The Circle Season 3: Every Player, Ranked By Their Strategy

Billed as a social media competition, The Circle requires contestants to play a strategic game as they try to earn the highest ranking and eliminate one another. Season 3 brought a series of new twists and forced players to constantly adjust their strategy to stay alive in the game.

Some of the players, such as Michelle, failed to implement any discernable strategy and were quickly eliminated. Others, like Daniel, had a clear plan of action that turned out to be a flawed approach. And some, like James, were able to use their brilliant strategy to outsmart the competition and achieve success in the game.

12 Michelle

As the oldest contest in the season, Michelle entered the competition with a different perspective on social media. Her strategy was to just be herself but she failed to establish many meaningful relationships, allowing Ava and Chanel to successfully steal her profile.

In the photo challenge, she had the opportunity to prove she was the real Michelle but she focused too much on the actual details of the pictures instead of submitting convincing answers. Ultimately, she just did not do enough to stay in the game and was eliminated early for a reason.

11 Ava & Chanel

Ava and Chanel, playing together as Ava, failed to make a strong first impression and were the first players eliminated by Kai, who believed they were catfishing. When they were given a second chance thanks to one of The Circle season 3’s wildest twists, they wasted it by choosing to clone Michelle’s profile.

Michelle was likely going to be the next contest eliminated either way so choosing to take her profile over was a poor strategic move. While they were able to edge out the real Michelle, they were once again eliminated shortly after due to their gaffe.

10 Calvin

After quickly establishing himself as one of the most likable contestants in The Circle season 3, Calvin seemed poised to make a deep run in the competition. However, he made the strategical miscalculation of aligning himself too closely with Kai.

Because the other contestants felt like Kai was untouchable, Calvin became collateral damage and was eliminated to weaken Kai. Had he not connected himself to her, he may have been able to go farther in the competition.

9 Daniel

At just 20 years old, Daniel was the youngest contestant in this season and he made the calculated Circle strategic move to use it to his advantage. Throughout the season, he connected himself to the other constants by positioning himself as the little brother that needed to be protected.

This strategy yielded mixed results as his relationships helped carry him to the middle of the competition. However, it was ultimately a move that prevented him from establishing himself as an essential member of the alliance.

8 Kai

By becoming an influencer in the first two rankings, Kai quickly established herself as the biggest threat to win the whole competition. This strength gave her the ability to establish a powerful alliance and intimidated other players from coming after her, allowing her to make it all the way to the finale.

Although there was clear value in Kai gaining power and influence so early on in the season, it resulted in her going through the whole competition with a massive bullseye on her back and made it more difficult for her to win.

7 Ruksana

Ruksana proudly played as herself through the season and was able to secure the position of mom in the group, taking younger players like Daniel under her wing. However, like Calvin, Ruksana was eventually the victim of her close alliance with Kai.

Ruksana was a strong and likable Circle player who didn’t deserve to be blocked as early as she was. Had she managed her relationships and allegiances a little differently, she easily could have ended up winning the whole competition.

6 Rachel

Rachel made the interesting decision to play the game as Jackson, using her best friend’s boyfriend’s pictures, reasoning that men have it easier on social media and are less scrutinized. While this did give her an easy in with the guys, she failed to capitalize on it and was not able to align herself closely enough with any of the major alliances.

It is possible that Rachel would have had an easier time connecting if she had chosen to just be herself. However, either way, she was not able to develop the connections necessary to save her from being eliminated.

5 Jacki

Gamer Jacki was the last contestant to enter the competition. Her confidence and authenticity quickly won over many of the other players and she was nearly able to earn herself a trip to the finale. However, her late start was ultimately too much to overcome and she was the last one eliminated before the finals.

Jacki’s strategy was solid and would have potentially worked if she had more time. But considering how late she entered the game, she needed to take bigger swings and do more to earn the support of the other players before the final elimination.

4 Matthew

Believing that his real look was too intense and intimidating, Matthew decided to play the game as Ashely, using his best friend’s pictures. He formed some solid relationships, such as his connection with Nick, and was able to rely on his alliance to carry him all the way to a second-place finish.

Matthew took a big risk by playing as a catfish profile but his plan paid off in a big way and was nearly enough to win him the grand prize. He was able to successfully deceive Nick and become part of one of the season’s strongest alliances.

3 Nick

With a computer science degree from MIT, it is no surprise that Nick was one of the smartest and most strategic contestants on the show. He hid his intelligence from the other competitors and formed one of the most powerful alliances of the season.

Additionally, Nick’s delicate and complicated relationship with Kai helped him make it to the finals. He had the opportunity to betray her trust and eliminate her, but he stayed true to his word and reaped the benefits.

2 Sophia

Sophia decided to play the game as Isabella, using her older sister’s pictures. Sophia believed that the combination of her brains and her sister’s looks would be an unstoppable combination. Additionally, she made the choice to flirt as much as necessary in order to win.

With her charm and intelligence, Sophia was able to woo Nick, cementing her as an indispensable member of his alliance. This effective strategy allowed her to safely make it to the finals and finish in third place.

1 James

Despite entering the competition halfway through the season, James decided to play a mostly straightforward game and be himself. Because of his humor, likability, and vulnerability, James was able to endear himself to his competitors and win season 3.

James was willing to have difficult conversations and won over some of the other players by admitting the mistakes he made with his family. He was smart to rely on his natural charisma and personality and ended up winning the game as a result.

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