The Circle season 6 unveiled episodes 5-8 on Wednesday, and there were some shocking, unexpected twists throughout, including multiple blockings. While the first four episodes were an exposition to the newest iteration of the fabulous catfishing show, The Circle showed no mercy in episodes 5-8. The cast members struggled to figure out who the AI bot was and threw accusations in the wrong direction. The Circle season 6’s cast is more savage than ever, and they let their true colors show in the latest drop.
The Circle season 6 was bland initially, but episodes 5-8 got the show back on track. In the first four episodes, there were no blockings in The Circle, and the cast seemed hyper-focused on the chatbot rather than forming relationships with each other. However, the backstabbing, pot-stirring, and gossip in the newest episodes entirely made up for the slow start. The cast seems always to have their claws out and are ready to do anything to win The Circle. What were the wildest moments?
Myles Reed made the first serious blunder in the blockings when he chose to target Steffi Hill. The self-proclaimed astrologist and psychic didn’t see her elimination coming; however, Myles and all the other contestants, aside from Lauren LaChant and Brandon Baker, aka Olivia, were convinced Steffi’s horoscopes made her too stereotypical to be real. However, she was one of the genuine players.
Unfortunately, Myles’ job as an AI engineer didn’t help him with Steffi, who called him out for eliminating her for strategy rather than thinking she was the AI chatbot. While he expertly dodged her accusations, Myles is playing the game well, so this probably makes sense. However, Steffi being the first contestant blocked was a shocking twist.
The cast was awful at figuring out who the AI chatbot was. While Caress Russell, aka Paul, is a catfish, Paul is being played by a real person. Additionally, Steffi was exactly who she said she was. Max, on the other hand, was an AI chatbot. If the contestants were paying attention, they would have noticed his carefully curated and canned responses. While it was a fun twist, it was the right choice for The Circle‘s production to have the AI chatbot reveal themselves and leave on their own accord. The gameplay got more brutal after “Max” left.
Cassie Saylor’s blonde alliance with Myles quickly went sound after the “poor traits” game. While many shots were fired during the game, Cassie seemed extra fired up about her treatment. Myles decided to take the high road and reveal to her that he was the one who drew her as a snake. Cassie completely overreacted and put the nail in her own coffin. However, Myles certainly contributed to her drop in popularity. Cassie’s anger was ironic as she drew a somewhat offensive portrait of Myles too.
Cassie’s swift elimination after being called a snake shows how quickly the tides can turn in The Circle. She seemed relatively popular until she called Myles out for blocking Steffi, which led to her ultimate downfall. However, once Autumn Nielsen stepped into The Circle, Cassie was done for as her blonde, Southern nature had been replaced by someone new. Unfortunately for Autumn, her popularity was non-existent, and whatever clout she had was short-lived.
Unlike previous underwhelming twists, episode 7 introduced a “ride or die” element that elevated the drama. Cast members were paired up based on what seemed like an innocuous quiz, ranging from light-hearted queries to cringe-inducing ones (the answers to whether cast members would prefer to see their parents’ sex tape or have their parents see theirs were wild.) Apparently, it was all a compatibility test.
After getting their pairs, some cast members were more surprised than others. For example, Lauren and Autumn Nielsen didn’t seem to have much in common but were told they were each other’s “ride or die.” The bombshell revelation emerges when it’s disclosed that the fate of each pair is intertwined—if one member is blocked, their partner faces the same fate. This was bad news for someone like Lauren, who was paired with someone incredibly unpopular. On the flip side, the twist saved Olivia since Myles was so popular, and Olivia found herself somewhere in the middle.
This twist disrupted the solo gameplay of The Circle, forcing certain cast members into bizarre alliances. Former adversaries find themselves bound together, reshaping alliances and strategies. Notably, the partnership between Quori-Tyler Bullock and Jordan Staff focused entirely on strategy. Kyle Fuller and Paul, however, relied on their past camaraderie.
Even after The Circle‘s “ride or die” twist was revealed, Autumn couldn’t catch a break. Lauren’s decision to sacrifice her partner, Autumn, was shocking and didn’t make sense. Autumn’s subsequent isolation illustrates the ruthless nature of the game. When Olivia attempted to comfort Autumn, she got angry. Autumn was destroyed in the game, and Lauren started it. If Autumn got blocked, Lauren would too. Luckily, Autumn didn’t place last, but it wasn’t a good move on Lauren’s part.
Furthermore, Autumn was just being attacked for gameplay’s sake. Everything she was accused of being had no basis and was simply an attempt to keep piling on one player to save themselves. While it didn’t work, it was difficult to watch, as Autumn felt bullied.
Episode 8 ended on quite a crazy cliffhanger, which has never been seen in The Circle. As the lowest-ranked player, Paul would be automatically blocked since there were no influencers in the latest elimination round. However, The Circle provided an epic twist that could prevent Paul and his “ride or die,” Kyle, from getting eliminated. Kyle and Paul will have the chance to save their “ride or die” by blocking themselves from The Circle. If that wasn’t enough, there is also a twist within the twist.
If both Kyle and Paul choose to stay in The Circle, they will both be blocked. However, if they both decide to sacrifice, they will also be blocked. If one chooses to sacrifice and one chooses to stay, both Kyle and Paul will remain in The Circle. The twist is just the latest delicious mind game in The Circle, and everyone will have to wait until next week to find out the results.