‘The Circle’ Season 6 Dropped Its Twists Way Too Quickly

Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for Netflix’s ‘The Circle’.

The Big Picture

• The Circle
  Season 6 introduced exciting twists like an AI contestant and a Ride or Die pairing, but failed to sustain their impact.
• Plot twists like the Ride or Die concept injected much-needed drama into the show, shaking up alliances and strategies.
• Despite the potential to be groundbreaking,
  The Circle
  6 struggled to capitalize on its unique concepts, leading to a lackluster season thus far.

The Circle has returned after some pretty solid seasons. Having traveled across the Atlantic and finding itself a new home, The Circle 6 seemed to be missing its spark. With some pacing issues and a set of characters eager for revenge, the new season tried everything it could to keep things engaging. They brought in a twist only The Circle could do; an AI contestant. And like an interaction on a dating app, Max the Robot came and went, bouncing when things were just getting juicy. So The Circle introduced the Ride or Die twist where the remaining eight players were secretly paired up, holding their fates in one another’s hands. And again, it’s in and out, and the players were forced to fend for themselves. While there was only so much the show could do with the Ride or Die twist, just when things got interesting, they abandoned it with barely an explanation. With only a predictable finale left to go, The Circle needs to learn to rely on their twists and keep them alive. Once they’re gone, the show gets stale.

With three blocks of episodes under its belt, The Circle Season 6 has introduced 11 players into the game-made social media app. With two true catfish, a guy playing as his past self, and a robot, the sixth season had all the makings of a special season. Through the typical mechanics that make The Circle tick, the show should be working. Having abandoned the AI twist at the start of block two, the Ride or Die came to save the season. And it almost did. But just like the AI twist, the Ride or Die twist was dropped before it had a chance to truly shake up the game.

The Ride or Die Twist Shook Up ‘The Circle 6’

When The Circle Season 6 was revealed, the big twist came into the form of an AI Robot catfishing the players. Introduced as a profile named Max, the players went into a tizzy when they were made aware of the AI presence. Accusations were hurled as to who this miserable player was. And it actually was interesting to see how off they all seemed to be. In the process, Steffi Hill was a casualty. When it was revealed that Steffi and her insane knowledge of astrology was her only downfall, it seemed to viewers that Max the AI Robot was ready to claim its next victim.

But the show pulled the plug at the start of the second block of episodes, and that was it. There was no intrigue, no lingering effects. And maybe with a new filming building, they couldn’t keep the apartment occupied as a new face was coming. The already powerful Tres Fuego alliance, comprised of Kyle Fuller, Myles Reed, and Quori-Tyler Bullock were back in control. So The Circle played another mind-altering trick in the form of the Ride or Die twist. Through a deceptive game, players soon learned they were partaking in a compatibility test that was pairing them up with their Ride or Die. It was all a secret, they didn’t know how it would alter their games, and thus, everything we remembered about the AI Robot was out the window, like it never even happened.

By introducing the Ride or Die twist, it felt like a supplement to the lack of new players being brought in. The beauty of this twist was a way to bring the established stability to a stop. In previous seasons, new players coming in halfway through or later to the game have little chance of winning, but they can cause just enough chaos for the alliances to avoid a predictable result. Thanks to the Ride or Die twist, rivals like Myles and Olivia aka Brandon Baker were forced to pair up and figure out a way that they both remained.

Players like Quori-Tyler and Jordan Staff, who had very little interaction with his new partner, had an opportunity to unite and make a big move. And crazy things did happen! Lauren LaChant threw her partner Autumn Ann Nielsen under the bus, just as Myles and Olivia aka Brandon were ready to tank Autumn’s game. There was a surprise rating where, rather than a blocking, the lowest rated player and their Ride or Die would be blocked.

But then The Circle decided that those players, Kyle and Paul Russell aka Caress Alon, had the opportunity to sacrifice themselves for the other. And Caress did! It was a complete shock! And then, when The Circle decided that, in the next ratings, the highest rated player and their Ride or Die would become a secret influencer, Quori-Tyler got the blue check mark, allowing Jordan to be the secret influencer. He tried so hard to make a major power move. He knew his fate and his chances of winning were minimal should he not eliminate Myles. QT not only rejected the offer, she closed out the chat and didn’t allow Jordan to have a say, causing the boring blocking of Autumn. So The Circle said enough of this, and gone, again, is another amazing twist.

‘The Circle’ Needs Its Twists To Stay Interesting

After Autumn’s blocking, The Circle went back to the status quo. No more major twists, just the majority alliance knowing that one of the three had just won the game. It’s beyond probable that Jordan will be blocked next by super influencer Olivia aka Brandon. Brandon was not keen when Jordan called out the power players in the Circle Chat. Brandon’s lack of empathy for someone willing to rock the boat ensured that, in a game of numbers, he would actually be deciding who wins.

Whether Brandon realizes it or not, Tres Fuego would rate each other at the top in the final rating. Brandon is so trusting of the others, he doesn’t realize the consequences of eliminating his only lifeline for victory. Had The Circle kept the Ride or Die twist, it’s likely that Jordan’s imminent elimination could risk Quori-Tyler’s safety. And that, at least from a viewer’s perspective, is much more fun to watch! Viewers are split on Jordan’s action in the third block of episodes. Some fans believe that his aggressive attitude was unwarranted, admonishing his actions. Others believe he’s the only player actually willing to play the game. Split reactions to a reality television show are natural. But it throws the whole purpose of the game into question.

When casting a show like The Circle, there most certainly will be stunt casting. Kyle Fuller made headlines during his collegiate basketball career due to the story of his father dying. Caress playing as her younger brother, Paul Russell, allowed the show to capitalize on the success of Paul’s hitmaker “Lil Boo Thang.” And then there is the AI Twist. If you’re bringing in an AI, of course there will be an AI engineer. Insert Myles here. Fans were eager to see their rivalry explode, but it only went one round before the AI was removed entirely. Was the showmance between Myles and QT really fulfilling enough to carry the show forward? It very much seemed that The Circle had high hopes of a victory from one of the higher profile players.

With Caress sacrificing it all for Kyle and Jordan so anxious to ax Myles and Kyle, eliminating the Ride or Die twist was the only way to ensure a player of that caliber would win in the end. Enforcing a bond through the Ride or Die twist until the very last blocking truly would force the remaining players to think outside the box. With both Kyle and Lauren solo, putting them together as a new Ride or Die could have been spicy! Or what about finally revealing who was paired with whom? There was very little point in bringing it to an end when it could have continued to shake up the status quo.

The Circle is one of the smartest games ever created for reality television. It is a sign of the times, reflecting society’s obsession with social media and how we interact through the safety of a screen. With Season 6 bringing the future into the game, this season had all the potential to be the greatest. And then it was gone. The Ride or Die twist supplemented its absence, but was botched in the end. The Circle is a show that has longevity. Could it last as long as Survivor? That’s a tough one. But The Circle should look over at one of the longest running competition shows to understand the importance of believing in their twists. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t. It just needs to be seen through. Unless one of the most shocking blockings is about to occur, The Circle 6 will end as a dud. Jordan proved just how fantastic the Ride or Die twist is, making Big J the hero of the season.

The Circle 6 streams its finale on Wednesday, May 8 on Netflix in the U.S.

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