The Circle (American season 4)
Season of television series
| The Circle | |
|---|---|
Promotional image |
|
| Presented by | Michelle Buteau |
| No. of days | 13 |
| No. of contestants | 13 |
| Winner | Frank Grimsley |
| Runner-up | Trevor St. Agathe |
| Fan Favorite | Josh “Bru” Brubaker |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Original network | Netflix |
| Original release | May 4 – May 25, 2022 |
The fourth season of the American reality competition streaming series The Circle premiered on Netflix on May 4, 2022. Michelle Buteau returned as host; the season consists of 13 episodes, initially released four episodes weekly. Players compete without ever actually meeting in person; they communicate through a simulated social media interface, portraying themselves in any way they choose.
Frank Grimsley, who had played the game as himself, won the US$150,000 prize on May 25, 2022. His win cemented him as the first LGBT winner.[1] Trevor St. Agathe as “Imani” was the runner-up. Josh “Bru” Brubaker won the Fan Favorite award and US$10,000.[2]
The contestants, or “players”, move into the same apartment building. However, the contestants do not meet face-to-face during the course of the competition, as they each live in their own individual apartment. They communicate solely using their profiles on a specially-designed social media app that gives them the ability to portray themselves in any way they choose. Players can thus opt to present themselves as a completely different personality to the other players, a tactic otherwise known as catfishing.[3]
Throughout the series, the contestants “rate” one another from first to last place. At the end of the ratings, their average ratings are revealed to one another from lowest to highest. Normally, the two highest-rated players become “Influencers”, while the remaining players will be at risk of being “blocked” by the Influencers. However, occasionally there may be a twist to the blocking process – varying from the lowest rating players being instantly blocked, the identity of the Influencers being a secret, or multiple players being blocked at one time. Blocked players are eliminated from the game, but are given the opportunity to meet one player still in the game in-person. Then, the day after a blocking, a video message is shown to the remaining players to reveal if they were real or fake.[3]
During the finale, the contestants rate each other one final time, where the highest rated player wins the game and US$150,000.[4] Also, fans of The Circle are able to vote for their favorite player. The player that receives the most votes is known as the Fan Favorite and receives US$10,000.[5][6]
Production[edit]
Development and release[edit]
The season was announced on August 9, 2021 when Netflix renewed The Circle for a fourth and fifth season prior the premiere of the third season.[7] The season premiered on May 4, with four episodes releasing weekly until May 25.[8][9]
A teaser for the season was released on April 27, 2022 showing bits of the cast and revealing that the prize money had been increased to $150,000 rather than the $100,000 prize awarded during previous seasons due to Spice Girls members Emma Bunton and Mel B increasing the prize fund by completing a mission while partaking in the season. During the trailer, it was also confirmed that previous host Michelle Buteau will continue to host the series.[10][11]
Casting and filming[edit]
Filming for the season took place in Fall 2021 at an apartment complex in Manchester, England. The same complex that was used during previous seasons and other versions of the series. The apartment complex is prepared with twelve furnished and ready-to-use apartments for the players to live in.[12][13]
After the third season began airing, casting for the fourth and fifth seasons opened on April 12, 2021.[14][15] The initial members of the cast were revealed on April 27, 2022.[16]
Players[edit]
The season consisted of 13 players. Various members of the first set of nine players were teased alongside a trailer release on April 27, 2022. An official cast reveal took place the following day.[16] These players included two catfishes and five players participating as themselves. Additionally, extra players were revealed as the season progressed. The first celebrity contestants, Emma Bunton & Mel B from Spice Girls, competed to help increase the prize money, however they did not partake in ratings and were not competing to win.[17] Other additional cast members included one catfish and two players playing as themselves, two of these players were revealed with the rest of the cast but joined The Circle later.[18] Additionally, Trevor St. Agathe, who was the catfish profile of season two winner DeLeesa St. Agathe, participated in this season.
| Name | Age | Playing as | Entered | Exited | Status | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Parker Abbott | 21 | “Paul”, her 56-year old father | Episode 1 | Episode 2 | Blocked | [20] |
| Emma Bunton | 46 | “Jared”, a 28-year-old children’s author | Episode 2 | Episode 5 | Left | [21] |
| Mel B | 47 | |||||
| Crissa Jackson | 31 | Herself | Episode 1 | Episode 7 | Blocked | [22] |
| Alyssa Ljubicich | 27 | Herself | Episode 1 | Episode 9 | Blocked | [23] |
| John Franklin | 24 | “Carol”, his 63-year old mother | Episode 1 | Episode 11 | Blocked | [24] |
| Josh “Bru” Brubaker | 25 | Himself | Episode 1 | Episode 12 | Blocked | [25] |
| Alex Brizard | 28 | “Nathan”, a 22-year old college student | Episode 3 | Episode 13 | Blocked | [26] |
| Eversen Bevelle | 35 | Himself | Episode 7 | Episode 13 | Fifth place | [27] |
| Rachel Evans | 29 | Herself | Episode 3 | Episode 13 | Fourth place | [28] |
| Yu Ling Wu | 25 | Herself | Episode 1 | Episode 13 | Third place | [29] |
| Trevor St. Agathe | 35 | “Imani”, his wife’s friend | Episode 7 | Episode 13 | Runner-up | [30][31] |
| Frank Grimsley | 28 | Himself | Episode 1 | Episode 13 | Winner | [32] |
Episodes[edit]
Results and elimination[edit]
- Color key
- The contestant was blocked.
- The contestant was an influencer.
- The contestant was immune from being blocked.
| Episode 1 | Episode 4 | Episode 6 | Episode 8 | Episode 10 | Episode 12 | Episode 13 (Final) |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frank | 1st | Voted for Jared |
3rd | Chose to save Yu Ling |
1st | Not published |
Winner (Episode 13) |
|||
| Trevor “Imani” |
Not in The Circle |
Chose to save Frank |
4th | Not published |
Runner-up (Episode 13) |
|||||
| Yu Ling | 6th | Voted for Rachel |
1st | Chose to save Rachel |
2nd | Not published |
Third Place (Episode 13) |
|||
| Rachel | Not in The Circle |
Voted for Alyssa |
Exempt | Chose to save Nathan |
3rd | Not published |
Fourth Place (Episode 13) |
|||
| Eversen | Not in The Circle |
Chose to save Frank |
5th | Not published |
Fifth Place (Episode 13) |
|||||
| Alex “Nathan” |
Not in The Circle |
Voted for Rachel |
Exempt | Chose to save Bru |
7th | Not published |
Blocked (Episode 13) |
|||
| Bru | 5th | Voted for Rachel |
=4th | Chose to save Carol |
6th | Not published |
Blocked (Episode 12) |
|||
| John “Carol” |
2nd | Voted for Nathan |
=4th | Saved | 8th | Blocked (Episode 11) |
||||
| Alyssa | 4th | Voted for Jared |
2nd | Not saved | Blocked (Episode 9) |
|||||
| Crissa | 3rd | Voted for Carol |
6th | Blocked (Episode 7) |
||||||
| Emma & Mel “Jared” |
Exempt | Voted for Jared |
Left (Episode 5) |
|||||||
| Parker “Paul” |
7th | Blocked (Episode 2) |
||||||||
| Notes | 1 | 2,3 | none | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | |||
| Influencer(s) | Frank, John |
none | Alyssa, Yu Ling |
none | Frank, Yu Ling |
Frank | none | |||
| Left | none | Emma & Mel “Jared” |
none | |||||||
| Blocked | Parker “Paul” Influencers’ choice to block |
none | Crissa Influencers’ choice to block |
Alyssa Left without Antivirus Software |
John “Carol” Influencers’ choice to block |
Bru Lowest- rated player |
Eversen Lowest rated player |
Rachel Fourth highest rated player |
||
| Alex “Nathan” Superinfluencer’s choice to block |
Yu Ling Third highest rated player |
Trevor “Imani” Second highest rated player |
||||||||
| Frank Highest- rated player |
||||||||||
| Ref. | [34] | [35] | [36] | [37] | ||||||
Notes[edit]
- ^Note 1 : After the ratings were revealed, Frank was told that he would have to choose a new player to join the Circle the next day, being shown two profiles, “Jared” and “Trey”. The new player was revealed to be played by Emma & Melanie at the end of the first episode. Due to being a new player, Jared could not be blocked during the first blocking.
- ^Note 2 : Emma and Melanie were revealed to be taking part for a limited time, with the mission to stay undetected during that period in order to increase the winner’s prize.
- ^Note 3 : The players were tasked with voting for who they think which profile Emma and Melanie are behind. Since a majority of the players did not vote for Jared, the winner’s prize was increased.
- ^Note 4 : Due to the Cyber Attack, all players except Eversen & Trevor/Imani were vulnerable to be blocked. They had to choose who to save, and they chose Frank. This process then continued with the player who received the Antivirus most recently choosing the next person until one person was left without it, and therefore blocked. Bru, who had the final choice, chose to give the Antivirus to John/Carol, leaving Alyssa blocked.
- ^Note 5 : Before deciding who to block, Frank and Yu Ling had a chance to save two players each. Frank chose Rachel and Imani, while Yu Ling chose Bru and Alex/Nathan. The two remaining players at risk of being blocked, Everson and John/Carol, went to the Meet Room to await the influencers’ decision.
- ^Note 6 : The ratings were not published. The lowest-rated player was immediately blocked. Meanwhile, the highest-rated player automatically became the “Superinfluencer,” who could make the sole decision on whom to block.
- ^Note 7 : The players made their final ratings.
Reception[edit]
Since the season premiered, it kept in Netflix’s “Top 10 TV Series in the U.S.” list, and kept in the top for its entire run. The series landed at number six on the list for its second week on air, for its third, the series landed at number three, and for its last the series ranked at number ten.[38][39][40]
However, the season received criticism for its casting of big personalities. Many fans were upset at the fact that most of the players were social media personalities and not “real people”.[41]
References[edit]
- ^ Sim, Bernardo (May 25, 2022). “The Circle Season 4 Crowns the Show’s First-Ever LGBTQ+ Winner”. Out.com. Retrieved May 28, 2022.
- ^ @CircleNetflix (May 27, 2022). “YOUR RANKINGS ARE IN! The Circle season 4 fan favorite winner is…… @bruontheradio!” (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b Kuchera, Ben (January 10, 2020). “Netflix’s The Circle is the sweetest reality show about catfishing”. Polygon. Retrieved January 10, 2020.
- ^ WROC Staff (January 15, 2020). “The Circle spoilers: How ROC native Joey Sasso finished on Netflix’s new reality show”. rochesterfirst.com. RochesterFirst.com. Retrieved January 18, 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ @CircleNetflix (January 8, 2020). “?ALERT!? It’s time to vote for #TheCircle Fan Favorite. You can decide which player you’d rank #1 and get them $10,000! Go to TheCircleVote.com to vote now!” (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @thecirclenetflix (January 8, 2020). “?ALERT!? It’s time to vote for The Circle Fan Favorite. You can decide which player you’d rank #1 and get them $10,000! Tap the link in our bio and vote now☝️”. instagram.com. Instagram. Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ^ White, Peter (August 9, 2021). “‘The Circle’, ‘Indian Matchmaking’ & ‘The American Barbecue Showdown’ Renewed At Netflix”. Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ @CircleNetflix (April 6, 2022). “? ALERT! ?The Circle is back, and things are about to get SPICY ? The first episodes of season 4 drop MAY 4th only on Netflix!” (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Massoto, Erick (6 April 2022). “‘The Circle’ Season 4 Release Date Announced at Netflix”. Collider. Retrieved 7 April 2022.
- ^ @MichelleButeau (December 10, 2019). “I’m hosting this show & you should watch ??✨?” (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Chapman, Wilson (27 April 2022). “‘The Circle’ Season 4 Trailer Hints at Two Spice Girls Crashing the Netflix Competition”. Variety. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
- ^ Haylock, Zoe (21 January 2020). “The Circle’s Creator Guides Us Through the Show’s Beautiful Web of Lies”. vulture.com. Vulture. Archived from the original on 24 April 2020. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
- ^ Netflix (14 January 2020). “Go Inside The Circle Apartment Complex with Michelle Buteau – Netflix”. youtube.com. YouTube. Retrieved 23 January 2020.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ @CastingTheCircleUS (April 12, 2021). “ALERT! Applications are now OPEN for possible future seasons of #TheCircle USA ?? APPLY NOW – thecirclecasting.com” (Tweet). Retrieved May 19, 2022 – via Twitter.
- ^ “‘The Circle’ Casting”. thecirclecasting.com.
- ^ a b c @CircleNetflix (April 28, 2022). “Psst… The Circle has been hacked and the season four cast just leaked. Enjoy! ?” (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ “Spice Girls Emma Bunton and Melanie Brown Sign Up for The Circle Season 4″. Collider. Retrieved May 4, 2022.
- ^ a b Markus James Dixon (27 April 2022). “‘The Circle’ Season 4 Cast – Everything You Need To Know”. GoldDerby. Retrieved 27 April 2022.
- ^ Julia Emmanuele (28 April 2022). “Meet Netflix’s ‘The Circle’ Season 4 Cast: Who’s Planning to Catfish the Competition?”. UsMagazine. Retrieved 28 April 2022.
- ^ @CircleNetflix (April 30, 2022). “No one knows you like family: or at least Parker hopes so. She enters The Circle playing as her dad, Paul” (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @CircleNetflix (May 4, 2022). “? ALERT! ? We warned you things were about to get SPICY ✌️?? That’s right! BABY SPICE AND SCARY SPICE ARE COMING TO THE CIRCLE TO SPICE UP OUR LIVES!! ? @EmmaBunton @OfficialMelB, let the catfishing begin ?” (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @CircleNetflix (April 30, 2022). “All-star hoops legend @crissa_ace1 is stepping off the court to try to score big in the Circle” (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @CircleNetflix (April 29, 2022). “Coming in ? is Alyssa who wants nothing more than to hear everyone’s little secret” (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @CircleNetflix (May 1, 2022). “The Jersey mom of your dreams. meet @_johnfranklin_, otherwise known as Momma Carol” (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @CircleNetflix (April 29, 2022). “Meet @BruOnTheRadio — the radio personality who’s the nicest guy on the block ?” (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @CircleNetflix (May 1, 2022). “Meet @awildbriz, the man with the plan, and he hopes entering The Circle as frat star Nathan works out in the end ?” (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @CircleNetflix (May 11, 2022). “Meet our newest player, Eversen! A cruise director that can turn any frown upside down” (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @CircleNetflix (May 1, 2022). “meet @rachelsamevans — a paranormal researcher with a heart of gold. ?” (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @CircleNetflix (April 29, 2022). “? The tiny but spicy @styuling ? is here to win and kick ass along the way” (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ Chrissy Bobic (May 11, 2022). “‘The Circle’: Trevor Talks Female Catfish Strategy and Besting His Wife DeLeesa’s Game (EXCLUSIVE)”. Distractify. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
- ^ @CircleNetflix (May 11, 2022). “Catfishing must run in the family. Trevor is entering The Circle as Imani, but will he come out on top like DeLeesa? ?” (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ @CircleNetflix (April 30, 2022). “If you wanna drive the boat this season, just know @franknthecity is already the captain ?” (Tweet) – via Twitter.
- ^ a b c “The Circle Episode Listings”. The Futon Critic. Retrieved April 6, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e Keisha Hatchett. “The Circle Season 4 Premiere Recap: Two Spice Girls Become One Catfish”. TVLine. Retrieved May 5, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e “‘The Circle’ Season 4 Spoilers – Who Were The Influencers in Episodes 5-8″. NetflixLife. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ a b c d e “‘The Circle’ Season 4 Spoilers – Who Was Eliminated in Episodes 9-12″. NetflixLife. Retrieved May 18, 2022.
- ^ a b Keisha Hatchett (May 25, 2022). “The Circle Recap: Who Won Season 4?”. TVLine. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- ^ Liam Mathews and Tim Surette (May 20, 2022). “The Top 10 Most Popular TV Shows on Netflix Today, May 20”. TVLine. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ^ Kasey Moore (May 11, 2022). “What’s New on Netflix & Top 10s: May 11th, 2022”. What’s On Netflix. Retrieved May 20, 2022.
- ^ Jason Weise (May 25, 2022). “Netflix Top 10 Movies and Shows: What’s Trending on May 25th, 2022”. CinemaBlend. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
- ^ Baheen Qadri (May 4, 2022). “Why Are Fans So Irritated With the Contestants of ‘The Circle’ Season 4?”. NetflixJunkie. Retrieved May 26, 2022.
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