For the first time, the entire cast is assembled together. Rehearsals begin and the artists endure their second presentation to Guy. Can the triple trapeze shape up to Guy's expectations?

First Aired: October 13, 2002 (Global) February 3, 2003 (Bravo)

January 7th, 2002; 107 days to the premiere. Several new artists join the existing cast. The new artists can afford to join the show late since they are already established performers. Director Dominic Champagne introduces the newcomers at a cast meeting; the Georgian Dancers, a team of Icarian Games specialists, hand- balancer/contortionist Olga Pikhienko, and Adrian Berinde, the show's singer.

We flash to the previous night; Adrian Berinde arrives in Montreal and is picked up at the airport by Cirque talent scout Michel Laprise. Adrian is already a bit apprehensive, concerned that his position is still being advertised on the Cirque website. Michel reassures him it is there erroneously. The next day Adrian is introduced to Varekai composer Violaine Corradi and proceeds to rehearse the demanding vocal score with a team of voice coaches. As he sings the song which accompanies the show's Acrobatic Pas de Deux his voice is very harsh, wild and tense. It is obvious he has had no formal vocal training. He also complains that the score forces him to sing in a range that is too high for his voice, forcing him to strain. The coach explains the composer's reasoning, "She doesn't want you to be in a comfortable range, we can feel it when you strain. If we modulate we'll lose that urgency." Obviously, Adrian must work hard to adapt his singing style to meet the requirements of the Cirque. He must also cope with adapting to a new culture and new surroundings. In his native Romania, Adrian is a well-established artist. In Montreal he is just another performer in residence. It will take time for him to adjust.

Olga Pikhienko comes to Varekai directly from Quidam. She has been cast as the female lead. Olga began her career at the age of six in her native Russia, her father Sasha has been her coach ever since. He now works with her to refine and adapt her Hand-balancing on Canes act for Varekai. Olga is already well-known and highly regarded in circus circles, head coach Boris Verkhovsky comments, "I don't think there are any women equilibrists anywhere in the market that can compete with her." However, with reputation comes pressure; the creators' and coaches' expectations for Olga are very high. She attends a one-on- one characterization and improvisation workshop with Director Dominic Champagne. Olga's challenge is to develop a character that can convey emotion in the show. She writhes inside a cocoon-like body sock and is coaxed by the director to improvise movement, "This is a skin that you don't like so you'd like to get out of it but you're not able to, it's a conflict between you and your skin. So, in the story, suddenly there will be a liberation when you will be able to be yourself in another state," the director explains. Olga works with choreographer Michael Montanaro to create movement for the show's interstitial sequences. Her remarkable flexibility is astounding to watch as she bends her body into various figures.

Carrying the double load of training to perform a solo number and act as a main character weighs heavily on Olga. Her days are long and draining. Her fatigue is betrayed during a choreography session where she seems spaced-out and inattentive. The choreographer explains a procedure but she stares off, he notices and brings her back to Earth. "Hello!? Do you want to take a break? If you're too tired we should just take it easy." Her performance worries the creators to the point where a meeting is held between a Cirque administrator and head coach, Boris Verkhovsky. Olga is constantly complaining that she is too tired. The staff thinks that her daily habits may be the cause of her fatigue; massive coffee consumption and a taste for chocolate snacks which cause her to go from major highs to major lows. Boris is unforgiving, "She cannot have [that] problem, it's not an option. She's in the show from beginning to the end, she's a principal character so that problem cannot exist and she knows that to start with. I don't think there's any un-clarity in the assignment." The coaching staff will tell Olga that she must change her attitude and her habits. This segment really gives a strong sense of the sacrifices Cirque artists are required to make for their careers. As someone who absolutely relies on caffeine to function every morning, I can really empathize with Olga's struggle.

Meanwhile, the expanded Icarian Games team rehearses together for the first time, Gareth and Ashley watch as the new team, the Santos-Leal brothers; identical twins Pedro and Ramon along with their older brother Javier, execute brilliant and complicated maneuvers. Gareth and Ashley have improved greatly at Icarian Games but are nowhere near the level that the Spanish "Rampin Bros." are at. They must hurry to catch up since there is a pending progress evaluation performance for Guy Laliberté. The two teams exchange ideas and there is a lot of good will on both sides. In a private moment Gareth and Ashley admit that they are very humbled by the Rampin Bros. "You learn from the best, lets put it that way, and these guys are the best," Gareth admits. Ashley is a little more apprehensive about sharing the act with a team that is much more advanced, "Because they've been doing it like 15, 16 years and compared to our five piddly months, they're the Dons!"

After an exhausting day of trying to keep up with the Rampin Bros. Ashley goes home to his girlfriend Sarah. They've settled in their home life. We watch as Ashley is tricked into preparing dinner as Sarah goes off to rent a movie which Ashley is sure he will dislike. In a private moment with Sarah she confesses that she is sometimes envious of Ashley since she too is from a gymnastics/performing arts background. She is happy for Ashley but almost resentful that he is at Cirque and she is not.

The world premiere of Varekai is fast approaching, we visit the ticket distributor's office on the first day of sales and watch as a room full of operators is swamped with calls. The show is already beginning to sell out performances. There is no turning back for the performers and the creative team. The immediate hurdle they face is Guy Laliberté's progress review. "It's like a professional, really well-performed rehearsal," Choreographer Michael Montanaro explains. Being the President of the company, Guy can make or break any act in the show. Stella and Raquel's multiple-trapeze number was a casualty of the previous progress review and they have only now begun to catch up with their new Triple Trapeze act. Understandably, all the performers are very nervous. Olga shares her anxiety, "I feel very stressed. I don't know why, like I've been doing this for seven years, but I just feel like this is the premiere."

Guy arrives in the studio and the artists stage their numbers on Varekai's elaborate set. We watch as Guy views Oleg's Acrobatic Pas de Deux, Olga's Hand-balancing on Canes, the Atherton twins' Aerial Straps, the Georgian Dance and Stella and Raquel's new Triple Trapeze. During the Icarian Games presentation the Rampin Bros.' spectacular performance is juxtaposed with Ashley and Gareth's fumbles. Their coach looks down disappointedly and Guy Laliberté sits back with an exasperated scowl on his face. The episode ends with a bleak, exterior, night-time shot of the Cirque du Soleil in the snow. The narration informs, "Guy's verdict is delivered to the coaches. It's gonna be a long winter."