Original subtitles

[tense music builds slowly]

She's hypothermic. She's hypothermic. I got to pull Sparkles.

-[music intensifies] -[door creaks open]

We have to pull Sparkles. Sparkles, out.

Come out right now.

[repeating] Out.

I can tell you're hypothermic. We got to get out.

Lift. I need you to get your butt up here.

-How are your muscles. Are you seizing? -[Sparkles] Uh…

Lift and twist.

-All right. -Get her out.

[Morgana] Take your tail down.

Do you have a towel?

[gasps softly, breathing shakily]

[repeating] Yup.

I know.

All right, pop one foot.

[Sparkles] Oh my God.

-[Morgana] Okay, I got you. -[shivering]

[Morgana] You don't have fine muscle control right now.

You're starting to shiver bad. That's why you can't do it.

Okay. Thank you.

[breathing heavily]

We're gonna get you in a shower.

-Up. -Okay.

-[Sparkles moans softly] My God. -[Morgana] I know.

Cold water takes it out of you faster than you think.

Just go in with everything on.

The hot shower's the fastest way to warm your core temperature up.

-[sighs] -[music slows and recedes]

Stay under there until your jaw stops chattering.

Hypothermia snuck up on you.

You were so excited to be doing what you loved that you weren't

checking in on your body much.

[exhales]

[Morgana] You're not quivering anymore?

Somebody gotta take care of the mer-babies.

Thank you. Thank you.

[music fades out]

-["Black Sea" by Natasha Blume plays] -♪ Come down to the Black Sea ♪

♪ Swimming with me ♪

♪ Ah-ooh-ooh ♪

♪ Ooh-ooh ♪

-♪ Come down to the Black Sea ♪

♪ Swimming with me ♪

♪ Ah-ooh-ooh ♪

♪ Go down with me, fall with me ♪

♪ Let's make it worth it ♪

♪ Ah-ooh-ooh ♪

♪ You rise, I fall ♪

♪ I stand, you crawl ♪

♪ You twist, I turn ♪

♪ Who's the first to burn? ♪

♪ You sit and stay ♪

♪ I don't obey ♪

♪ Where do we land? ♪

♪ In the Black Sea ♪

♪ Ooh-ooh ♪

♪ In the Black Sea ♪

♪ Where do we land? ♪

♪ In the Black Sea ♪

[song fades out]

[seabirds calling]

[upbeat instrumental pop music playing]

[indistinct chattering]

[ship horn blaring]

[distant bell dinging]

[music ends]

[upbeat music playing]

I'm so happy to be here! Oh my God!

-I love you so much. -I love you too.

Aw…

We'll talk.

It's like a prom or a homecoming.

-Hi! -[laughter]

-How are you? -So good!

There are 20 real-life mermaids on this ship.

[woman 1] Myself and 19 other contestants are going to be competing

for the King and Queen of the Seas competition.

The grand prize is an all-expense-paid trip for two

to the Greek islands.

All-expense-paid, you and another person…

They even pay for the plane!

[Andy] It's an awesome prize,

but you will also be called upon by the mer community to be that leader

and be that next directing force for us.

We're, like, mermazing,

and we're just here to shine our beauty on the world.

As soon as I found out about the King & Queen of the Seas pageant,

I applied right away.

But I ended up being asked to be a judge

which is even better, because I get to literally rub elbows

with the other judges who are some of the founders of our findustry.

They're all iconic, they're all legendary.

But the most iconic and the most legendary is Hannah Fraser.

Hannah Fraser is up here. She's, like, up here.

Like, she's the first real mermaid I saw swimming on the Internet.

I'm so starstruck right now. You are my idol.

Aw…

[Blix] We have Kariel. She came up right after her.

[Ché] She's got this huge show in Hawaii.

She has her own tail line.

[cheering, overlapping chatter]

[Blix] And then we have the Singapore Mermaid.

Syrena.

She has a huge school. She's trained hundreds of people.

Just to be able to hang out with these women who have created

this thing that I love so much…

So much better than any other prize.

-Oh, we're moving! -Yeah!

[all cheering]

["Are We In a Dream" playing]

♪ Are we in a dream? ♪

[Hannah] The mermaid community is incredibly open and diverse.

[all] Kings and queens!

Kings and queens!

[Hannah] In this competition, with these international,

super highly-trained, amazing mers

who are kind of spreading to the mainstream…

Anyone can be a mermaid.

Bring your freaky fish fabulousness.

[cheering]

[Blix] This is a competition. I'm going to go 1,000%.

I have no choice.

I'm the only one with a song!

Like, come on!

♪ Are we in a dream? ♪

As soon as I saw Arkansas, I was like, "Alright, good. She's going."

"I can just, you know, cheer."

And then, like, two days later, they announced the rest and I saw--

-Mexico! -I know!

-Sea Queen of Mexico! -I know!

The whole country!

Just the whole country! No big deal!

♪ Are we in a dream? ♪

♪ Are we in a dream? ♪

♪ Am I gonna wake up Just to see that you're gone? ♪

♪ Gone ♪

[song fades out]

[lo-fi instrumental music playing]

[Arlene] Weeki Wachee is having its 75th anniversary.

Mermaids from wherever they wound up in the world are coming,

and I'm hoping that I will see a lot of the gals I worked with.

We'll sit, we'll talk, and we'll reminisce,

and, uh, just basically have a big party.

[Crystal] The legendary sirens of Weeki Wachee

are rehearsing now for the 75th.

They're gonna be swimming together.

That's real special when we get to get in the water with the girls.

[Donna] The sirens,

do you have any idea how wonderful it is for them

to go back and be weightless, if you will,

in the water, because you are.

And then perform the songs that they did in their youth?

Oh my gosh.

It's like you're coming home. Like a homecoming.

[gentle music playing]

[Ruth] I mean, the springs is the reason we were all there.

It gets into your blood system.

You know, it's part of us.

And it will always…

You know, as they say, it's the siren's call.

It will always call us back.

[Arlene] When I get in that spring,

55 years disappear,

and I'm a little girl again,

back there in that water.

[Eric] A very select group have been able to perform in it over the years

and create magic for people.

Swimming in a pool, swimming in a tank, swimming in other bodies of water,

it's just not the same.

[Barbara] Be able to be in that spring, on an air hose,

and do a show for the 75th mermaid reunion…

It's just a water person's cocaine is all I can tell you. I mean…

Just shoot us up with cold water. [laughs]

You know? Give me an air hose. I'm high.

[Arlene] With this reunion that's coming up,

you have mermaids coming back from the very beginning in 1947.

And as they get older, they're passing away,

and it's just so sad.

[Eric] This might be one of the last chances

that any of these ladies have the opportunity

to get together in the same place at the same time,

and have the ability to swim with one another.

[Arlene] Management makes the decision,

and hopefully they will not

be mean and make us stay out of the spring.

[laughs] I want to get in that water so bad.

[cheerful music playing]

♪ Three months out of view ♪

♪ Put foot on the good ship Volunteer ♪

♪ Searching for some whales, me boys ♪

♪ And still we're in good cheer ♪

♪ Alone and aloft in the crow's nest ♪

♪ I thought I saw a whale ♪

♪ But this weren't no fish, me boys ♪

♪ 'Twas a mermaid with a tail ♪

-[song fades out] -[overlapping chatter]

The competition's going to be sectioned into three different parts.

The first is gonna be showing off their mersona.

And showing off their mersonality all around the pool,

giving their biggest, brightest, beautiful selves.

A mersona is something that connects that person

to their tail.

And it also creates a storyline for them to kind of get into

to allow them to almost kind of, like, play.

[laughs] It's hot in here.

-My feet won't go in the pockets. -Oh no!

Yeah. Someone have lube for the feet?

You know you're a mermaid

when you're buying lube by the five-gallon pump jug. [laughs]

It's the butt for me. It's getting it over the butt.

That's where I struggle most.

[mermaid 2] Get the 29 waist over the 40 behind.

[Morgana] Mermaiding is so much grosser than anyone realizes.

When you're lubed up from the waist down

and sitting in a tail in the sun for two hours, everything's just…

real sweaty, uh, in there.

It's… It is so much grosser than people think it is,

and doing that with a smile on your face is really hard.

We are using professional-grade,

body-safe,

designed for skin contact,

personal lubricant. [laughs]

It's a G-rated show, right? There you go. [laughing]

-[man] Cookie, are you ready? -Oh, as ready as I'm ever gonna be.

[Syrena] The best mersonas are just an extension of yourself.

I think of my mersona as a good red lipstick.

Something I put on before a performance

that's an enhanced, slightly more glam version of myself.

My mersona is me. I'm just gonna talk to people. I don't need to be loud

because I'm good.

["What Can I Say" by Jeff Taylor playing]

-Going over your shoulder? -Yeah.

-[crowd cheering] -♪ What can I do to please you? ♪

♪ What can I do or say? ♪

[attendee] Sup, fish!

Looking good!

♪ A reason to stay ♪

♪ How many times should I tell you? ♪

♪ You are my everything ♪

-♪ What can I do ♪ -Ta-da!

♪ To make your dreams come true? ♪

♪ I'll do ♪

♪ What I have to do ♪

♪ To make 'em come true ♪

[song ends]

[overlapping chatter]

Go around and say hi to all of us.

When you're able to, you can vote for your favorite mermaid with a seashell.

-Two, three… -[camera clicks]

-[squeals] Ah! -[woman 1 laughing]

[Arcana] We will be judging our merfolk on character,

costume, and charisma.

Can I get a shell yeah?

[crowd] Shell yeah!

Can I get a shell yeah?

[crowd] Shell yeah!

[Arcana] Give it up for Michelle, Sea Queen of Arizona.

Sea Queen of Nevada.

Sea Queen of Indonesia.

[Syrena] Three words to describe your mersona.

Unique, sassy, mermazing.

Mermaid Sparkles, Sea Queen of Arkansas.

[crowd cheering]

[attendee] You look stunning.

[Arcana] We have Mermaid Pixi, Sea Queen of Mexico.

[crowd cheering]

I actually do not consider myself a dangerous fish.

The reason why I am rainbow is because I'm from the Rainbow Riviera.

And everything in the Rainbow Riviera is rainbow-colored,

so this is my natural camouflage.

[Kariel] I see. This is amazing.

[William] I'm the only person here that makes their own tails.

-What? You do not. -Yes.

This is 8,000 hand-sewn sequins in the shape of scales,

and I do my own custom silicone work.

So everything you see on my top, my crown, and this,

are things that wash up on our shores and I find in our waterways.

[Arcana] Next up, we have Merman Andy, Sea King of California.

You guys are beautiful!

[Arcana] William, the Hawaiian Merman, Sea King of Hawaii.

Last but not least,

we have The Blixunami

who's here to show everyone that they can be whatever they want.

[cheers and applause]

Okay, so I'm in my human form right now, but look at these guys

at seven o'clock in the morning.

They are ready to go.

[Blix] So this morning while I was having breakfast

in my tail,

flipping my fins,

this man jumps up,

all excited,

and plops down on my lap.

And I found out it was the Sir Richard Branson.

A billionaire was in The Blixunami's lap today.

A billionaire!

With a B!

[laughing]

[inhales sharply] That is insane!

-[Kariel] Hey! -Hey! It's so cute up here.

-How'd you find this? -[Kariel] I know.

We needed a good, beautiful view to sit and relax at.

I make mermaid tails, I make mermaid tops.

Chè told me that she had this dream that she needed a silicone tail,

but silicone tails aren't easily made

in her size.

-Do you have a tail under that blanket? -[laughing]

I've never done a plus-size mermaid tail, and I would like that community

to know that I'm welcoming them as well.

[cheerful music playing]

Okay, open your eyes.

Oh, this is pretty.

Oh, this is pretty.

So, it kind of looks green in this lighting.

-But it's brown and gold. -[Ché] Oh my goodness.

-[camera clicks] -So excited!

I sent my husband a picture. He was like, "Babe, is that your tail?"

Even though it was just a text, I felt that in it. And it's like, "Yes!"

[Kariel] Good things come to good people.

She's good people. She's a good fish.

[music ends]

[percussive music playing]

I get super competitive and cutthroat. I'm sussing out the competition.

I'm watching, listening, seeing how everybody talks.

Visiting other people's rooms… Like, "Oh, let's go hang out."

What am I doing going in your room? I'm seeing your costumes.

[Sparkles] I'm backstage right now.

The stage portion of the pageant is about to start.

The second part of the competition is where the merms show off their costumes,

causes, and unique talents in the pageant section.

What is your cause?

Domestic violence.

Wow.

I'm… I'm a survivor of it.

Oh my gosh. That's so brave of you to talk about.

Mermaiding has literally saved my life.

Before mermaiding, I've been on a lot of medication.

And I mean a lot of medications.

To a social disorder that I couldn't leave my house

without the sweats, the shakes, the floor would come up on me.

But mermaiding, little by little,

more swimming, less pills.

More swimming, less pills.

We actually got married like three years ago, four years ago

at a mermaid convention.

[Cookie] I became more confident, and less depressed.

Like the water was my shield.

-[chattering] -Okay.

We can do this. We can do this.

Okay.

I think I can win this competition because I deserve it.

I work so hard… Seriously!

-You do. -I work so hard.

And I really do feel like I am the Sea Queen,

whether they crown me or not.

They're gonna go hard on whatever they do, and Imma have to go ten times harder.

[laughs]

Okay.

[Chelsi] All right, everyone!

[singsong] It's showtime!

[all cheering]

Can I get a drumroll, please?

[Arcana] Without further ado,

the Sea King of Virginia.

[exciting music playing]

[Blix] That boy gets his batons and it's like magic.

He can twirl a baton like a motherfucker.

-[music ends] -[audience cheering]

[festive music playing]

[Sparkles] Oh, look at her go.

Yes, ma'am!

That's my baby!

[Arcana] Next up we have the Sea Queen of the Sunshine State.

My name is Luna, and my regional costume represents the native Florida eelgrass

that resides in our springs and waterways.

[Arcana] Arkansas, what is one thing that we would not know about you?

Universal love.

I incorporate that in my mermaiding

um, by donating a lot of my free time.

Um, benefitting…

Um… [chuckles]

I… Yes, I'm sorry.

I know I didn't do that great in my interview.

I know I had the mental block that I get sometimes

when I'm overwhelmed and I can't speak words.

I'm so nervous right now, so please excuse me.

[all cheering]

-This is the extra-large version. -[laughter]

-I guess it's a European brand. -I have that same pair. Yeah.

Like, this… It barely covers…

[William] The only person who I think is remotely close to me now is Merman Andy.

I need to level my crap up.

I am not risking losing this competition because of holding back.

[hip-hop beat playing]

-[woman exclaiming] -[crowd cheering]

Work it! Oh!

[Blix] They're good competition.

That's the exciting part, 'cause I don't know.

So finally seeing them and what else they can bring

is gonna be, "Oh shit," for me. Like, "I need to step my game up."

-["Splish Splash On 'Em" plays] -Hey!

♪ Let me fix my crown Before I hit your pool now ♪

♪ The Blixunami live I make my rules, yeah ♪

♪ Look at my fins and how my tail glows ♪

♪ The Blixunami in the flesh ♪

♪ A sight to see ♪

-[song ends] -[cheers and applause]

[Blix] We find out who the top ten is

for the rest of the voyage.

And I am super nervous,

but I'm also confident I'm going to be in that top ten.

I think they did wonderful. Right?

Can we give them all a giant round of applause?

[crowd cheering and applauding]

[Arcana] Let's have the contestants come back out.

[atmospheric music playing]

Half of us are going to advance

to become King and Queen of the Seas,

and the other half will support them.

So may the best mer win.

[William] If I am not more skilled than at least ten other people here,

I should throw away this tail.

[Ralph] Don't worry about this. You got this.

And if they appreciate what you've done and everything, fine.

You already are a winner to me.

-Thank you. -All right.

All right.

After much council deliberation,

we now have our top ten.

-You guys wanna know who it is? -[crowd] Yes!

Sea Queen of Canada.

[crowd cheering]

The Sea Queen of Indonesia.

Sea Queen of Mexico.

[cheering continues]

Sea King of California, Merman Andy.

Sea Queen of the Springs.

Sea Queen of the Sunshine State.

Sea King of South Carolina.

Sea King of Hawaii.

Sea Queen of Nevada.

And our final spot in the top ten… Can I get another drumroll?

[crowd performing drumroll]

Our final spot goes to

Sea King of Virginia.

[joyful hip-hop beat playing]

[Arcana] Can I get a huge round of applause

for all of our contestants up here on the stage?

[cheers and applause]

-[music ends] -[sniffling]

[overlapping chatter]

-How you doing, baby? -I'm okay.

-[Ché] Yeah? -[sniffles] I'm a little… a little sad.

But I'll be all right.

[calm music playing]

How you doing, baby? You did good.

[Cookie] I'm happy.

-I'm happy for Blix. -Yeah.

It was an experience I'll never forget.

Hey, Mermama!

Hey!

Guess what?

Tell me!

Top ten, baby!

[screaming laughter]

Yes.

I'm the one representing the chocolate in the top ten, baby.

Yes.

Top ten!

[screaming laughter]

Okay. Okay. Calm down.

[music ends]

[dramatic stinger]

"To all."

"To all."

"The 75 Years of Mermaid Magic Celebration at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park…"

"…will be postponed and rescheduled for another date."

"If you have already made payment, you will receive a full refund."

"No questions will be taken at this time."

Bold print, big letters.

"No questions."

Ten days before our 75th mermaid reunion.

That was just so sweet.

They say because of the hurricane

that their, um, employees had to go and help other parks.

But I don't think they sent the mermaids to do any picking up of tree branches.

Hurricane Ian happened a week prior to that.

A hundred miles south.

They're still doing shows.

And they know how long we have been waiting on this,

and planning it, and looking forward to it.

I just hate that they did that to us.

Eric, do you have a second?

[Eric] So I walked into Mertailor the other morning

and Tara approached like, "Did you know the reunion was cancelled?"

And at that point I was like, "Well, this sucks."

And, oh, please, forgive me for saying this,

but this might be some of the… the last opportunity

for some of these women, because they ain't getting any younger.

I have decided that we are going to have a small get-together

for all former mermaids

who swam at Weeki Wachee Springs, at Mertailor.

[woman 1] She's coming anyway. So, you know, it's a lot.

And I'm totally pissed about it. I'm sorry.

Yeah. It was rude and disrespectful.

It was the mermaids that made Weeki Wachee.

It wasn't management or state park, it was the mermaids.

And to have them diss us like that was really rude.

I was in tears. I was like, "What am I supposed to do?"

I booked my tickets in April.

[Arlene] Yeah, even… However far up the chain,

whoever dictated that letter needs to have their head examined.

If you don't want to make a hornet's nest out of something,

you don't send people a letter that says, "No questions."

-[woman 2] Yeah. Exactly. -Give me a break. Explain.

[woman 1] We don't have to go to Weeki Wachee to have no reunion.

We can go to Mertailor,

and we can have our own reunion there.

-We're welcome there. -We're welcome there. With open arms.

[laughter and chatter]

Let's wrap this up with a big hug, girls.

-All right! -Yay!

-A group hug? -[all exclaiming]

Here we go!

♪ If you think you're seeing mermaids ♪

No. Let's see.

♪ I want to be a Weeki Wachee mermaid ♪

♪ That is what I'd truly like to be ♪

♪ And if I was a Weeki Wachee mermaid ♪

♪ Everyone would be in love with me ♪

-[laughter] -[cheering and clapping]

[Arlene] Yes, ma'am!

It's amazing how things change in the blink of an eye.

The 75th reunion gets cancelled,

and there's gonna be an amazing event at Eric's.

Barbie!

Hey, girls!

Yeah!

Look at you. Look at you! You look like you just left the villa.

-[laughter] -That ain't fair!

-Oh! -Yeah, the west agrees with you.

-Hey, sweetie. -Hey, sweetie. Look at you.

-You just look good. -Thank you, darlin'.

-I like this. This is gorgeous. -This is Mertailor, 2022.

-[laughter] -Hey, baby doll.

-Hi. Oh… -That's sweet.

[Donna] I made my own T-shirt. Says "75" on it.

[Barbara] It's gonna be fun.

We're making our own history.

[Sparkles] Mirror, mirror, in my hand.

Make me the fairest in the land.

[gasps]

What the fish?!

[upbeat music playing]

I should've been close to making the top ten.

God, I was just crap yesterday.

But I'm running around the boat with my best friend Pixi.

I'm a good sport about it.

Sparkles is living her best life.

I'm really trying to stay out of my self-loathing.

Awesome! Awesome!

And focus more on how happy I am for the contestants.

They are my people.

My family. I am excited to see them shine.

[electronic music playing]

[Hannah] All right, go.

-[snapping] -Fast. Fast. Fast. Fast.

Late last night, I realized we didn't have our scoresheet

set up for today's event.

So I stayed up last night just to set up the sheet,

and I noticed a discrepancy.

One row whose, uh, scores were

different than they should have been.

[Soluna] This person who made the top ten was actually number 12.

Okay, so we need to make this right.

Um, in my personal experience, having competed in pageantry,

I think the best way to do it is to

make it into a top 12 instead of a top 10.

Top 12?

[Arcana clapping] Yay!

[Sparkles laughing]

Guys. Guys, wait, everybody stay.

We have an interesting development, an announcement to make,

because there was one discrepancy

in the scoresheet that we caught.

What we decided

was instead of removing somebody from the top ten,

we're gonna add two more to make it into a top 12.

-[mermaids exclaiming] -[Sparkles] Oh shit.

-Oh… shit. -[laughter]

-[laughing] -Hold me!

[both laughing]

Okay.

So, we are going to be adding in

Virgin Islands.

-[gasps] Yes! -[cheers and applause]

Oh my goodness!

We will also be adding into our top 12…

-[overlapping chatter] -[performing drumroll]

…New Jersey.

[cheers and applause]

[Blix] The fact that there was more color added…

I'm good.

I love it.

Ten years ago…

[scoffs]

…Black people in a mermaid pageant would not have been a thing.

-Not at all. -Not a chance.

So, there's still not many of us here now, but we're here.

And we're representing as much as we can, so I think that's a beautiful thing.

I'm just happy that we're getting a chance finally.

You know? And now we're making history.

-We're making merstory. -Merstory.

You go, Queen. You go.

[laughing]

-[Donna] How are you? -[Barbara] Good to see you. Doing great.

[Donna] So many girls from back then.

-[Ruth] Hi! -We know each other, Ruth.

Yes, we do. We swam together.

[Eric] The reunion is cancelled.

You have all these people coming from out of state making plans.

They just want to get together.

Crystal! Hey, girl!

How you doing?

It's wonderful to see you.

And I was like, it'd be great to have a little party.

[Arlene] Yes.

[Eric] So that way, these people coming in could have a place to congregate, chat,

share stories.

There's a lot of people that I was hoping to be able to reconnect with.

-Eric, how are you? -I'm good. Thank you so much for coming.

I'm so proud of you.

[Eric] A lot of these women were hoping to get into the spring one last time.

So I have opened up the tank for the ladies who come to this event,

and we'll give them the opportunity to swim in the tank

with the rest of their mermaid family.

All right, in three, two, one. Say, "Weeki Wachee."

-[all] Weeki Wachee! -[camera clicking]

[Annie] I love it. Perfect.

I hope this makes up for it.

Not even makes up for it. I just hope it provides a lovely time.

-[Tristan] Hello, gorgeous. -Hello, darlin'.

[laughing]

All right.

-[Tristan] You got this, girl. -[chattering]

-All right. -Let's go! Whee!

[enchanting music playing]

[Blix] Splish-splash!

So we are finally at the last day of the competition

for King and Queen of the Sea,

and we are here in Bimini, Bahamas.

There's one last part of the competition. The underwater photo shoot.

[Blix] I am going to kill it.

My God, I'm so nervous, you guys.

[William] I don't think a person here can beat me in water.

I know my dramatic angles, I know how to turn my fin.

If I don't win…

No.

I'm going to win.

Good morning, everybody!

This is the ultimate deciding factor in who is crowned

the King and Queen of the Seas.

This is what's really gonna separate, like,

the mermaids and the mermen from the models.

Knowing your angles for a tail,

knowing about the surface work,

knowing how to release all the air to get rid of your buoyancy.

The true expertise of being a mermaid comes into play.

Our first contestant, Sea King of California.

Here we go.

-[Hannah] He's got good buoyancy control. -Yeah.

[Syrena] He's doing good at making sure his tail is staying in the shots.

[judges exclaiming]

[Syrena] Going for more.

-[Ché] Oh, beautiful. -[Syrena] He's in it to win it.

That felt like the first thing that I really thought was like,

-"Okay, now I'm merring." You know? -[woman] Yeah.

[Jahsminetea] Next up, the Sea King of Hawaii.

-[Kariel] I love his smile underwater. -Me too.

[Syrena] Bubble kisses don't translate well in photo.

Whoo! Good job, Will!

[Sparkles] Pixi, you're a star!

[Kariel] Beautiful.

It'd be nice if the tail was turned up though.

[Sparkles] Yes, fish!

I love you!

[Jahsminetea] The Sunshine State.

-[Ché] Yes! -[Hannah] Beautiful.

[Kariel] We're seeing all of it. The tail, the face.

She's great.

[Jahsminetea] The King of South Carolina.

[Kariel] Showing his personality.

[judges exclaiming]

Good job.

The judges are going to now debrief.

[tense music playing]

-I don't have any low scores on my sheet. -That's where it's hard.

[Hannah] I'm floored.

I don't know who is gonna win at this point.

[Ché] I'm sure it's gonna be one of those things

where it's, like, fractions of points.

[Syrena] It's so hard at this point to choose.

-[all] Yay! -[laughter]

Yes, let's go swimming.

[relaxing music playing]

[Crystal] It doesn't matter how long we're apart.

We are just, you know, bonded

because of this magic that we shared.

[Donna] We are a sisterhood.

Once you have that mermaid connection,

it's not broken.

It's… It's forever.

[Arlene] Once you're a mermaid,

you're always a mermaid.

[enchanting music playing]

[Donna singing] ♪ Ended is my quest for truth and beauty ♪

♪ I've no more pseudo-friendships That are bought ♪

♪ Completely without cost ♪

♪ I've regained the youth I'd lost ♪

♪ And happiness is being here with you ♪

♪ At Weeki Wachee ♪

[gentle music playing]

[gentle music fades out]

[pensive music plays]

[Andy] On top of being King or Queen of the Sea,

one person is going to get this grand prize, and it's a big prize.

It's not only a cruise to Greece,

but it's also the backing of the entire mer community.

We're choosing a leader here.

[Arcana] Today we had our final round to determine

who will be the King and Queen of the Sea.

Can the 12 fin-alists step forward?

[cheers and applause]

Are you guys ready?

The Queen of the Seas,

the highest-scoring mermaid…

Drumroll, please, and make it good.

[all performing drumroll]

The Sea Queen of the Sunshine State!

-[cheers and applause] -[upbeat music plays]

[Jahsminetea] It's time to announce the grand prize winner.

The highest-scoring mer overall.

[Arcana] The grand prize winner of King and Queen of the Seas is…

[Jahsminetea and Arcana] The Sea King of California, Merman Andy!

[cheers and applause]

[squealing] California!

So the competition isn't quite over yet.

We want to give want to give a best… congeniality award

to beauty and grace.

I announce South Carolina

as our winner of Virgin Voyages.

So, the surprise isn't actually done yet.

I want to personally tell you

that are winning another voyage here on Virgin Voyages.

[shouting and exclaiming]

[Arcana] Yes!

-No! -Yes!

No!

Andy! We're both going on the voyage!

[screaming and laughing]

-Are you serious? Oh my God! -Yes!

-[laughing, shouting] -[cheers and applause]

[gentle music playing]

[Morgana] By definition, we're a community of rebels and renegades and runaways.

So not only are you finally given a place where you belong, where you're accepted,

where there's no wrong way to be who you are,

but the things that make you different,

that you might've been ridiculed for in the past are now what makes you special.

The idea that there is a world and community

where there's a place for you, where there's a place for anyone,

is incredibly appealing to people who have been told that

the world doesn't want them.

I'm not gonna cry in this interview, so just, you know, give me a second.

[exhales sharply, laughs]

All right, I'm good. I'm good. I'm good.

[soft piano music playing]

-Hey, Sparkles. -Hey.

-All right, give me this. -Okay.

Welcome to the Circus Siren Pod.

-Ready to meet the tank? -[Sparkles sighs] Oh…

[laughing] Wow!

Oh my gosh, it's amazing!

-[Morgana] It's pretty great. -[Sparkles gasps]

There you go.

All right, guys, look who I've got.

-Sparkles! -[all exclaiming]

-Hey! -Oh my gosh!

Here.

-So good to see you! -Let's get her tail!

Thank you. Oh, thank you so much.

-Welcome to the family! -Oh, thank you!

I'm so happy to have you here.

All right, we're gonna slide in fluke first.

Nice and quiet like.

And then they'll get really excited once they see your fluke.

[crowd exclaiming]

[crowd applauding]

[cheers and applause]

[Eric] When someone sees a mermaid,

it opens up

a whirlwind of unlimited imaginations.

When you think back of mythology,

the lost city of Atlantis comes up.

[bubbles roiling]

This once-gorgeous city

and all of these ruins collapsed into the water.

It's magical, it's mythical, it's made up.

Or maybe it isn't.

Just imagine

if you, if I, if we lived in a world

where anything is possible.

[ethereal music builds slowly]

This world of mermaids is just spiraling and growing.

This is now. This is what we are doing.

There is absolutely no worry

with what's happening above.

[music peaks and fades out]

You're there,

I'm there in that moment.

And nothing else in the world matters.

[epic music builds]

Anybody can be a mermaid.

You just have to believe.

[camera reel whirring]

["Black Sea" instrumental playing]

[song fades out]