Nine Types of People You Meet In The Circle

The Circle exists somewhere at the center of a Venn diagram of Big Brother, Catfish, and Survivor, a game show where isolated contestants all communicate through a pseudo social media platform. It's everything we love about this genre — personalities, alliances, lots of twists — while being uncommonly lighthearted and optimistic.

But part of what made The Circle such a fresh take on reality competition TV when it first premiered in the U.S. in early 2020 was the way the series twisted the usual roles we see on such shows, avoiding cliches by quickly creating new ones and carbon-copying them across seasons in the US, Brazil, the UK, and France. It's the first reality competition show in years to write its own formula.

So what's the formula? Here are nine types of people you'll meet on The Circle:

Cuddly Nerds

One of the primary examples of The Circle undermining typical reality show hierarchies is in disproving the idea that the nerd is doomed to be an outsider. Excluding Brazil's prickly gamer Gaybol, the dorkier personalities have become the teddy bears of their seasons and real threats to win with almost universal likeability. Theology professor and UK finalist Tim (accompanied by his cat Bey, and usually dressed like the Sleepy Time bear) came first, but the archetype was perfected in the U.S. version with Season 1's adorable Shubham.

Shirtless Bros

So yes, this isn't an especially unique character in the world of reality television, but with the possible exception of Jersey Shore, never has male shirtlessness been such a definitive personality trait. For contestants like Season 1 U.S. winner Joey, the U.K.'s Woody, and catfisher James, their bare chests have been omnipresent. Their fellow Circlers may not be able to see, but these dudes obviously know that we at home can. And surely anyone who's watched the shows during these times of crisis can appreciate these relatable socially distant fashion choices.

Chill Bisexuals

Whereas bisexuality made for one of Love Is Blind's more fraught moments, folks on The Circle are much more laid back and open about it. Sometimes they even lean into it as a strategy to gain favor with their competition. For some contestants, like U.S. fan favorite Sammie, it's more of a minor detail about their whole vibe. But for others, like Sammie's competitor Miranda, widely-deployed flirting strategies still played out mostly casually. Until, of course, she made out with Joey upon her exit.

The "Cool Girl" from that Gone Girl Monologue

Speaking of Sammie. Clearly part of the casting strategy for The Circle is to find a few of those people you always see on social media with one too many skills, hobbies, and exotic vacations, each of them super cool. It's the quintessential aspirational lifestyle figure, where even the "imperfections" are framed as part of their persona. Typically this role has been filled by women and, while most of them have been among the show's most likable cast members, they do embody a lot of what Amazing Amy pontificated about in Gone Girl. France contestant Ines even sells herself as loving sports and beer before offering a strategy of presentable neutrality in order to manipulate the competition.

Confident Gays

The Circle's presentation of unashamed, unapologetic, and unquiet queerness should be commended. Brazil's Dumaresq feels like the series' most radical example, even willing to piss off his straight male competitors by distancing himself from a toxic male alliance. U.K. winner Paddy was also a self-possessed gay contestant, forwarding an intersectional discussion by being equally unabashed about his cerebral palsy. France's Gary braves being horny on main and posts a butt pic as his second profile photo.

The Player Who Is Better in Person

There are some Circle contestants that fare better with viewers than they do with their fellow players because their personalities aren't as strong online as they are in person. U.K.'s Brooke is a prime example, a delightful television personality who was hilarious and compelling in her apartment, but her chat conversations lacked depth and didn't reflect her bright personality. Lacking skill at online communication also allows for misinterpretations and mixed signals, which was a death knell for Lorayne after ranking high early on in the Brazil season.

The Catfish Who Sucks At It

Part of the conceit of catfishing on this series is the thrill of having someone get caught in the act. While contestants are historically bad at guessing who the fakers are, The Circle still offers a major thrill when a catfish completely bombs. Take Brazil's Rob, who couldn't stop calling his "Julia" persona everybody's #Auntie. Or U.K.'s Katie, who played as her son "Jay" and struggled with the age difference. Sucking at being a catfish also comes down to poorly feigned thirst: U.S. player Alex delivering deeply cringe-inducing overtures as his hyperfit persona "Adam" is a prime example, but not nearly as bad as France's adorable septuagenarian friends Monique and Jo having their "Nicolas" start off by offering to join a female contestant in her bath.

The Catfish Who Are Really Just Being Themselves

Already one of the most tried and true avenues of successful catfishing on The Circle is to simply be yourself. Or some extension of yourself. The clearest case of this is U.S. finalist Seaburn, who went into The Circle with his girlfriend Rebecca's photos but did so as a vessel for his sensitive nature that he struggled to express in the real world. Rudy did the same as an intentional strategy in the French edition while playing as the conventionally attractive "Gabriel" and made it to third place. There was also shirtless James, who played as a young single mother "Sammie" to express the emotional hardships of his own mother.

Family Members

One trope that doesn't always pay off as much as it should is the double catfish: two contestants sharing an apartment and playing as one. This subcategory of catfish has played out most entertainingly when the players are related. First, the U.S. brought us the small town Ed with his mother Tammy as a second opinion on how to navigate his interactions. Twin brothers Joao and Edmundo became catfishing agents of chaos. But the best duo came with Brazil's other twin brothers Lucas and Marcel, catfishing as "Luma" while flashing goofy costumes and an appealing number of thigh tattoos.

While none of these types spell immediate success or failure within The Circle, it remains clear that the series is taking advantage of its fresh concept and writing a whole new set of rules for reality competition personalities.

Season 2 of The Circle U.S. premieres Wednesday April 14 on Netflix, with new episodes dropping Wednesdays through May 5.

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Chris Feil is a freelancer writer and co-host of the This Had Oscar Buzz podcast. His previous work can be found at Vulture, Vice, Paste, and The Film Experience. Follow him @chrisvfeil on Twitter.