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"The Circle" Cast Members Might All Reunite in Miami Next Month

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix

From Seventeen

*Major spoilers for season 1 of The Circle below!*

After three weeks of new episodes, Netflix's latest competition series, The Circle, has officially come to an end. While 13 players have come in and tried their best to survive influencers and blockings, which would evict players every few days, only the top 5 were able to make it to the finale and get the chance to be voted to win the $100,000 grand prize.

In the end, it was Joey Sasso who took home the big win. But, players Shubham and Sammie weren't that far behind in second and third place during the final rankings. In exclusive interviews for Seventeen, the two runner-ups talk about being a part of a new game and how their digital relationships have changed now that they're in the real world.

17: What made you sign up for The Circle?

Shubham Goel: I saw a flyer and I thought the concept of all these people from different walks of life interacting on a social media platform and having their own different stories and what they were trying to prove was so indicative of the world we live in. So, in that way, the show represents the world better than anything else. I wasn't a fan of social media, I called it social Medusa, so I was really curious to see how like someone with my point of view would do on it. I thought it would just be such an interesting experience.

Sammie Cimarelli: I actually don't have any memory of how it came about. I never knew about the UK Version. I'm not really big into reality television or into TV period. I received a voicemail message from one of the casting members and we ended up having a phone call just talking about the show and what it consisted of. I was like, "Oh, okay. Sounds cool. Sure, I'm down." I didn't think anything of it. To be honest, I was like, "I would never get chosen for something like that. So why not do it anyway?" So when I went through the Skype interview after that, everything kind happened like a domino effect. I got passed on to the another person who was like, "They love you," and it just kept going and going. The next thing I know, it's filming time.

17: What was the hardest part of being in The Circle?

SG: The toughest thing for me, by far, was sending people home back to back to back to back. I just remember when I was there thinking, "This is such an incredible experience." To know for a fact that I sent four people home, at the time, you're nothing but in the game. For the whole time I'm just seeing the faces of these people I've sent home and knowing that I was the person that did it. That was the toughest thing for me by far, just knowing that. Especially, like looking back at it like Antonio, someone who had my back and stuff, to know that I had to send him home, it was a very tough experience.

SC: To be honest, the producers were in charge of us and the wellness team would take care of us and that's probably the biggest reason that I stayed motivated because, the majority of the time, I was actually pretty miserable. I have really bad anxiety so I was overthinking a lot. I found myself getting sick. When I get anxiety, my stomach hurts, so I don't eat. It had nothing to do with production or the way anything was going — it was me. I was going through my own private battles, but they did do absolutely everything they could to make me feel as comfortable as possible. So I can't thank them enough for that. Things would happen that were fun and exciting and those little things that would pick my spirit up.

17: Has there been anything that surprised you as you rewatched the show?

SG: What shocked me the most was how wrong I was about so much. I was wrong about a lot of the catfishes. I was wrong about a lot of people who had my back who I didn't think they had my back. But I think it is a very humbling experience. I've grown a lot through it, especially watching it from the screen. I thought I would have a lot of stuff I could give [to this game], but, at the end of the day, I feel like I learned so much from all these people. I'll take that.

SC: Everything makes a lot more sense. In the ratings, when I would come out in the middle, after being on top as an influencer two separate times, I was like, "What the hell? How do I go from being at the top to being in the middle?" As long as I wasn't at the end, that was fine. But I would be down four or five people. To go from number one down to five, like, what am I doing wrong? So I found myself second guessing and overthinking a lot. I saw that one point that when Joey was a super-influencer, it looked like, after hearing everybody's ratings, I would've been second again. It looked like I was gonna be an influencer again, which is also really cool. So here I was overthinking about stuff, meanwhile, I could've been an influencer again if the game was different and they didn't have the super-influencer thing that happened.

17: When Bill was blocked, he called everyone out and said that everyone was being fake in the game. Do you think he was right?

SG: Bill is a great guy! I understand where he's coming from. I feel bad for him. He came in and just because of the way things were he just got sent out back out. I could see if you're coming in the middle of the game, it could be frustrating. What I've learned from that is that everybody has a perspective. So, from his perspective, I completely understand what he's saying. I'm sure he was making good bonds with people, but then the ratings were saying otherwise. I think at the end of the day that was because people already had time to connect with each other and form those bonds.

SC: I was [surprised], but I wasn't at the same time. I think I even stated it at one point, "I understand where he's coming from." I would kind of be like, "What the f*ck is going on? Why are these people so friggin' nice?" 'Cause it's not like that in real life so like why is everyone being like that now. So I get it. But, from my perspective, the relationships that I made were real. So when I'm talking to everybody like, "Oh, I miss you guys. Hope everyone is doing good," it was genuine on my part and I know they were genuine from Joey, Shubham, Chris, and Rebecca. So it may have come on as this big happy home where everyone is smiling at you, but if he had been there from the beginning and seen how much we've done for each other and the amount we have saved each other, I think he would've understood it a little bit more. But, I totally 1,000 percent get where he's coming from.

Photo credit: Netflix
Photo credit: Netflix

17: If you had come into the Circle later in the game, would you have played it differently?

SG: I don't know. Part of me feels like if it worked in the beginning, it would work in the middle. But then, if you're coming in the middle, you have to do kind of what Bill did. You have to just stir the pot as much as you can. So, I think, if I was Bill, I would've tried to stir it even more. I don't know what I would've done. I probably would've seen if I kept doing what I was doing myself and see if that worked. But, I understand what Bill was trying to do. 'Cause he came in the middle, he's a smart guy, he knows he needs to like stir the pot or build great bonds. I think I would've been myself, but the strategy would've been there as well.

SC: No, I don't think so. There's honestly nothing that I would change about the way that I was. I was pretty straightforward and it's nice to watch the show now 'cause I see everyone else realized that too. I would watch the other cast members talk about me and say how straightforward I was and I was honest and said how I felt. That was the point. I wanted people to know that I was real and authentic and I was being me and I was talking 'cause that's who I am and that's how I felt. But, no, I don't think there's anything I would change. I love the way the show went.

17: What was it like when you first met Seaburn AKA Rebecca and realized they were a catfish for the first time?

SG: It's funny, I called myself Sharky Shubham the Catfish Hunter and I ended up being so wrong about so much in this game. I always thought if you were catfishing, it's wrong. The thing with me and Seaburn is we're the closest alike. We're so alike in what we like to do, the people we are, and, for me, the core of our relationship was like we were taking care of each other like a brother and sister. And we were just there for each other. We would talk about sword-fighting, about Marvel, and about just the world. When I saw him, I was completely in shock. It was an out of body experience, for sure. It was like a heart attack all at once. And then he started to explain it and you can just see the warmth in his eyes and then I realized, it doesn't matter whatever he was. It was never about that. It was just about our connection and stuff. The way I look at it, everything was exactly the same, except it just wasn't a brother-sister relationship, it was a brother-brother. These catfishes all have their point to prove. We're all from different walks of life and I'm a competitor. At the end of the day, we all came here to play and win the game. I tip my hat off to Seaburn, like he played a great game to get to the end. I got nothing but love for Seaburn. He is going to be one of my best friends for life.

SC: They do an amazing job editing the show, but there is a lot of stuff behind the scenes that they didn't show. To be quite honest with you, I kind of went in expecting it. We all had our thoughts and our feelings about Rebeca and who Rebecca was and I had my doubts. Then speaking with Chris, he had his doubts. And then Joey and Ed had their doubts. Everybody had a doubt except Shubham, who was kind of like masked by how much he liked her. But other than that, we all pretty much had a preconceived notion that she was gonna be not her. You know? No matter if it was like a different girl. I wouldn't have expected it as a guy. But, I kind of expected it too.

17: Can you share what you were thinking during the final rankings and determining who should win?

SG: At the end of the game, I knew that Joey was the frontrunner to win. I knew it was gonna come down to me, him, and Sammie. Every part of the game theory and strategy told me, 'Winning is in sight. All I have to do is tank Joey and Sammie and I take the win." I sat down for 20 minutes in my room before that final ranking. I don't know what it was, but I just couldn't do it. I really couldn't. Like there was still a part of me that I couldn't even consider it. I knew exactly where the numbers were gonna be and I just couldn't do it. So it is tough that whole confliction between strategy and emotion. There were parts where I had to be strategic because of the emotion and then, at the end, I chose not to be strategic and it was complicated.

I don't regret it at all. I mean, I'm sure as a viewer, you're like, "Oh, what an idiot! What a moron! You should've put him at three or four and take the $100,000." But, I mean, the thing is that when you're in a game like this all you can do is rely on your instincts at the moment and I did that. And whatever happens, whatever people's analysis is, I've come to peace with it.

SC: When I was rating everybody, originally I went into the ratings and was like, "You know what? I'm gonna play it smart." I want to think about who is everybody else gonna have at the top so I can put them at the bottom. That was my original plan. But then, towards the middle of my ratings and how I had them placed, I was like, "You know what? F*ck it." I had to go with my instincts and my feelings and who I genuinely had a connection with and who I genuinely cared for. I didn't want to do it just by playing this game. $100,000 is absolutely amazing. And I'm not a really big believer in religion or things like that, but I feel like what is for you, will be for you. The universe works in a lot of ways. I felt in my heart that if I'm gonna win, I'm gonna win. I wasn't so much as tactical as much as going with my relationships and connections and how my heart felt.

17: Which cast members have you stayed in touch with?

SG: We have an Instagram chat, but I would hang out with all of them for life. I love them all. It's a game at the end of the day. I've got nothing but love for all of them.

SC: The only people I really talk to outside of the show and since is Karyn, I talk to Karyn every single day, and I talk to Joey and Miranda. I talk with Chris. But that's really it. Those are the only people I really keep in contact with.

Joey, Miranda, and Karyn are all coming to stay with me in the first week of February. So they're all going to be in Miami. I'm gonna set some stuff up for all of us to go out and kind of do a couple cool parties. Maybe a yacht. I'm trying to set some things up just to surprise them too 'cause I don't think that's the lifestyle that they live. I think Antonio and Bill might be coming also, but they haven't bought their tickets yet. I'm so excited for them to come!

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