The Circle - who’s watching?

[Standrewsschool]

The first three are wannabes.

Hunter - trying to revive his career.

I need my tv volume to auto go down a few notches when Tally is on. Doesn't she know there are microphones?!

Can't see Dot getting very far, there haven't been many women over 40 in the last two series but those in there/playing that role haven't got very far.

I'm not sure if that fact we won't get a vote on anything will make this better or worse. I'll stick with it though....not much else going on right now

Dot and Tally are both so bad at their catfishing roles. Stereotypical to the point of caricature. If your english was so bad that you couldn't conjugate basic verbs correctly, you wouldn't go on an English-language reality TV. I wonder what the real life Syed thinks of the accent Hashu puts on.

Don't know why I wrote Tally - i meant Syed. She's clearly just on my mind as she's a source of bother

Just caught up on last nights. I don't know why it's on so late, I actually think it's a good way of showing teens that people aren't who they say they are online, but it would be better at 9pm for that.

Didn't understand why Manrika spoke about her dad defeating alcoholism as her greatest achievement. Surely that's his greatest achievement in life. Its all too set up and big brother/bgt sob story to win votes now. I knew it would happen eventually, but thought it would have lasted more than 2 series.

Agreed i'm struggling with the 10pm start 😴😴

I'm really noticing in the USA one how hot they are all the time. Apparently it's because they have to have bright lights on for filming all the time and it's really hot. That's supposedly why they have to wear so few clothes.

Why haven’t we seen Andy ask Billy about the World Cup.
Annoying editing there.

But then why didn’t he instigate this conversation earlier in the day?

Billy the started the chat with Andy. Billy didn't know he needed to prove he wasn't s catfish, if I was Andy I'd have started a chat with Billy.

Exactly. If Andy had any suspicions you’d be querying them in the morning, before ratings.
But, I wonder, if the producers prevented a convo, knowing it’d be better for ratings....?

I really hope it's Gemma gone. Though I'm not sure Billy can bounce back, he and Vithun are getting lost in a sea of screamers.

I did like how the newbies had the same reaction of distrust to Gemma's chat.

FFS all this moving all the important decisions over to the next episode just means I just record 2 episodes at a time to watch and just fast forward all the adverts.

Kind of defeats the object for an advert funded channel

@jay55

I really hope it's Gemma gone. Though I'm not sure Billy can bounce back, he and Vithun are getting lost in a sea of screamers.

I did like how the newbies had the same reaction of distrust to Gemma's chat.

Completely agree, they seem to be the most grounded people in there and are just being shouted down by everyone else.

Really disappointed in this series its sliding towards big brother levels of obnoxiousness. I think that's gemma gone but if its billy i will be gutted. Doesn't seem to be any interesting fresh blood yet to shake it up either. There were contestants i didn't like in previous series but the bad was outweighed by the good.

So if Billy hadn't initiated that private chat with Andy at the 11th hour, Andy would have just taken Gemma at her (bizarre) word and blocked Billy? I also wonder if the producers held them off having a chat for dramatic effect, something isn't right there and Andy has gone down in my estimation. It's like he's just sitting pretty in his apartment not really having to try, just enjoying the peace and quiet and having a bit of a holiday. Syed was annoying me last night too. WFT were those questions to Felix?? That was just plain weird. I honestly can't pick a favourite now.

Something isn't sitting right with me in this series. So focused on the catfish hunting rather than building connections. I loved how the american version they formed friendships and weren't just out to get each other all the time.

I might be wrong but I feel like there are more catfishes in this series and catfishes are always keen to find other catfishes to throw the heat off themselves. They're also usually pretty one dimensional unless done really well. I wonder if that's changing the dynamic. And the genuine people who are in there are just not very interesting to watch.

I kept falling asleep while I was watching, about an hour after broadcast yesterday ...

I must admit, their lack of interest in each other - beyond catfish discovery - does leave a hole at the centre of the narrative. We're never going to get those heartbreaking moments at the end where one person discovers that a virtual relationship they'd invested in was actually fake.

And it's true that amongst this group there's no one I'd feel deserves £100k ...

@Ontheboardwalk

FFS all this moving all the important decisions over to the next episode just means I just record 2 episodes at a time to watch and just fast forward all the adverts.

Kind of defeats the object for an advert funded channel

So true. With that and pushing viewing time back to 10pm C4 are seriously over estimating the appeal of this show.

We started a WhatsApp group to follow MAFS that then followed Celebrity Circle and started this series. Of the 7 people in the group only 2 are still watching.

I'm disliking this series. I don't understand the Syed love. He seems too obviously a caricature. Manrika and Tally are too similar and both annoying. I really disliked Manrika discussing her father's alcoholism on air. That wasn't her story to share. I dislike it when reality shows become a saddest story competition with them all competing for sainthood. Vithun and Billy are my favourites. I'd like to have an intelligent older woman playing herself. Too many catfishes.

I agree @2Rebecca.
All the sob / backstories makes it too like the annoying bits of X-factor and BGT (which I gave up on years ago cos they got too irritating).
Also agree re Manrika, Tally and Hashu being far too shouty. Shut up. 🙉
Billy and Vithun are my favourites too so far. They both seem nice, normal, genuine lads.

Hoping that Gemma goes but if it is Billy then Gemma will be left and the sh*t will surely hit the fan with her outing as lying about Billy and then the focus will go onto her being a probable catfish/game player. I think Hunter’s catfish/donate winnings to NHS doesn’t come across as selfless as he thinks it does. Plus in the introductions he said he would donate his winnings to the NHS and more recently he said he would donate HALF his winnings to the NHS...if he won!

The Manrika and Felix thing is pretty cringe. I would have expected her to be a bit more savvy about him.

Does anyone know the actual day to day format of the show - can they only speak to each other at certain times of the day, and are their conversations limited time-wise? Otherwise surely some people would be just having hour long conversations and properly getting to know each other? It just annoys me that it is obviously not a 24 hour thing!

If they can only chat at certain times, that would explain why Andy & Billy didn’t have the football chat sooner.

I’m finding their superficial chats a bit grating now. There’s not much back and forth banter and there’s a lot of “really appreciated this chat” and “loved getting to know you” after about three messages.

@OysterMonkey @2Rebecca agree with you both. I think it needs some fresh blood in to spice it up, Billy and Vithun are just being drowned out by a group who range from dull to insufferable.I don't necessarily mind people I wouldn't like in real life being in reality tv programmes, I just want them to be deliciously evil and cunning rather than annoying!!

I'm sure Gemma said on his entrance interview it would be half to the NHS so that hasn't changed.

I read they can only talk at certain times.

I'd completely forgotten vithun was there until he popped up for the ratings which is a shame as he's one of my favourites.

Netflix US is going to do their 2nd series in April. Don't know if it will be on UK Netflix at the same time.

Really surprised at all the Manrika hate, still my fave to win. I would imagine she was proud of her dad who she obviously loves for overcoming such a pernicious disease that most statistically die from, and having to grow up early and be the adult when a child. Look at Al-Anon if you haven't a clue.

Fingers crossed Gemma goes as I feel for poor Billy.

Can't remember the name of the guy playing Syed but he makes me laugh .

Hashu, that's his name .