‘Lil Boo Thang’ Singer Paul Russell’s Sister Is Catfishing as Him on ‘The Circle’: What to Know

The first four episodes of The Circle season 6 are now on Netflix, and the cast has offered a little bit of everything so far.

On the show where you can literally be anybody, eight of the 11 cast members are playing as themselves — or a version of themselves. Another is playing as his female friend, and a third is an AI bot posing as a human.

Then there’s Caress Alon, who entered the game catfishing as her brother, Paul Russell. Yes, that’s the same Paul Russell known for the viral sensation “Lil Boo Thang.”

Four episodes in, no one has been blocked from The Circle just yet. Here’s what to know about Caress, Paul and their relationship:

Who Is Paul Russell?

Russell, 26, is a rapper known for “Lil Boo Thang,” a song that went viral on TikTok last year. After previewing the track, he signed with Arista Records to release “Lil Boo Thang” as a single on August 18, 2023. It quickly amassed more than 10 million views on TikTok and peaked at No. 14 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Russell released another single called “Say Cheese” in January and is currently on tour opening for Meghan Trainor.

Who Is Paul Russell’s Sister, Caress Alon?

Alon, 37, is Russell’s older sister. She is a motivational speaker from Dallas, and according to her website, is also a voice actor, writer, creative director and show host. She describes herself as “a multi-talented professional with a passion for empowering and inspiring audiences through the art of communication.”

What Is Paul and Caress’ Relationship Like Today?

We don’t know much about their relationship, as neither shares much about their personal lives on their social channels. Caress did, however, post a couple family photos on Christmas Day 2023, which included Paul and his wife, Meghan.

In the season premiere, Caress went through photos of her brother to build out her profile and exclaimed, “Bro, I miss you!”

Has Anyone Ever Posed as a Celebrity Before?

This isn’t the first time a player on the Netflix series has posed as a more famous acquaintance. In season 2, Lance Bass’s assistant Lisa Delcampo played the game as the ‘NSync singer until “Bass” was eliminated from the game in the third episode. Delcampo later re-entered, catfishing with another player as “John,” a 64-year-old psychic.

How Is ‘Paul’ Doing on ‘The Circle?’

His start could have been better. Players rated Paul dead last (seventh) in the initial rankings, but luckily for him, that did not result in an automatic blocking, or elimination. Instead, the top two players in the rankings (the influencers) were able to select two additional players to join the game.

It didn’t get much better. The players are tasked with figuring out which player is an AI, with the player voted least likely tasked with blocking the player they believe is the AI bot. Myles was voted as the most human, with Paul clearly in the running as the suspected AI.