‘The Circle’: 11 Past Contestants Who’d Be Perfect for an All-Star Season
[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers for all seven seasons of Netflix’s The Circle.]
Before COVID-19 forced everyone to quarantine, Netflix had people doing it voluntarily. Well, the contestants were lured in by the $100,000 prize, but you get the picture. On New Year’s Day in 2020, the streaming giant adapted the popular U.K. game show The Circle for a U.S. audience. Then, they did it again for Brazil and France. Less than five years later, seven seasons and more than 100 episodes have hit the internet. Everyone from James Andre Jefferson Jr., a comedian based on the West Coast, to Marina Gregory, a multifaceted entertainer from Brazil, has walked away with the show’s grand prize of $100,000. Along the way, there have been protagonists like Madelyn Rusinyak and fan favorites like Shubham Goel. As The Circle community waits to see if an eighth season is on the way, let’s have a fantasy draft.
Big Brother, Survivor, The Challenge, and many other reality series that have stood the test of time have put together all-star seasons with previous winners, infamous villains, and endearing heroes. So, why not The Circle? Imagine Seaburn returning to play as a new catfish or Jadejha working with Darian as a duo. If you could put together a cast of 10 former players, who would you pick to put in your Circle chat? Scroll down to see who we’ve picked to be a part of our all-star season of The Circle.
James Andre Jefferson Jr. (Season 3)
Three years have passed and nothing has topped comedian James Andre Jefferson Jr.’s rise to glory. Not only was he the last person to enter The Circle in Season 3, but he topped the rankings within three episodes. His innate humor, creativity and authenticity make him nearly impossible to dislike and a tough person to beat when The Circle chat is open.
Jadejha Edwards (Season 7)
Jadejha Edwards—or as Darian would say, Ms. Jadejha—was one of the strongest players to enter The Circle this past season. Her genuine personality and unmatched charisma made her a fan favorite. In a reality show where being well liked can earn you $100,000 and put on a target on your back simultaneously, Jadejha was able to balance both fairly well throughout her run in season seven. In a potential all-star season filled with previous winners, she’d be the biggest underdog, but you can never count her out.
Frank Grimsley (Season 4)
Aside from DeLeesa in Season 2, it’s hard to argue anyone has ever played a better game than Frank in Season 4. He never fell below third in the influencer rankings and he was an influencer three times. His vibrant, astute personality carried him to victory before and it’s hard to see anyone beating him in a potential all-star season.
Savannah Palacio and Terilisha (Season 2)
It may be difficult to pull this off, but we can all dream, right? Few rivalries on The Circle have been as intense as the one between Terilish and Savannah during Season 2. Making matters worse, the beef between the two carried on to post-show interviews and real-life social media. With that said, the only thing that would top their rivalry would be a reunion. Like others have done in the past, imagine a world in which Terilisha and Savannah work together to run a catfish profile in an all-star season of The Circle. They didn’t seem to like each other when they were competing for $100,000, but they may be able to find common ground if there was a chance to win the prize money by working together.
Joey Sasso (Season 1)
Let’s take things back to the beginning! Two months before the world was forced to quarantine, Joey Sasso did it voluntarily and walked out with the grand prize. Making his run more impressive, he competed against some of the show’s longtime favorites like Shubham Goel and Sammie Cimarelli. While the ups and downs of his time on The Perfect Match may have pushed away some, Joey has always attempted to present himself as a genuine upstate New Yorker who wears his heart on his sleeve and endears himself to those around him. If there’s anyone built to compete in all-star season of The Circle, it’s Joey.
Marina Gregory (Season 1)
The U.S. audience may not be as familiar with Marina Gregory, but she is definitely one of the strongest players to ever enter The Circle. Her charisma and bubbly, friendly personality endeared her to many, but she did stumble towards the end, earning a sixth place rating heading into the finals. However, she bounced back and won the grand prize one episode later.
DeLeesa St. Agathe (Season 2)
Many have attempted to catfish competitors in The Circle, but few have done it quite like DeLeesa St. Agathe. Playing as her husband, Trevor, DeLeesa was both strategic and deceptive while building and maintaining strong alliances episode after episode. In fact, she had arguably the strongest run to the grand prize. She was only ranked outside of the top three once in 13 episodes. It would be hard for her to have that type of success against the best of the best, but she’d surely be difficult to beat.
Shubham Goel (Seasons 1 and 5)
There is no player more beloved by fans of The Circle than Shubham. While he didn’t win the prize money in Season 1, he won the hearts of viewers by being funny, relatable and genuine. He did have a second shot at the prize money in Season 5, but he was gone before he could even get comfortable. Maybe, the third time is really the charm.
Raven Sutton (Season 5)
From signing on The Circle to signing at music festivals around the world, Raven Sutton has been a trendsetter in reality television. Fearless and boisterous, Raven says what she feels and knows how to build trust with other players. In Season 5, she was able to grab the top spot in the penultimate rankings, but she fell to third in the finale. With a second shot at the $100,000 prize, she could right a few wrongs in her game and walk away with the win.
Madelyn Rusinyak (Season 7)
Only Kevin could rival Madelyn as the top villain in Season 7. In fact, she lied so well that she even began to confuse her fibs and half truths about Darian with what actually happened in real life. Given that she didn’t finish in first or second in Season 7, it’s hard to believe that she’d win, but she’ll definitely make things interesting.
Michelle Buteau (Host)
It’s time for the grand finale. After serving as the narrator for several seasons, it’s finally time for Michelle Buteau to enter The Circle. However, she can’t go in as herself. Instead, she’ll step in as a catfish. If she wins, it’ll be the run of a lifetime. If she loses, her reveal video will go down in the show’s history books. Either way, Michelle Buteau being on The Circle is a win for everyone involved.
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