Season 4 of The Circle recently ended and since premiering in 2020, it has proven to be the perfect reality show for social distancing. While other reality shows like Big Brother and Love Island had to drastically adjust their shooting schedules, casts, and locations to accommodate Covid-19 protocols, The Circle just kept spinning through four seasons, with new twists at every turn.
From anonymous decisions to unanimous jaw-drops, The Circle keeps contestants on their feet with every blaring alert. While the show concept remains the same, new twists like super-secret influencers, cloned profiles, and celebrity catfish frequently arise and spur speculation around the upcoming fifth season, which was confirmed in August 2021.
Influencer Save Twist
After players rank each other, the top two most popular players become Influencers. While Influencers usually have a private discussion about who should be blocked, occasionally, The Circle shakes things up and makes them reveal their alliances by asking each Influencer to save their favorite people one by one, without discussion. Depending on who has the power, this twist can get catty, emotional, or strategic.
Influencer Saves are typically put on full display in Circle Chat. Slowly but surely, lines are drawn, and by process of elimination, the player or players who are not saved by either Influencer are at risk of being blocked. This twist is a savage way to highlight the unpopularity of certain players, and get blood on the hands of the Influencers, including Frank and Yu Ling in Season 4.
Face-To-Face Blocking Twist
Although Influencers usually deliver bad news by sending a message in Circle Chat, sometimes The Circle requires them to block a player face-to-face. All the at-risk players anxiously wait for their door to open, and the Influencer must face the emotional reactions of the player they block.
The blocked players should be upset, but they are often understanding, as they make friendly conversations, talk strategy, or even flirt with the person who blocked them. Most blocked players choose who they get to meet before they leave, but this twist takes away that privilege and reveals their identity to someone who wanted them out.
Lance Bass Is In The Circle...Kind Of
Catfish have been a key part of The Circle since the beginning. However, in Season 2, the show elevated this concept by introducing a celebrity profile for NSYNC's Lance Bass, even though he was played by his personal assistant, Lisa. While some of the players felt starstruck around the former boy bander, others couldn't identify the pop star or felt major catfish vibes.
Trevor (a.k.a. DeLeesa) asked Lance what he would do with the $100,000, and Lisa thought it would be funny to say he would use it to tour with the band. This response bothered most of the players since Lance was a wealthy celebrity, and wasn't planning on donating the prize to charity. Although this twist ended abruptly, The Circle had a special plan for Lisa after she was blocked.
Burner Profile Twist
After Calvin was blocked by Ashley and Isabella in Season 3, The Circle presented him with the Gift of Popularity, which he passed on to his good friend Nick. This allowed Nick to continue to play as himself, but also play for a limited time with a Burner Profile, as a ghost hunter named Vince. The Circle provided a black cape and some spooky items to put Nick in the mindset of the paranormal player.
Although it was fun to watch Nick run around his apartment, and simultaneously chat as Nick and Vince, Nick made some obvious slip-ups that went mostly unnoticed by the other players. Nick's use of this power didn't really gain him popularity, but it may have bought him some time, since Vince vanished after only a couple of days, and Nick made it to the finale.
Clone Twist
At the beginning of Season 3, Ava played a version of herself with her older sister Chanel by her side. Kai blocked Ava, and the sisters were sent to the Inner Circle for a special opportunity to Clone the profile of one of the other players. After debating their options, they decided to replicate Southern mama Michelle.
The other players faced a conundrum, trying to determine if Blue Michelle or Orange Michelle was the original player. The real Michelle was frustrated by this identity theft, and even though she had done nothing wrong, she was unfairly eliminated early, because the other players were fooled by Ava and Chanel's long-winded explanations, instead of Michelle's authentic stories.
Second Chance Twist
After they fumbled a makeup challenge, Emily (a.k.a. Jack) and Lance Bass (a.k.a. Lisa) were quickly labeled as catfish. As the least popular players, they were sent packing during the double blocking, but they didn't get far. They entered a brand new apartment together and The Circle gave them a Second Chance.
When they moved in, the one thing Jack and Lisa had in common was their inability to convincingly catfish. However, this twist allowed the duo to re-enter the game as a full-time psychic and part-time Santa named John. By sharing this catfish profile, and bonding as roommates, Lisa and Jack fooled the other players, made it to the Season 2 finale and formed one of the most unexpected friendships in The Circle.
The Joker Twist
Savannah decided to visit her Circle BFF Courtney when she was blocked in Season 2, but she didn't know her visit would give Courtney a new power. Courtney entered a secret room called The Inner Circle and became The Joker. Through this anonymous profile, Courtney was able to speak to two new players, Khat and Mitchell, before anyone else.
Courtney carefully selected his words in order to frame Terilisha and Chloe as two-faced, and lead the new players to believe The Joker was Emily. His plan worked beautifully. Before his time as The Joker was up, Courtney secretly gave River (a.k.a. Lee) one of the Influencer positions, and the rest of the players ranked Courtney as the other one, giving his alliance all of the power at the blocking.
Super-Secret Influencer Twist
When highly ranked players were gifted with the ability to block others anonymously, the way each of the Super-Secret Influencers chose to use this power revealed a lot about their strategy. Some players chose to keep their secret, while others let everyone know their decision the morning after the blocking.
This powerful twist has affected the game since the very first season and is typically introduced at a pivotal point leading up to the finale. While the decision can be tough for players like Joey, other players like River (a.k.a. Lee) take the opportunity to frame someone else. In Season 4, Frank secretly blocked Nathan (a.k.a. Alex) and carried four people he trusted to the finale, which led to his heartwarming win.
Cyber Virus Twist
The Circle was attacked with a Cyber Virus in Season 4, which led to a data breach that gave each player access to one other player's photos, and an opportunity to ask them a question anonymously. Most of the players took advantage of their anonymity and pointed intense questions at the others, trying to catch them in a lie, but the honest players, like Frank were able to maintain their integrity.
Eversen and Imani (a.k.a. Trevor) were only in The Circle for a day when the Cyber Virus attacked. As new players, they were protected with Anti-Virus software and were able to pass it on to one other player. This twist was one of the most nerve-wracking to watch because it was unclear how many players would be safe. After the chain reaction of safety ended, one player was blocked, which inspired a meme about The Circle Season 4.
Spice Girls Twist
Two Spice Girls became one catfish in season 4 when Emma Bunton and Melanie Brown spiced up The Circle as children's author, Jared. Baby Spice (a.k.a. Emma) had a smart strategy, focusing on the backstory of Jared's writing career, while Scary Spice (a.k.a. Mel B) flaunted her cheeky sense of humor, and made alliances with players like Frank, Crissa, and Yu Ling because of their good vibes.
When the Spice Girls found out they had to fool the other players in order to raise the prize pool by $50,000, they did everything they could to misdirect, throwing clues and shade at their super fans: Alyssa, Rachel, and Yu Ling. While other twists caused drama and intrigue, this one had the highest stakes and the biggest reward for The Circle.