‘The Circle’ on Netflix: 20 Burning Questions Answered

1. Were contestants given a Circle guidebook?

Tim Harcourt: No. They are given the rules of the game and are briefed by producers before and during the show.

2. How quickly did contestants catch on to using The Circle?

Really quickly. I’d say less than a day.

3. Were contestants only allowed to chat during certain windows of time?

Of course. We had to allow for people to sleep and have their rest, so chats were regulated…. We couldn’t chance bugging people during their beauty sleep!

4. Were blocked contestants dissuaded from outing catfish in their goodbye videos? Or did Antonio choose to not out “Mercedeze”?

It’s a rule of the game that blocked contestants can’t overtly out other contestants.

5. How much did producers interact with contestants?

A little, to explain the rules and also so the contestants had someone to talk to in-person. It’s a game where you can’t see your opponents, not a test of solitary confinement!

6. Shubham said in an interview that a therapist was available on set. How often were they called upon?

[They were called upon] whenever anyone felt stressed or just wanted someone to talk to who was outside the game.

7. Do producers have a say in the catfish identities, or are they determined wholly by the contestant?

No. We are very strict that we want the contestants to own their own strategies, so we don’t steer players to any identities.

8. Regarding Joey and Miranda’s make-out, was there hope it would go further?

No. We’re not Love Island!

9. What’s stocked in each flat’s fridge, and how specific is it to each contestant?

Contestants put in grocery orders every day or so.

10. How are all the flats spaced throughout the building? Are they soundproofed or are they far apart?

The flats are soundproofed and there is an apartment between each pair.

11. How many flats in that building are Circle-ready, meaning outfitted with all the cameras? Are they all used during the course of a season?

Ten, and yes.

12. Is the rest of the building occupied during filming?

No, except with interview rooms, gyms, and the yoga room.

13. How were the common spaces (the gym and hot tub) shared without contestants bumping into each other?

We have an “air traffic controller” making sure only one player is ever traveling at a time, and they are always accompanied outside their flat.

14. Were contestants allowed to go outside to locations other than the hot tub?

No, except to smoke cigarettes.

15. How long did filming last?

Filming lasted just over three weeks in total.

16. What were the biggest tweaks made to the format for a US audience?

The biggest single tweak is that the audience doesn’t have the ability to interact with the format. In the UK, the show goes out daily and we give [the audience] one big decision every week that has an outcome in The Circle.

17. Were contestants super boring between chat sessions?

They loved the solitude!

18. Did Michelle Buteau record her voiceover after episodes were completely edited?

Absolutely. However, we edit the shows in the space of 36 hours by running 13 edit bays day and night so episodes were locked and ready to go soon after record. Michelle was in Manchester and bought tones of enthusiasm, energy and love to the show with her brilliant performance.

19. When was the finale episode taped? Was it at the end of filming or had time passed?

No. It was [filmed] straight after filming in The Circle had passed. Only a day passed between the final meal and the studio show.

20. It’s shocking how civil the conversations are on The Circle, unlike, say, Twitter. Did things ever get heated between contestants?

Wait ’til the last episodes drop… Heated words were had!

Answers were edited for clarity

Stream The Circle on Netflix