Advice from your #CircleBro? Circle, send a fire emoji.
Shubham Goel and Joey Sasso made a name for themselves when they became best friends in the first season of Netflix's The Circle, with Joey ultimately nabbing top spot (and the coveted $100k prize that comes with it). Now, Shubham has re-entered the competition series—this time as a catfish—for another shot at the crown and is revealing what he's picked up from his BFF's game.
"What I really liked about the first time is that Joey was able to connect with different people on different fronts, so I tried to do that as well," the software engineer exclusively told E! News. "Joey was always able to stand by his truth and when he felt like he had to do something, he did it. So I tried to carry that with me."
And, of course, The Circle's bonds are for life—meaning that the two still hang out outside of the game.
"Joey's my brother—we were actually hanging out in New York a couple weeks ago. I have so much love for Joey," Shubham explained. "I feel like I've learned a lot just playing the game with Joey, with him by my side. You learn a lot just by being around someone. So I think there were a lot of like tangibles just being around Joey and my friendship with Joey outside The Circle that I brought into this time subconsciously and consciously."
But the notorious social media hater is playing a very different game this time around. So no one knows he's a fan favorite, Shooby is catfishing as Sasha, a 23-year-old tech blogger. But since everyone's playing as single, Shubham knew the flirting might cause a little hiccup in his game.
"I was nervous, as a girl, to flirt!" he said. "So maybe I tried to stay a little away, but I was always open to it. It was fun to watch the flirting!"
Watch Shubham take on the challenge on The Circle season five, now streaming on Netflix. New episodes premiere every Wednesday.