Now four seasons in, The Circle has become a smash hit reality show for Netflix. Described as Big Brother meets Catfish, it’s an interesting concept that, at the onset, sounds pretty boring. That is until fans get immersed in the players and their strategies for figuring out which players are playing as themselves and which are someone completely different from who their profile photos and personas indicate.
For those who don’t quite understand the gist of the show, however, some hilarious Internet memes manage to capture its essence with just a simple photo and a few fitting words as the caption.
Poach An Egg
Via: RuinMyWeek.com
One of the funniest parts of the show is watching people from all walks of life communicate with one another. Each person has different interests and, coming from a different part of the U.S., very different upbringings. Something might be common for some, but for others, it’s a foreign concept.
Using this conversation between two players in season one, this meme shows how something so seemingly simple as poaching an egg is unrecognizable to others who have never had eggs other than scrambled, over easy, or sunny side up. Chatting with the players online is a learning experience for all involved.
The Alignment Chart
Via: Netflix on Twitter
This handy alignment chart perfectly describes the typecast people who appear on the show each season, from the chaotic but good player to the neutral but evil player, the lawful evil, and so on.
Indeed, each of the players featured in this meme, who are all from the cast of the first season of The Circle, represented neutrality, chaos, or downright evil. Oftentimes, the person who fits into each was not the one fans might have suspected they would be.
Hmm, Let Me Think
Via: Buzzfeed
Players can’t see or even hear one another while they communicate. They can only rely on the Circle text messaging social platform. This means they are constantly looking at those three dots moving as someone is composing a message or waiting excitedly for the three dots to appear to indicate that a reply is imminent.
Oftentimes, when a catfish is trying to phrase things the right way, it might start talking then decide to change the thought and start over. This leaves the others in the chat suspicious as to why it is taking them so long to compose a message. Realistically, everyone chooses their words carefully to ensure they appear genuine, even the ones who are playing as themselves. This requires a lot of forethought before saying “send.”
Joey’s Sides
Via: u/brettsantacona on Reddit
The Circle is all about social media and how people portray themselves from behind computer screens. Featuring Joey Sasso, winner of the first season, it shows how various sides of a person might come out depending on the social media site they are using. LinkedIn, of course, is for professional networking, Facebook tends to focus on family, Instagram on partying, and Tinder on looking for love.
With The Circle, which is its own private social media network, the players combine a little bit of each, making it an all-in-one social media service that’s only for the elite group who make it onto the show.
Among Us
Via: u/JackHeadphonius on Reddit
Among Us is one of the most popular online games and it makes sense that a meme about a show where players are trying to figure out who is the fake among them would pop up featuring a theme from this game.
With images of the cast of season 1, the meme notes that among the eight originals, there were two catfishes. Those were, of course, Mercedeze, who was played by a woman who looked much different from her (and was gay versus Mercedeze being straight), and Rebecca, who was being played by her real-life boyfriend Seaburn.
Hiding From Nothing
Via: Tumgir.com
While the caption in this meme is very specific to the medical profession, likely created by a person wanting to share it with others who can relate, it still perfectly personifies the show. Since players cannot interact with others in person and are in an apartment on their own (except for those playing in pairs) for the entire time, they have to find ways to entertain themselves.
They also play up reactions and comments for the cameras seeing as there needs to be a way to liven up the show.
Poor Michelle
Via: Junkee.com
Oftentimes, there’s one player who gets a raw deal on the season, becoming a player counted among the most unfair eliminations on The Circle. Michelle is one such player, who was the victim of online identity theft when someone else assumed a fake profile of her as a twist that season. She spent the rest of her time trying to convince others that she was the real one and not the fake player, but was unsuccessful. One of the reasons they didn’t believe her is because she said she refused to kiss her dog on the mouth, even though she claimed to be a dog owner and lover.
Such is the theme of the game, where online hacks, identity theft, and people posing as someone else is common, making it impossible for even a real person to prove it’s them, with their every word misconstrued or taken out of context.
Eggplant Or Chili Pepper?
Via: nev on Pinterest
Interestingly, while most of the players are young, not all of them are completely hip to the concept of social media and all the lingo used. In some cases, that includes emojis that don’t always imply what they are. For those players, some conversations can get lost in translation.
This meme perfectly captures that, featuring the season 1 winner Joey Sasso staring at the emoji eggplant typically used with sexual connotations, and asking what type of chili pepper it might be. This meme also demonstrates how some of the players who are playing as someone else get caught in their lies for not understanding something someone in their age group might. Most recently, season 4 player Parker got called out for not knowing what a memoir is and being unfamiliar with Rod Stewart, despite pretending to be a 50-year-old man.
Rebecca And Adam
Via: @ItBeYaOwnAPH on Twitter
Rebecca and Adam were two of the most interesting players in season 1 of The Circle, the season that kicked everything off. Both were catfish among the others playing as themselves, and it seemed like as soon as they began to chat, they were sniffing one another out.
Just as this meme suggests, catfish recognize catfish, and each had suspicions that the other might not have been who they claimed to be. Interestingly, however, the two straight men continued to flirt with one another, Seaburn playing Rebecca and Adam playing a younger, more conventionally good-looking single man. They were among the best catfishes on The Circle because they managed to stay safe for some time despite raising suspicions, which is the name of the game.
Who Are You, Newbie?
Via: u/brettsantacona on Reddit
Every season of The Circle starts with the core group, who get to know one another (or who they believe one another to be), have private chats, play games, and begin to form alliances. So, when a new player is thrown into the mix, everyone is unsure about them. It’s like bringing a brand-new person into an established group and thinking they will instantly mesh well. They are often viewed as outsiders. Having new players come in late in the game is one of the unpopular opinions about The Circle, according to Reddit.
This isn’t always the case. For example, season 3 winner James managed to use his sense of humor to become an instant hit with everyone, even though he came into the game late. Nonetheless, this meme perfectly shows what people are thinking when a new profile pops up on the screen.
