Yahoo News The Circle: Channel 4 contestant blasted for pretending to be a 'cancer doctor' to win £50,000 prize
A new Channel 4 reality show has sparked a backlash after a contestant pretended to be a cancer doctor in a bid to stay in the game.
The Circle follows a group of people living separately in a block of flats with their only means of communicating via social media app, The Circle. They can lie about who they are and catfish their fellow contestants as a means to reaching the final.
Ad executive Jennifer, 40, tricked her competitors into believing she is a 34-year-old oncologist, telling the cameras she knows the move is “immoral” but that she “wants to win” the £50,000 cash prize.
The move proved unpopular among viewers who branded her “scum” while others noted the broadcaster aired a serious Stand Up To Cancer message during the advert break.
One viewer tweeted: “How embarrassing for Channel 4 that there is an advert for Stand Up To Cancer when we’ve got a c*** of a person pretending to be an oncologist in The Circle #TheCircle #StandUpToCancer #Channel4.”
Another posted: “I am all for ANY sort of reality tv but when you’ve got people pretending to be a CANCER doctor and completely lying about who they are to be popular I am 1000% out. Stupid concept and potentially very very damaging. #TheCircle.”
A third wrote: “You can pretend you have a dead dog but you can’t pretend you’re a cancer doctor. That’s the line between white lie and f****** scum. #thecircle.”
When there's a serious Stand Up 2 Cancer ad during the break for #TheCircle, a show in which a woman is pretending to be a cancer doctor to win money pic.twitter.com/EzDCnIMsY5
— Sarah Doran (@sarahisnothere) September 18, 2018
Sweet zombie Jesus
You've put an advert for a cancer charity in the ad slot when you've just debuted a sociopath who's pretending to be a doctor specialising in treating cancer
#thecircle— We're werewolves, not swearwolves (@punka1977) September 18, 2018
ONE more thing though #Channel4 I am less than impressed that Jennifer is pretending to be an Oncology DR & justifying it by saying "it's all fake and a game" Yeah it is all fake but why choose cancer? #TheCircle #thecirclejennifer #lowblow pic.twitter.com/ovSDonApBZ
— Abbey Leigh 💀 (@AbbeyMclellan) September 18, 2018
#TheCircle over joking about cancer is not funny shame in you channel 4 😠 pic.twitter.com/CjMIH6ofUH
— reakisha (@Bluedaisyxx) September 18, 2018
There's a few things in life you never lie about, and anything involving cancer is one of them 🤔 #thecircle
— Lisa Westray (@lisawestray) September 18, 2018
Fronted by Maya Jama and Alice Levine the show introduced the first eight players on Tuesday night.
Explaining her decision to play an oncologist Jennifer said: “I am fiercely competitive I will do anything. In The Circle I'm going to be a doctor who specialises in oncology - a cancer doctor. People might think that's morally questionable but I picked it because it's a universally trusted profession.
“This is going to get me lambasted. At the end of the day its a popularity contest it's not real, so what's the problem? It's a game.”
The show also features a man pretending to mourn a dead dog and another claiming to be a woman.
Contestants face the chop if they don't get enough “likes”. They will be evicted if they get blocked by other users. When blocked, you get to meet them in real life.
The Circle is on Channel 4, tonight at 10pm
