Shubham Goel talks returning to The Circle for season 5 as a catfish and that failed revolution
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Warning: This article contains spoilers about The Circle season 5, episode 8.
As the first player to return to The Circle for a second time, Shubham Goel knew he had to swing big.
Season 1's fan-favorite runner-up "Shooby" entered the game halfway through season 5 as a catfish (since his identity would have been well-known to the other players) with a plan to "unite the five" newer players for a "Newbie Revolution" to take the power back from the four remaining original players. It was a risky move, and had it worked the way he envisioned, all five newbies would make it to the finale. He was so sure of his plan that he was willing to risk getting blocked to put it into motion.
But alert! Unfortunately for Shooby, it didn't work. Not all of the newbies were down to betray their relationships with the originals, and he ended up getting blocked in episode 8 by influencers Chaz Lawery and Tom Houghton. At the time of his blocking, he said he had no regrets. Has that changed in the months since he filmed season 5?
"Not at all," Goel tells EW. "It was a great move. After playing the first time, I just knew where the puck was going in this game. The originals had control, they were the center part of every major alliance and major relationship. So I'm just thinking, 'The newbies, are we going to cannibalize each other and then one of us will be at the mercy of the originals, and then you're getting fifth place at the end?' All we can do is try, so try I did."
Below, Goel breaks down his return to The Circle, his failed Newbie Revolution, and more. Send message!
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ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: As the first player to return for a second shot at winning The Circle, how did you end up back on the show?
SHUBHAM GOEL: I was super grateful to come back. There's a lot of moving pieces with it. They reached out [to invite me back], and I was just so grateful to get the opportunity to come back and play the game that I love again, so I was stoked. I was like, "Yeah, let's do this." I love the game so much, so I was absolutely down. I would've gone to Mount Everest and back to go back. It was so thrilling to go back.
What were you told in those initial conversations about how you'd return to the game?
I knew coming back, because people who are playing this game have probably seen me from season 1, I would have to come back as a catfish. But at the same time, a lot of it was just like, "I'll see you on the first day." So I knew going into The Circle, I would be given a catfish profile, so it'd be like blackjack — which one am I going to get? And then I'll have to take it from there.
Had you watched every season since you were on the show in season 1?
Yeah, I love The Circle! I've watched every season.
So what did you think of how The Circle has evolved into more of a strategic game than it was on your season?
[Laughs] Yeah, it's interesting because the small stuff still stays the same in The Circle, but the game has definitely evolved. I think there's less of an emphasis on hunting catfishes as there were in the earlier seasons and I think there's definitely a lot more strategic play. But at the same time, especially when I played this game, I still think at the core of The Circle, it's about that human connection. I still saw a lot of that this season. It evolved strategically, but still it has that cornerstone of connection.
Knowing how the game has changed, did you come into this season with a different strategy than last time?
I was trying to take all the experience I got from the first time, and going into this game, I didn't know when I was entering the game. My strategy was to do what I did in the first season, build genuine connections as much as I can, and then try to rally the troops together. And then depending where I am, try to see who has the power and try to go after that while building genuine connections.
What were you most worried about going into The Circle again?
Look, I have so much love for The Circle. My heart beats for The Circle. My biggest concern was getting blocked. I was like, "I can't get blocked! This is going to be traumatizing. It's going to be super sad." And the competitor in me just wants to play this game as hard as I can and do as well.
You played so well your first season that you ended it as the runner-up. Watching it back, was there anything you learned you needed to work on that you focused on this season?
When I look back at season 1, I always say in a game like The Circle, all you can do is trust your heart and gut in the moment, and then have no regrets after. For me, it was just form the genuine connections I did in season 1. And then this time, because I knew I was going to go as a catfish, there was definitely more of a strategic element I had to play towards the end. But honestly, for me, it was just play the same.
Did you get any tips or advice from season 1 winner Joey Sasso before going in this season?
Everything happened too last minute, but I think just from watching The Circle, and Joey's my brother and I love Sammie [Cimarelli, who placed third] and just being around them, you learn a lot subconsciously. So I definitely took parts of their game and adapted it towards mine.
As a very vocal hater of catfishes, what was your reaction when you saw your catfish profile for the first time?
The first season I wanted to prove a point to myself that I could be myself. And the second time I played, I just wanted to play this game that I love as hard as I could. I still disagree with catfishing in real life, but as far as the game, I think it's just a different way of playing. I just want to apologize to all the catfish I hunted successfully and unsuccessfully in the first season. [Laughs] But yeah, first time I saw the catfish, I was stoked. She seemed great. It seemed like me and her had a lot of similarities, same age range, she was Indian, so that was great. She was a blogger, that was sick. I was super stoked, to be honest.
You were put in a tough spot as soon as you entered the game with everyone having to choose teams between you and Tamira. What was that like having such a difficult debut?
Yeah, that was definitely not a great way to start. But on the flip side, I was like, you know what? All the attention's on me and Tamira right now, so if I can harness that attention and push it into bonds and alliances then all the better.
Speaking of bonds and alliances, I've got to ask you about Bruno — you made this immediate connection with Bruno but ended up blocking them. Walk me through how you made that decision?
I felt so sad for Bruno — or Bruna, because it was a girl — her and me really had a genuine connection and I could empathize with a lot she was telling me. It was so unfortunate. Part of me is like, I wish I never tried to chat with her so she wouldn't have picked me in that [competition]. That decision was so tough. But the reason is that when I had to chat with Tom, I realized that Tom and Jennifer were close and they were both newbies, so the way I interpreted it is if I kept Jennifer, I would get Tom, and that's two newbies on my side. There's three of us and there's another newbie out there and there could be another one coming in soon.
And in the game, you could just feel it — the originals had the power, they had control of the ratings. So again, I'm so sorry Bruno, I really am, but I had to make the best decision I could for all the newbies. It was just a choice I had to make even though it sucked.
Do you regret blocking Bruno knowing how your game ended soon after?
No. I have no regrets. When you play a game like this, you can't have regrets. I do wish I'd never chatted with Bruno because I genuinely really liked her, and if I didn't chat with her and make that alliance ... But who knows what would've happened if I kept Bruno. At the moment, it was the right decision for me to make, because that was a move, had it worked out, we're not just playing for fifth place at that point. It could have put me in a winning position. It could have put any of the newbies in a winning position.
Trying to form the newbie revolution was the smartest strategic move we've seen yet on The Circle, but unfortunately the other newbies didn't see it that way. What surprised you about how that didn't work out?
Thank you so much for saying that, that really means a lot. It was such a good move because there were five newbies and four originals — we had the numbers, we had the power. If we were able to pull this off, literally like clockwork all five of the newbies could have sat at the end. And it wasn't just strategic, I just felt bad for the newbies because they're in front of a train that's about to wipe them out one by one. If we pulled it off, that would've been such a sick move.
I think what happened is, I don't want to speak for anyone else but I think some people were probably nervous and hesitant because this was such a big move and they felt like since there were so many people in this revolution, it could have jeopardized their game. But I do think people were down. When I was there, I could feel the tide turning and Oliver was down towards the end, Tom was down, Jennifer was down. I think Tamira was the only one that was hesitant. But looking back, had we done it, we would've taken the whole thing, and we would've been put in a winning position.
Even though you ended up getting blocked for it, what did you think of how your revolution idea had such an impact on this season?
I haven't seen any of it yet so I'm not really sure how it affects it. But I hope the revolution never ends. It was a great move and I'm glad the legacy lived on past my blocking.
Have you remained friends with anyone you met from this season?
All of us are good friends. We have a group chat, but we're all in different parts of the country. I've kicked it with Brett a couple times actually, I love Brett and I was a huge fan of him on Big Brother. I was so psyched to see him in the Circle.
Do you have any interest in competing on other reality competition shows in the future?
Hey, the more the merrier. I have so much love for these shows that that'd be sick. I grew up on all these shows, so I just love them all. My family and I would always watch Survivor together, I love Survivor.
What did you think of the most recent season of Survivor, with Gabler's shocking win?
[Laughs] I'm super stoked Gabler won Survivor. I love when older people win the game. But I was shocked that he won.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
The Circle season 5, episodes 1-8 are streaming now on Netflix.
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