It seems like it could be fun to star on a reality show and have cameras around, and it seems even more enjoyable to appear on the hit Netflix series The Circle. Contestants live in separate apartments, play a game, and see who will win.
There's a lot of juicy news about this show, from Lance Bass's assistant pretending to be him to learning what the season 1 cast members are doing today.
Fans are curious what it's like to be a contestant on The Circle, as it seems like quite a unique experience. Let's take a look.
Life In The Apartments
There are several reality shows on Netflix that have become super popular, and The Circle is definitely one of them.
According to Reality Blurred, The Circle is shot in an apartment building in Manchester.
Bill Cranley talked about his experience on The Circle and in an interview with the Chicago Tribune, he said the apartment was really hot, as there was no air conditioning and they were told to keep windows closed. If they opened the windows, the worry was that they would hear the other people playing the game.
Cranley said that at first, he stayed at an Airbnb that was close to where the show was being filmed. He said that the crew made sure he didn't know where he was going: "Anytime I had to go to the apartment, they put noise-canceling headphones on me and blindfolded me, same thing when we were doing promos for the show."
Cranley also said that the show filmed "24/7." He explained that when he needed to use the bathroom, he let the producers know, and they put cameras there.
Cranley also shared that producers would talk to him: he said, "The only person I was talking to the whole time was the producer from the sky, the voice of God through the PA system. And there were two of them, a night-shift one from the U.K and a day-shift one from the U.S. We all had our own producers. They were talking to me pretty much every minute of the hour, honestly. Every half hour, they’d check in. Sometimes, we’d talk for hours. They wouldn’t tell you what was going to happen next, but they did say, “Hey, you can relax for now.”
Shubham Goel shared with Cosmopolitan that there was a therapist who the contestants could speak to. He also had positive things to say about the producers: "Production-wise, [the producers] were the nicest people possible. There was a therapist you could see whenever you wanted. They have people constantly giving us food, doing the room."
According to Elite Daily, the first season was shot in only 15 days. As for what the players did in their free time, the contestants could watch Netflix sometimes. They could also use the gym or go up on the roof to get some fresh air.
As for the apartments themselves, a ton of thought was put into them. In an interview with Slate, production designer Catherine Land explained the process of designing them: "I create 10 different ones, but then the producers decide who to put in the rooms because they go, 'Oh, that person’s really great to go in that room. They’d love that room.' They pair them with the rooms, basically."
Other Experiences
Joey Sasso won the first season of the U.S. version of The Circle. He said that he wanted to have a good time on the show and wasn't totally certain of what it was when he signed on.
In an interview with AZ Central, Sasso explained, "I really didn't even understand the concept (of the show) myself. I just understood I'm alone, (and) it's a reality show. I'm going to go have a good time and see what happens."
He drew a lot during his free time while filming season 1, and he said that while books were fine, contestants couldn't have their computers or cell phones with them.
Sasso told People that he wanted to be himself during the game and that he thinks that being friends with some of the other players is also a good strategy.
Chloe Veitch and Tea DeLessa have also talked about starring on season 2 of The Circle. According to BuzzFeed, DeLeessa said that she took a lot of naps while the show was filming, and as for how long the chats between players lasted, it turns out that they lasted for hours. They seemed to be a few minutes long, though.
It seems like it would be a fascinating and fun experience to star on The Circle, and it's cool to learn more about life inside the apartments.