The Circle (Channel 4)

[Ja'moke]

Surely he's picked Joyce? He's been suspicious of her for a while.

[JesusAndYourBush]

Yes, if they'd let us see who it was it'd still make you want to watch the next show to see what was said, possibly more so.
With him having that big catfish detecting forensic noticeboard he's bound to have picked someone he thinks is a catfish rather choosing tactically someone he thinks is a threat.

[Fabian Thomsett]

Woody is too nice a guy to block Tim, Ella or Sammi.

He's not close to Paddy or Georgina but doesn't really have a problem with either of them.

It'll be Josh or Joyce. No regrets about catfish going.

[Fabian Thomsett]

I'm pretty sure the producers invented the Secret Influencer thing because they were bored of Tim, Ella and Woody basically calling the shots all the time.

But then the Great British Public chose Woody anyway.

[Ja'moke]

They did the Secret Influencer last series too. Although I don't think the public picked. But I'm sure they suspected Tim or Woody would win the vote given they're the most popular with viewers.

[BritishHobo]

Reckon the fate of that public vote was sealed back when Woody became an influencer last week but didn't actually get to do any influencing.

I would really love to see him walk in on Joyce. That has to be the most entertaining choice. Shame though, as I've enjoyed watching them muddle through, it's been quite sweet and fun.

[JesusAndYourBush]

Nobody noticed "Joyce"'s error about people having a street party when the Berlin wall came down.  Street parties in Germany maybe, but not here.

[BritishHobo]

I did briefly wonder if anyone would query that. Thought Tim might've.

Fucking hell though, the ending of that one was cracking. Proper Game of Thrones shit. Props to the editors there.

[Ja'moke]

Glad to see some of them getting tactical finally. And of course, the majority of Twitter replies to that ending were "I hate them! They're cheating! Get them out!" Why do the British public hate when people "play the game" in a game-show?

[BritishHobo]

It used to infuriate me last year, the contestants going 'I think he's gameplaying...' You ALL are. Like you say - unless you forefeit and say 'I don't want the money, I'm quitting', then you are playing the game.

That's why I deleted Teitter. They're idiots. Fuck 'em. They're watching a show about not judging people off a screen, and they're doing just that. I have my favourites, and people I don't like so much, but that drive to be on Twitter every night going I HATE HIM, THAT ONE I ONLY KNOW FROM EDITED TV CLIPS - HE'S UNAMBIGUOUSLY EVIL. Like god forbid two of the contestants on The Circle want to win The Circle.

[Ludicrous Display]

The girl playing Josh is a very shit catfish. From the dead behind the eyes pictures of some bloke from a European car advert to the constant fuck ups and fumbles. The John Lennon comment was especially bad, I'm a tad disappointed Tim only mentioned it in passing and didn't dig deeper, although he already knows clear as day that Josh isn't real. I can't deny that it is entertaining telly seeing someone so incompetent though, I miss Jay's mum and her notebook full of banter.

[Ja'moke]

It used to infuriate me last year, the contestants going 'I think he's gameplaying...' You ALL are. Like you say - unless you forefeit and say 'I don't want the money, I'm quitting', then you are playing the game.

That's why I deleted Teitter. They're idiots. Fuck 'em. They're watching a show about not judging people off a screen, and they're doing just that. I have my favourites, and people I don't like so much, but that drive to be on Twitter every night going I HATE HIM, THAT ONE I ONLY KNOW FROM EDITED TV CLIPS - HE'S UNAMBIGUOUSLY EVIL. Like god forbid two of the contestants on The Circle want to win The Circle.

It's interesting to see the different reactions from the Americans/Canadians that are now watching the show and are more familiar with gameplay orientated shows like Survivor and Big Brother US/Canada. I have Twitter and the majority of my followers are Survivor fans (I run a Survivor website), and a lot of them have started watching The Circle, so their reaction to that Sammie and Paddy scene was very different from the UK fans on the official Twitter account.

[JesusAndYourBush]

The girl playing Josh is a very shit catfish.

Yeah, she's not doing a very good job.  When she started I noticed that among the folders of photos was one called 'the real me' with photos of herself, so if she gets a chance to post another photo before she's gone (likely tonight or tomorrow night) I reckon she'll reveal her real self.

[BritishHobo]

Ooh, good spot - I was thinking today about the possibility of having a catfish next year who reveals themselves halfway through. Would be interesting if she does end up pulling the pin here.

I like her, but I think she's put too many ideas into Josh. Middle-class white bloke: fine. All the stuff about travelling and charity and being a Corbynista and liking lentils and shit? Too complicated, and people are much more likely to find that kind of person annoying than likable. It's like the kind of thing a conservative pundit would come with as a stereotype of a champagne socialist millennial. When she tipped Tim as Josh's rival because they were both in education or whatever, it felt like great character work but bad gameplaying.

[Ja'moke]

That episode was fantastic. And the Twitter meltdowns are hilarious. I really hope Sammie can pull this off now.

[Fabian Thomsett]

The Ella and Busayo meeting was quite sweet, really.

Why didn't she just go in as herself? Pretending to be someone you feel animus towards is baffling. I mean, she even seemed a bit baffled about it.

[Fabian Thomsett]

How the hell is Sammie going to talk Tim into blocking Ella? S(he)'s got no ammo at all.

[Ja'moke]

Maybe he can tell Tim that Ella was mean about little Charlie.

[BritishHobo]

It's got to be a deadlock surely. I can't see how either of them will be able to convince the other to budge on one of their friends. It'll have to be Jan, even though that won't satisfy either of them, and it'll only be delaying the inevitable cos it'll be deadlock again tomorrow.

I hope Sammie/James is clever and crafty enough to play on what Paddy said about wanting a winner who's had a journey in there. He could make a very good - and rightful- case for Paddy and Georgina by appealing to Tim on the way those two have opened up and bared all during their time in The Circle.

I love that it's become a totally different set-up to last year  with these unofficial teams. Last year it seemed a little bit inevitable that the final four would be who they were, but this year it's fucking right down the line. What I like is that I love all the players. There's no-one I think is a horrible bastard, they're all really likable. I'd be happy for any of 'em to win, so the drama of this revolution is so much fun.

Love that we're back to the original influencers, now at proper loggerheads. THIS IS SUCH A GOOD SHOW. I'm screaming like Ella in my head.

[BritishHobo]

It's quite fucking cheeky to show them decide on Jan, and then drag out a long long cliffhanger before revealing... it's Jan. Come on, mate.

[BritishHobo]

Also it seems a bit high and mighty of Tim to fret about manipulation and gameplaying. At the end of the day, they have to pick someone. Jan was a human being and he had no real qualms about swinging for her to go.

[gmoney]

Yes, but he picked her on what he would consider an honest basis, where he detected that Sammie was lying to get rid of a big threat.

It's been a great series this year, but I don't know if it improved on last year, perhaps because it's not as novel. They need to do something about the issue that anyone who comes in the Circle in the second week has virtually no chance.

[BritishHobo]

I don't think I've ever felt so strongly that a show might actually kill me. The pure tension of this show. I feel fucking ill.

[Ja'moke]

Brilliant. Really rooting for Sammie or Georgina to win it all now. Though I still think Tim is in with a chance, especially if he can talk George around on Sammie.

[BritishHobo]

Oooooof.

It's really rough, because I do think Ella is pure and lovely, as are Woody and Tim. I really enjoy the little circle of trust gang, but it's not out of any dislike for the other three. I love all of them. Ella coulda been a winner and she would have absolutely deserved it. That blocking was a hell of a one. Poor Georgina.

I do have such a soft spot for Sammie. I could understand why some might view him as a villain, but I feel like he's still a good person, and he's played a great game.

[confettiinmyhair]

We sometimes talk about story arcs in Reality TV, that a contestant has come to the end of their journey, and for me Woody has done that. He's shown personality, endearing qualities and that he's more than just the son of two famous people. That being said I don't think that makes him a worthy winner.

In the spirit of the game, I think Sammie, Tim and Georgina would make for a deserved winner.

[JesusAndYourBush]

Will it be a viewers vote for the final 5, or are they going to be rating each other to choose the winner?  I can't remember how they did it last year.

[BritishHobo]

Last year it was a final rating, and then the viewers got to vote for the surprise bonus prize. I wondered if they'll have rethought the final rating system, as it seemed a bit of an easy, no-thought-put-in way to decide. Having a final five instead of four surely shows they've made some sort of change, even if only to make sure that winning isn't quite so straightforward.

[Ja'moke]

Well, last year, they rated each other out of 5 stars throughout the series. This year they changed the format to a ranking system, which I think is a lot better.

I'm now thinking Paddy could end up winning this. He'll probably be rated 1st by Georgina, 1st or 2nd by Sammie, 2nd by Woody, and maybe even 2nd by Tim.

[JesusAndYourBush]

When Ella was booted, Sammie said something about them now having the balance of power, but it's Woody & Tim who have the balance of power.  If Sammie/Paddy/Georgina vote each other 1st & 2nd, and if Tim/Woody vote each other 1st, then Sammie/Paddy/Georgina will come out on top, so the winner will be determined by how Tim & Woody place their 2nd/3rd/4th votes.