Warning! The following contains spoilers for The Circle Season 2's first four episodes. Read at your own risk!
The Circle US has returned to Netflix for Season 2, and if you don't know what that is, you've been missing out on one of the best new reality television shows of the past couple of years. Season 1 had a lot of heart, fun and gave the world the bromance of Joey Sasso and Shubham Goel. Those who watched Season 1 may think Season 2 won't raise the bar much higher, but I'm here to say it absolutely has.
One of my major gripes with Season 1 of The Circle is that as fun and as entertaining as it was, the competition fell somewhat flat. The cast got so caught up in trying to expose other players as catfish that it became most of what they focused on each and every episode. There was also just a general kumbaya vibe throughout the whole season, to the point that it wasn't hard for the core group to just steamroll any newcomers out of the game.
To put it as kindly as possible, The Circle Season 1 cast didn't have a strategy to play the game other than being nice and hope for the best when rankings rolled out. Now, four episodes into Season 2, it seems like these competitors are much more willing to get messy, and more importantly, do what they need to win the $100,000 grand prize.
For example, as much as I hated to see breathing guru Bryant go, it was absolutely the right call strategy-wise. Sure, leaving likable saintly people in The Circle can lead to a wholesome experience, but look at Season 1's cast. Everyone loved Joey and Shubham, so of course, when it came down to the nitty-gritty, it was Joey and Shubham in the Final 2. Bryant definitely had the potential to be the next "Shooby" of the group, so good call by getting him out as soon as possible.
To be quite honest, I couldn't have been happier with who all was put in the bottom in the first elimination. Savannah and Terilisha put Bryant, Courtney, River, and Too Hot To Handle's Chloe up for elimination! Frankly, that was good to see right out the gate because if this were Season 1, I could see Chloe coasting to the finals based on just her celebrity alone. I'm optimistic, though she's going to have to fight to stay in the game.
Honestly, full credit to Savannah and Terilisha for setting the tone, and, in another thing I didn't see in Season 1, actually using the decision to cut Bryant against each other. These two middling players really found a way to mix up the drama and divide the game with some tension we never saw, and I love it so far.
The Circle Season 2 has its first four episodes up on Netflix, and more will be released each Wednesday. The show is a must-watch for fans of reality television and one of the most bingeable. Those wanting to know more should reference our handy guide, which details the ins and outs of the game.
