‘The Circle’ Season 3 Cast Sum Up Their Strategies: Real, Iconic, and—Nurturing?!

ALERT—The Circle is back on Netflix with a brand new season. That means we’ve got a brand new cast, some bold new catfish, probably a few completely ridiculous games involving Party City costumes, and maybe a party or two that’s powered by strobe lights and throwback jams. Even though it’s only been a few months since The Circle Season 2 upped the ante, we are ready for more and eager to start peeping on those chat rooms!

Ahead of The Circle’s Season 3 premiere this Wednesday, Decider got the chance to talk to three of the first players in the game: country girl Michelle, hip hop/Bollywood mom Ruksana, and South Florida twink Daniel. We talked to this unlikely trio of new Circle besties about life inside those lonely apartments and how life with the #CircleFam continues into the real world.

Decider: As the new cast of The Circle, have you been welcomed into the real #CircleFam yet? Have you been chatting with anyone from the first two seasons?

Michelle Rider: Oh, my God, they are adorable. I’ve talked to Lee, I’ve talked to so many of them and they are precious. They really are. They are just like, “Welcome to the Circle Family!” I want to talk to Chris. I’m just dying to do that. Oh, I just love Chris!

Daniel Cusimano: Baby, I feel like I have networked till the cows come home. I have talked to all of them. I love them. They chat at me, we voice memo, we are calling each other—I’m obsessed. Like, I believe this Circle Family more than I do in the actual game. At the beginning [of the game], everybody’s like, #CircleFam and it is fake as hell. But now we all get where we’re coming from, so it’s just beautiful because we’re not competing anymore. It’s like, “Hey, I know what you went through. I’m here for you. We’re here for you throughout the whole thing.” So it really is a family. Very dysfunctional. Very beautiful.

Ruksana Carroll: Everyone’s so kind. I’m not playing favorites, because I’m a mom, but Shubham. I’ve always predicted that me and Shubham will have a little Indian bond, and we do. I adore him. I feel like he’s like my long lost cousin, so we’re probably going to get to a point where he’ll be coming to family functions. I mean, I don’t cook Indian food as good as my mom yet, but I’ll get there. I’ll serve. But yes, great people. I go off of vibes and energy and they’re exactly like how they presented themselves on the show, and that’s how I was, so all good things. Lifetime of friendships ahead.

What was your favorite thing about living alone in the apartments?

Michelle: I liked that whenever I wanted something, I could get whatever I wanted. I would just say, “Hey, I want a Pepsi.” But you know, you’re from Tennessee. You know how we eat, right? They got little bitty portions of everything [in the UK] and I wasn’t too happy about that. So I had to order doubles of everything. But you know, it was nice to just say, “Hey, I want a pizza” and you get a pizza. They treat you good.

Daniel: Oh, 100% it was like having your own like valet VIP service. Like, they come knock on the door, like, [English accent] “Hello, can I get you anything for your groceries?” And I was like, “Oh my gosh, I’m so excited to be here.” I loved it. And I also like the peace and quiet. I could like talk to myself without looking crazy— because I do that regardless. I’m just driving in the car and I’m just having a conversation with myself and people think I’m psychotic. So at least I had an excuse this time. And I was away from the circus of my family. Maybe the vacation was needed. I love it—mwah, chef’s kiss.

Ruksana: For me, it was I was my first time traveling by myself, period. So emotionally, it took a hit on me. I come from a very—Bollywood and hip hop lifestyle is the best way to describe it. So being in that silence was tough. I’m the only child so I’m always speaking to my mother, I’m always speaking to my family, my daughter is at the hip. A mom would probably wish for that, like, “Oh, I deserve it. I want that mom vacation.” In the first few days it was cute, and then it was just like, are we feeding the dog? How’s the house running? It definitely made me stronger, being able to travel by myself when I thought in a million years I never could. I was definitely proud of myself for that.

I know that y’all can’t spoil anything, but can you sum up your strategy in one word each?

Michelle: Um, nurturing.

Daniel: Iconic.

Ruksana: I would say real

To wrap things up—what is something that you want viewers to know about you before they watch Season 3?

Michelle: I’m a stand up comedian, and I’m a mom of four. I’m married, and [The Circle] was one of the best experiences I really ever had in my life. I’m like Ruksana; I don’t get out much, so getting away from my family was a nice break. Unfortunately it was during quarantine so we didn’t get to do a whole lot. I hope they enjoy seeing my character and seeing me—and that’s really it! There’s not a lot about me, except I’m just fun and southern and love to cook.

Daniel: The one thing I want the viewers to know is we were just ourselves. Like I said this the whole time: I was this 20-year-old twink from Palm Harbor, Florida that applied for a reality television show and somehow got on. So it’s like, for me, you see the good, the bad, the ugly, who I am on that show is who I am out here. And I think we can all say that about each other. So it’s like, you see us for who we are. Like, we’re strategical, but we’re real and we’re honest, and we’re making these connections. So that’s what I want people to know.

Ruksana: For me, especially being a little person, I feel like maybe what’s on TV is—everyone assumes that everyone lives that same way. My life is very different. So for me, I have a big heart. I’m very motherly and like I said in my intro, I’m not getting mushed on a dance floor and bumped around on the dance floor. I’m on the speaker! Look: if I’m out, I’m having a ball. Don’t talk about money, any issues. If Ruksana is out on the town, we need to enjoy that moment. Because the next day, I need to get back to my job, okay? My whole thing was just basically being my authentic self and seeing it from a different perspective. Being South Indian, a little person being married to an African American and our blended family and my daughter who’s almost going to be bigger than me—I’m just showing things from a different perspective. And I hope it helps people or empowers them or change their views about the way they see things.

The first four episodes of The Circle Season 3 arrive Wednesday, September 8 on Netflix

Stream The Circle on Netflix