The Circle Season 3 is out on Netflix, and thus far, it feels like a radically different game. Players have been cloned, players have been deceived, and the gameplay has drastically improved from Season 1 and even Season 2 of the social media-based reality game. With that said, it would appear that while the game has moved past the Season 1 cast, that didn't prevent their playstyles from influencing players like Ruksana Carroll on how they would enter the game.
I got a chance to speak to Ruksana Carroll about Season 3 of The Circle and asked her if any past players of the original season had inspired her game. Carroll didn't waste any time with her response and brought up the cast member that was a big part of why so many fans fell in love with this series.
I loved Shubham [Goel] in Season 1. It’s not just an Indian thing! I just thought he was very genuine. He was himself, he was just as honest as he could be. And when you see that you automatically feel connected to someone and everybody, now looking at it from this angle, everyone was pretty genuine or organic with the way they portrayed themselves. But when I saw him? I was like ‘This guy has a career, what has he got to lose?’ He’s obviously doing it because he’s legit. So I was like ‘Then I’ll follow suit.’ That was just my mentality.
Shubham Goel, or "Shooby" as he was known to fans and The Circle Season 1 cast, went from underdog to one of the most liked people in his season. Shooby's rise in the ranks came from his earnest attitude and honesty, and an online persona that presented an accurate version of himself. Ruksana Carroll told CinemaBlend she was inspired by Goel's game and worked to go into the house with a style that's very much the same.
Knowing that, it's very easy to see the "Shooby" style in Ruksana Carroll's game. Thus far in The Circle Season 3, she's played a straight-up game, has kept up an honest and open front where she could, and has generally been open about her intentions and made strong alliances in the process. Her bond with Kai Ghost really came through when she reached influencer status in Episode 4, but can this alliance hold strong and push them through to the end? It's hard to say, given how players have won Season 1 and 2 in different ways, but we've got a couple more weeks before we'll know for sure!
Catch Episodes 1-8 of The Circle on Netflix right now, and continue to check in on Wednesdays for new episodes. For more on upcoming shows on Netflix, check out the stunning praise horror writer Stephen King had for the upcoming horror series Midnight Mass.
