The winner’s circle! Champions of Netflix’s The Circle have been outsmarting, outcharming and outranking the competition since the show premiered in 2020.
While living in isolation, contestants on the reality competition series communicate with other players via “circle chat” and attempt to get to know each other based on social media profiles. To become a finalist, participants must survive a series of “blockings” while trying to discover who among them is authentic — and who is a catfish.
Frank Grimsley, who became the season 4 winner in May 2022, always knew that he had the chops to be the last player standing.
“I think that I am not like anybody else in this world. I knew that I could not only play the game, I knew that I could win the game. And I felt like I could do that by genuinely just being my authentic self,” the licensed therapist told Parade after his victory. Grimsley also explained why he was never tempted by the idea of playing as a catfish.
“I really wanted to show little fat boys, little fat girls, and other men and women of big size. I really wanted to show that we could get into these spaces and be just as popular. I think growing up, I had this idea that you’ve got to have washboard abs to be popular,” the Maryland native said.
He continued: “You never really see somebody my size being in a space and not only occupying it but owning it. Because I believe every space I walk into, I own it. That’s why I feel like my confidence is so high. So, I think I had to show not only that I knew that I could do it, but I had to show the world that I could be in these spaces, and I could be most popular, and I could win this game by being fat and Black.”
Season 2 winner DeLeesa St. Agathe, for her part, took a different approach, choosing to play as Trevor — a single version of her real-life husband — rather than herself. Although the New York native concealed her true identity on The Circle, her advice to other catfishes on the show is to be authentic whenever possible.
“As much as you can, be yourself! You don’t need to lie and pretend to be this whole entire persona. When people read your messages, they connect with you when you are being genuine,” she told Bustle after her May 2021 win. “I see a lot of comments where people are like, ‘I don’t want to root for catfish. I want a real person to win.’ We are real people. We’re all playing a game.”
Scroll through to see what the Circle winners are up to now:
The winner’s circle! Champions of Netflix’s The Circle have been outsmarting, outcharming and outranking the competition since the show premiered in 2020.
While living in isolation, contestants on the reality competition series communicate with other players via “circle chat” and attempt to get to know each other based on social media profiles. To become a finalist, participants must survive a series of “blockings” while trying to discover who among them is authentic — and who is a catfish.
Frank Grimsley, who became the season 4 winner in May 2022, always knew that he had the chops to be the last player standing.
“I think that I am not like anybody else in this world. I knew that I could not only play the game, I knew that I could win the game. And I felt like I could do that by genuinely just being my authentic self,” the licensed therapist told Parade after his victory. Grimsley also explained why he was never tempted by the idea of playing as a catfish.
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“I really wanted to show little fat boys, little fat girls, and other men and women of big size. I really wanted to show that we could get into these spaces and be just as popular. I think growing up, I had this idea that you’ve got to have washboard abs to be popular,” the Maryland native said.
He continued: “You never really see somebody my size being in a space and not only occupying it but owning it. Because I believe every space I walk into, I own it. That’s why I feel like my confidence is so high. So, I think I had to show not only that I knew that I could do it, but I had to show the world that I could be in these spaces, and I could be most popular, and I could win this game by being fat and Black.”
Season 2 winner DeLeesa St. Agathe, for her part, took a different approach, choosing to play as Trevor — a single version of her real-life husband — rather than herself. Although the New York native concealed her true identity on The Circle, her advice to other catfishes on the show is to be authentic whenever possible.
“As much as you can, be yourself! You don’t need to lie and pretend to be this whole entire persona. When people read your messages, they connect with you when you are being genuine,” she told Bustle after her May 2021 win. “I see a lot of comments where people are like, ‘I don’t want to root for catfish. I want a real person to win.’ We are real people. We’re all playing a game.”
Scroll through to see what the Circle winners are up to now:
Credit: Courtesy of Joey Sasso/Instagram
Joey Sasso — Season 1
The New York native may have been a flirt during The Circle’s debut season in January 2020, but he was also a loyal player, forming tight bonds with fellow contestants Shubham “Shooby” Goel and Sammie Cimarelli.
Nowadays, the bartender creates social media content for TikTok and Instagram. In May 2022, he made a cameo in the Peacock series Girls5Eva. He’s also still close friends with Goel, the runner-up from his season.
“Years later me and my little Shooby snack are still going strong. Love you bro @shunham_goell,” he captioned an Instagram video of him and his fellow Netflix personality in November 2022.
Credit: Courtesy of DeLeesa St. Agathe/Instagram
DeLeesa St. Agathe as ‘Trevor’ — Season 2
The Circle winner found out that she was expecting baby No. 2 with her husband, Trevor St. Agathe, while on the show.
“Even [after the positive pregnancy test], I tried to push it to the back of my head because I needed to focus on the game,” she told Insider in May 2021. “I was like, ‘I can’t have this take away from my game because now — especially at this point — the game is everything.’ The game was everything, but now it’s everything times two.”
DeLeesa lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with Trevor and their daughters: Tori, 18 months, and Toni, 3. She used her reality TV show winnings to help buy their first family home.
Trevor, for his part, had his own stint on the Circle in season 4, placing 2nd after playing as Imani, his wife’s friend.
Credit: Courtesy of James Andre Jefferson Jr./Instagram
James Andre Jefferson Jr. — Season 3
Jefferson became the first late addition to circle chat to win the competition in September 2021. He married his longtime girlfriend, Brittany Jefferson, in August 2022.
In addition to pursuing standup comedy, the California native hosts his own podcast, “The James Andre Jefferson Jr. Show.”
Credit: Courtesy of Frank Grimsley/Instagram
Frank Grimsley — Season 4
Along with his work as a school social worker, Grimsley is also a content creator for the New York City DMV, according to his Instagram bio.
Credit: Courtesy Sam Carmona/Instagram
Sam Carmona — Season 5
Carmona started off the fifth season in last place after the first rankings, but ended up claiming the cash prize in the end.
“[The first ratings] definitely lit a fire. In my real life, I’ve never been one to brown nose or kiss ass,” Carmona explained to Entertainment Weekly following the January 2023 finale. “If I meet someone and they don’t like me, that’s it. I don’t ever have to speak to you again. I can completely detach. But when you’re in the game and being liked is a part of the game, it’s like, ‘Damn, now I’ve got to be nice. I’ve got to be fake. I’ve got to tell somebody I like their shoes when their shoes are crap.’ It was a mental battle within myself.”
The New York native currently creates videos on TikTok and has more than 700K followers on the platform.
