07x09 - Help! I'm Drowning

[bunniefuu]

[Buteau] Previously on The Circle...

Disruptors swapped profiles.

[Madelyn] Miss Goody Two-Shoes
is playing an OnlyFans model.

"#FutureThreesome."

[Buteau] Tierra crashed the Circle party.

"Tierra has joined the Wedding Party"?

[shouting] Who the hell is Tierra?!

Look at this Circle Chat! We are here.

[Buteau] Andy was blocked.

-And his picture's gone. Just like that.
-[Heather] It's Andy.

Just kidding. My name is Heather.

[Buteau] And just as things were settling,
a lie set off a chain reaction...

I made that up.

[Buteau] ...that threatened
to tear The Circle apart.

-"Andy..."
-"...did warn me..."

"...that someone in the group
was being #Disloyal."

I've been focusing on Kevin,

but maybe it's Darian!

This really could just be
Madelyn trying to stir the pot.

What a shady dude.

[Buteau] It caused arguments,
tension, and all the drama.

[all] "The disruptor has chosen
the second influencer."

-[Deb] "Kevin."
-[all] "Kevin"?!

[Kevin] Oh sh*t!

[Buteau] It also put
a target on Darian's back,

which K Fern gladly shot at.

And now the whole place is
on a knife's edge,

as one of the most intense
Circle rivalries we've ever seen,

once again, hits the Hangout.

Let's come to a decision.

We are not gonna be
the ones to budge here.

We'll sit here all night, pal.

[tense music playing]

[Buteau] When negotiations go on
between episodes,

you know it's a tough one.

Influencers Gianna and K Fern
still can't decide.

Tierra, Garret, Darian,
and Jadejha have all been in their sights,

but who's gonna pull the trigger?

Message, "I'm reaching out
with an olive branch. Period."

"Let's work together,

and I'll take all the heat
for this blocking." Send message.

[Nicky sighs]

If he does take the heat for it,
like, we're...

We just can't...
I just can't trust a liar's word right now

and damage our word completely.

We have the chance
to completely turn this game around today.

Message,

"Let's make an alliance right now,
and moving forward, you'll have my word

that you will be my number one ally
with Rachel." Send message.

Yes. Yes, yes, yes. Message,

"Let's form this alliance now
and dominate to the finish line together."

"#NewPowerDuo."

Send message.

I think he just said yes.

I think he just said yes.

I don't know what he said.

Message, "Out of curiosity,
who are your alliances?"

"Question mark." Send message.

I really just wanna tell her
we can get to that later.

Let's make a deal right now.

Message, "I've given you so much
at this point. Let's come to a decision."

Send message.

-I would love to hear his answer to this.
-Give him another chance.

Message, "I can't trust your word until
you prove it to me. #WereDoingThis."

Send message.

Gianna's just being a completely
stubborn individual right now.

I tossed out the line.

I keep on tossing it out,

and now I'm kinda trying to catch the fish
on the hook so I can reel it in.

Message, "Deal. Period."

"My alliances are Garret,
Tierra, Rachel, and Madelyn."

Send message. And there we go.

Rachel and Madelyn,
we share that ally with Kevin.

-[JoJo] Yeah.
-Message, "Okay, deal."

"Reminder," all caps,
"you're taking the fall,

and moving forward,
we're the new #PowerDuo."

"It's finally time we put our hostility
to the side and work together."

"Fair enough? Question mark."
Send message.

Yes, Gianna.

Message, "Fair enough. Period."

"Done deal."

Send message.

[Buteau] It's nearly time for bed,
but first, we're gonna find out

whose Circle dream is
about to turn into a nightmare.

[alarm blares]

-[all] "Alert!"
-[Antonio screams]

-[Madelyn] Oh my God!
-Oh man.

Oh my goodness.

[Antonio] "The influencers have made
their decision."

I hope I'm not part of that decision,
but we're gonna find out.

Circle, who did they choose?

I don't wanna know.
I need to know. I don't wanna know.

I hope to God
Kevin actually had my freaking back.

[Jadejha] Oh.

There go the palpitations.

[Darian sighs]

My nerves.

I have no idea how this is gonna go.

[Antonio] Gianna's typing! [groaning]

Give us the message!

Message, "After fighting tooth and nail,
a decision has been made."

"It wasn't an agreement." Send message.

Ah. What a Gianna way to phrase it too.

How does that even happen?
What do you mean it's not an agreement?

-That means Gianna compromised.
-Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.

Message, "The player
that has been blocked from The Circle is..."

[Darian] Oh my God...

Who is it?

She's typing, she's typing, she's typing.
Oh my...

[Nicky] Message...

[Jadejha hesitates]

This could be the end.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Darian screaming]

[screaming]

No!

[Darian grunting]

Kev, you f*cked me
with that one, dog. That's...

[grunting]

I know how it feels to be there.
It sucks. f*cking sucks.

[Antonio] Darian!

[muffled scream]

[crying]

Oh my God.
Why am I crying like a baby? [screaming]

♪ Darian is out and that's... ♪

Sorry, Mom.

[Madelyn] Lying has paid off after all.

Darian, I kinda feel bad,
but not that bad.

[TV whirs]

[Darian] Kev,
that's the ultimate betrayal.

Damn, that's the ultimate betrayal.

[exhales]

How can Jadejha and I continue
our alliance with you

after you just blocked 25% of it?

That puts a target on your back, Gianna.

I think, uh... Jadejha is gonna be
a little unhappy.

[Jadejha sighs]

My chest hurts.

Just know I'm coming for all y'all.

Obviously, a lot
of heat's gonna be thrown my way.

But you know what? That's happened before,
and I'm the comeback kid.

That's so messed up.

I took a risk,
and that's the risk I took. Damn.

[sighs]

I don't trust nobody
in this game right now. [laughing]

Down to seven.

[alarm blares]

-[all] "Alert!"
-[Madelyn] God!

Circle, you gotta stop doing that.
I'm gonna have a heart attack.

I can't take it no more.

Lord! Lord!

"Darian has been blocked from The Circle."
Damn, Darian.

[Darian] "Darian, before you leave,
you can meet one player face to face."

Obviously, you know,
Queen Jadejha for sure for sure.

That's the person I should've trusted.

Um, Gianna, I thought
we would've rocked out for a minute,

but I damn near wanna meet Kevin.

Kevin, you snaked the sh*t out of me, dog.

[tense music playing]

[JoJo] "Darian is on his way
to meet one of you now."

I want him to come see me,
but I would go after Kevin.

Oh my gosh,
if Darian walks through those doors...

Wait a minute. My place is a mess. Okay...

I'm hoping that he goes
to meet his Circle wife,

and then they kiss and have #CircleBabies.

[laughing] My heart is pounding right now.

[JoJo] Dear God. Dear God.

Jesus!

[both screaming, laughing]

-Is it the queen? Is it the queen?
-[Jadejha screaming]

Is it the queen?

Come here, come here. Come here.

[both laughing]

-[Jadejha] Nah, you're real.
-[Darian] What's up? Let me look at you.

Oh my goodness, the queen.

-Oh, wait a minute.
-[Jadejha screaming]

What's up? Talk to me. Let's sit down.

[both laughing]

[Darian] Is this real life?

[both laughing]

-I can't breathe.
-I've been dying to put my eyes on you.

-Oh Jesus. I'm shaking.
-I was expecting us to be in the end.

Wait, I got some very important questions
that I have to ask you.

-Okay. Talk to me.
-First of all, are you actually single?

I'm very much single.
I have a question for you. Are you single?

I mean, technically, I'm married now.

Oh, okay, well...
Okay, so... boom. So let's talk about it.

-So, you know... Where your ring at?
-Well, listen, okay?

-I wear a size five. All right?
-Okay. Okay. Noted.

Just... And I want six kids.

-Oh! Six.
-[Jadejha laughing]

So we... Okay.

Yeah, so that mean... So that means
you gonna win $100,000,

'cause I'll still root for you,
so we can support our family.

-That's all I'm hearing now.
-Okay, I can do that.

[Buteau] Before we see
our first live Circle conception,

let's go ahead
and check if K Fern still has a pulse.

Darian has decided
to pay somebody else a visit.

[Buteau] Yeah, you want him
to come see you after?

I'm relieved. I didn't feel
like explaining sh*t.

I don't think I could. I don't think
my brain is processing anything right now.

Man is going to see
his #CircleWife fo sho.

[Buteau] You know that's right, sis.
Actually, we better check in on them.

-I know, I feel like I disappointed you.
-I feel like this messed up my game.

And I... Yeah...

I was like, "I know Darian said
that I'm his number one priority."

You still my number one priority.

-I had you number one every single time!
-Even... I know. Oh!

What happened?

I don't know.
Like, Kevin was like my number one bro.

I don't know
what your relationship is with Kevin.

I don't have one.

-You may wanna kind of keep it that way.
-Mm.

Me being here
doesn't make sense if he's the influencer.

-How do you feel about Tierra?
-I don't like her.

[Darian] You're not rocking with her?
That was quick!

-Yeah, it's like...
-No, she's too messy for me.

She always wants the tea.
I'm not feeling it.

I even talked to Madelyn,

and she was like,
"I know Darian's your Circle boo,

but Andy/Heather
told me his name to look out for."

Andy messaged me and saying like,
"Man, I'm scared I'mma go home."

Like, "Bro,
the bros mean everything to me."

He was like,
"Sometimes I have self-doubts."

That's the last message he sent me
right before he got blocked.

So for him to, you know,
say that to Madelyn just sounds...

-I'm not buying it.
-Okay. This is so tough.

Well, I'm just glad
that Miss Jadejha is Miss Jadejha.

-Oh, absolutely, baby. This is...
-Who to trust? I mean, Gianna's your girl...

But I feel like if she was my girl,
she would've wanted to keep you around.

Exactly. But Gianna also warned me
about Kevin saying he's a backstabber.

She was very right
because you see where I'm at right now.

-Meeting you earlier than I anticipated.
-[sighs]

I was like,
"Dang, if he don't come see me..."

I was like, "Y'all want me
to meet my wife this quick?"

-I'm just saying...
-Okay, so we agree?

Did I find my real wife in The Circle?
I mean, what's going on, Circle?

-How do you feel about Houston?
-Oh, I love Houston.

So when I saw
that you were from Houston, I said...

Oh Jesus!

"You gonna mess around
and leave with a future husband."

-Stop, I'm blushing.
-Nah, I'm about to move to Houston.

-I have a... I have...
-Oh!

[both laughing]

[Darian] That's...

-I need something for my future kids.
-Okay.

-[Darian] Let's... Okay, let's see.
-[Jadejha] Okay. [exclaims]

-We gotta take two.
-Wanna take several...

So you can have one, and I can have one.

And I'mma put it up for good luck.

Yeah, I feel like I can be
your good-luck charm, so let's get it.

-That's going down in history books.
-This is...

-Put this in the Circle museum!
-Put this in a Circle museum, baby!

-The first Circle wedding!
-Put this in a Circle museum.

[romantic music playing]

[both screaming]

Oh, yo, we are...

-It's hot.
-Yeah, it is hot.

How'd it get hot in here?

[Buteau] Darian, remember you're blocked.

I don't wanna be rude,
but you gotta get the hell outta here.

-I don't wanna leave. I don't wanna leave.
-Take your picture.

-I'mma take my picture with me. Oh man...
-Aw, this is so...

-My hug. Bye-bye...
-Well, I'm just glad that I...

got to put my eyes
and my hands on my Circle wife.

Oh yeah, the hands,
the arms is real, Circle.

You know, it's been messing with me.
I'm just glad we're both real.

Yo, walk me out. Yo, walk me out.

You don't wanna see me leave.
I don't wanna leave neither but...

-I'll see you at the finale.
-See you when I see you.

[Jadejha] Ooh-wee!

[Darian] Alrighty.

[Jadejha] I'm gonna cry.

I feel like I still smell him.
Like, I smell him on me.

Goodness gracious, Lord.

[sniffing]

He smells so good.

That's good. That's great.

[chill music playing]

[Jadejha sighing]

["Word Up" by Cameo playing]

[Buteau] Word up, Atlanta.
Can we get some lights up?

[all] Good morning, Circle.

[Madelyn] I'm so tired.

No!

[Buteau chuckling] Okay.
It's not just tea you spill.

Nothing can happen
until the coffee's done.

[Buteau] Bet she definitely
has that on a t-shirt.

Last night was one for the books.

It definitely was the probably
craziest night by far.

I woke up feeling a little greedy.

Now that I got my man,
I gotta leave with 100K too.

I know that I'm gonna catch
a lot of heat for this decision

because in the eyes of everybody else,
Darian and I were "bros,"

so I'm gonna have to defend myself.

I'm gonna let the people fight today,
and I'm not picking a side.

I gotta save my reputation here.
Save my a*s.

My girls are all still here.

Madelyn, Tierra, Jadejha.

And Jadejha's man is gone.

Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm. [screams]

I need to keep this
around me at all times.

It is now my good-luck charm.

[TV dings]

[exhales deeply] Here we go.

Circle...

-...take Gianna to...
-...take me to...

[all] ...the newsfeed.

[TV whirs]

[Antonio, Deb] "Darian has left
a message for The Circle."

-[Jadejha] I wonder what he's gonna say.
-Darian's gotta be Darian, right?

I feel like Darian
definitely is gonna throw shade my way.

I'm already sweating. Oh my gosh.

[all] Circle, play Darian's message.

Give us some info, Darian.

So what's up, everybody?
It's me. Darian. The one and only.

-Oh sh**t!
-I was right! He's real!

Everything I said about me was true.
You know, I am a school teacher.

I just really wanted
to set a good example.

Show good energy, good vibes,
and, you know, be a role model.

Oh Jesus!

My heart! [exclaiming]

He seems so nice. [groaning]

-Dammit.
-Ah, what a good guy.

-I knew he was freaking genuine.
-Me too, bro. I know he was a good guy.

Overall, I have no regrets but one.

And that's just me truly being
extremely loyal to people

that may not have been as loyal to me.

[Antonio] Ooh!

I knew it.

I knew he was gonna throw in a little bit
of shade right there. I knew it.

[Darian] You may have to watch out
who you trust in The Circle.

It sucks sitting in this seat right now

when I'd love to be sitting at the finale,

but I'm a boy from Jackson, Mississippi
that made it to The Circle.

Aw!

Now I feel a little bad.

And I feel good about that. I feel good
about the connections that I made.

[exclaims] That's me.

Class dismissed.

That is such a beautiful man. I just...

I do.

Okay? Yes, I do.

[Kevin] Dang.

Dang, dang, dang.

This is bad for Kevin,

which is good 'cause finally,
people will stop looking at me.

He seems so cool.

Why do you have to move so sneaky, man?

In a perfect world, Darian
would be staying and Kevin would be gone.

I swear, even now,
if Kevin goes back on his sh*t...

-Yeah...
-...I'm letting that b*stard have it.

[Buteau] Okay, Circle.
You know what to do.

[TV dings]

"Circle Chat is now open."

[all] Circle, take us to the Circle Chat.

Okay. I need to address the elephant
in the room, but very, very, very lightly.

Let's talk about something fun
and light and spicy.

Message, "I hope everyone is okay."

"This is getting #Tough."

"Jadejha, he's real, and he's a cutie."

"Did it get steamy in your apartment
last night? Question mark."

It most definitely got steamy.

Oh, they definitely got to it,
if you know what we're saying.

[Buteau] Gianna, everybody knows
what you're saying.

You forgot your signature emoji, Madelyn.

Girl, we getting married.

And it was steamy. Very steamy. [giggling]

Now's the part
where I can clear Darian's name.

Message,

"Darian was everything
I expected him to be and more."

"Heart-eyes emoji."

"Since I don't know who his alliances are,
I'll say this here."

"Darian straight up told me
Kevin was his number one bro,

and he thought he was safe." Send message.

[Garret] I thought this too, Jadejha!

I cannot believe
between Gianna and Kevin being influencers

that Darian was the one that they decided.

Kevin was the first person to come to me.

I definitely think it was game.
I definitely think he was plotting.

It's also giving that Kevin may not be
who Kevin says he is.

I love this because, let's be honest,
it kind of puts the heat back on Kevin...

-Yeah. We're like...
-Not on us.

[exhales] I agreed with Gianna

that I would take responsibility

for this decision.

I'm going to hold up
my end of the bargain here.

Message,

"It was a very difficult decision

to block someone
I thought to be a friend."

"I found out from a source
he'd been trying to block and betray me."

"I was crushed."

"As tough as it is, this one's on me."

-Yes, Kevin.
-Thank you, Kevin.

Kevin, you made a bad alliance or...

Kevin, you've been lied to,
and you believe them.

Now, whether this is true or not,

somebody told you something.

Who is your source, Kevin?

[Jadejha] How is he trying
to block and betray you?

He's literally never had
the opportunity to block you, ever.

And every chance he got,
he defended your name.

If there was a source,
it would be Madelyn or Rachel.

The only person
who could've told him this was Madelyn.

I don't think
Madelyn was telling the truth.

Does Madelyn have that much power here

that she can convince Kevin
an ally of his was trying to block him?

Circle, message,

"Darian pledged his allegiance
to Kevin in front of all of us."

"Kevin, did you double-check
your sources? Question mark."

"#CiteYourSources."

Circle, send message.

Garret is coming in hot.

[Jadejha] Thank you, Garret!

Y'all lied,
and y'all got my man out on a lie.

Garret, shut up. Literally, shut up.

Clearly, clearly it was me
that had the information about Darian.

But also, like, I'm only going off
of what Heather/Andy told me.

Obviously, that is a lie,
but that's what I'm gonna tell everybody.

Nice try, Garret. He wants me to say,
"Oh yeah, so-and-so told me this."

But I'm not giving any names.
Inspector Garret on the case here.

I definitely wouldn't put it
past Kevin not to do it.

He doesn't like
answering straight-up questions.

[Garret] It's up to Kevin to answer now.

We all know it was Madelyn,
but I need him to say the name.

Message, "Yes, comma,
my source was trusted."

"I know this may be shocking,

but understand,
hearing about this was devastating."

Send message.

I really, genuinely,
wholeheartedly feel like

people are seeing through
Kevin's bullshit.

Everyone who thought they had
an alliance with Kevin is no longer here.

Do what you want with that information.

I still think
that Kevin has my back, and I love that

because it's clear
I was the source of this lie.

Message, "Periodt!"

In all caps. "Exclamation point."

"Can we all just #MoveForward?"

"#FinalSeven."

I feel like she's kind of looking out
for me here by saying,

"Let's move on from this."

Makes me wonder if she's the liar.

But for now,
I'm just gonna put that aside.

Kevin is a massive liar.

He was actually aligned
with the bros, Andy and Darian.

Now, it looks like,
Kevin, that target is on you.

I need to spill some tea.

Message, "I feel used.
I've been going off of information

from what now seems
like an untrustworthy source."

"#GameOn." [exhaling]

Anything else I toss in here

is absolutely gonna get attacked.

Who in here has made accusations

and said things that now
other people are saying, "You lied"?

Madelyn.

I'm not trusting you anymore.
I don't know. Something's not right.

Message, "Tierra, I'm so sorry."

"It's terrible to feel
like someone played you."

"There are people playing a dirty..."
in capital letters, "...game here."

"But there are trustworthy people here."

"If you know, you know."

-Is Rachel talking about me?
-That's real.

Can Rachel be
one of those trustworthy persons? Maybe.

Circle, message, "Can we stop beating
around the bush? Tree emoji."

-"Who's the source?"
-Obviously, it's me.

Garret is, like,
really one of the only people in here

that's trying to stir the pot.
Can we all acknowledge that?

Garret, your name could've been
on the chopping block, bro.

I think we know here,
but we're not gonna say we know,

'cause if we say we know,
we might know a little too much.

Y'all stop taking it so damn personally,
and trying to figure out who did what,

who did what.

Everybody's doing stuff behind the scenes
whether you guys wanna admit it or not.

Why is no one answering me?

I don't think that there's anything else
I need to add here.

Great. Circle, message,

"So the 'source'
was a figment of someone's imagination?"

"Sparkle emoji, brain emoji.
Question mark, dot, dot, dot. Cool."

"#ThatsSettled." Exactly.

Tierra literally just said

that she got this information
from an untrustworthy source,

but when she had
the opportunity to drop a name,

she didn't have a name to drop
because there wasn't one.

[Madelyn] I'm over it. I really am.

I feel like Garret's trying
to just get people mad at me.

Garret's kind of, like, annoying me.

I just love Garret,
'cause he's calling it like it is.

[Antonio] "The Circle Chat is now closed."

Tierra does not like being used,
and the fact that he got away with that,

I don't like that at all.

You came into this knowing
that this is a cutthroat game.

You know that decisions
like this have to be made.

-That went fantastic for Gianna and us.
-Bro...

Kevin kept his word.

There's no heat on Gianna.

The heat is actually
back on Madelyn somehow.

People are really grasping at straws now.

The information I got
was from Andy/Heather.

I've told this lie so many times,
I'm really starting to believe it myself.

And now it's time
that we just put it to bed.

It's over. It's done.

[Buteau] Madelyn may be
a master manipulator,

but she's forgetting rule number one
in The Circle, nothing's ever over.

And after Garret secretly but not secretly
came for her in the group chat,

she's decided to air
her dirty laundry in private.

We have the most animosity
towards each other right now.

We need to clean up that relationship.

Circle, take me
to a private chat with Garret.

[TV dings]

[Garret] "Madelyn has invited you
to a private chat."

Unless this is like some big apology,

she's on some sort of,
like, saving-face campaign.

I don't foresee this going very far.

Circle, take me
to the private chat with Madelyn.

Message,

"Garret, I wanted to address you privately

because doing it in the Circle Chat
is not the #Mature thing to do."

"#ILearnedThatTheHardWay."

"I'm not trying
to come out of this with an alliance."

"I mean, that would be great,
obviously, but at this point,

I'm just trying
to get people off my trail." [chuckles]

Message,

"So far, I've had trouble
believing your story

because you didn't answer
any of our questions."

[Madelyn] "I'm glad you're ready
to address it. #AllEars."

I'm glad he's ready to listen, but also,
like, I don't think that that's even true.

What questions did I not answer?

Message,

"I tried to find the best way
to share the info Heather/Andy told me."

"Sharing Darian's name
in the chat would've started a w*r."

"I thought sharing
the watered-down version was better."

[Garret] Watering it down didn't work.
You should've just answered the questions.

We all knew who you meant.
You weren't subtle.

"I felt cornered
when everyone wanted a name."

"I know I didn't handle this well,

but my intentions were to keep the peace
as much as possible,

and clearly that didn't work."

Ya think?

I see through all of this.
Madelyn is backtracking.

I think that
what's best for me in this moment

is to make Madelyn think I believe her.

That way, if she thinks I'm on her side,

she's gonna rate me a little higher.
She's gonna keep me here.

Message, "It was really big of you
to come to me to #ClearThisUp."

"So sorry that I made you feel cornered."
"#LetBygonesBeBygones."

Yay!

I feel like Madelyn's right here.
Palm of my hand.

I should've had more faith in Garret.

He's #ForTheGirlies.

Madelyn, let's talk.

Message, "Well, next time
we'll keep the tea between me and you."

"Winky-face emoji.
#SeeYouAtTheFinishLine."

Send message.

Yes, Garret. I love this.

"Cause I feel like
Garret probably gets a good amount of tea,

and he's gonna bring that tea to Mama.

[Garret] Madelyn is convinced
she's got me,

but, dramatic pause...

she doesn't.

[Buteau] Madelyn thinks
she's worked things out there.

Speaking of working out,

Gianna and Garret are getting down
with some Couch to 5K cardio.

And Jadejha is
just getting down on the couch.

You might laugh, but eating chips
when you're sad like that is effort.

Oof! Wouldn't want
to be that air right now.

Okay, it's clear
Garret's a dance floor king.

Dang.

This is nice.

[Buteau] It's also very clear K Fern
hasn't been in the weight room before.

But after that Circle Chat,
this might get a little sweaty.

Kevin, you gave me this big-a*s menu,

and when you brought the food,
all it was, was crumbs.

Like, where's the entrée?

I'm still hungry.

[Buteau] Good news for you, TT,

K Fern's kitchen is open,

and he'll be looking after you
personally tonight.

[Kevin] I gotta check in with Tierra
and make sure that we're still good.

She needs a little reminder
of who was one of the first people

to start an alliance
with her and who saved her.

Circle, invite Tierra to a private chat.

[TV dings]

"Kevin has invited you to a private chat."

Come groveling. Come crawling to Mama,
'cause you got some explaining to do.

Circle, message,

"Hey, Tierra. Period."

"I know things
got crazy this morning. Period."

"Just know I stayed loyal..."

"...and made you
my non-negotiable at blockings."

But that doesn't beat the bush
that I'm still pissed. [giggles]

You lied. You lied to me,
and you need to answer for that.

Message, "Thank you for that,

and I have been loyal
in my ratings for you."

"But you were not forthcoming

that Darian was
your #NumberOne or the bros alliance."

"I feel used. Period."

"Were the couples even your target?"

Wait, what? Dude, what?
Yes, the couples were my target.

I gave you some information
coming into The Circle.

Of course, that doesn't mean
I'm going to tell you every single secret.

Message,

"I'm sorry you feel used."

"It wasn't my intention. Period."

"The couples were going to carry
each other to the end."

[Antonio] "I wanted to give us more
of an opportunity to stay in the game."

Hmm. This is sort of
beating around the bush.

Message,

"I'm hoping you can really trust me."

"Who is the source,
and can we trust them?"

"#HonestyWithTT."

Oh my gosh.

That information of the source
is some of the most vital information

that any player can have
in this game right now.

Tierra was throwing
a lot of shade in the chat.

She is a pot stirrer.
She spills tea, I feel like.

Literally was her depiction
in the G.O.A.T. Gallery,

"TT the tea spiller."

[sighs]

Do not try to bullshit me.
You can't bullshit a bullshitter. [scoffs]

[Kevin] Message,

"Having your trust means the world,

and know you have mine."

"It was Madelyn."

"I hope my actions
have proven my loyalty to you."

"Praying hands emoji."

Send message.

It was Madelyn! [screaming, laughing]

[Kevin] The pro with name-dropping is

we get Tierra on our side 100%,

but I hope that didn't just screw me over.

Message, "Absolutely." [laughing]

"This is why I rock with you.
Thank you for your honesty, comma..."

"We are back to back. #100."

All right.

It looks like
Tierra and I are locked back in.

As TT would say,

that chat absolutely slayed.

[Buteau] Come through, TT third-degree.

Just call K Fern the Circle Informant,
'cause he named names, honey.

And we're about to push
the intrigue even more.

"#..."

[all] "...Circleama"?

"Circleama"?

Uh-oh. Is this
another thing I don't understand?

"#CircleAMA"?

-What does "AMA" mean? Ooh.
-"Ask me anything"?

Oh, this is gonna be good.

[Buteau] It's time for #CircleAMA.

This one's real simple but real fun.

Each player will get
the chance to anonymously ask

another player a question.

And because it's anonymous,
nothing is off the table.

When people get anonymous, they get bold.
And that's what I'm ready to see.

[Buteau] Me too, honey.

First up is K Fern's question for Jadejha.

Aw, sh*t. Give it to me.

Give it to me.

After I blocked Darian,
she probably wants nothing to do with me,

but I wanna see who Jadejha is close with

so we can kinda network our way

into good graces with Jadejha.

Message, "Who is your favorite player

in The Circle right now and why?"

"Question mark."

Send message.

Jadejha, keep it simple. Put my name down.

Ugh. Where's the shade? Where's the mess?

I don't have, like,
one singular favorite player.

Message, "Garret, Gianna,
Rachel, and even Madelyn."

"These players have shown me honesty,
loyalty, and vulnerability,

and I want to take them
with me to the end."

"#NothingToHideHere."

Send message.

Wow, so she's in with Madelyn.

That is so nice and good to hear.

We love you, Jadejha.
We frickin' love you.

I'm so glad what happened
with Darian didn't come between us.

-You know we tried saving him.
-We're still her number two.

You didn't answer the question fully
because they asked, "Who's your favorite,"

but I feel like this is
a great political answer.

I am gonna try to fight for all y'all,

but one of y'all gonna have to
get up out of here. [giggling]

Kevin has got to be feeling
really vulnerable right now.

Okay, some decent info moving forward.

[Buteau] Next up,
Gianna's question for Garret.

Literally, I feel like nobody actually
does know where Garret stands.

We don't know who he likes.

We don't know who he doesn't like,

and I feel like we have no reasoning
behind anything he says.

He just asks questions, and I feel like
he doesn't answer a lot of them.

-[Buteau] Well, he's about to answer one.
-Circle, I'm nervous.

On the heels of our last anonymous game,
I'm not feeling too good about this.

Message, "No one knows
where you stand in this game, Garret."

"Who do you like,
and who don't you like and why?"

Send message.

That's a broad question, babe.

Damn.
Whoever sent that did not come to play.

All right. Circle, message,

"Jadejha has made me feel safe
since the day I walked in here."

"Red heart emoji."

"And you won't catch me aligned
with someone who sends home their allies..."

"Dot, dot, dot. Kevin."

"Red X emoji."

"#OpenBook."

Circle, send message.
I have nothing to hide, babe.

Clearly, Jadejha's his number one.

[Jadejha] Oh yay!

That means I know now
that Garret's really my bestie

the way I thought he was.

[Deb] Interestingly, the Jadejha thing.

Ooh. I have to
tread carefully here, don't I?

Choosing me for who you don't like

is the easiest choice
for anybody to make here.

I'm public enemy number one.
Now I know where Garret stands.

[Kevin] Yeah, it did look like
a pretty easy choice.

So now I feel like Kevin's going to rate
both me and Garret low. [chuckles] sh*t!

[Buteau] Next,
Madelyn has a question for TT.

I'm ready. sh**t it at me.

I feel like Tierra's been
super spicy in Circle Chats in a way,

but it's almost like
she's only with the winning team.

I wanna make her look bad.

Message,

"Do you have one original thought,

or do you constantly go
with what the group says?"

"#ThinkForYourself."

Boom!

-That was cute or whatever. [scoffs]
-Wow.

That is so crazy.

What?

Tierra always comes in hot with questions.
She's not piggybacking off of anyone.

So it's not me going with the group.

It's me leading the group. Let's be real.

Message,

"Aw, that was cute,
but let me correct you."

"I never let others think for me."

"I'm direct, and moves made in this game
were because I decided to make them."

[Jadejha] "#DontTryMeTrySushi."

What? Who's sushi? What's sushi?

[Buteau] And now I want spicy tuna.

-Is that a saying?
-Every hashtag she has, it's like a...

-It's like a shot that she's the sh*t.
-Yeah.

This is also a quick check
letting you know who the f*ck I am.

And do not try me again.
Go try some sushi.

[Madelyn] Don't think
this answer's a good look for Tierra.

What happened to,

"Oh my God, I feel so used."

"Poor me."

Tierra answered like
I expected Tierra to answer.

A bunch of attitude.

Very problematic.

[Buteau] Next up, Garret's question
for catfish Rachel.

Rachel and I haven't had
the chance to connect in a while.

So I wanna know
where she's at in this game.

Come on...

Circle, message,

"In the Circle Chat,

you said some players
are playing a..." all caps, "...dirty game,

and some are trustworthy."

"Which players are doing what?
Question mark."

Circle, send message.

That's a good one.

I'm so sorry,
but what a waste of a question.

[scoffs] What, do you think
I'm afraid to answer that? Message,

"It's no secret. Gianna is trustworthy."

"Kevin, he did his alliance dirty."

"Any other questions?" Send message.

Everybody's dragging my name right now.

-I wasn't expecting that, bro.
-I thought Rachel and Kevin were cool.

Although this isn't
really new information, it is confirmation

that Rachel is still in a similar place
as where she was last time we connected.

[sighs] Kevin,
you just keep taking hits, my boy.

I definitely have to do damage control,

or I have to buy in even more with Gianna.

[Buteau] Hold that thought, K Fern,
'cause your question from Jadejha is next.

Kevin is the greatest threat
to my game right now

'cause he knows I have it out for him.

Because of that,
I need to get as many people

to vote Kevin low as humanly possible.

Message,

"Which one of your alliances
are next to go?"

Send message.

Damn.

Kevin clearly is in deep sh*t.

-You're standing in feces.
-It's getting gross, Kevin.

I have been getting ganged up on
all day yesterday, day before...

Kevin, if you don't give us something real
in this moment, if you get defensive,

you're done.

Message, "Let's be real,

this game constantly changes every day,

and difficult decisions must be made."

"When my alliances turn on me,

I have to protect myself."

"It's clear that I've been piled up on,

and when I found out I was being targeted,
I reacted the way anyone else would."

Send message.

Okay, I love this from Kevin.

Everybody has to realize

that Kevin also wasn't the only one
making that hard decision.

Kevin could have blamed this all on me,

but he didn't.

He stuck to having my back, and...

I love Kevin.

I wish I could give him a hug.

[Buteau] Now, it's TT's turn.
Can she get Rachel to say something juicy?

I wanna send my question to Rachel
because she's sitting real pretty,

and I wanna plant some seeds of doubt.

Another question for Rachel?

More people are asking me questions?
That's not fair, but okay.

Come at me, bro.

Message,

"Why do you think you should win
over someone real?"

"#Catfish."

Send message.

[Garret guffawing]

Oh... Really? Really?

You don't think I've already thought
someone's gonna throw that at me?

[Madelyn] This is the second time
someone has called Rachel a catfish.

Is there something
I'm missing about Rachel?

Why do people think she's a catfish?

Even if it comes out
that Rachel's a catfish,

she's still been nothing but loyal

and is gonna be our number one
until the finale, hopefully.

-Yeah.
-Rachel. How are you gonna respond, boo?

Message,

"I love it

when a fake person tries
to take the heat off themselves."

"And what you are seeing is
what you get in the real world..."

"Dot, dot, dot."

"Loyalty, truth-telling, no fear."

"That's the kind of person
who should win this game."

[shouting] Send message!

"No fear"? Hell yeah. Clap back, Rachel.

She didn't actually say,
"I'm not a catfish."

[Buteau] Yeah, 'cause that's
what a catfish would say, Jadejha.

"I love when a fake person tries
to take the heat off themselves."

Also, could be hitting at Kevin, so ooh!

Kudos, Rachel. Kudos.

But damn, did I not expect her
to throw a shot at Kevin, bro.

Me neither, bro.
I thought they were cordial.

-I thought they were allies.
-They're not cordial.

She said he was trustworthy.
And she trusts his judgment.

Bro, his true colors
could be coming out again.

Boom. Got you!

[Buteau] And finally,
it's Rachel's question for Kevin.

Another question for Kevin.

Part two, baby. Here we go.

He's been sus to me from the beginning,
and I need to figure it out.

What Kevin doesn't know
is I was a lifeguard.

Message,

"As a lifeguard,

what is the one sign of drowning

that most people miss?"

Circle, send message.

[whispers] Oh.

I knew, one day,

it was gonna come down to this.

[Buteau] So you did a ton
of lifeguard research, right?

Right?

Imagine he's never been
a lifeguard? [laughing]

Who the hell's supposed to know that?
I mean, a lifeguard is, but...

What he has to put in there

is that drowning doesn't look like this...

People in trouble flail about,

but someone who is drowning
often looks really calm.

I mean, I would assume
when you see someone going underwater

and a bunch of bubbles coming up.

Kevin, you're taking a long-a*s time
to answer a very simple question.

Come on, Kevin, if you know the answer,

it should not take you long
to type out the message.

I know that riptides
be sweeping people out and drowning them.

Okay, this is real messy.

I know drowning...

-sh*t, I don't know the answer to this.
-f*ck. I got got.

I got got here.
I'm just gonna say some BS.

I'm probably getting caught out,
but it's all good.

Message, "There are several signs
that someone is drowning."

"In my certification, we cover all signs."

[guffawing]

"Kevin... not... a lifeguard."

Kevin's a catfish. I already knew that.
Or he's just terrible at his job.

I'm a wine salesman, for crying out loud.

[Buteau] And they don't teach you
first-response lifeguard regulations?

We're gonna take the heat off
of Rachel as the catfish.

That might be all she wrote
for Kevin the lifeguard.

[Antonio] "Thanks, players."

"We hope you found
what you were looking for." Oh, I have.

I'm sure people did.

The main thing I learned from this game
is that everybody's after Kevin.

[Buteau] Didn't need a game for that.

Somebody's gonna
have to get blocked again,

and if it's Kevin,

like, that sucks,
but as long as it's not me.

If Kevin wasn't in trouble before,
he is now.

The lifeguard who can't save
his own life right now.

Damn. I should've just said
I was a waiter.

[calm music playing]

[Buteau] Night is drawing in
on The Circle,

and K Fern is channeling
that fake lifeguard.

[Kevin exhaling]

Hey, look at us.

Who would've thought
we'd make it this far?

-Not me.
-Not me either.

[Buteau] Don't go swimming
for at least 20 minutes, Gianna.

-K Fern, you carry on though, honey.
-[Kevin] 360...

Oh sh*t.

[Buteau] Okay. Time-out for Kev Kev.

Meanwhile, Jadejha is enjoying
a late dinner.

But her Circle bestie Gianna
is about to serve her some truth.

I think it just looks good
on our end as Gianna telling her,

"It was you or him, and I chose you
because you're my girl." Plain and simple.

[TV dings]

[Jadejha] "Gianna has invited you
to a private chat."

She better be like, "Thank you
for not holding a grudge towards me

for blocking your man."

All right, Circle, take me
to the private chat with Gianna.

Message,

"Hey, girl." "Girl" in all capitals.

"Just so you know, I was fighting so hard
to keep the marriage together."

"However, Kevin wouldn't budge..."

"...and it was between Darian, you,
and Rachel, so I had to pick my girls."

Yeah, I kind of figured that,
and I can't be mad at that.

Message,

"Gianna girl, hey!" [giggling]

"I must confess I was a little shocked
to see Darian go home,

but I have another confession."

"I didn't tell the whole truth
about meeting Darian last night."

"Things did get spicy. We kissed."

Yeah!

What did we say?
Darian was going out with a bang, baby.

[Nicky] I'm so happy
that you and Darian finally shared a kiss.

Yeah, bro. I feel like any girl
who's a real friend would be

through the roof right now
and happy for her friend. So...

Message, "OMG, yes!"

"I was waiting to hear that."

"I couldn't be happier for you."

"Please tell me
he was a good kisser." Send message.

It was! [laughing]

He was such a good kisser.

You did great.
I think you sounded like a girl there.

They want you to spill the tea here.
They're interested, intrigued.

-We're embracing the catfish right now.
-We are.

Message,

"But Kevin wasn't the only one
Darian told me to watch out for."

[JoJo] "He said in their bros chat
Rachel came up as being a catfish,

but I didn't wanna bring it up in front
of the whole group 'cause she's our girl."

Oh damn.

[Jadejha] Darian did think
Rachel was a catfish.

I just don't know if he actually talked
about it in his bros chat.

[Buteau] Um, no, he didn't, honey.

Is everyone just straight-up lying now,
'cause if so, I love it.

Speaking of catfish, we are catfish.

We are clearly catfish.

And maybe Rachel gets along with us
so well 'cause she's a catfish also.

That would honestly be hysterical

if it was two catfishes
with both ties to Staten Island.

[Buteau] Oh my God, can you imagine?

However, even if Rachel is a catfish,
on a serious note,

doesn't mean she's getting dropped
in our ratings,

because she's been
nothing but loyal to us,

and since day one
we've had each other's back

and that is not changing any time soon.

Message, "That's crazy."

"Head expl*si*n emoji."

"I personally don't think so,
but you never know."

"It speaks volumes of your character
that you would bring it up to me

and not put her on blast
in front of the group."

Everything I went through
has shaped me to be the person I am today.

So I gotta let y'all know
why I am the way I am.

So this is good,
because now I'm going to play

like I don't think
Rachel's a catfish, but I do.

I do think she is.

Message,

"I haven't let things in my life
like drugs, abuse, and violence

come between me
and the people I care about..."

"...so I'm not going to let
something I don't think to be true

come between me and my girls." Oh wow.

[JoJo] That's a deep message.

Yeah. Well, on a personal level,
we did lose, you know,

a few really close family members,
and a friend or two to drugs.

Message, "Wow. I had no idea."

"You are so strong..."

"...and it showed me
what's important in life

and to cherish the people you hold close.
#ThroughThickAndThin."

See, I knew there was
so much more to Gianna.

Come on, girl.
That's what I'm talking about.

You understand.

People's decisions affect
more than just them,

especially when you have
other people depending on you.

And I feel like
this game is a perfect test of that.

Message,

"Thank you for sharing that with me.
You're gonna make a great nurse one day."

[JoJo] "Now let's talk about
how we're gonna make it to the end."

"How are you feeling about Kevin?"

-We gotta be straight up, bruh.
-Tell her what?

-Not about the alliance, but we...
-That's what I was about to say.

[Buteau] Okay, then not straight up.

Honestly, I've caught him
in lie after lie,

and every day's a new red flag with him.

[Nicky] Message,
"Thanks, girl. Heart emoji."

"TBH, it seems like
everyone is agreeing he can't be trusted,

and I am also leaning that way."

[Jadejha] "Didn't Darian tell you
he was his number one?"

"Isn't that saying something?"

It is, because Darian knew
Kevin would save him.

And you know what that's saying?
What goes around comes around.

Okay, message,

"Darian wasn't even mad at you."

"He was upset at Kevin
because he knew Kevin would save him."

"In the end,
what goes around comes around."

"Just know, I'm taking you
with me to the end no matter what."

-Wow...
-Boom.

-More evidence.
-Yeah...

More evidence on this snake with the perm.

-Kid can't be trusted.
-[Nicky] He has to go.

[JoJo] How the hell is he still here?
He needs to go.

I don't give a sh*t that we forged
an alliance with him last night.

Message, "What goes around
definitely comes around,

and just so you know,

you're coming with me
to the finish line no matter what."

"P.S. I can't wait
to watch Darian sweep you off your feet."

[vocalizing] Girl, well,
you should've been here last night.

Ooh, yes. That was perfect.

[JoJo] And that just confirms
what we're saying. She's a sweetheart.

-She's just such a good person.
-She really is.

Gianna's top two allies
that are trustworthy

is literally Rachel and Jadejha.

-Everybody else has a question mark.
-Everyone.

[Buteau] It's all smooth sailing
between Gianna and Jadejha.

But fake lifeguard Kevin is
in choppy waters.

You know what he could use right now?
A real lifeguard.

Rachel.

She has had
a pretty decent spot on my ratings,

just because I got to know her
a little bit more.

I wanna get back
onto that page, if possible.

Circle, invite Rachel to a private chat.

-[TV dings]
-[Deb gasps]

"Kevin has invited you to a private chat."

Circle, take me
to the private chat with Kevin.

Message, "Hey, Rachel."

"These past few days
have been overwhelming."

"Our last chat, we were able
to connect over our families,

and I felt closer to you."

"But I'm feeling the heat
coming from you lately."

"#WhereDoWeStand?"

Boy...

Never hurts to have another person maybe...

working with you.

Especially one that nobody else likes.

Message,

"I also felt a connection to you, but TBH,

I've personally seen
that you don't keep your promises,

and I don't think you are
who you say you are."

Oh, that last part is for sure

about the whole lifeguard thing.

Message,

"It may seem like I don't keep promises,

but they're a two-way street,
and I've been let down as well."

"How can I help you
put your concerns to rest?"

Oh, Kevin!

The time has come,
I think, for me to call you out.

Message, "Kevin,

"I... dot, dot, dot, have... dot, dot, dot,

my... dot, dot, dot, lifeguard..."

"...certification."

"Do you?"

I knew it!

[Deb guffawing, inhaling]

Oh, to be a fly on the wall
in Kevin's apartment right now.

[Buteau] Yeah, that'd be amazing,
wouldn't it?

You so would just happen to have
a lifeguard certification.

What are the freaking odds?

Maybe she's just saying she has it,
and she's trying to catch me up right now.

Catch me in a lie.

[Deb] "To be honest, a lot of people
have been calling you a catfish,

and I've been having my doubts lately.

Is it time for both of us to be honest
with one another?" #JustBetweenUs."

Let's tell each other
our deepest, darkest secrets.

Kevin needs my help more than I need his.

So let's get something
out of him that's helpful to me first.

Message, "You want us to be honest?"

[Kevin] "I need you to confess first,

and then you can ask me a question."

Didn't quite catch the catfish yet.

[Buteau] You could've
if you were a better swimmer.

[Kevin] Message, "Deal."

"I actually work
in the wine and alcohol industry..."

"...but the rest of Kevin is real."

"I felt like a lifeguard
would be more respected

than some guy who sells booze."
And the crowd goes wild.

I'm right.

Another message. "Kevin."

"Now your turn.
Are you who you say you are?"

I pray...

she holds up her end of the bargain,

and truly tells me who she is.

I admit nothing.

I neither confirm nor deny.

That's the difference between us, Kevin.

This is a game.

Message,

"Kevin, I am Rachel."

"I am a nice Jewish girl from Pittsburgh

who works in higher ed,

and I worked as a lifeguard."

Dead-a*s? What?

"But I really appreciate your honesty."

"#SecretIsSafeWithMe. #WorkTogether."

Yes! That's exactly the hashtag
I needed in my life right now, Rachel.

Oh my gosh.

The question now is,

how does he respond
with the "work together"?

Message,

"Thanks so much for your honesty."

"So happy we can
#WorkTogether moving forward."

Send message.

Man, I was drowning for real,

and The Circle's true lifeguard

just saved me.

Damn, I'm good. Damn, I'm good.

Thank you, Lifeguard Rachel.

I owe you all the wine in the world.

So now that Kevin feels like
Rachel's thrown him a little lifeline,

I gotta figure out a way to keep him
in this game a little bit longer.

[Buteau] K Fern went catfishing
and ended up getting caught himself.

[chill music playing]

And as night descends,
some of the others are engaging

in slightly less dangerous
Circle pastimes.

Yay! I did!

That was so good.

[Jadejha] Darian! We are so cute.

And we have the most perfect smiles,
but he does have little chubby cheeks,

which means our kids
are gonna have the cutest little faces.

[alarm blares]

-[Kevin] Yo!
-[all] "Alert!"

"Alert!"

Bring it on. Let's go.

Oh, and there goes my heart. [humming]

"Players, tomorrow
you will rate each other."

Tomorrow might be
a make-or-break type of day.

I hope I did enough damage control today.

[Jojo, Jadejha] "The two highest-rated
players will become the influencers."

Love that. So now
the disruptor can't disrupt again.

I would absolutely love to be influencer,

but also right now
there's decisions that I was hoping

other people would have to make
that I wouldn't have to make.

We both know that the Perm is
at the top of our hit list.

You're getting clipped, pal. It's overdue.

I mean, how does a snake get a perm?

Does a snake make an appointment
with a hair stylist to get a perm?

-Does this snake do the perm itself?
-That is a good question.

Is he secretly a lifeguard
and a perm specialist?

"The influencers..."

"...will choose one player..."

"...to block from The Circle."

[Jadejha] Right now there's seven,
and by tomorrow there will be six.

And guess what, Kevin?
You won't be here for it.

Hopefully, Rachel can toss me a life vest

and pull me back up.

Rachel is gonna be an influencer.

I feel it.

It would suck
to get blocked this close to the end.

We're two for two on the hit list,

and whoever's the third one
might get hit again.

The last two players
that I've wanted gone have left,

without me even being an influencer.

I wanted Andy gone, and then he was gone.

Then I wanted Darian gone,
and he was blocked.

Who do I want to be my next victim?

Eeny, meeny, miny, moe,

which of you has to go?

[theme music playing]

[theme music ends]