The Circle - who’s watching?

[Standrewsschool]

The first three are wannabes.

Hunter - trying to revive his career.

I think Dot will block Femi...

Easiest option.

I wasn’t ready for a double blocking, but I wonder if that could mean that the blocked players go in as a new player? If the two blocked player go in as a pair catfishing together I feel like that could make the game more interesting. If Femi is blocked alongside Pippa it would be really interesting to see what they’d do as a catfish, for example would they tell Manrika who they are in the hope she still had their back? I can’t really see who else Dot would block aside from Femi, but if it were someone else it would be even more interesting to see what they’d do with Pippa as a catfish!

Too easy.

I'd would be great if Dot went big. Felix totally wimped out.

What an anti-climax!

@BillyIsMyBunny

I wasn’t ready for a double blocking, but I wonder if that could mean that the blocked players go in as a new player? If the two blocked player go in as a pair catfishing together I feel like that could make the game more interesting. If Femi is blocked alongside Pippa it would be really interesting to see what they’d do as a catfish, for example would they tell Manrika who they are in the hope she still had their back? I can’t really see who else Dot would block aside from Femi, but if it were someone else it would be even more interesting to see what they’d do with Pippa as a catfish!

Well predicted you!

So disappointed that Andy & Manrika weren’t blocked just because I would have loved to see the two of them having to catfish a priest together!!

Billyismybunny called it!

Manrika will surely be a bit stressed, interesting to see if she'll try build back bridge with Andy - but if I was Felix I would have got rid of her.

Such an annoying twist. I'd rather it was Billy and Vithun or Tally having a go.

Shame Manrika wasn't blocked by Dot.

Also using religion to try to win a large cash prize is low even for The Circle. The game is so low in my estimation right now. Lock-in my rating at rock bottom.

I can’t be the only one disappointed with that twist at the end. Pretty boring to use two existing players, some new blood would have been good even though there’s not that much time left. Especially as they’ve done this already with Yolanda going back in, If Tom is quick to align with Manrika it would be even more obvious, surely the other contestants will suspect?

They need to develop a strategy now that ensures they don't automatically get blocked as a newb.

They could tell every single player the same story - something like they are going to save them and split the cash in return for support.

The leaked photos on Circle Spy’s Twitter (twitter.com/circlespy/status/1378466448763457536?s=21) stayed there will be 2 nee players, the photos show the Priest’s profile but also another guy in one of The Circle flats who I presume is another new player. So I think there will be someone else going in alongside Pippa/ Femi so maybe that will make other players less suspicious that the blocked pair have returned as another player? Either that or they might think both of the new players are Femi & Pippa catfishing but won’t know which is which? I’m not a massive fan of all the twists but sort of integrated to see how this pans out.

Surely all they need to say is that they need the money to replace the stolen lead on the church roof or for community projects and try to guilt trip everyone in to rating them highly. Or maybe that's what I would do.

Hope it's not going to be blue priest orange priest situation

@jay55

Hope it's not going to be blue priest orange priest situation

Oh I hope so

It just feels like producers are trying to ensure Manrika stays in the game for as long as possible, which I understand as people love to (hate-)watch her. Conveniently her two allies get to stay in the game

I think both Dot and Felix played it smart strategically. You don't want to be seen as the kingslayer as that marks you as a threat. I'm glad neither of them blocked each other and find it interesting Felix said she'd block anyone else before she blocked Dot. Manrika's been consistently rating Felix top but if she's as smart as she appears she surely clocked by now that Dot comes before her for Felix. Not sure what she'll do with that. She can't afford to lose allies at this point but I'm sure she'll make a note of it for when the time comes.

@Frezia

It just feels like producers are trying to ensure Manrika stays in the game for as long as possible, which I understand as people love to (hate-)watch her. Conveniently her two allies get to stay in the game

I think both Dot and Felix played it smart strategically. You don't want to be seen as the kingslayer as that marks you as a threat. I'm glad neither of them blocked each other and find it interesting Felix said she'd block anyone else before she blocked Dot. Manrika's been consistently rating Felix top but if she's as smart as she appears she surely clocked by now that Dot comes before her for Felix. Not sure what she'll do with that. She can't afford to lose allies at this point but I'm sure she'll make a note of it for when the time comes.

I don’t think the producers could have engineered this to keep Manrika in the game by ensuring her two biggest allies weren’t properly blocked because they couldn’t have known which 2 players would be blocked. For a start there was a good chance at least one, if not both, of the blocked players would be an influencer; they couldn’t have known for sure that Felix & Dot would save each other and they couldn’t have known which two players they would subsequently block.

The game was all set up with a fake profile, prepared flat and Emma called in to announce the twist that the two blocked players could stay so it was obviously planned out way before they knew which two players would be blocked or how it would impact on Manrika or anyone else in the game. Had a different pair of players ended up as the blocked pair it could just as easily weakened Manrika, for example if Felix had been blocked by Dot Manrika’s circle relationship would have been over and I feel like in that case tactically Natalya may have moved away from backing Manrika.

I do think this series has been heavily edited and over produced but I don’t think that goes so far as engineering to save Pippa and Femi in order to maintain Manrika’s allies as the producers would have planned the double blocking followed by turning the blocked players into a new catfish before they new who the blocked players were. Also the show was filmed months ago so I’m not sure the producers would have been sure at that point how the final story-arc would play out or how player’s characters were going to be edited so I don’t know if they would have been invested enough in Manrika enough to save her; if they wanted to save a player to keep creating drama or would have made more sense for them to keep Gemma in at her blocking than Pippa and Femi?

@19thNamechange
Thank you

I enjoyed tonight’s episode. I quite liked the twist. I’d only watched celebrity circle before this which I loved.

Tactically I think don’t block was the best option. If they both says block then what would have happened?they'd both go?

As Natalya was talking I really thought she was going to block Manrika.
Glad Hashu/Syed still in there.

I missed the bit about femi and Andy so I’m not sure what all the angst is about.

Ok you do have a point there... although they could've also had different twist scenarios depending on which players got blocked. But it's true it's probably more of a lucky outcome. I don't think they would've kept Gemma as that character was already central to a big producer intervention and if they'd done that it would've been obvious Gemma was a producer prop. Hunter also seemed too bitter and uncooperative to play along after the blocking and apparently forced face-off with Manrika.

No doubt Femi and Pippa will turn to Manrika again, I would too in their place. It will be interesting to see who's the dominant player in the Pippa and Femi team. If it's Femi and he doesn't reign in his thirst for Andy's blood, they'll get found out in no time. Nothing raises red flags as a catty and vindictive priest.

Andy has to stop rating Syed top, surely he has to understand now that both Dot and Felix are more of an ally to him that Syed. Syed seems to be thinking with his d*ck more than anything else and it's starting to grate on me. I'm surprised at the intense dislike he took to Vithun based on what, the fact he dared to troll Manrika? Just take a day off Syed.

Won't the rest of the circle know something is up, when no one gets a visit from the blocked players.

Can’t quite remember how it ended last night but I’m hoping they do visit and video - (then go to their apartment) but problem is that would be yet another huge false production lead intervention.
I’ve also found it really odd after a visits why everyone the next day isn’t straight onto the circle to find out (disingenuously or not) who was visited. It always seems to come out quietly/privately. In fact that has made me realise we’ve seen so little full group chat - surely there used to be more? Mbtw love how syed said (as others have) how slowly dot types - dot herself told herself to slow down as dot wouldn’t ‘type’ so quickly. What ??

This is exactly what happened last series...two blocked....they stayed with a new profile surely everyone will guess and a prehistoric? Really a bit obvious. Mmmm don't like femi at all and pippa is boring. Still loving syed though I think he's blind sighted with manrika. Was also thinking manrika is a hypocrite her whole sob story about her dad being an alcoholic...yet her usp is being a geezer gal loving a pint?...

I’m sorry but I loved that episode! I am so glad either Felix or Dot didn’t block each other, I was watching through my hands at that point because I really like them both. I so wanted Dot to block Manrika though. Now I’m really hoping Pippa and Femi go back in alongside the real priest, like someone suggested up thread, now that would be amazing. It was great to see Manrika’s triple threat plans falling down around her! Ha ha ha.

I think I bellowed ‘yes’ at the tv when they did not block each other then thought what a wasted opportunity then thought again how much I like both Felix and dot. Dots reaction showed how deeply she was conflicted and how great it was she did as she did.