The American version of The Circle has finally arrived to ring in the new year, and, so far, the first four episodes do not disappoint. In case you aren’t familiar with the show’s British counterpart, The Circle is a reality competition show in which strangers move into an apartment building and solely communicate with each other through an app called The Circle. They can choose to catfish or be themselves to become the most popular player and win $100,000 USD.
Each episode, the contestants try to become an influencer so they can determine who gets kicked out of The Circle. But there are more twists after that. When a player is eliminated or "blocked," they can choose which contestant they want to meet face to face. It gets awkward. They are also simple games that lead to big drama, secret single behaviours caught on camera, and "dates" that involve awkward, virtual flirting.
With day-one alliances and petty in-person confrontations, these American players are definitely much more ruthless than the Brits (trust us). But, they deliver just as many laughs and most of them come from Michelle Buteau (First Wives Club, Always Be My Maybe) who doubles as host and narrator. Her quips take aim at everything from ironic strategy flaws to questionable wardrobe decisions. She's basically all of us viewers, just funnier.
The U.S. series will continue to release four episodes each week, each of which will introduce new players as others are blocked from The Circle. It's going to be a lot, so this slideshow should help you keep track of everyone as the series unfolds.
Check back to see the other contestants who will join The Circle each week.
Host & Narrator: Michelle Buteau
Who Is Michelle Buteau?While the British series has comedian Sophia Willan narrate and former model Emma Willis host, Buteau pulls double duty to do both jobs. The funny lady is more than capable and adds hilarious commentary to the show.
Buteau should definitely look familiar. Her career really took off last year after appearing in Netflix rom-coms Isn’t It Romantic and Always Be My Maybe and the series Tales of the City. She also stars in the BET+ show First Wives Club based on the film of the same name. She’s nailing leading The Circle, so we can’t wait to see what else she has planned this year.
Alana, Age 25 — Blocked
Job: Swimsuit and lingerie modelAlana said she is judged by other girls for being a model because “they just don’t want their boyfriends to look at me" but that there is more to her and she wanted her dorky side to shine. She planned to be herself and not post her revealing photos because she didn't want to be viewed as a threat or a sex symbol. Alana thought the monitors in her apartment were touch screen so clearly she should’ve done some more research before she arrived. She was the first person blocked on the show.
Sammie, Age 24
Job: Behaviour technicianSamantha, who is called Sammie by all the other players, refers to herself as a “huge flirt.” But she says there are two sides to her which includes the party girl and the behaviour technician who works with children on the autism spectrum. She believes being herself will be enough to get people to like her. She is direct, so we’ll have to see if people in The Circle appreciate her blunt personality.
Chris, Age 30
Job: Freelance artist, graphic designer, hood spiritualist hustler Chris is all about Jesus, y’all. The Dallas native found God when he was 14 and is ready to watch miracles happen. He is playing as himself because he believes in letting your inner personality shine through. Chris is the perfect bubbly and hilarious player The Circle needs to deliver game play, one liners, and instant memes.
Antonio, Age 24 — Blocked
Job: Professional basketball playerAntonio is a well-traveled guy. He has played in Spain, Portugal, and France. He says he is different because he “thinks using [his] head rather than [his] penis.” Still, he planned to flirt in The Circle despite having a girlfriend because he would do anything to win. He also admitted that he has been catfished before and is too trusting, which probably didn't help him.
Seaburn (Catfishing as Rebecca), Age 29
Job: Caseworker for victim human servicesThe first catfish! Seaburn will be using the pictures of his girlfriend Rebecca to play as a woman. He thinks the girls will want to befriend Rebecca while the boys will want to flirt with her. Seaburn is in it to win it and according to him “hot girls get more likes.” He thinks he knows what it takes to be the “perfect woman,” so let’s see if he’s right.
Shubham, Age 23
Job: Virtual-reality designerShubham is proud of his Indian-American heritage and calls social media “our modern-day bubonic plague” and “the devil,” but he thinks being real in The Circle will show that being yourself is the best version. Also, any registered voter in California (register to vote!) might recognize Shubham since the UCLA grad ran for Governor of California in the last election. Obviously, he didn’t win, but maybe he will have better luck in The Circle.
Joey, Age 25
Job: BartenderThis self-proclaimed “momma’s boy” appears to have missed the auditions for The Jersey Shore, but we’ll take him. Joey is loud and not afraid to speak his mind, so you can expect him to deliver tons of drama. The politeness the Brits used will be long gone with this man entering The Circle. Hopefully Joey doesn’t ruffle too many feathers or he could find himself blocked.
Karyn (Catfishing as Mercedeze), Age 37 — Blocked
Job: Honestly, unclearKaryn was playing as “a random chick” she found on social media. (Don’t worry, the show got permission before using another person’s photos!). Her reasoning was that people would see her catfish profile Mercedeze as more approachable because in Karyn’s life, people judge her based on her appearance. She was the first contestant to repeatedly and confidently say she will win the The Circle. That didn't happen.
Miranda, Age 26 — Blocked
Occupation: UnknownMiranda, who also goes by Randi although no one in The Circle calls her that, is a self-described “free spirit” and “lone wolf” because she is spontaneous. She also had a rough childhood. Miranda was open to a love connection and wanted to play an honest game. Her hair is different in all her photos, though, which made overly-paranoid contestants skeptical. Newcomers tend to have a more difficult time in the game, and Miranda ended up getting blocked.
Alex (Catfishing as Adam), Age: 32
Occupation: Unemployed artist and former cheesemongerAlex calls himself “quite average.” Honestly, he doesn’t give himself enough credit. The newlywed says society doesn’t recognize him so he is going to play as Adam instead. He calls Adam the sexier version of him who is interested in sports. Alex is determined to win and has “no qualms in manipulating people and trying to fool everybody.”
Sean Taylor (Catfishing as Herself, Sort Of), Age 25
Occupation: Runs social media for plus-size companySean is all about body positivity and being confident in her own skin. So, it is confusing that she is catfishing as herself, with a different body, using one of her friends' photos. Sean says she does this because her friend is more popular and liked.
Bill, Age 27
Occupation: Works in the auto industryBill has a similar vibe to Adam which might prevent him from being popular in The Circle. He also has a very skeptical view of social media and isn’t trusting, meaning he could come across as standoffish to the other players. Bill is going to have to really let his personality shine if he wants to win. Fake it ‘till you make it, Bill!
Ed & Tammy (Catfishing as Ed), Age 23 and 52
Occupation: UnknownIn the UK version, there were two contestants catfishing as one person, but it was clearly stated that they would split the money. It isn’t said whether Ed and Tammy plan to share the money or why he decided to bring his mother with him on a reality show. But, we’ll see what Ed has to offer. He is the last person to enter The Circle so he is going to have to stir up some drama if he wants to stick around until the end.