Netflix’s The Circle is back with new twists, turns, emoji-filled chats and a bit of girl power.
Season 4 kicked off on Wednesday with four new episodes and a surprising twist: Spice Girls members Emma Bunton and Melanie “Mel B” Brown joined the reality competition under a catfish profile with a mission to fool most of the contestants and increase the prize fund from $100,000 to $150,000.
And just quien would they have to trick? Season 4 players included:
Frank, 28
A school social worker from Maryland playing as himself
Yuling, 25
A brand marketing consultant from San Francisco playing as herself
John, 24
A social media content creator from New Jersey catfishing as his mother, Carol
Alyssa, 27
An assistant to a sex coach who hails from New York and is playing as herself
Chris, 21
A Harlem Globetrotter and social media content creator from New York playing as herself
Bru, 25
A radio host living in West Hollywood, California playing as himself
Parker, 21
A student from Miami, Florida catfishing as her dad, Paul
Alyssa broke the ice in Episode 1 by asking what everyone’s memoirs would be called. The question stumped Crissa and Parker, who didn’t know que to memoir was. Parker’s response to her was a huge red flag, since she was playing as a 56-year-old marriage therapist who would probably know what that is.
It wasn’t surprising that Paul was voted last in the first rankings, while Frank and Carol became the Super Influencers. Before deciding who would be blocked, Frank and Carol also chose the newest player among two different profiles: a children’s author named Jared, or aspiring fashion designer Trey. Unbeknownst to them, they actually picked the profile that Emma and Mel B. would be using to catfish the others.
The Spice Catfishers officially entered The Circle in Episode 2 as Jared, a “big animal lover with a soft spot for cheese” who describes himself as “quirky and loyal” and hopes to “one day travel the world with the love of my life.” Seems legit, right?
Mel B. and Emma kept things wandering in the Circle chat, claiming that Jared wrote books on animals and pooping. No titles given, just vibes and emojis.
In a fan-favorite game, contestants decorated cakes to reveal more about their supposed identities. Paul’s feminine dog cake raised more suspicions about him being a catfish, as did Carol’s cake, which was too sloppy for a woman who supposedly loves to bake. Crissa’s basketball-themed cake was chosen as the winner.
Frank and Carol blocked Paul from the Circle, and in Episode 3, we learned that Parker went to see fellow catfisher John. With one player gone, two more entered the game:
Rachel, 29
A paranormal researcher from Houston, Texas playing as herself
Alex, 28
A commercial banker living in Scottsdale, Arizona and catfishing as Nathan, a 22-year-old frat bro fresh out of college
With several Spice Girls on hand, a ’90s dance party seemed appropriate. Cue everyone — including Emma and Mel B. — dancing and lip syncing to the group’s iconic hit, “Wannabe.” The players were also informed that there were Spice Girls catfishing among them, and that they needed to vote for the profile they thought Emma and Mel B. were behind. If the Spice Girls fooled enough players, that cash prize increased to $150,000.
In Episode 4, Emma and Mel B. continued their mission, even claiming that Jared’s sister was a Spice Girls fan to throw everyone off their scent. Then came the Spice Girls trivia game where they downplayed Jared’s familiarity with the group by missing a question about the name of the Spice Girls movie. (It’s SpiceWorld.)
Rachel, a Spice Girls super fan, raised suspicions after missing a question about which music video featured stop-motion animation of the group as fairies. Everyone, including Mel B. and Emma, expected her to answer correctly, and her failure cast doubt over her credibility as a Spice Girls fan. In a fun consolation prize, Rachel invited Jared to a private chat, not knowing she was forming an alliance with her childhood idols of her.
A final vote to determine which profile the Spice Girls were playing under saw Bru vote for Rachel, Alyssa vote for Jared, Carol vote for Nathan, Nathan vote for Rachel, Crissa vote for Carol and Frank vote for Jared. With two votes left, Mel B. and Emma needed to fool just one more person to successfully complete their mission.
Rachel was the next to cast her vote. Unfortunately, you’re going to have to wait to find out who she chose. Episodes 5-8 will be released next Wednesday, May 11; Episodes 9-12 will drop on Wednesday, May 18; and the season finale is set for Wednesday, May 25.
Do you think the Spice Girls will fool enough players to increase the cash prize? How do you feel about the season so far? Submit your grade below, and then sound off in the comments.
tvline.com
George is Digismak’s reported cum editor with 13 years of experience in Journalism