‘The Circle’ Exclusive: It’s Shubham Like You’ve Never Seen Him before in Season 5 First Look Clip

We all know that Netflix’s The Circle loves a good stunt — and Season 5 is certainly delivering some twists and turns. Y’all thought that a season full of contestants playing as singles was a stunt? Surprise — here comes Twist #2: Shubham!

That’s right — Season 1 runner-up Shubham is back and ready to chat his way to $100,000. And if you can’t wait until tomorrow to see his return, Decider has an EXCLUSIVE first look at fan-fave Shooby’s comeback. Check out the clip up top to see Shubham’s brand-new Season 5 intro.

Fans fell in love with Shubham during Season 1 because of his honest and earnest gameplay, but things are gonna be different this time around. The Circle was down to have Shooby play one more time under one condition: if he plays as a catfish. And not only a catfish; Shubham’s not gonna see his profile until he gets settled into his apartment. As Shubham says in his intro, “It’s like blackjack. Hopefully I get a strong hand.”

That’s not the only thing that’s changed for Shubham in his return to The Circle. He’s no longer as stridently against social media as he was before. He sees the cons — who doesn’t? — but he now sees some of the pros, like friends, community, and self-expression. Will this help him navigate his way through the Circle as a catfish? And how will Shubham handle having to play the game as someone else, especially when he prided himself on his honesty during Season 1? There are lots of variables at play here, and we’ll just have to watch Season 5 to find out.

Shubham returns to The Circle in the next batch of episodes. Episodes 4-8 of The Circle Season 5 premiere on Netflix on Wednesday, January 4.