Shubham’s ‘Circle’ Return Tested by “Traumatizing” Catfish Profile

ALERT! An OG has re-entered The Circle! The latest batch of episodes from The Circle Season 5 includes the return of fan favorite Season 1 runner-up Shubham. Yup, Shooby’s literally back in the building! But if you think the surprises end there, you would be wrong. You know The Circle likes to really shake things up, so would they really let Shubham return and play another season as himself? Absolutely not. The most honest player from Season 1 is back in action, and this time he’s a catfish. But who is Shubham catfishing as? SPOILERS ahead for those of y’all who came to this article before watching any of this week’s new episodes.

As we learn in his intro video, Shubham seems to have known the score from the minute he re-applied to The Circle. He could play again, but he’d have to play as a catfish. Even that catch has a catch, because Shubham also wouldn’t know anything about his profile until he settled into his Circle apartment. That means Shubham wouldn’t have the chance to do any research or prep any materials, unlike previous catfish (even if sometimes all the research in the world can’t prepare you for a basic golf question). So, who is Shubham playing?

In Season 5 of The Circle, Shubham is catfishing as Sasha, a 23-year-old blogger who is — like everyone else this season — single.

Shubham’s reaction? A resounding, “Nooooooo!” Shubham explains, saying, “This photo is traumatizing to me, to be honest.” He reasons that the girls are going to hate Sasha and the guys are going to flirt with her. That’s going to pose a problem because Shubham’s flirt game isn’t strong, and his flirt game with men is non-existent.

Shubham’s solution: make Sasha a tech blogger and try to merge as much of his personality to this fake persona as possible. Create, as he so eloquently puts it, a “ShuSasha” who has so many layers that she’s a “Sasha Onion.” Here’s the profile that Shubham comes up with for Sasha:

“Hiiii! Love working as a Tech Blogger but lately I want to do something different. My family and my Indian culture is my life. Single but content!! You can catch me sipping an espresso martini, wiping out on the ski slopes, or writing children’s stories.”

You gotta love how Shubham put “single but content!!,” as if those two exclamation points are a barrier protecting “Sasha” from any flirting. The rest of the profile offers lots of layers, like Shubham wanted. This is a smart move on Shubham’s part, because catfish usually get caught because they keep their profiles vague and their chats vaguer. And while Shubham has to play a woman, something that has tripped up guys in the past, at least he’s playing a woman close to his own age. There won’t be a repeat of the Brian/Brittany storyline that just ended last week.

However, Shubham isn’t the only newbie joining the cast. Alongside “Sasha” comes “Tamira,” a profile played by catfish Tasia. And because The Circle is all about the drama, Shubham and Tasia immediately have to compete to see who can win over the most players to their side. Whichever team — #TeamSasha or #TeamTamira — has fewer members will be at risk of being blocked. Cue dramatic music sting!

How will Shubham fare in this popularity contest? And will his naturally affable persona come through — or even make sense — with “Sasha’s” profile? Shubham says he’s not going to suck up to anyone and is still going to play as honestly as possible. How long will he be able to hold out? You’ll have to keep watching The Circle Season 5, which drops new episodes on Wednesdays on Netflix.