The Circle - General Discussion

[Cranberry]

 

[Cranberry]

I've only watched the first episode of season three so far, but the new clone twist is hilarious. It's smart to do it early before people have really gotten the chance to know each other well enough to trip up a clone with specific questions. That said, I don't have much confidence in the clone being able to pull this off, considering they didn't even seem to understand the assignment at first...

Edit: Okay, I've watched episode two now. The ditzy ones always manage to surprise me! That was some pretty good catfishing.

Daniel is my favorite. His introduction speech cracked me up. "Being young and looking dumb is definitely my secret weapon. Daniel, the 20-year-old twink that doesn't have a strategic or manipulative bone in his little own body, and then bang!" And then deliberately choosing a photo that showed off his "noodle arms"... he's great.

Also laughing that it took "Ashley" the lesbian about five minutes to decide "she" was actually bisexual so she could flirt with the hot guy. Matthew was so thirsty right off the bat that I knew he'd struggle immensely playing someone who's solely into women. I wonder how the real Ashley (who Matthew apparently promised he wouldn't flirt with any men!) feels about that...

[peachmangosteen]

I didn't like the clone twist. It just made me feel really bad for the real Michelle. It was sad lol. I don't like Ava/Chanel but they did a good job with it.

Rachel (playing Jackson) looks so familiar to me but I can't figure out why.

[Evie]

I felt sorry for Michelle. First, people thought she was fake because she wouldn't kiss a dog and then they chose the fake Michelle over her. Ava/Chanel did an okay job, but they were still pretty vague. I know Calvin and others didn't believe the wedding photo was taken in 2000, but it's not like her hair is all that different now. It frustrated me lol.

 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2021 by Evie

[Cranberry]

Yeah, I felt bad for her once I watched episodes two and three and saw how upset she was -- nobody goes into this expecting to have their real identity repurposed for a catfish (let alone having the fake version accepted as the real one), so I totally get it. Also, the wedding photo didn't seem at all weird to me. We were still transitioning to digital cameras in 2000, and those real film Sears-type portraits were still common. Perms may have been less of a thing, but ladies her age still had them. I thought the fact that "Orange Michelle" knew what exactly was on that sweatshirt in the fishing pic gave her the edge, too. That game made me feel like the other contestants were dumb.

Sophia/"Isabella" is this year's "should have come in as herself" pick, for me. She's funny and adorable and she clearly wants to bond with the other queer contestants. That said, watching her try to play straight is fantastic. "Jackson" has been a pleasant surprise; with all her talk about being a "bro" and having only male friends, I expected Rachel to be one of those women who hates other women, but she doesn't seem to.

I like Daniel and Ruksana's personalities. Daniel's more sensitive than he wants to let on, and Ruksana clearly has a sharp edge. Kai's a savvy game-player and people should consider her more of a threat than they seem to. Nick's growing on me but ultimately I mostly find him inoffensive. Calvin is this year's annoying entitled hot guy. I'm not sorry to see Ava and Chanel go; they were funny at first but I don't find them very likable or exceptionally good at the game, so I wouldn't want to see them go all the way. Same with Matthew/"Ashley" -- he's kinda fun to watch, but him switching up his strategy just because he wants to flirt with guys (and then halfheartedly attempting to flirt with women) doesn't give me much confidence in his game plan.

[xander874]

Agreed on feeling bad for Michelle. I've watcher her Tik-Toks and she is funny so I wanted to see more from her - definitely over the animal print sisters. Poor Michelle was super stressed and it was a bit uncomfortable to watch. However, I thought the cloning was a good twist and better than the Joker of last season.

Kai needs to be careful though because she is kinda getting into Terilisha territory with me. Her smugness over Orange Michelle was annoying. And I get she couldn't really have known but I hope she feels really bad when she realizes the whole truth. The look on her face at the end of episode 4 was priceless.

I felt for Daniel too. I hope he is okay - it looked like he is not handling the stress well. I like him but worry he is not built for this game.

[zibnchy]

I have to assume this was filmed last spring (2021) because obviously no one in the current cast watched Season 3 of the Circle UK (the most recent aired in Spring 2021). The clone twist was the same as one in that season. In the UK season the fake clone went home.

I mean, if I was going on the show I would binge every season including the non-US ones.

There's no one in this group that I actively dislike. Yet. I'm sure that will change soon. If the Brooklyn Sisters had stuck around I'm sure I'd have hated them soon. Or at least Chanal. The younger sister seemed a bit dim but also possibly a bit sweet. I kind of dislike Calvin but he has come up in my opinion since ep1.

In general I'm finding the show a bit boring. After 3 UK seasons and 3 US seasons it's a bit played out. Needs new "games" to liven things up.

Also (Daniel) if you can't be away from your mommy for three weeks without getting weepy maybe you shouldn't be on the show.

Edited September 9, 2021 by zibnchy

[Melina22]

23 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I didn't like the clone twist. It just made me feel really bad for the real Michelle. It was sad lol. I don't like Ava/Chanel but they did a good job with it.

I don't like it either. It seems so random to do this to someone who has almost no way to defend themselves, since no one knows Michelle at all. I also felt bad people judged her for not wanting to kiss her dogs. 😝 Oh, and what a burn on her hairstyle! 😁

I'm only halfway through episode two and I really hope these people grow on me because my first impressions weren't great. For starters, I wondered how all those giant egos could fit in one building! Unlike the rest of you, so far Daniel is my least favourite. He seems mean and exhausting. Honestly, all the men seem wildly in love with themselves. 

I like the women marginally better, but there isn't anyone I truly like. I'm keeping an open mind though. 

I'm hoping that just the suspense will carry me till I start to like some of these people better. 

Edited September 9, 2021 by Melina22

[lynxfx]

In terms of gameplay I think Michelle failed by choosing to visit blue Michelle. Of course it makes sense in wanting to know who is playing you, but now no one else knows the truth. She could have really mixed things up by visiting anyone else to prove that she was real and they made a mistake. That info would get out and fake Michelle would get the boot. 

Only on ep 4. So far haven't really connected with anyone. First few episodes are always slow or boring so was glad one twist came quick.

Still waiting for a hot person to catfish as a not good looking person of any gender. The right personality could take them far without coming off as a major threat.

[Mabinogia]

2 minutes ago, lynxfx said:

In terms of gameplay I think Michelle failed by choosing to visit blue Michelle. Of course it makes sense in wanting to know who is playing you, but now no one else knows the truth. She could have really mixed things up by visiting anyone else to prove that she was real and they made a mistake. That info would get out and fake Michelle would get the boot. 

That's very true, but I think she just really, really wanted answers. I don't blame her. 

I fucking hated the cloning "twist". Maybe If I didn't kind of like Michelle, and hate the sisters, and if the two against one didn't feel slightly like Michelle was being ganged up on, and the rest of them were morons who couldn't tell their ass from their elbow, maybe it would have worked. But it was a perfect shitstorm IMO of all the wrong ingredients. 

I was going to stop watching if the sisters didn't get the boot. Luckily they did, though the bloom is off the rose for me. While seasons 1 and 2 had some "characters" that I found endearing. This season I just see a bunch of desperate people trying way too hard. I hope that changes, but for now, I don't care who wins or who is kicked off. I'm only watching to see if it gets any better and because it's not a terribly long season and there is nothing else for me to watch. :(

[Melina22]

So far this sums it up for me too. 

[Cranberry]

I think the cloning twist is clever and could have been fun, but ultimately ended up feeling mean-spirited on a show I don't generally think of as being mean-spirited. I know it's a competition and they probably never intended for people to form lasting friendships like they did in season one (those people still hang out!), but most of us don't seem to watch this for the usual "I'm not here to make friends" reality show types.

Stuff like "Trevor" flirting with Chloe while struggling with the morality of it is fun. Watching a lesbian pretend to be a straight girl and debate whether or not to flirt with a straight man who's actually a straight woman is fun. Watching a nerdy guy posing as a sorority girl fail miserably at applying makeup to a mannequin head is fun. Even last season's "Joker" twist, while verging more into mean territory, was fun. Watching a sweet woman cry after her identity's been stolen isn't fun. She's right that it wasn't fair, either; her game was sabotaged solely because Ava and Chanel happened to choose her to clone and not because of any mistakes she made.

[docmatt]

Count me in as not liking the clone twist. All the other catfish are doing it with the consent and knowledge of real Ashley, real Isabella etc. This was done without Michelle's consent and feels like a violation that makes me pretty uncomfortable.

Especially on a show that has always seemed to cast mostly good people and has generally not tried to hurt its hamsters. I don't like it.

Overall there's nobody I really dislike yet but nobody that strikes me as particularly awesome either.

 

Edited September 11, 2021 by docmatt
grammar

[Mabinogia]

I think part of what made it feel particularly cruel, and therefore not quite in keeping with the vibe of the show up till now, was that not only did Michelle's identity get hijacked but before she even had time to process that she was in a fight for her life. 

Maybe, if the two Michelle's were off limits in that weeks? (IDK how often the votes happen or how long the show is) vote and she'd been given some time, or if it had happened further into the game when they'd all had a bit of time to build friendships or alliances it wouldn't have felt quite so "we have to find a way to keep the hot model on the show instead of the old lady" which was the first thing that crossed my mind when it played out the way it did. I am sure that wasn't the intention, but it felt very convenient at the moment. Excuse me now while I go put my tinfoil hat on. lol

[Melina22]

I just finished episode 3 and the last part was pretty funny. All the catfishes sometimes hurts my brain though 😁

The two sisters are growing on me. 

"Jackson" looks so much like Sienna Miller! 

[Mabinogia]

15 minutes ago, Melina22 said:

"Jackson" looks so much like Sienna Miller! 

That's who she reminds me of. It was driving me nuts. Thanks

[lynxfx]

Did I miss it or did real Michelle not get a goodbye video? I'm guessing not to keep the suspense. Seeing as how the sisters just got blocked the next episode should be interesting. 

I don't feel as bad about the clone twist as other people only because she got voted last as herself and as the fake one. Michelle had no chance.

[Melina22]

18 minutes ago, lynxfx said:

I don't feel as bad about the clone twist as other people only because she got voted last as herself and as the fake one. Michelle had no chance.

Good point. No one there would say it but I'm almost certain her age worked against her. And then it worked against the sisters. 

When she went to confront the two sisters, I suddenly thought maybe Michelle would get a second chance as a clone to someone else, and they'd keep doing this all game. But no. 

[non sequitur]

In the first episode, everyone was so over the top it honestly seemed fake and scripted.  I knew they wouldn't get rid of Ava at the end.

The clone twist is so mean and unfair. It wasn't fun to watch. Sad to say, the show is getting boring now. Not sure if I will even continue this season.

[LBS]

I’m still loving the show.  I liked the clone twist although I felt super bad for the real Michelle. I did think Calvin had a point that the wedding picture looked more 80’s than 00’s.  I hope Michelle gets a social media boost out of this.  Daniel was someone I didn’t like from the get go but is coming around for me. I laughed so hard when he was doing the Macarena in one scene but then died a little inside when I realized that he wasn’t born yet when that was a craze.*.   Nick just flat out annoys me. I hate the Encino Man laugh and dude bro personality.   
*that song and dance was popular when I graduated high school which was (gulp) 25 years ago.  He’s only 20.  

[JH Lipton]

On 9/8/2021 at 4:56 PM, Evie said:

Ava/Chanel did an okay job, but they were still pretty vague. 

 

On 9/9/2021 at 6:20 PM, Mabinogia said:

I fucking hated the cloning "twist". Maybe If I didn't kind of like Michelle, and hate the sisters, and if the two against one didn't feel slightly like Michelle was being ganged up on, and the rest of them were morons who couldn't tell their ass from their elbow, maybe it would have worked.

For real.  Not one of them noticed that Michelle was giving solid answers and Ava was being too vague? The Clemson mention should have sealed the deal.  Also, Ava used "bless your heart" at the start of a sentence and never used "y'all" at all. 

On 9/10/2021 at 7:45 PM, lynxfx said:

Did I miss it or did real Michelle not get a goodbye video? I'm guessing not to keep the suspense.

If they had shown a video of Michelle, that would have revealed that the other was the clone.

On 9/10/2021 at 6:28 PM, Melina22 said:

I just finished episode 3 and the last part was pretty funny. All the catfishes sometimes hurts my brain though

 

The darker haired newbie is "Isabella"; the lighter one is "Jackson".  Matt (the bearded guy) is "Ashley".

 

[Melina22]

I finally finished episode 4. The show must be growing on me because I HATE that I have to wait till Wednesday to see the meeting between "Michelle" and Kai. I wonder if Kai will share the details with Ruksana? 

[Melina22]

5 hours ago, JH Lipton said:

The darker haired newbie is "Isabella"; the lighter one is "Jackson".  Matt (the bearded guy) is "Ashley".

Thanks for responding, I appreciate it, but I know who's playing who. What hurts my brain is when there's a conversation between, say, Ashley and Isabella. My eyes are watching a gay man talking to a regular-looking lesbian woman, but the conversation is supposed to be between a lesbian-but-now-bisexual woman and a model-gorgeous straight woman. The people talking only know the truth about one side of the conversation. 

I can't remember who's who, who is flirting with who, or if it's real or fake flirting.(Not in this particular conversation, I don't think, but I have to keep asking myself... would these two catfishes flirt with each other? I need a piece of paper and a pen to keep track. ) There are so many different levels and ways to think about the conversation, let alone how these two will relate when they meet in real life, that it makes my brain hurt. 

It's sooo much easier with a conversation between two people who aren't catfish ing, like between Kai and Ruksana. 

Speaking of Ruksana, she's the first person I've ever seen on the Circle where everyone is certain she's who she says she is. I guess it's just so unlikely that anyone would pretend to be a little person that they assume she's being truthful and this will really work in her favour. 

Edited September 12, 2021 by Melina22

[AntFTW]

On 9/8/2021 at 6:24 PM, peachmangosteen said:

 

I didn't like the clone twist. It just made me feel really bad for the real Michelle. It was sad lol. I don't like Ava/Chanel but they did a good job with it.

 

I liked real Michelle. Real Michelle was giving more context in the photos. I thought the detail about the Clemson shirt would have been a great clue but that went over everyone’s heads.

Ava and Chanel did a good job of spreading their tentacles fast. Real-Michelle didn’t move fast enough.

[Cranberry]

Real Michelle could possibly have pulled it together if she hadn't been sabotaged -- rankings usually change quite a bit between the first and second ratings. I guess we'll never know!

I like some of these people and I'm entertained, but I'm annoyed by how stupid they're being. By this point they've had a ton of Circle seasons to watch and they should be better game-players than this. Like in the Michelle situation, if one person is giving highly specific answers to questions, even knowing what's written on a sweatshirt where half the word is obscured, that person is not "trying too hard" -- the other person is obviously being purposefully vague so they don't get caught in a lie! Real Michelle even went into a chat and told them to ask her literally anything and they barely took advantage of that. Nobody even asked her something simple like her dogs' names and ages and their breeds/mixes. Someone likely could have caught the sisters out based on that alone.

[Miss Slay]

On 9/9/2021 at 6:13 PM, lynxfx said:

In terms of gameplay I think Michelle failed by choosing to visit blue Michelle. Of course it makes sense in wanting to know who is playing you, but now no one else knows the truth. She could have really mixed things up by visiting anyone else to prove that she was real and they made a mistake. That info would get out and fake Michelle would get the boot. 

THIS.

I wanted Michelle to visit one of the other players to PROVE that she was the real Michelle. That info could have been lethal to blue Michelle. I would have visited Kai.

That said - it's obvious Michelle is a really nice person. She even gave blue Michelle advice.

[Mabinogia]

44 minutes ago, Cranberry said:

I like some of these people and I'm entertained, but I'm annoyed by how stupid they're being. By this point they've had a ton of Circle seasons to watch and they should be better game-players than this. Like in the Michelle situation, if one person is giving highly specific answers to questions, even knowing what's written on a sweatshirt where half the word is obscured, that person is not "trying too hard" -- the other person is obviously being purposefully vague so they don't get caught in a lie! Real Michelle even went into a chat and told them to ask her literally anything and they barely took advantage of that. Nobody even asked her something simple like her dogs' names and ages and their breeds/mixes. Someone likely could have caught the sisters out based on that alone.

While I am not super convinced of this, I would not be at all surprised if I found out the whole thing was set up for drama because, as you said, it was super obvious which was the real Michelle if only these morons would have thought about it for two seconds. Since The Ditzy Sisters end up gone anyway, I wouldn't be at all surprised to find that production nudged the hamsters to select the fakes for drama. 

Even if it was 100% legit and these people really are dumber than dirt, the whole twist gave the show a manufactured feeling that I didn't care for. 

We shall see how it all plays out but so far none of these people are hateable, but that's mostly because none of them are memorable enough to hate. They aren't all that loveable either. They are just...there. 

[Cranberry]

I'd be surprised if it were manufactured, but only because every former contestant who's been asked about it has said the producers are really hands-off and what the audience sees is what's really happening. I did wonder about Kai, though... everyone pronounces her name as the letter K, whereas I would have rhymed it with "Tie" like I usually see. I guess it makes sense that the producers would brief people on pronunciation so it doesn't get confusing, though.

[AntFTW]

On 9/9/2021 at 9:13 PM, lynxfx said:

In terms of gameplay I think Michelle failed by choosing to visit blue Michelle. Of course it makes sense in wanting to know who is playing you, but now no one else knows the truth. She could have really mixed things up by visiting anyone else to prove that she was real and they made a mistake. That info would get out and fake Michelle would get the boot. 

I thought the same. That was an emotional decision. My guess is that she figured that she was out of the game and her gameplay no longer mattered.

For now, it looks like fake Michelle (Ava/Chanel) is gonna be blocked and Kai will see that they're not the real Michelle so their game only lasted one more round.

[AntFTW]

2 hours ago, Cranberry said:

I did wonder about Kai, though... everyone pronounces her name as the letter K, whereas I would have rhymed it with "Tie" like I usually see.

I wondered the same. When I see her name, I think "Kai like pie".

[Cranberry]

Just like in previous seasons, some of these people are too concerned with "catfish hunting" when sometimes it would be smarter to keep suspected catfish around. I forget who it was, but someone during the Michelle cloning situation said they didn't care which Michelle was real and would just go with the one they bonded with most, and that's smart!

I laughed out loud when James said his girlfriend was a diamond and he was a bus token. He's fun. He successfully identified all the catfish early on, too, which is impressive.

Nick was having so much fun playing Ghost Hunter Vince. I loved him running to different rooms and donning a costume to keep his character straight. He did fairly well making up ghost stories, too. He also handled his "olive branch" conversation with Kai well -- they were both so careful in that one. I think at this point, Kai, Nick, and "Isabella" are the best/most strategic players.

(Speaking of Vince, will The Circle inform people that he was one of the current players under a burner account? That could spark some fun drama.)

Who do you think will go home? "Jackson" and Kai? Who would Nick pick if he has indeed fallen for Kai's smooth talk? James is probably the safest choice.

Although, I just noticed that if you watch the "batch three" teaser and pause when the new player is on the treadmill, you can see on her screen seven profiles, including hers:

Spoiler

Ashley, Daniel, Isabella, James, Kai, and Nick remain, which would mean Jackson and Ruksana were blocked.

My opinion could change, but at this point I'd like to see "Isabella"/Sophia win. She's strategic, she's clever, she's funny, and I laugh every time at her disgusted reaction when she has to flirt with a guy.

[Melina22]

21 hours ago, Cranberry said:

Nick was having so much fun playing Ghost Hunter Vince. I

I HATED the clone twist but I'm LOVING the Vince twist, primarily because Nick is doing it so incredibly well. I laughed so much at the whole Camp Circle scenario with Nick literally making up all his ghost detection info as he went along. What's making the twist work is that Nick is extremely smart and I always want to watch smart people play. He's funny too, and I want to see him and James being funny together. 

James has an amazing catfish detector, except for Vince. Again, this is partly down to Nick's ability to make the two profiles sound so different, right down to Vince's use of emojis. #therealMelina22

Daniel is so bizarrely OTT that he's actually growing on me. 

 

[peachmangosteen]

This batch of eps was so much more fun than the first batch. I really enjoy everyone.

Nick has really grown on me. Him as Vince was amazing. It was funny and he actually did such a great job.

I'm assuming Daniel will get rid of Rachel/Jackson and Nick will get rid of Kai. But then I watched the promo for the next eps and Kai was all over it so I'm doubting that now. I don't know who else Nick would get rid of though.

This season feels different than the first 2 with the 2 different sides and also with the newer players being able to really become forces. I don't feel like that really happened in the first 2 seasons. Maybe I just don't remember it though lol.

ETA: Just looked at the promo spoiler @Cranberry posted.

Spoiler

Nick getting rid of Ruksana makes sense since he seems to have developed a bit of a soft spot for Kai but getting rid of Ruks does weaken her a lot so he kinda gets to have his cake and eat it too. 

 

[Cranberry]

44 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

This season feels different than the first 2 with the 2 different sides and also with the newer players being able to really become forces. I don't feel like that really happened in the first 2 seasons. Maybe I just don't remember it though lol.

I think you're right. First season the top five (all originals) were pretty tight and carried each other through. Last season the alliances seemed to only be three people each, with nobody even trying to snag a fourth for the numbers advantage. I remember us complaining about the bad strategy! 

[Mabinogia]

12 hours ago, Melina22 said:

Daniel is so bizarrely OTT that he's actually growing on me. 

I'm going the opposite way with him. He's soo OTT he is exhausting and I want him gone. 

Loved the Vince twist. I almost wanted Nick to get voted off so he could stay in the game as Vince and see how it goes, but I'm glad he is staying at least one more round. He has actually grown on me, a lot. 

It is interesting that Nick is basically captain of Team Catfish, with Ashley, Jackson and Isabella (all catfish) as his "Band" and Kai is queen of Team Real, with Ruksana, Daniel and James (all themselves). I kind of like the idea of Team Catfish vs Team Real. 

This season has gotten better. I'm glad, I didn't want to give it up. I love Michelle's voiceover work on it. She's hilarious.

[Melina22]

1 hour ago, Mabinogia said:

It is interesting that Nick is basically captain of Team Catfish, with Ashley, Jackson and Isabella (all catfish) as his "Band" and Kai is queen of Team Real, with Ruksana, Daniel and James (all themselves). I kind of like the idea of Team Catfish vs Team Real. 

Excellent observation! 

[Evie]

I liked this set of episodes much better too. The players have grown on me, with the exception of Jackson. Boring and not a good players. James is a great addition.

Nick has game. If he makes it to the finals, he probably has the best shot at winning. Isabella and Kai are good players, as well. I like that the two sides of the house are equal, and there's not just one alliance picking everyone off. 

 

[Mabinogia]

7 hours ago, Evie said:

I like that the two sides of the house are equal, and there's not just one alliance picking everyone off. 

That does make things far more interesting. In any reality show where player vote someone off, I hate it when there is a power alliance that just picks off the others one by one. 

I found the twist that each Influencer just votes one person out, rather than hashing it out very interesting. I kind of wish we could see Daniel and Nick try to convince each other to vote out one of their own and I'm kind of glad we don't have to slog through. This way, the two teams will remain even until a newbie shows up or someone turns. 

Curious how they are going to remove Vince from the game. Will they admit that he was one of the current players? Will he just "vanish"? 

[7-Zark-7]

Faux Michelle 1: We have to party like a 52 year old, you understand?

Faux Michelle 2: (devastated) NOOOO!

[violet and green]

What's the point of having a cliffhanger vote out if you spoil the result in your promo? Even without pausing it, it was clear which two players did not feature in that promo.

Meanwhile, I am loving Nick playing Vince.

[Melina22]

15 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

Curious how they are going to remove Vince from the game. Will they admit that he was one of the current players? Will he just "vanish"? 

Yes! I have many Vince-related questions, but loving the twist 

[AntFTW]

On 9/15/2021 at 9:31 AM, Cranberry said:

My opinion could change, but at this point I'd like to see "Isabella"/Sophia win. She's strategic, she's clever, she's funny, and I laugh every time at her disgusted reaction when she has to flirt with a guy.

She. Needs. To go.

"Isabella" is at the bottom of my list.

On 9/16/2021 at 6:51 PM, Mabinogia said:

It is interesting that Nick is basically captain of Team Catfish, with Ashley, Jackson and Isabella (all catfish) as his "Band" and Kai is queen of Team Real, with Ruksana, Daniel and James (all themselves). I kind of like the idea of Team Catfish vs Team Real. 

I was cracking up with myself that all the catfish are on Team Nick. I'm not exactly sure what says about Nick. What judgments can I draw from all the catfish supporting Nick? 🤣

[AntFTW]

The conflicting thing that gets me about this game is that you have to play a good social game to win while trying to hide that you're playing a good social game. You have to be seen and not be seen while you're being seen.

[AntFTW]

I imagine that the players are not allowed to talk amongst each other about how they would or should rank each other.

Because the rankings are anonymous, you could have half the players in the game be in your alliance and none of you end up on a power position. I'm just thinking if you all are in an alliance, all of you rank one person in your alliance as #1 and that person will likely be in a power position. If that's against the rule, at least talk about who is a threat. That's how Kai and Ruksana can have all the numbers and they could all be in the bottom of the rankings, be blindsided by Calvin being blocked, because the rankings among the alliance members aren't consistent and they aren't talking about who they believe is a threat.

Team Nick (all the catfish) has a target and picked Nick at the top to put Nick in a power position and Kai at the bottom. Team Kai isn't doing that. They talk about Kai being a threat. Team Kai doesn't seem like they have a target.

[Mabinogia]

7 hours ago, AntFTW said:

I was cracking up with myself that all the catfish are on Team Nick. I'm not exactly sure what says about Nick. What judgments can I draw from all the catfish supporting Nick? 🤣

The interesting thing is, it doesn't really matter if you're a catfish but they all seem to get so hung up on finding out who is a catfish. This show isn't Find the Catfish. It is a twisted popularity contest where, like AntFTW said, you should be popular, but not too popular. You want people to like you, but you don't want them to know everyone else likes you because then you'll be a threat.

I think Kai and Nick are in danger of being "too popular". I actually like both of them much to my surprise, so I hope their gameplay doesn't backfire on them. 

[Melina22]

31 minutes ago, Mabinogia said:

The interesting thing is, it doesn't really matter if you're a catfish but they all seem to get so hung up on finding out who is a catfish. This show isn't Find the Catfish

This! It literally does not matter at all whether someone is or isn't a catfish, but you'd never know it from the players. There was just one who did understand this concept - was it Ashley? 

I guess you could say that catfishes are red herrings. 😁

[AntFTW]

1 hour ago, Mabinogia said:

The interesting thing is, it doesn't really matter if you're a catfish but they all seem to get so hung up on finding out who is a catfish. This show isn't Find the Catfish. It is a twisted popularity contest where, like AntFTW said, you should be popular, but not too popular.

You're absolutely right. Being a catfish has no impact or bearing on anyone's ability to win the game... but it does in an implicit and nuanced way. Being a catfish adds an extra layer to the player because the players care so much about finding a catfish. If a person is gonna be a catfish, they person has to be a convincing catfish otherwise they lose trust.

To me, being a catfish is irrelevant. I wouldn't care. I just need people that would rank me high, catfish or not.

[AntFTW]

2 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

I think Kai and Nick are in danger of being "too popular". I actually like both of them much to my surprise, so I hope their gameplay doesn't backfire on them.

Completely agree! They both are doing really well. I like Kai and I'm on the fence with Nick.

My perception about Nick is that he doesn't seem to be playing as much of a strategic game but people are playing a strategic game through Nick (if that makes any sense). With Kai, she's extremely likeable and has a warm and inviting personality but the people she's working aren't on the same page.

[violet and green]

2 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

This show isn't Find the Catfish.

Good point. It's so odd to see them persist in this preoccupation, given they unanimously declared the catfish Michelle more 'real' than the real Michelle!

[JH Lipton]

First, Calvin can fall off a cliff.  "I like you.  I hope you win.  So I'm going to give this advantage to someone who's trying to get you blocked.  #WolfPack!  Whoo!"  I hope Kai his #BrosBeforeHos behavior and drops him like a rock.

Nick is growing on me too (like a fungus???) as is Daniel.  i think with the former, it's his super-villain laugh.  I've liked Kai from the get-go.  They certainly have had me worried for her.

20 hours ago, Melina22 said:

Yes! I have many Vince-related questions, but loving the twist 

I wonder if they had a different "burner" profile for each player.  "Vince" is easy to do for Nick, but I think Rachel would have a harder time, playing two guys.

On 9/12/2021 at 4:51 PM, Mabinogia said:

While I am not super convinced of this, I would not be at all surprised if I found out the whole thing was set up for drama

Reality shows fall out of normal game show rules (for example, the judges on cooking shows knowing who cooked what and how means that they're not just judging on taste), which means that Standards and Practices aren't as involved, and drama could be manufactured (the board on Press Your Luck is tested regularly to insure that it's random, for example). So it could be.

On 9/15/2021 at 6:31 AM, Cranberry said:

I think at this point, Kai, Nick, and "Isabella" are the best/most strategic players

Definitely.

On 9/16/2021 at 3:51 PM, Mabinogia said:

It is interesting that Nick is basically captain of Team Catfish, with Ashley, Jackson and Isabella (all catfish) as his "Band" and Kai is queen of Team Real, with Ruksana, Daniel and James (all themselves). I kind of like the idea of Team Catfish vs Team Real. 

That is cool.

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One more week to the last batch of 4 episodes, and 2 to the finale.  Whoo!