What Would I like to See Different on Season 2 of Netflix’s The Circle

It is no secret that Netflix’s The Circle became a huge hit as the concept of this show has gained interest from fans and even journalists as well. With the season 1 winner winning $100,000 on the final episode, auditions for the second season was avaliable until last week wich means that we can see a new cast of characters on the second season. While the first season was good, I believe that there should be changes on the second season and here are some that I believe would be great changes to The Circle when it comes back for the second season.

DO NOT ADD NEW CONTESTANTS ON THE LAST HALF OF THE SEASON

The original cast of The Circle was exactly fine as it was for the first few episodes. But later during the season, more and more contestants were added especially during the last few episodes. I believe this should have not happened because it would be unfair for the ranking system and we did not have enough time to get invested in the new contestants. Especially when there was one episode where Sean joined The Circle and one episode in, she revealed that the photos that she used were not hers and posted the actual photos of herself. I would have been fine with this if she joined the cast on the first or second episode so that way, it can be a story that could be built on until she reveals who she really is at the later half of the season. All of the contestants of that joined on the second half were not that interesting to be invested on, and it showed as the season was near the end.

NEVER RANK THE SAME CONTESTANT MORE THAN ONCE IN THE SAME RANKING

I realized why Shubham was an influencer four times in a row and that is because he was ranked first by everyone else four times. I know that this did not happen each time, but the ranking system is very unbalanced and we did not see how the votes for the rankings were arranged as we only seen the results. If one person is an influencer more than three times, it is very excessive and there needs to be a way to balance how the contestants should chose their votes.

HAVE ONE CONTESTANT NOT REVEAL HIS/HER IDENITY UNTIL THAT PERSON IS ELIMINATED

This would be an interesting twist as it could really bring out the dark side of social media. Some of the contestants were catfishes as they had pictures that were not really themselves, but what if they had one contestant that does not have a picture at all and stayed in the game from the start until that person is eliminated? I know that is a crazy thought and that everyone would vote that person out, but there would be a way around it. Speaking of eliminations….

GRANT ONE PERSON IMMUNITY FROM BEING ELIMINATED FOR ONE DAY

On reality game shows, there is always a way for one person to be granted immunity for a day or a week. Don’t get me wrong, there was one moment where two people were eliminated on the same night and I thought that was a great twist. And there was also one time where an influencer saved one of the contestants. But there has to be a way for one player to be granted immunity for one voting round at least once.

ADVANTAGES FOR NEWCOMERS

I would personally not have any newcomers on the second half of the season, but If I was producing the show, I would think of a way for the newcomers to have an advantage over the current contestants. Maybe the newcomers would arrive the same day as the current contestants and that they are allowed to see every conversation from the contestants so that way, they would be caught up and are more ready and prepared for when it is actually time for them to enter the conversations that is ongoing in The Circle. Plus, that would also add in drama to the show as well.

A VOTE TO REMOVE A CURRENT INFLUENCER

I thought about this the entire time and I wondered, why is there not an option to remove an influncer? They would not be eliminated from the game at the moment, but there has to be a point where everyone who is not an influncer would try to get that influencer removed from her title by having a vote to see if that influencer stays as an influencer or not depending on the majority of the votes. This would be a long stretch, but I would have totally done that only once during the entire season.

ONE INFLUENCER ONLY

Having two influencers each episode was a good idea, but maybe only one could rise the tension and competitive nature of the game. One influencer would make the final decision of the voting and maybe that one influencer could also vote on who wins the minigames, etc. With only one influencer title given per vote, it will give the other players more of a reason to try to go above and beyond to have that title.

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Interview: The Circle’s Sammie Cimarelli

Netflix’s The Circle has proved to be a success and it also brought a discussion about how impactful social media is. From the hashtags, to having a conversation with random strangers, and to posting pictures online for you to be anxious on who noticed the picture, The Circle exploited the functions of social media from the first episode, to the end. One of the most popular members of The Circle is Sammie Cimarelli and she is here to talk about her time on the game show along with a few facts that you have not known about her until now in this exclusive interview.

Tell me more of yourself. What was it like growing up and what were your best memories with your family?

SC: “I grew up in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. I have only lived in Miami since June of 2017 and I have 6 sisters and 2 brothers. My best memories with my family are traveling and going on vacations. We also have a lot of holiday traditions. Egg hunts on Easter, finding the pickle in the tree on Christmas, playing games on Thanksgiving, etc. My family is really close and making memories has always been something important for us.”

You must have a lot of interests outside of the show and social media. What do you like to do in your spare time that you would like your fans to know?

SC: “In my spare time, I absolutely love to sing and dance. I have also been looking into taking acting and singing lessons because I really want to mold my talents into something other than just a hobby I do in my room. I have actually sang in my high school chorus and was part of a jazz band competition where I had a full jazz band playing behind me while I sang.”

How were you approached to join The Circle? and who pitched the concept to you?

SC: “I was approached through a phone call.”

Being that this is an episodic reality-based game show, how did you and everyone else kept it a secret to the general public?

SC: “We agreed through legal paperwork to follow regulations and restrictions in regard to the show.”

I also noticed that there were cameras all over the room. Were those the only cameras that were used, or was there also a camera crew there without the viewer noticing?

SC: “Camera’s were always rolling; the cameras were only unable to film when walking room to room. The cameras seen hanging in each room were the only cameras around. There was never a camera crew in the apartment.”

Were there any times that the voice activated app did not work, or did not hear your voice?

SC: “No. Not once.”

Do you feel that The Circle exposed the dark side of social media?

SC: “I feel The Circle exposed a lot of darkness and light for social media. I think it also exposed the precautions that should be taken when using social media and how careful one should be when interacting with others through an app, when you have no met this person directly.”

Some of my favorite moments watching The Circle were the game challenges as I was anxious to see who was going to win the challenge. What were some of your favorite game challenges?

SC: “I would say my favorite game challenge was the cake challenge and the painting challenge, simply because we were given items to use and create things. The other challenges were fun, however, my mind was being used differently for the cake and paint challenges. Which I feel like I needed while being secluded in that apartment for so long.”

One of the challenges involved everyone making an anonymous comment on everyone’s photo with a hashtag and this was at the point where I was hooked to see who would get exposed first. Before it was revealed who would be the next catfish, who did you think it was?

SC: “I think we all knew before, during, and after that game that Mercedez was the catfish.”

Was there at any point that you wanted to go to see if the other cast members were not catfishing even though you were not supposed to?

SC: “There actually was never a point in time where I wanted to go see the other cast members to see if they were lying or not. It was really fun having to guess and actually play the game to see who was real and who wasn’t.”

I love the show and I hope that it returns for season 2. If someone was auditioning for The Circle, what advice would you give them?

SC: “Bring a lot of things to keep you occupied!!!! Seriously, bring a suitcase of things.”

You also have a YouTube channel and you have a great amount of content. Did the cast recognized you from your channel when they first saw you? 

SC: “No, they did not see my YouTube channel at first.”

What are some of your upcoming projects and where everyone can find you on social media?

SC: “Currently I am unable to speak on upcoming projects but there will definitely be more of me!!! You can find me on Instagram, Twitter and Youtube @itsssammiee”

Follow me on Instagram and Twitter @julianexcalibur for more content. Contact me at julian@alternativemindz.com