‘The Circle’ contestants talk how show has changed their perspectives on social media
“The Circle” returned with its third season and a slew of brand new contestants ready to flirt, befriend and catfish their way towards the $100,000 grand prize.
In this Netflix competition series, the players are isolated in their own apartments and must choose whether to portray themselves or fake personas on a social media app called The Circle.
Throughout the series, players rate each other and the top tier become “influencers” with the power to block another profile, therefore eliminating the contestant from the game.
There are new twists in the game, but the challenge of figuring out who’s a catfish remains. Contestant Michelle Rider told Fox News, “You never know who you’re texting to. You never know who you’re saying ‘Circle message sending’ to… And that’s the hardest thing to do, is to try to figure that out.”
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Meanwhile, castmate Ruksana Carroll teased what her strategy will be. “I’m going to be me. I have nothing to hide.,” she told Fox. “I’m a mom. I’m just going to be very honest. I just felt like whoever regardless if they were catfishing or not, it’s whoever I vibe with immediately.”
Ruksana Carroll in her apartment on ‘The Circle.’
(Netflix)
Daniel Cusimano, another player, admitted once he started talking to people his plans for the game changed.
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“I was like, ‘I’m going to be like, cutthroat.’ I’m going to end this, like, burn the house down. But then you meet genuine real people like Ruksana. And I was like, I love her. I’ll do whatever I can to get to the end of the game. But it’s like, do you gotta do but also have your people behind you,” he told Fox.
Daniel Cusimano admitted it was hard to be cutthroat after getting to know the fellow players.
(Netflix)
As part of the bigger picture, being part of “The Circle” gave each person a new perspective on how they use social media.
Ruksana confessed, “I’ve been on TV before, so I’ve had some things [from strangers] sent to my house. That’s a little crazy for a woman that’s married with a child,” she revealed. “I’m very just very mindful because once [information] is out there, it’s out there. I’m four foot four. I’m easy to find if you put me in a crowd. So I’m a little bit more [concerned] for that safety aspect. I am rethinking where before I would just jump in and go anywhere and not care. I do think about that now”
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Daniel said he’s ready for praise and criticism from fans of the viral series. “I was just like, baby, I’m going to keep doing me,” he said. “Whether you like me, whether you don’t… what you see is what you get and point-blank with a period. So that’s really my biggest takeaway from the show.”
“The Circle” is currently streaming on Netflix.
FOX’s Ashley Dvorkin contributed to this report.
