Have you already finished several Netflix series’ like Love Is Blind, You or Cheer? I certainly have.  Because of social distancing, I’ve found myself looking for new shows to binge watch while at home. 

  Netflix has recently produced top quality series such as The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez to All American. Not only has those series’ been popular this year, but so has The Circle.

  The Circle is a competition-reality show that currently has one season under its belt, although seasons two and three are up and in the works, according to Netflix. 

  Here’s how the show works. Each contestant comes into a social media competition. They have their own apartments and in each room there is a smart TV and camera to record the contestants’ reactions. Each TV is synched up to the app Circle and uses vocal recognition to operate.

  It is through the app where the competition and all communication take place. Yes, all the contestants are in the same apartment building and playing the same game, but they never meet face to face until certain points in the game. 

  The first thing the contestants do is make their Circle profile. The profile is where they can write a short description about themselves, post a picture and update their status to the circle newsfeed. Each contestant can look at everyone else’s profile and can chat with them whenever they would like. 

  As the competition heats up, players go through a series of challenges, games and ratings. They even have a chance to add more elements to their profile with the hope that others think they are real and not a catfish. 

  Usually after a challenge, it comes time for contestants to rate each other. Ratings can be based on the relationship between each contestant or strategically thought out. Players with the highest ratings are named the influencers. 

  The influencers then decide who gets blocked, which is this show’s way of deciding who gets sent home. Players with the lowest ratings or ones that have not created a connection or alliance with another player are at high risk of getting blocked. 

  The blocked player then has a chance to go meet one contestant before leaving and fully reveal themselves or ask any questions. 

  At the end, the ratings are what ultimately determines the $100,000 winner.

  From the beginning, my favorite contestant was Sammie. I then started to really like Chris and Joey as well. Even though new contestants came in just about every episode, these three players were my favorites until the very end. Their energy and personalities are what I enjoyed the best because they are similar to my own friends. 

  The Circle, in my opinion, started off quite slow. However, by the third episode, I was reeled in and could not stop watching. I ended up finishing the 12-episode series in less than five days. At one point, I finished the last four episodes all in one night and each episode is 45 minutes. 

  What I loved so much about this series was its concept. The show was based around something most people use every day to interact with others: social media. I liked how players could choose whether they wanted to be themselves or be a totally different person and catfish the other contestants. Social media users today experience debating whether showing their true lives or the unrealistic sides.

  The show is all about first impressions. I liked that because you got a genuine look into everyone and the viewers are the only ones that know who the catfishers are and why they pretend. It offers a unique dynamic. 

  We also got to see why some contestants used their looks to their advantage or why they used their strategic thinking skills instead.