‘The Circle’ Creator Tim Harcourt Answers Every Burning Question

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

'The Circle' Creator Tim Harcourt Answers Every Burning Question

Warning: This story contains spoilers from The Circle. If $100,000 were on the line and no one could see or hear you, would you still be yourself? That's the question asked on Netflix's The Circle, the reality series that everyone has been talking about since its January 1 debut. In the show, all the contestants live inside the same apartment complex but cannot see or speak to each other. They must only communicate via The Circle, an app that includes an online profile and photos. Contestants can decide to play as themselves or catfish the rest of the cast to become the most popular. Nearly every episode, the cast members must rank each other. In the beginning, the contestants who land in the top two spots have the power of the "Influencer" and are able to "block" another cast member. In the end — after twists, challenges and new contestants entering the game — the last one standing is named the winner. Based on the British series of the same name, which has already aired two seasons, the U.S. version included 12 episodes, the last of which included a "reunion"-type ending — with the winner revealed. Joey Sasso won the $100K prize, while Shubham Goel was the runner-up. Sammie Cimarelli won the Fan Favorite award of $10,000. However, many questions are still unanswered. Luckily, Us Weekly spoke exclusively with creator Tim Harcourt, who gave Us a peek inside the apartment complex — including what surprised him the most. "[I was shocked at] how loyal the American cast was and how open-minded they were," the producer said. "I don’t want to get political but there is a lot of chat about how we are going to hell in a handcart in the 2020s but actually, most people are incredibly open-minded, warm and well-intended — certainly much more than 100 or even 20 years ago. Open your history books. We can get better but this cast made me think we’re gonna be all right." He was also caught by surprise by the winner, Harcourt admitted. "If you had told me on Day 1 of filming he was going to win, I would have choked on my coffee," he said. "But just like the show’s fans, we go on a journey of discovery and love! By the end, I would have been happy if any of the final gang won — they had all earned it." For more answers to your burning questions, scroll through the gallery below: [podcast_block]

Credit: Netflix

How Long Were They Inside?

"The players who entered at the beginning and made it all the way through to the final meal were in the Circle for 14 days," he said.

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Were the Cameras Filming 24/7?

Cameras stopped filming "around midnight," Harcourt shared. Usually, they would turn off after the evening parties and final chats.

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Could They Message Each Other Whenever They Wanted?

Although "the system isn't built to juggle multiple simultaneous chats like WhatsApp," all the contestants could chat across the day. Plus, not all chats were shown, of course. "If you think about your daily social interactions, some of them are perfunctory or just happenstance, just like in the Circle. We showed the warm, funny and dramatic stuff," Harcourt said. "In saying that, there were times we dropped some good chats as we are essentially trying to condense a day into 45 odd minutes."

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

What Did They Do All Day?

"They worked out, read, did jigsaws, made arts and crafts and we even occasionally let them watch their favorite shows on their Netflix accounts," the Naked Attraction producer said, adding that no calls home to friends or family were allowed.

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

How Could They Leave Their Rooms Without Running Into Each Other?

The show has someone "best imagined as an apartment block super or concierge crossed with an air traffic controller" who keeps everyone informed when someone's moved and all others should be inside.

Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Will There Be More Seasons?

The show runs for 23 episodes in the UK, something Harcourt calls "fantastic," so there's hope: "If Netflix wanted that, we would do it but they have audience data that surpasses everyone so they’ll know what to do. They been incredible creative partners to work with."