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The Circle is a social media reality TV game show that invites players into an isolated building, where each player is settled into a different apartment. The player has a choice of joining the game as themselves or bringing in some drama by disguising as someone else. As the players are connected via an exclusive social media app of the show, they can only chat with each other.
Season 7 of The Circle premiered on September 11, 2024, on Netflix, with the first four episodes released. Nine players have entered the chat room, with some catfishing the others. For instance, Deb, a 54-year-old, is disguised as 26-year-old Rachel, Nicky and Jojo have presented themselves as Gianna, Jojo's girlfriend. Another contestant, Heather, is playing a male, Andy, who is in his 30s.
These contestants have come up with their game strategy to win $100,000 but they must follow some rules during their stay in The Circle building, situated in Atlanta, Georgia. Let's look at these rules to understand this 'ultimate game of social media'.
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5 rules of The Circle that players must adhere to be in the game
Rule no. 1: Contestants must not exit from their apartments without supervision
The players are provided with their separate apartments, but they are all nestled in the same building. While they are allowed to visit the rooftop and the gym arena in the building, they must follow the instructions. At a time, only one player is allowed to roam around in the complex and must not leave the building without permission. Tim Harcourt, one of the producers, told People on September 13:
"Production’s air traffic controller ensures that only one player is moving around the complex at a time."
Rule no. 2: Players are allowed to chat during a certain window of time
In The Circle, players have only one avenue to know each other and explore more about the game strategies that everyone is executing, and it is via chat. The chatroom of the show opens as soon as the players settle down in the game. Any player can invite another player for a private or group chat. But here is a rule, players cannot chat with each other overnight, and their chat functions are turned off when it is bedtime.
Tim Harcourt revealed to Decider in 2020 that there is a certain window of time for a chat. He said:
"Of course. We had to allow for people to sleep and have their rest, so chats were regulated…. We couldn’t chance bugging people during their beauty sleep!"
Rule no. 3: The blocked player does not leave the show immediately
Players who get blocked from The Circle don't leave the building immediately but remain isolated there until the finale airs, with no access to The Circle. In season 7, Savannah was blocked in episode 4. Before leaving, she was allowed to meet one of the players in person. She decided to meet Kevin. The blocked player also gets to leave video footage and reveal their true identity.
Rule no. 4: Players cannot decline a chat request from any fellow player
The game show is all about how popular you are in The Circle. For that, a player must communicate with other players to form alliances and strengthen their gameplay. It is a kind of unsaid rule that if a player starts declining chat requests, it will turn into a monotonous game. Therefore, players must accept the chat request, as it is the pillar on which their strategy will stand.
Rule no. 5: Players get a week off
It might appear surprising to the audience, but as per RadioTimes.com, Tim Harcourt revealed that players do get a day off in a week. They do not get to know what is happening in the outside world, but they get off day from camera so that they can chill a bit.
"We make sure they get a day where they’re not on camera. The game just stops, like half time in a football match and most of them spend the day eating takeaway, watching Netflix or having a nap. We don’t let them watch the outside world like the news or anything," Harcout told the RadioTimes.
The Circle season 7 episodes 1 to 4 are available for streaming on Netflix.
