspicious!"

[gasps]

"Daniel makes me severely suspicious!"

"His actions are below average,
and he is flying under the radar."

"He made no outstanding opinions."

"I think Orange Michelle went to see him."
Oh, that's somebody that left! [gasps]

That's good! That's good!

Somebody thinks
that Orange Michelle went to go see him,

which means they don't think

that Orange Michelle came
to see Blue Michelle.

"I believe this charming act is a front
to go unnoticed."

"Then when things hit the fan,
he's going to shock us."

"I am deeply disappointed
with his performance! Exclamation mark!"

What the f*ck?!

-Oh my God!
-Oh my God!

And they wrote it bold,
and they underlined!

Someone in this group
is saltier than I am!

There are some two-faced Tammies
in this Circle!

I had to do it! It's for my game plan.

Sorry. My brain is trying to wrap...

I know it's not Jackson,
and I know it's not Isabella.

So it's someone that I need
to worry about or think about?

I'm being completely honest.
I mean, sometimes the truth hurts.

Kai might be a bad enough bitch
to say something, but I have no idea.

And sh*t, like Nick,
I thought we were f*cking close.

So I think it might be Michelle.

Message, "I... Dash, dash, dash.
This was loud!"

"This sh*t sent me."

"To the people I talk to,
I feel like they know me and who I am."

"I'm sorry my performance
is deeply disappointing." [laughing]

"I'll go to the rehearsal room
and practice some more."

"But deadass, if you really got questions
for me, ring my line."

"My schedule's pretty open."

"Laughing crying emoji."
That's right, Daniel.

You let them know
that that doesn't break you!

I'm getting emotional,
because you're open in The Circle and...

[growls]

You're open
and trying to do this for your family.

I am being myself,

and I'm saving my conniving bitch
for the side. [sniffles]

It's like, "Damn!
You're not gonna knock me down."

You think this is the worst
I've heard in my life?

Hell no, you have no f*cking idea
what's coming next to you.

[Buteau] You hear that,[/i]
anonymous reviewer?[/i]

Daniel is coming for you.

Next up is Jackson, played by Rachel,

and it looks like Calvin's
in the f*ring line again.

He mentions multiple career paths
in his profile,

which causes it
to be misleading or fabricated.

Aw, looky, looky. [snickers]

Calvin. OMG. He can't catch a break!

"Calvin's profile
just isn't convincing enough."

"His profile mentions
many different career paths..."

"...which causes it to become busy
and possibly misleading."

Mm-hmm.

"On the other hand,
he comes off very genuine and sincere..."

"...in his chats..."

"...which may cause other players
to be confused or conflicted..."

"...about who he really is."

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

That's right. That is right.

I just wanna hide behind my book.

Oh gosh!
They're just gunning for Calvin today.

Great for me. Sucks for you. Great for me.

What's wrong
with many different career paths?

Like, this guy does wanna be a firefighter
and a soccer player,

but he's also a private chef.
That's just a lot for me.

Whoever wrote this,

they're definitely trying
to keep that tension off them

and focus it on me, which is fine.

I'm used to being
the center of attention anyway.

[Kai] This is not good for me

because he's my only one
super solid alliance that I have,

and people doubting him

could potentially lead
to him getting blocked,

and I can't have him getting blocked.

Message, "LOL. Wow!"

"This target on my back gets bigger
and bigger when you're anonymous."

"I can't help
God has blessed me with certain skills,

and I can't help being ambitious."

"It seems to me
that someone is coming for my career path

when I'm simply trying to find myself."

"#PositiveVibesOnly."

Clearly there's more than one person
gunning for you in The Circle.

They can read through your suave bullshit
just like I can.

I think
there's a lot of eyes on Calvin right now

and possibly a lot of doubt,

which isn't bad for me
if I'm being honest.

I think he is a great guy,
but he's a thr*at,

and I'm happy that other people
are seeing him as a thr*at.

[Buteau] Last up[/i]
is Nick's anonymous take on Kai.[/i]

Kai has already been an influencer.

Obviously, people like her.

There's a lot
of good energy going towards Kai,

but I really feel insecure
about her thoughts on me.

So I gotta plant a little seed of doubt.

Two out of five stars.

I'm hoping
this will make some people doubt her,

and so she won't get rated highly.

"What do you call someone
who's always on the fence..."

"What do you call someone
who is always on the fence..."

"...plays the field,
and never commits to one friendship?"

"Kai. #FakeFriend"?

Oh sh*t!

Oh! [laughs]

I thought everybody
was, like, 100% Team Kai.

That means
there is some cracks in the system.

I really don't want to think
that she's a #FakeFriend,

but my guard is up a little bit now.

Aw.

Somebody's hurt

because Kai
is not showing them enough love.

I would like to put,
"On the fence? Question mark."

"Plays the field? Question mark."

"Commits to one friendship?!
Question mark, exclamation point."

"As a southern belle, I didn't know
I couldn't have more than one friend."

"Whoever wrote this,

please feel free to know
there is enough of me to go around."

"#LetsBeFriends. #PositiveVibes."

It's a great response.

See, I don't mind getting the bad reviews,
but I don't like it

when someone close to me gets bad reviews.
I don't like this.

I don't know
what they're basing that off of.

I didn't get that vibe from her at all.

Who would say this?

[laughs]

She's gonna think it's one of the girls.

Maybe it was Isabella
that wrote this review.

I don't think
that she would think it was me.

Being the new female player
coming into the game,

she probably wanted to sort of put doubt
into the minds of the alliances

that she probably thought that I had.

I know for a fact it's not Daniel,
and I know for a fact it's not Nick,

'cause those aren't the type
to do that type of stuff.

[snickers] I wonder
who people think wrote this.

Are people thinking it was me?

"The Circle hopes
these reviews have been useful."

Very useful, Circle. Trust me.

Dang. That was crazy.

Well, it definitely shook things up.

[laughs]

That is for sure.

[Buteau] It certainly did, Daddy Nick.[/i]

And after doing a lot of the shaking up,
Ashley is stretching out.

[Matthew] Oh my God!

Never gets easier!

[Buteau] Calvin received[/i]
a lot of salt in that last game.[/i]

So now he's decided to pay it forward.

Look at that. A little Salt Bae, yeah?

[Buteau] Just when you thought it was safe[/i]
to go back into Isabella's apartment...[/i]

He's so cute.

[Buteau] Anyway, let's go check on Daniel.[/i]

After taking a lot of shade in the game,

he's looking to brighten his mood up
with a private chat.

"Daniel has invited you
to a private chat."

Super random.

I'm curious to know
what this could be about.

Circle, please take me
to the private chat.

Message, "Hey, lovely."

"Felt like you were the only one
I could talk to this about." Um...

"Just feeling really homesick
and down today."

"Just read some letters from my family."

"I know you are a mom as well

and thought that you could relate
to how I'm feeling."

[clicks tongue] Aw, I definitely do,

and I'm so glad he was so comfortable
to talk to me about this.

Message, "Aw, Daniel. I'm so glad
you reached out to me about this."

"To be honest,

this was the first time
I ever traveled alone

and been this far apart from my daughter."

"It's lonely at times, for sure,
but we have each other,

and ultimately, our family
is the reason why we're doing this."

"Hugging emoji. #I'mYourBigSister."

Send.

I feel like
Ruksana responded so well, so amazing.

I didn't know me and her
could have like this type of connection,

or if she would even like me.

Message, um,

"You have no idea how happy it makes me

to know I can lean on you

whenever I'm feeling down."

"I just wanted to say
from the bottom of my heart..."

"...thank you."

"Especially after the review
written about me,

I felt like I was letting my family down."

"I know
what they said about me was not true,

but it hurt to see someone paint me
in that kind of light."

I mean, they did go for him hard
on those ratings though.

They basically tried to chew
and spit him out.

My 20-year-old self
would've probably had a hard time,

but not my 35-year-old self. [scoffs]

Message, "Daniel..."

[Daniel] "...your family loves you for you
and knows you the best."

"You don't need approval
from anyone else. Red heart. #BeYou."

See? Like she knew exactly what to say.

Message, "I needed this chat so much."

"I can't wait until we've learned
even more about each other

on this crazy-ass journey."

[Ruksana] "#SiblingsUnite."

I hope I helped him a little bit,

and I feel good knowing

that he's comfortable enough
to reach out to me.

I think we've connected
on a personal level

where we've got each other's backs,
and we've shared personal things.

So that was great.

[Buteau] Evening in The Circle,[/i]

and the players are passing the time
in some dangerous ways.

Extreme sports...

So I need to come at it at a harder angle.

...intense mirror posing...

[grunting]

[in manly voice] My name is Jackson!
I'm here to win!

...and the most perilous of them all,

arts and crafts.

-[beads rattling]
-[chuckles softly]

[Buteau] But The Circle has its own way[/i]

of keeping these guys on the edge
even more.

Want a clue?
It's loud, scary, makes people shout...

-[loud chiming]
-[alarm blares]

"Alert!"

No!

Oh!

Circle! What you got for me today?

"Players, you must now rate each other."

Yes! Bring it, Circle. I'm ready.

Oh God!

This is where it gets real nitty gritty.

"As new players,
Isabella and Jackson can rate..."

"...but cannot be rated!"

I don't even know where to start.

Oh, I wasn't ready.
I wasn't ready for this!

"The top two players
will become influencers."

Oh f*ck!

I'm gonna vomit. Oh my gosh.

I literally am going to,
like, actually vomit.

I would love to be an influencer.
Would love it.

It is blood in the water,
and the sharks are coming.

I don't know. I got...
I got hair everywhere. I can't. I just...

[sighs deeply]

-Circle, please...
-...take me to my ratings.

[tense music playing]

My first rating goes to Kai.

Lovely southern belle,
always have my back.

As long as I'm in The Circle, she is,
we'll just keep vibing off each other.

There's definitely a spark there,
and I wanna keep it going.

In first position, I wanna put Nick.

We have an alliance. We are ride or dies.

Circle, let's put Ashley
in first position.

I don't think
there is a chance in the world

that Ashley would block me.

We have too strong
of an alliance right now.

I would like to put Ruksana
in first place.

Over the past two days,
her and I have connected.

She said, "You know,
as long as I'm in here,

like, I'm going to protect you."

I'm praying
she becomes an influencer tonight

so that she can hopefully save my ass.

I'd like to rate Nick in first place.

I don't know
if he's flirting with everybody,

but he also is flirting with me.

All I've gotten so far in The Circle
is just good energy

and really positive vibes from Nick.

I think he's been true to himself
this entire time.

So, Circle,
please put Nick as my number two spot.

-Third...
-Third...

[Ava] I think we should do Kai

just because
we finally got a grips on talking to her.

I think it went really, really well.
'Cause if...

If Kai really is that loyal, good person.

But we broke through with her.

-[Chanel] Yeah.
-[Ava] So let's put her in third.

Circle, I'm choosing Michelle
for fourth place.

Fifth is going to go to Michelle.

I'm putting Calvin in sixth place

because, for me,
Calvin is hard to make alliances with.

In the group chat, he just comes off
as Mr. Positive Vibes only,

the ringleader who likes everyone,
and that, to me, just seems disgenuine.

And honestly,
I want real, authentic connections,

not just someone
who's gonna bullshit everyone he meets.

In bottom place, I am selecting Michelle.

She's the one that I know the least

or feel the least connected to,
unfortunately.

[Ruksana] Sadly, we still don't know
if she is the real Michelle or not.

I'm putting Daniel
in my last place position

because, in the beginning,
Daniel genuinely seemed

like a really light-hearted,
fun, outgoing type of player.

And so as the game progressed,

I just feel as though
that he's not meeting my expectations.

In last place,

little Ashley because,
doing my little profile snoop of her,

I saw her LGBT+ heart,

and I really just wanted
to immediately be myself around her,

and I can't do that.

So in the future, I could slip up,
and I can't afford to do that

because she could rat me out
if she wanted to.

Circle, ready to submit my ratings.

[exhales deeply]

"Ratings complete."

And now we wait.

[Buteau] With the ratings over for now,[/i]

Michelle is reflecting,
asking herself some serious questions.

Who do you think is gonna be first?

-Right?
-What?

Who do you think is gonna rate...

I'm just looking
at what I look like with blonde hair.

-[Buteau] Laser-focused as ever.[/i]
-[sighs][/i]

[Buteau] Meanwhile,[/i]
Ashley is concentrating[/i]

on making inroads with a certain newbie.

I think it's time
to message my girl Isabella.

She chose me yesterday for the '90s party,

and she's someone
that Ashley, in real life,

would want to be friends with if not date.
[chuckles]

A blue whale's tongue alone
can weigh the same as an elephant?

What?

Of course, Ashley came out as lesbian
from, uh, the beginning,

but after the events of Daddy Nick,
she's bisexual.

[gasps]

I just put Ashley
at the very bottom of my rankings,

and now she wants to chat!

Oh.

[Matthew] Circle, message,

"Capital OMG."

"Finally getting to talk
to you one-on-one."

"Any special person sharing the bottom
of the whiskey barrel with you?"

"Beer emoji." Send.

Well, as far as Isabella goes,

she's a single, straight lady.

Circle, message, "Ashley, hi."

"Not quite."

"I got out of a rough relationship
not super long ago,

and I've spent the last couple of months
working on me,

but I might be ready
to get back in the game soon."

"Heart emoji." Send.

Circle, message, "I'm sorry to hear that,

but it's clear
that you're incredibly self-aware,

which plays a big part
into why your energy is infectious,

dash, even through a screen."

"Truly in my little bisexual heart,
I'm so grateful that you're here." Send.

Hmm, should I mention
my little sister being gay?

Okay, I am Isabella,
and Isabella does have a gay sister.

Circle, message, "My little sister,

as well as so many
of my closest friends and family..."

"...are part of this beautiful community.
Heart emoji."

I feel like we're bonding here.

And this isn't even Ashley's story.
This is completely my story.

Circle, message,

"I commend you for your active voice
and being there for us."

"I grew up in a very religious family."

"My father nearly poured holy water on me,
and grabbed his Bible,

and started reading it out loud
when I came out."

"How was your family
when your sister came out?" Send.

[Sophia] Like what? "Poured holy water"?

Oh my God!

It's still something that kind of haunts
my relationship with my dad unfortunately.

I love him, but there's always a time
where I wanted to talk to him

like he can talk
to my brother about girls.

Like, "I think he's handsome, Dad." Or...

Or, like, have my dad say,

"Hey, if this guy fucks with you,
I'll f*ck him up."

Just like natural things
that you'd want to hear from your parent,

You know,
I probably won't ever hear, you know?

That's so f*cking sad.

[groans]

Okay.

Message, "I am so, so sorry
to hear about your experience."

"That is absolutely terrifying."

"It blows my mind
that so many families have this response."

Such a sweetheart... [inhales shakily]

...such an absolute doll.

"My family was absolutely wonderful
when my sister told us."

"I think some of us already knew,
by the way she never talked about boys

and constantly idolized
every close girlfriend she had. LOL."

It's so weird literally talking
about myself... [exhales]

...without being myself,

but it feels good to kind of be me
in a weird way for a moment.

Circle, message,

"Hope and pray we can continue having
our kiki-therapy sesh,

crying laughing face,

and grow this friendship,
and become true #CircleSisters."

"#IGotYou."

Send.

[Sophia] That's very sweet!
Circle, message,

"Thank you so much
for reaching out to me."

"Please know my chats are always open
for kiki-therapy sesh."

"In the wise words of RuPaul,
'If you can't love yourself,

how in the hell
you gonna love somebody else?'"

"#CircleSisterSupport." Send.

[shouting] Oh! I love she quoted RuPaul!

Oh! [laughs]

[Buteau] With the negative reviews[/i]
on his mind,[/i]

Calvin could also use some self-love.

But what's the point of that

when he could have a chat
with his Circle cheerleader Kai?

Circle, message,

"Hey, sunshine. Just checking in on you."

"Can't believe you got a negative review.
As we both know, you got a heart of gold."

"Praying hand emoji."

[squeals]
I love when he calls me sunshine.

"I'd rather
the person give me your negative review

as I could deal with the criticism."

Calvin, who's to say I can't deal with it?

You don't have to protect me,
but I like that he's trying to protect me.

Um...

Message,

"Hey, you!"

"Clearly, I must be doing something right
if a man like you is checking in on me."

"Rosy cheeks emoji."

"But honestly, I'm good."

"Let's be real,

what are your thoughts
about The Circle players?"

"Investigator emoji."

"#WhoDoYouTrust."

Yeah, man. So the vibe is there.
I'm liking where this is going.

Don't get me wrong.
We like to have a flirt and all that,

but we need to get down to business.
We need to talk.

Message, "That's a great question."

"I'm really vibing with Nick, Daniel,
Ruksana, and obviously you."

"Exclamation point. Heart eye emoji."

"To keep it 100,
Ashley hasn't opened up to me at all."

"And I believe Michelle gave me
the bad review about dominating chats."

"Side lip emoji."

Okay.

This is the trust
that I put myself out there, you know,

to see what she thinks about all this.

Message, "When it comes to Michelle,

I do have a weak spot
for her nurturing characteristics."

"However, I'm beginning to feel
there are some other layers to her as well

that aren't quite sitting right with me."
Send.

She's... Ah! See? She's on... She's on to her.

She's on to her.

We'll see what the future holds. Message,

"Kai,
you definitely are a ray of sunshine,

and I'll definitely holler at you later."

"Kiss emoji."

Aw!

Thank you, Calvin! Talk to you later!

Jackson,
I flirted with definitely for the game.

Calvin, I flirted with

because I'm somewhat very attracted
to him,

and I think that he is very genuine.

[Buteau] Oh, hey,[/i]
I have a genuine question.[/i]

What do Ashley
and The Circle both have in common?

They love to shake things up.[/i]

-[loud chiming]
-[alarm blares]

"Alert!"[/i]

Whoo!

It's about to get real!

The time has come!

"The ratings results are in."

Let's work. Let's go.

[groans]

I gotta put my big girl panties on
for this one.

Come on. I'm ready.

Seventh place.

I'm so glad

I am not a part of this right now.
[laughs]

[Buteau] As newbies, Jackson and Isabella[/i]
got a free pass this time. Enjoy it, guys.[/i]

Cringing.
I'm not even gonna be on this list.

A bitch can pray. A bitch can pray.

If I'm at the bottom again,
I'm seriously walking out.

All right, good vibes.

Good vibes.

Please don't be you, Daniel.

Seventh place goes to...

-Oh my God!
-Oh my God!

[groans]

Oh! Thank goodness!

I'm shocked
that everyone else feels that way,

especially when they were calling her
"Mama Michelle."

I can... I can...
I can fool with that. That's okay.

I think people are starting
to get suspicious of Michelle.

Like they feel like she's just not needed,

that she's just not gonna make

or break

their play.

[Calvin] Who's tied for fifth?

I better not be tied for fifth now.
Come on, man. I can't be that bad.

God, my heart is b*ating so fast,
like out of my chest.

I don't really want to be tied for fifth.

What if I'm in fifth place?

Don't show my face.

Don't show my face.

Are you sh1tting me?

How the hell am I fifth?

Oh!

Ashley and Calvin!

Whoo!

That's bullshit!

Did not think I'd score that low.

Damn! Calvin got just massacred this time.

How did Calvin drop so low?

They're like my top dogs.

But I'm not at fifth.

It's only looking up from here. [chuckles]

It's only looking up from here.

I'm totally fine with fourth.
I can get jiggy with fourth.

I mean, I'm humble,
but fourth doesn't suit me.

I'm ready for this.

[exhales]

That's me! Fourth. I will take fourth.

I'm top three!

I'm moving up in the world.

All right!

[Kai] Okay, so me, Nick and Ruksana.

That's what it's come down to.
It's come down to me, Nick and Ruksana.

Whoever's third is going to let me know
who the two influencers are.

Circle, you're playing with my heart.

[laughs]

If I'm third,

I'm okay with that. I'm good with that.

Three looks good on me.

This is everything.
This is everything. This is everything.

All right. You know what?
I'll take it. Third place.

Whoo!

-[laughing] Yes!
-[squealing] Oh my God!

Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! [laughs]

[screaming, laughing hysterically]

Oh my God!

[humming]

I'm an influencer?

I can't.

I can't.

[shouting] Yes!

My girl Ruksana is in the influencer spot!

Yes! Yes! Yes!

These blue checks are giving me life.

[sighs deeply]

Kai, let's go, girl!

I... [giggles]

I swear! Oh.

[Buteau] Now that we have our influencers,[/i]

you know what The Circle's
about to make 'em do.

-[loud chiming]
-[alarm blares]

-"Alert!"
-[Kai] Another alert.

Yes! Give me those alerts! I'm excited!

"Circle influencers..."

"...Ruksana and Kai must decide
which player to block."

[squeals]

She seems very genuine. She's real.

Yes!

You know, she don't give a damn.
She keeps it moving, just like me.

I feel good about this.

We do have some sort of a relationship
with Ruksana and Kai.

So let's just go on that
and hope for the best.

Think fondly of me. [laughs]

If they want to get tactical,
the leader of the Wolf Pack is vulnerable.

I think they both view me
as like a younger brother

and don't wanna get rid of me.

We shall see.

We shall see.

"Ruksana and Kai must go to the Hangout..."

"...to make their decision."

I am super pumped.
I'm so ready to do this.

Okay, you ain't gotta tell me twice.

I think everyone's like shittin' it,
you know?

[Buteau] Well, I may not have put it[/i]
quite like that,[/i]

but yeah,
that's pretty much on the money, Calvin.

Not so for our influencers, though,

as they're on the top floor
and loving life.

Yes.

Oh, this is amazing. So fancy.

Fit for a queen!

[gasps, whispering] Likin' the book.

Oh my gosh.

And drinks!

Yes!

[Buteau] Stationery and refreshments.[/i]

Wow, you really made it, guys.

"Influencer."

Influencer!

I am ready to go.

We just have to continue to be 100% honest

and just lay it all out on the table.

I think we're both very fair women,

and I think we'll do what we gotta do
to block who we feel is best.

Girl power. We gonna do the damn thing.

Oh my gosh. I'm so excited.

It's time to get down to business.

Message, "Hey, girl."

"I couldn't have asked to make a decision
with anyone better than you."

"#LetsDoThis."

And send.

Message, "Can I say
I've been waiting for this moment?"

"Smiley face emoji."

"So glad to be here with you.
Heart emoji."

Send.

Right now, I'm staying focused,

but super excited
to hear who she's close to.

Message, "Let's start with Calvin."

"I feel that he has been genuine
from the beginning."

"What are your thoughts?" Send.

Message, "I do feel like he's genuine."

"I think the way he talks
can be taken as fake,

but I think that's his way of talking."

[inhales deeply]

Okay. Well, that's good to know,
coming from Ruksana.

That's good information
to definitely take back with me. Message...

"So do you think we can agree
that we should keep him?"

Message, "For now, let's keep him."

Okay, great. I agree.

Message,
"Okay, let's now talk about Ashley."

"I feel like she's very sweet,

but I do feel
like we don't know anything about her..."

"...and she hasn't really shared much."

Understood, where she's coming from.

I think
I kind of hit it on the nail with Ashley.

I don't know if that's enough for Kai.

Message, "I have not had an opportunity
to dig deep with her,

but she comes across as very caring."

"I definitely think she is safe as well."

And send.

It's so crazy. I definitely feel like
I should be a psychic after this,

because this is exactly
how I felt Kai would be. [scoffs]

So far, Ruksana and I are on the same page

as far as how
we're perceiving the other players.

I wonder who she's gonna pick next.

Message, "Now let's talk about Daniel."

"I feel like Daniel
is like a little brother in The Circle."

"Though I enjoy his banter,

I would like
to get to know him a little bit better."

"What are your thoughts on Daniel?"

I wanted to make sure

that I didn't say anything
that would make her feel as though

that I could have possibly been
behind the review today on Daniel.

Message, "He is definitely
the little brother in The Circle."

"He reached out to me today

because he was going through some feelings
regarding his review."

"I think his age at times
makes him a little immature."

Message send.

I feel like
there's a little bit of an alliance there,

if not a full-blown alliance,
so I have to tread very carefully.

Message, "I definitely understand

that this might be
a difficult age for him."

"But I need a little bit more from him

in order to really, really have

that loyalty for Daniel."

And send.

Message, "Shall we discuss Michelle?"

I cannot wait to see
what she's gonna say about Michelle.

With Michelle, literally today,
the conversation that she had with me,

I thought that, in this chat,

it was gonna be more
about building our connection together.

But instead she just really wanted to know
who I was talking to.

So it made me feel a little strange
about her.

Message, "I have a strong connection
with Michelle due to our southern roots."

"However, I felt like there could possibly
be some red flags that I am missing

based on one of our conversations..."

"...and the fact that she's been rated low.
Maybe there's something

that other players are seeing
that I am missing."

Message, "I actually never felt
a connection with her."

"The funny thing is

things have been different
since the clone situation happened."

"Do we really even know
if she is the real Michelle?"

[chuckling]

Wow.

When you're having a conversation,
and something stands out to you like that,

that's usually something
you should pay very close attention to.

Message, "What are your thoughts on Nick?"

"I honestly didn't feel
any connection with him."

"I felt like he's a typical bachelor.
I do feel like he should open up more."

"Feel like all we know about him
is him and his dog at the baseball game."

"LOL." Send.

[laughs]

Facts. [laughs]

Totally agree 100% with Ruksana.

Nick is a little lower on the rating

probably compared to everybody else
for me.

Message,
"I definitely hear you on this one."

"I feel like
Nick has been extremely distant,

and I feel like the only connection
he has been interested in making

is for the female players
that he might be attracted to."

"#TheBachelorMentality."

Ooh, this girl's good!
That's exactly how I felt too.

[Kai] The honest truth is

I feel like Nick is trying,
but it very well could be strategy.

He's out here to just go on dates.

This ain't it, buddy.

[Buteau] While our two influencers decide[/i]
on someone's Circle fate,[/i]

the others are acting like I do

when there's a minute left to go
on the microwave.

Like, what the f*ck is taking so long?

This is the second time
this happened with Michelle.

How much longer could she stay
at the bottom and get saved?

Like, there's only so much.

Well, there's nothing I can do about it
at this point.

My fate is in their hands.

[Buteau] Yes, it is. Let's see[/i]
if they finished toying with it, shall we?[/i]

Message,

"I think it's safe to say
that we've made a decision."

I agree.

Message, "Yep."

She got that spice
that I knew she had from the beginning.

Too-too, Ruksana.

[Buteau] The influencers[/i]
have made their decision,[/i]

-but this isn't any normal blocking.
-[loud chiming][/i]

-[alarm blares]
-"Alert"!

Whoo!

What an alert this will be.

"Influencers, you have decided
which player to block."

Yes, we have.

"This player must be blocked
face to face"?

"Face to face"?

What?

Oh my God!

Message, "I genuinely want you
to enjoy your first-place rating

because you deserve it."

"Don't worry about it, girl.
I'll go handle it. #WishMeLuck."

[Ruksana] Ooh-wee!

I am so relieved!

-[loud chiming]
-[alarm blares]

"Alert!"

-Oh sh*t! This is it!
-Oh God.

It's time.

"Players, a decision has been made."

Oh God! Is it a good decision though?

Heart is pounding out of my butthole.

[gasps]

They have to do it in person?

Oh no, Circle! No, Circle! No, no!

Hopefully,
we're not gonna get a knock on the door

'cause it's like,
"You're the sisters again."

Deadbolt all the doors.

If they want some popcorn,
there's popcorn there. There's some Oreos.

I don't want someone to come
because it means it's over.

Oh my God! Please don't walk to my door.

Hi! [chuckles]

[theme music playing]