The third season of Netflix's reality competition show, The Circle, has been its most twist-heavy yet, and the latest wrinkle in the game is the burner profile twist involving contestant Nick Uhlenhuth. This season of The Circle has already featured several major twists. The controversial clone twist in the first week's batch of episodes involved eliminated players Ava and Chanel Capra re-entering the game as a cloned version of fellow contestant Michelle Rider's profile. The other players had to decide which profile was the real Michelle. Ultimately, Ava and Chanel's deception was successful and the real Michelle was blocked from the Circle.
The most recent big twist of the season is the burner twist. When Calvin Kiing Crooks was blocked from the Circle, he had to choose a fellow contestant to receive an advantage in the game. He selected his ally, Nick, to receive the secret "popularity" advantage, which turned out to be a second profile. In addition to playing as a semi-fictional version of himself, Nick, an MIT graduate pretending to be a punk rock drummer, also gained the ability to control a "burner" profile, catfishing as a ghost hunter named Vince. Nick used the Vince profile to increase his power in the game and to investigate other players' perceptions of him.
Though Nick was able to become an influencer and will have the power to eliminate another player in this week's upcoming episode, he could have used the Vince profile much more effectively. For instance, while trying to get information from his rival, Kai Ghost, Nick used the Vince profile to compliment Nick to Kai and gauge her response. Kai is a strategic Circle player and, thinking that Vince liked Nick, she decided to give a diplomatic answer that did not tip Nick off to her true feelings about him. It would have been a smarter idea for Nick to have Vince speak poorly of him and see if Kai responded in agreement. Also, Nick having Vince declare himself as Vince's best friend in the Circle during a cake-decorating challenge helped emphasize Nick's popularity in the game and could have an impact down the line, especially if players find out Vince is a burner account for another player in the game.
Though Nick might not have played the twist perfectly, it didn't ruin his game like the clone twist did for Michelle's. From an entertainment standpoint, the burner profile has led to some interesting gameplay and amusing moments. It throws a wrench in the game that the other players aren't expecting and could have ramifications on future seasons of The Circle. After seeing this season's burner twist, future players might be suspicious of any new player that enters the Circle during the game, which can further complicate the strategic gameplay of The Circle.
It remains to be seen if Nick can hold his power position in the game. He's one of the most strategic and socially active players in the game, but the Vince profile could be setting him up for a downfall. His success in the upcoming episodes likely depends on how he continues to manage the burner twist and all of the complexities that accompany it.
All episodes of The Circle are available to stream on Netflix.