The Circle - General Discussion

[Mabinogia]

6 hours ago, JH Lipton said:

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.

Yeah, that was a very odd choice.

Alliances in these types of shows always crack me up. Everyone is so focused on trying to figure out who is a catfish that they overlook the real threat, which is those who are in more than one alliance. The people who are promising more than one person they will "take them all the way to the end". Just because one of them is playing as themselves doesn't mean they aren't lying through their teeth. 

[JH Lipton]

11 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

Yeah, that was a very odd choice.

Alliances in these types of shows always crack me up. Everyone is so focused on trying to figure out who is a catfish that they overlook the real threat, which is those who are in more than one alliance. The people who are promising more than one person they will "take them all the way to the end". Just because one of them is playing as themselves doesn't mean they aren't lying through their teeth. 

They're not lying, per se,, just not saying which "end" they're talking the other person to -- in some cases, it's to the end of the next episode!

[AntFTW]

I feel like Nick will flirt with “Jackson” once he founds out “Jackson” is really Rachel.

[Ilovepie]

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. 

Thank you! It was driving me insane that she did that! If she really wanted revenge on that person catfishing her she had to visit literally ANYONE but Blue Michelle!  And during those 24 hours watching her try to defend herself was kind of painful. She should have opened a group chat with everyone except Blue Michelle and pleaded her case vehemently! Instead, she whined to a couple people and relied on the fact that, well, of course they will believe me since it actually IS me! The truth is that the Jersey girls did a great job, and she did a crappy job which is why it went down that way, and then she made a tactical error in who she visited. She probably wasn't going to last long anyway, but man, to know some fake people make a better version of yourself has to feel pretty shitty......

[Cranberry]

Nick and James both handled their first Influencer chat so well. James went in there all, "We're gonna do what I wanna do; this guy won't push me around," and Nick had him convinced Daniel was wishy-washy almost immediately. However, James making Nick promise to bring Kai along with them to the finale was smart, and it was even smarter of him to tell Kai that Nick wanted her gone. He basically guaranteed that Nick would vote both of them up without either of them returning the favor. (Of course, then Nick brought them both into a group chat and revealed the promise, which got Kai back on his side. Just smart play from both sides.)

I was surprised that Daniel chose to see "Isabella," but I wasn't surprised when they connected immediately over their sexuality and insecurities over being the "ugly duckling"/unpopular. It was so nice of him to heavily imply she wasn't a catfish in his exit video, although it didn't seem like anyone picked up on it!

Loved Kai pointing out that everyone from her alliance has been a real person. She's clearly good at spotting authenticity. I'd say her one weak spot is that she's a softie who's easily won over by an apology and a compliment.

Nick and James' second influencer chat was great, with them both sounding like robots and saying the blandest nice things possible about every "valuable member to The Circle"... yet still almost immediately guessing each other's true identity. Not surprised they sent Jacki home -- the last player to come in has a real disadvantage. 

I've been wondering for a while if we're not seeing a lot of "Ashley's" conversations, because everyone else seems to be a much better game-player than him and I can't understand how he keeps sneaking through. I guess he's this season's middle-of-the-pack inoffensive/sweet catfish... kinda like season one's "Rebecca" or season two's "River."

I'm happy enough with the final five. I think Nick, Kai, James, and "Isabella" have all played a really strong game.

[Evie]

I have really enjoyed how having two evenly split alliances has made the votes more unpredictable.

That said: James, James, James. You handed the game to a member of The Band by agreeing to vote off a member of your alliance not once, but twice. It's all good and well to protect Kai, but now neither of you have the votes. Nick played that really well and James really poorly.

Nick has played the whole game really well. He probably deserves to win, but if Isabella and Ashley vote strategically, he might not. I would be happy with a Nick, Kai or Isabella win. 

Players in Kai's alliance played as themselves, but most of her alliance members have ended up helping the other side: Calvin gifted Nick a power, Daniel stirred the pot after being voted out and James helped vote out two of their allies.

Do the players only have certain times they can chat? It always amazes me when we get this far in the game and there are players who have never chatted privately, like Kai and Isabella and Daniel and James. I would try to find something in common with everybody. Maybe if James and Daniel had talked James would have felt a connection to him since Daniel is gay.

Edited September 23, 2021 by Evie

[AntFTW]

James! What the f*ck are you doing?

Twice! You let Nick get his way twice! You’re letting Nick keep everyone that would give him the game! You’re throwing away two people that would rank you higher than Nick.

…and James isn’t stupid but this is a stupid game move!

Edited September 22, 2021 by AntFTW

[peachmangosteen]

I knew James would let Nick get his way both times. He just wasn't close enough to Daniel or Jacki to fight for it. He should have seen the strategic implications but, as usual, the people they cast for this game normally don't play super strategically.

Nick is my least favorite but he has grown on me. And he is 100% the most strategic player. I would be shocked if he doesn't win.

I cried when Jacki talked about her brother and then again during pretty much every message from home. Dammit!

I was shocked when one of them mentioned it only having been 2 weeks. So they must be there for like less than a month.

[peachmangosteen]

Oh also I was surprised that the Vince reveal was such a dud. No one seemed to really care lol.

[lynxfx]

2 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Oh also I was surprised that the Vince reveal was such a dud. No one seemed to really care lol

Yeah that was glossed over quickly. Probably will be entertaining in the final when Nick tells everyone. 

I normally don't care about the last to arrive players but I did really like Jacki. It's a shame she couldn't have been there sooner as I think she would have been final material. 

Nick has definitely been "playing" the game the most. I don't mind if he wins. 2nd choice would be Isabella. The simplest of cat fishes. Kai has been decent as well. Actually I don't think there is anyone I hate or even dislike. Maybe I haven't paid enough attention. 

[xander874]

It’s amazing how my views of people evolve each season. This season I started loving Daniel and hating Nick and have now switched positions. Daniel was getting Courtney level annoying to me so I’m glad he’s gone. And I’m rooting for Daddy Nick to pull this out. But honestly I’ll be happy with pretty much anyone winning. 

I really like Jacki and wished she had come earlier. I totally get her being blocked. She was the safe choice at the end even if not the best strategy for James. 

Maybe next season they can bring her back. That would be interesting. 

[AntFTW]

41 minutes ago, xander874 said:

I really like Jacki and wished she had come earlier. I totally get her being blocked. She was the safe choice at the end even if not the best strategy for James. 

I completely understand Jacki being blocked. Like you said, she was a safe choice. Nobody was gonna be mad at Jacki being blocked.

…but GOODNESS GRACIOUS! Strategically, James should have fought harder for it.

4 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Nick is my least favorite but he has grown on me. And he is 100% the most strategic player. I would be shocked if he doesn't win.

Same here. I absolutely think the game is going to Nick.

[AntFTW]

5 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I was shocked when one of them mentioned it only having been 2 weeks. So they must be there for like less than a month.

It seems like a show that would take less than 3-4 weeks to shoot.

I’d lose my mind being a contestant in this game. I couldn’t sit in an apartment by myself for that long. It also seems like they don’t actually interact with the other players that much. It seems like the circle chat is only open for conversation for a certain amount of time and games don’t last that long. Therefore, they have to be there with their thoughts, remote control toy cars and books. I’d go crazy. I’m pretty introverted but not that introverted to sit in an apartment for several weeks by myself like that. It looks like the days would take forever to go by.

[Zima]

15 hours ago, AntFTW said:

James! What the f*ck are you doing?

Twice! You let Nick get his way twice! You’re letting Nick keep everyone that would give him the game! You’re throwing away two people that would rank you higher than Nick.

…and James isn’t stupid but this is a stupid game move!

IKR? James was shaping up to be a great player, but then that shit happened. I know he didn't care for Daniel, but the dude was part of his alliance! A guaranteed vote!  And then the second time...he really should have fought harder to get his way, but he caved. At that moment, I was like, "Nick better win this, because he is an amazing strategic player, and a pro at getting his way."

9 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I was shocked when one of them mentioned it only having been 2 weeks. So they must be there for like less than a month.

 

4 hours ago, AntFTW said:

It seems like a show that would take less than 3-4 weeks to shoot.

I read an article that said it took 15 days to shoot.  🤯

Jacki had both the same kitty cat headphones I have, as well as the same hoodie I have (she was wearing it on her last day there), so she and I would probably get along IRL. Heee. 

[zibnchy]

Jacki seemed savvy enough to understand that by entering the competition in its final days, she'd be booted right back out the door. That's why newbies are safe in their first blocking. The final boot is always a newbie. I assume she agreed to do it for the exposure for her career and I hope it works. She was pretty great and I'd have loved to see her play the whole game.

Nick will probably win and I'm surprisingly ok with that. Nick played smart and he seems like a likable guy. I'd prefer an lgbt winner this year but Nick played his heart out.

However, I think it was season 2 of Circle UK when a guy who was not an impressive player won unexpectedly because the other 4 were two pairs who sniped so hard at each other in the final ratings that the 5th guy (Paddy I think) sneaked out a mediocre win. (I think they use a point system, awarding so many points for a #1 position ranking and so on  down the line.) Paddy got mostly 3rd place votes but enough points to win. IMO an undeserved win. A real let down to a really good season. (I wrote all this from memory but I think its mostly correct.)

My point? Anything can happen. Isabella (Sophie) could pull out a win and I'd like that. But, yeah, Nick will probably win and I think it's going to be a happy finale because these folks are basically nice people who like each other.

I think Sophie should have played as herself. She could easily have become the group's little sister and we wouldn't have had to cringe as she "flirted" with Nick.

 

[peachmangosteen]

12 hours ago, lynxfx said:

Actually I don't think there is anyone I hate or even dislike. 

Me either. Every season, by the end, I don't hate anyone but I also have never really rooted for anyone either. Which kinda makes the show very relaxing to watch since I don't really care that much lol.

[Evie]

5 hours ago, zibnchy said:

However, I think it was season 2 of Circle UK when a guy who was not an impressive player won unexpectedly because the other 4 were two pairs who sniped so hard at each other in the final ratings that the 5th guy (Paddy I think) sneaked out a mediocre win. (I think they use a point system, awarding so many points for a #1 position ranking and so on  down the line.) Paddy got mostly 3rd place votes but enough points to win. IMO an undeserved win. A real let down to a really good season. (I wrote all this from memory but I think its mostly correct.)

My point? Anything can happen. Isabella (Sophie) could pull out a win and I'd like that. But, yeah, Nick will probably win and I think it's going to be a happy finale because these folks are basically nice people who like each other.

 

I think Nick deserves the win, but if his alliance plays strategically and ranks him low, I could see somebody like "Ashley" pulling off what I would view as a somewhat undeserved win though I do like him. 

Edited September 23, 2021 by Evie

[Melina22]

I agree with most here in really liking Nick now after an initial bad impression. I also really like Kai and I'm fascinated at how all the "real" people are drawn to her, whereas Nick has spent a lot of time aligned with catfish. Of course, in the end that doesn't matter at all, except for his supposed date with Isabella. Still, Isabella is an actual person, she's just not in the house, so he could still date her. 

That said, Nick and Jackson a/k/a Sienna Miller a/k/a Rachel seemed like the perfect couple. I expect them to date after the show. 

I also really liked Jackie. I actually like most of them, which is a surprise since I loathed everybody at first. It's those horrifying intro packages all these shows do, making me hate everyone on sight. Good job, shows. 😒

[Mabinogia]

5 hours ago, Evie said:

I could see somebody like "Ashley" pulling off what I would view as a somewhat undeserved win though I do like him. 

He's the only one I don't want to see win. Not because I don't like him or anything, but because I just don't really know him. He flew under the radar too much for me to want to see him win. James might have screwed up big time, but at least he was playing. Nick and Kai are the best two players hands down, but that might end up hurting them in the end. It depends on if the others vote who they think should win, or vote in a way they think will make them win, by voting for an "Ashley" thinking no one else will and thereby keeping Nick and Kai's votes lower. 

My order of preference is: 

1. Nick - he really, really played this game well
2. Kai - also played a very strong game
3. Isabella - LOVE her. 
4. James - he made some crucial mistakes but he also made some good moves
5. Ashley - I feel like he rode the shirt tails of Nick and The Band and just coasted, which is a strategy in itself, just not one I like. It's not entertaining and in the end this is a tv show meant to be entertaining. 

Now I wait for my favorite ep, when they all finally meet each other. 

[docmatt]

I think I would like Kai better if her hashtags weren't a paragraph long. 

#EveryThoughtGoingThroughMyHeadThroughoutTheWholeChatWithNoEditingWhatsoever.

Hit send

[AntFTW]

23 hours ago, Mabinogia said:

He's the only one I don't want to see win. Not because I don't like him or anything, but because I just don't really know him. He flew under the radar too much for me to want to see him win. James might have screwed up big time, but at least he was playing. Nick and Kai are the best two players hands down, but that might end up hurting them in the end. It depends on if the others vote who they think should win, or vote in a way they think will make them win, by voting for an "Ashley" thinking no one else will and thereby keeping Nick and Kai's votes lower. 

My order of preference is: 

1. Nick - he really, really played this game well
2. Kai - also played a very strong game
3. Isabella - LOVE her. 
4. James - he made some crucial mistakes but he also made some good moves
5. Ashley - I feel like he rode the shirt tails of Nick and The Band and just coasted, which is a strategy in itself, just not one I like. It's not entertaining and in the end this is a tv show meant to be entertaining. 

Now I wait for my favorite ep, when they all finally meet each other. 

My order would almost be the same except that James would be my #3 and Isabella would be my #4. In terms of strategic game play, I think James just ahead of “Isabella”/Sophia. James might be losing that spot in my ranking because he let Nick get his way twice.

James did absolutely everything it required to win the game. He pulled in Jacki as he was supposed. James got himself into the dominant “alliance” (if you can call it that) and then gave it up. James probably would have been number 1 for me if he didn’t give in to Nick two times.

To say I’m disappointed in James’ gameplay is an understatement. Maybe he wins and I eat my words. But for now, to have a great chance at winning the game and having people that would rank him high and then to give those people up is just… a disappointment. Jacki would have absolutely ranked James #1 in everything. Had he saved Daniel, that would have been his bridge to a deeper relationship with Daniel.

[JH Lipton]

On 9/22/2021 at 7:06 AM, Cranberry said:

Nick and James both handled their first Influencer chat so well. James went in there all, "We're gonna do what I wanna do; this guy won't push me around," and Nick had him convinced Daniel was wishy-washy almost immediately.

Nick and James' second influencer chat was great, with them both sounding like robots and saying the blandest nice things possible about every "valuable member to The Circle"... yet still almost immediately guessing each other's true identity. Not surprised they sent Jacki home -- the last player to come in has a real disadvantage. 

 

 

I agree with the others -- James played horridly both times.  Especially after his bluster "They're not going to push me around!"  I wonder what would have happened if they said that they were hopelessly deadlocked the first time (maybe they did and it just wasn't shown.)

The second time James should have said "It's obvious that we're from the two separate alliances.  My alliance lost a player in the last block; it's only fair that you lose one this time."

I think that "Ashley" and "Isabella" will rate Nick as #1, and each other as  #2.  Kai will rate James as #1 and Nick as #2.  James will probably follow the "bro code" and rate Nick as # 1 and Kai as #2, and Nick might rate "Ashley" and Isabella as #1 and #2 -- the order doesn't matter.  If so, Nick wins easily, James is second, "Ashley" and "Isabella" tie for 3rd/4th, and Kai, who I wanted to win is 5th.

 

21 hours ago, docmatt said:

I think I would like Kai better if her hashtags weren't a paragraph long. 

#EveryThoughtGoingThroughMyHeadThroughoutTheWholeChatWithNoEditingWhatsoever.

Hit send

As bad as "#MyHashTagGameIsSoWeakAndmAshamed"?

[Cranberry]

I think there was a lot not shown, as they said they talked for a long time. I didn't think James letting Daniel go after the first chat was that bad -- he didn't have a relationship with Daniel, Daniel had switched loyalties before, and Jacki was already in the house and James had made a good first impression, so he probably gambled on the alliances being equal with Daniel gone (Nick/Ashley/Isabella vs. James/Kai/Jacki). He also made Nick promise to bring Kai along with them to the finale, so with the equal number of alliance members plus that vote from Nick (and the fact that he'd bonded some with Ashley), he seemed fairly safe. I don't think it was perfect gameplay or anything, but I can see him agreeing to it because I'd imagine Nick would absolutely not budge.

I never said he played well in the second meeting, just that it was funny how bland he and Nick were both being and how great it was that they guessed each other's identities. I think he should have pushed much harder in that one because that time he was actually unbalancing the alliances. Again, though, I could see Nick absolutely refusing to budge. I wonder what happens when neither person will give in. Is there a time limit?

[peachmangosteen]

3 hours ago, Cranberry said:

Again, though, I could see Nick absolutely refusing to budge. I wonder what happens when neither person will give in. Is there a time limit?

I agree with your whole post. This part, yea, I think Nick would have never backed down. I wonder if after a bit James just realized he wasn't going to convince Nick and gave up or if TPTB nudged them in some way about what would happen if they didn't agree.

[Bobcatkitten]

My theory is they are only allowed to do a certain number of chats a day - outside of the full circle chat - so they have to think strategically about who to talk to. 

[Melina22]

1 hour ago, Bobcatkitten said:

My theory is they are only allowed to do a certain number of chats a day -

On RHAP, Taran said that Calvin told him they were only allowed one hour of chat per day. That's really limited. This includes group chats. 

Edited September 27, 2021 by Melina22

[Bobcatkitten]

Damn one hour a day plus maybe a game and 8 hours of sleep. That sucks. 

[Melina22]

Not only that, but I read that the lights in the rooms are so bright that it's really hot, all day long. It's like being in the Big Brother house with no people, and only two small rooms. No wonder they love being influencers, they get a change of scenery.

The only benefit is that unlike on BB, they're allowed to read books. 

[Cranberry]

You can read this before you see the finale, as it was published beforehand: ‘The Circle’ Season 3 Oral History: Strong Bonds, Secret Allies, and Unspoken Alliances

It's really good. Some fun bits:

Quote

Nick: I was pretty confident that Orange Michelle was the real Michelle, but it didn’t matter to me. I wasn’t going home. From a strategic point of view, me and the Wolf Pack had discussed who to block and Calvin was very much like, “Let’s block Blue.” So why would I go against Daniel and Calvin when we said we were blocking Blue? They were my allies.

 

Quote

Nick: It was all strategy. I knew if I’m flirting with someone, they have absolutely no reason to block me. It would be awesome if this Isabella character were real, but I was going for that $100,000. I wasn’t trying to date anybody in The Circle, a game about catfishing.

 

Quote

Sophia: I remember writing down in a journal being like, “I think there might be something up with Ashley, but I don’t give a shit.” Ashley could be any type of human and I didn’t care because I knew that we had a special bond regardless.

 

Quote

Nick: I always saw [Kai] as my biggest threat. If you watch again and pay attention to Kai’s messages, they’re like art. They’re so good. They’re perfect at not shooting too hard at anyone. She does a great job.

 

Quote

James: Me and Ashley’s connection is the reason I felt okay leaving the Influencer rooms and keeping Ashley. My number one was Kai. Nick’s number one was Isabella. So it was always Ashley versus Daniel or Ashley versus Jacki. The whole time I’m like, “Damn, I love Ashley. Ashley’s dope. I had a personal connection with her.” So I left the room knowing I still have somebody that I wouldn’t mind winning the grand prize.

 

Re: Nick and James' second influencer chat:

Quote

Nick: I was so tired. I had been an Influencer the previous two times. I knew this was the last one and I was safe, so at this point, do my allies even really matter? Because the final rating is such a crapshoot. I was like, if James is extremely convincing, I could get rid of Ashley.

 

Quote

Nick: I definitely stuck to my plan. I went in there not wanting the other people to know I was smart. I didn’t want them to see me as a big, strategic threat and instead just see me as this flirty guy who probably has no idea what he’s doing, and I think that’s how it came off.

 

[Cranberry]

That was fun! This was definitely a strategic group, and I liked how they went over some of their conversations/conflicts and explained their strategies during the group dinner ("dinner" -- they never do get to eat any food). I'm also glad nobody got too attached and ended up feeling betrayed by the catfish. Nick in particular seemed more annoyed with himself that he'd been fooled than anything, although he soon saw the humor in his entire alliance being "loyal catfish."

I'm satisfied with the winner, who played a strong game and deserved it. I actually expected the second-place person to take it, not because of skill, but because of how I assumed the votes would shake out.

[AntFTW]

I humbly eat my words. I’m satisfied with the result. I would’ve been satisfied with any result because I love this stupid show.

I was rooting moreso for Kai and James because I thought they were plying masterful games. They ranked strategically. They placed who everyone thought were the biggest threats in last place.

4 hours ago, Cranberry said:

Nick in particular seemed more annoyed with himself that he'd been fooled than anything, although he soon saw the humor in his entire alliance being "loyal catfish."

Nick cracked me up with the “band full of frauds” comment. 😂

Edited September 29, 2021 by AntFTW

[AntFTW]

4 hours ago, Cranberry said:

I'm satisfied with the winner, who played a strong game and deserved it. I actually expected the second-place person to take it, not because of skill, but because of how I assumed the votes would shake out.

I actually expected the same. With the editing, they give you a peek at how people are ranking but you never really know. It’s hard to tell if they’re ranking strategically until you find out who won. Throughout the game, it doesn’t seem like anyone thought the second-placer would have been a strong threat.

[Melina22]

I finally finished The Circle and I love how cathartic the last episode always is. You have to hope for lots of catfish because that really amps up the excitement and drama of the reveal "dinner". So much fun. 

Nick was legitimately shocked and disappointed at first to discover Isabella wasn't real. You could read it all over his face for at least the first couple of minutes. But he was a good sport about it. 

I'm happy with the winner, but slightly unhappy with how the final vote works. It seems to me that the strongest players are automatically placed last, which explains Nick and Kai in the last two places. Meanwhile the top three are generally people the others thought weakest. I don't know how someone is supposed to navigate this when they play. How do you play so you're popular enough to make F5, but unpopular enough to make F2? That said, the winner was a pretty good player, although not the best IMHO. So I'm happy but wish there was a slightly different way of choosing the winner. Maybe more of a jury thing? 

I'm really curious to know what long term relationships and friendships emerge from this season. Hopefully we'll find out. 

[AntFTW]

17 minutes ago, Melina22 said:

I'm happy with the winner, but slightly unhappy with how the final vote works. It seems to me that the strongest players are automatically placed last, which explains Nick and Kai in the last two places.

I liked that part. Kai was one of the ones I was rooting for so I was a little disappointed about that but I prefer when the player show their strategic thinking. With this show, it’s conflicting for me. I like seeing how the player think strategically, but is it really strategic in a game like this? How strategic can one actually be in the final ratings?

Rating the “biggest threat” last means that a “lesser threat” can squeak by to a win. How exactly can someone balance making sure the “biggest threats” don’t win and also make sure someone that wasn’t on anyone’s radar doesn’t silently squeak by?

24 minutes ago, Melina22 said:

I don't know how someone is supposed to navigate this when they play. How do you play so you're popular enough to make F5, but unpopular enough to make F2? That said, the winner was a pretty good player, although not the best IMHO. So I'm happy but wish there was a slightly different way of choosing the winner. Maybe more of a jury thing? 

Right! The players are really working on such limited information. It’s impossible to know how to navigate your way to winning. It seems more like a hope and a prayer at the final ratings.

[Evie]

I had a feeling this group would be super strategic in their rankings, but as I said last week, I thought the second place finisher was going to squeak it out. I'm happy enough with the result, especially because it means those that come in later do have a shot. I liked all of the finalists, but I do think Kai and Nick were the strongest players. Anyway, after the first batch of episodes which were rather meh, this ended up being a fun season.

[blueroses]

Nick seemed truly shocked to be ranked 5th in the finale. Once they got to the last 2, I was rooting for Matthew because James was such a nothing burger in the show to me. 

It’s like you have to be enough of a player to get to the finale, but not so much that everyone will turn on you once you get there. And it seems like that’s what happened - they went out in order of their player-ness.

[Melina22]

3 minutes ago, blueroses said:

Nick seemed truly shocked to be ranked 5th in the finale. 

I know. Between that and the Isabella reveal, his poker face was getting a major workout. Good thing Jackson was there, fawning all over him, so he didn't feel like a total loser. 

[Melina22]

I just read a really good interview with the winner and the best part was his admission that he did not expect to win AT ALL. He was so shocked he says he literally almost fell over and blanked out for a few seconds. Love it. 

[peachmangosteen]

4 hours ago, Melina22 said:

Nick was legitimately shocked and disappointed at first to discover Isabella wasn't real. You could read it all over his face for at least the first couple of minutes. But he was a good sport about it. 

This. He looked completely stunned imo. And I do think he was a little sad about it, even if he won’t admit it lol. But yea, he’s got Rachel waiting in the wings so that probably helped.

3 hours ago, blueroses said:

Nick seemed truly shocked to be ranked 5th in the finale.

This as well. I actually was too lol. I didn’t expect everyone be to be so strategic. The 2nd season was more strategic than the 1st with final rankings for sure but this 1 I think was the most strategic.

I really liked James and I liked that a late starter won so I’m happy.

I wish they would release everyone’s final rankings.

I also need to find out what these people’s instagrams are to see if any of them are still friends.

[AntFTW]

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

This as well. I actually was too lol. I didn’t expect everyone be to be so strategic. The 2nd season was more strategic than the 1st with final rankings for sure but this 1 I think was the most strategic.

Right! Each season gets more strategic. I didn't think season 1 was strategic at all. Season 1 seems like people just came for a catfish summer camp. Then season 2 comes and the player upped the gameplay. They played harder. Then this season the players went even further with their gameplay.

1 hour ago, peachmangosteen said:

I wish they would release everyone’s final rankings.

Me too

Edited September 29, 2021 by AntFTW

[lynxfx]

2 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

This. He looked completely stunned imo. And I do think he was a little sad about it, even if he won’t admit it lol. But yea, he’s got Rachel waiting in the wings so that probably helped.

Yeah you could tell that he wasn't attracted and didn't know how to play off the flirting. I think he loosened up once he realized she was gay and he didn't have to stick by what he said in private chats. After that it was all fun until his 5th place ranking.

He also called the Circle a catfish game when it isn't. It is a popularity game. Finding or being a catfish gets you nothing. It just makes it more entertaining for us, the viewer.

It is interesting that the two top players ended up getting 5th and 1st and Ashley almost sneaking in the win. I don't know how I would play this game at that point. Do you rank your competition bottom or maybe middle and rank who you think the comp will rank higher out of the middle group as your bottom. So many scenarios and yes I wish they would give us the rankings after the show.

Overall ok season. No one super obnoxious and over the top. I liked the ghost hunter twist the best for entertainment value.

[peachmangosteen]

I forgot to ask, I actually don't even understand how the rankings even work lol. Are they each given points based on it or something?

[Bobcatkitten]

I wish they had to truly vote for who they thought played the best game and should win. They should get to rank themselves first and then others after. But by allowing the strategy stuff they automatically take out the top threats and the winner comes from the middle. 

I had nothing against James but got tired of all his jokes and was not excited at all that he won. 

[peachmangosteen]

Oh also, it's interesting that a man has actually won all 3 seasons since DeLeesa was catfishing as a man.

I think James is actually my fave winner so far.

[AntFTW]

49 minutes ago, Bobcatkitten said:

I wish they had to truly vote for who they thought played the best game and should win. They should get to rank themselves first and then others after. But by allowing the strategy stuff they automatically take out the top threats and the winner comes from the middle. 

I had nothing against James but got tired of all his jokes and was not excited at all that he won. 

How I look at it is that the rankings assume that the players would place themselves in first place. If they could rank themselves #1, everybody would pick themselves for #1 and it wouldn’t actually change anyone’s position in the ratings.

[AntFTW]

54 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I forgot to ask, I actually don't even understand how the rankings even work lol. Are they each given points based on it or something?

They don’t get points, they just win temporary safety. Someone would be rated #1 for the entire game until the final rating, and lose the final rating and therefore lose the game.

[peachmangosteen]

So how do the ratings work?

[ally8620000]

I'm bummed. I don't really mind that James won but like others said, Nick and Kai deserved it. 

[xander874]

I thought Ruksana was being a little salty about the catfishers. I don’t really get the whole obsession with that. People are playing a strategy they think works for them  and it’s a game so backs will be stabbed. But I guess that’s human nature. 
 

I agree that they should revamp the final rankings because the best players will often not win. But again it’s a game so who knows?

[Cranberry]

Maybe the top five have all talked about their final rankings in interviews? Sophia has; hers are here:

Quote

What were your final ratings of the other four players?

So Ashley was obviously number one. You see it in the very first batch of episodes with our connection and talking about our sexuality. We had so much in common without realizing who each other was behind the profile. I would have been so happy with Ashley/Matthew getting the money at the end of the day. James was second. He’s an amazing person. Though we never got to talk about anything, in every group chat he had, I was like, “What a [expletive] badass.” I feel like anybody with such a great sense of humor, that just speaks volumes. So having him second just made sense.

Obviously, I couldn’t have played this game without Nick. I’m sure I could have gotten as far as I did. But he definitely did a lot for me. He was there from day one for me. And that’s why I had to keep him at number three. And, of course, that leaves Kai at fourth. I wish Kai and I could have talked more. Outside of this game, she’s one of my favorite people ever. So my voting went from strategic the whole season to more personal at the end.

Ooh, here are Matthew's:

Quote

What were your final ratings of the other four players?

So I put Kai in fourth place. I knew that she was working with James, so James was going to put her high. And I assume that she was working with Nick throughout the game because they were definitely going for each other’s necks, so I wasn’t sure where Nick was going to rate her. I really loved her by the end, but I rated Kai fourth. Third I gave to Nick. He had gotten first place in the last couple of nominations, and Isabella and I kept putting him in our first place. So I thought Isabella might put him high, so that’s why I put him in third.

When it came to James and Isabella, there was a lot of discourse about who I wanted to put first and second. There was a point where I was like, “I’ve been playing strategy this whole game.” And when we gave the answers of what we would use the money for, James’s answer really touched me. And I said to myself, “I’m gonna put the person in first place who, if I don’t win, I want them to win.” And I wouldn’t take it back. I really wouldn’t.

James':

Quote

What were your final ratings of the other four players?

Kai was number one at all times. My process was who I wanted to win. So I wanted Kai to win first. Second was Ashley; Ashley and I had a great bond. After that, I got a little strategic. I thought Nick had a really good chance of winning. That’s why I put him last. Unfortunately, Sophia and I didn’t get a chance to really bond on the show. Because I came in late, there really wasn’t a lot of time to talk. So I put her third because I thought Nick had a better chance.

Kai's:

Quote

What were your final ratings of the other four players?

I know I did James first. I think after James, I did Ashley. And then after that was Isabella, and Nick last. James had my back, and he kept me in the game. I feel like James is the reason why I was able to make it to the dinner. I put Ashley second because I felt more genuine with her apology. Isabella was third just because I didn’t feel like her apology was as genuine during the game. And Nick was the most powerful threat at the time and the other team’s leader.

And finally, Nick's:

Quote

What were your final ratings of the other four players?

I believe I went Isabella first, because I had a feeling that she wasn’t going to get rated highly by anyone else in The Circle. I wanted to put my first position as someone who would stand no chance at winning. Then I put Ashley second because she was my ally. And I also didn’t think that Kai or James would have put her highly, so that would balance that out. I was basically trying to make all the other players average out so that I could float above the average. I’d also rather just put the two people who helped me even get to this finale up at the top because I felt like they deserved it. Then I put James and then Kai, I believe.

I put them in a spreadsheet to make them easier to visualize:

And someone on Reddit did the math:

Quote

Placement (based on points - low points are good)

1st: James: 1, 2, 3, 1 = 7

2nd: Ashley: 2 1 2 2 = 7

3rd: Isabella: 3 2 1 3 = 9

4th: Kai: 1 4 4 4 = 13

5th: Nick: 4 3 3 4 = 14

James and Ashley tied for first, but since James had two first place ratings, he wins. If Ashley had put James second and Isabella first, then Ashley would’ve won.