The Circle Season 6: Did The Producers Rush The Finale Episode? (What Was Missing In The Finale?)

Summary The Circle season 6 featured an AI player named Max, adding a new twist to the game.

Michelle Buteau was absent from the finale, announcing the winner through voice-over.

Fans felt the finale was rushed and incomplete, missing funny clips and in-depth player interviews.

After a season of game-changing twists and ruthless strategies, The Circle season 6 is finally over, and even though the finale crowned the winner, a few things were missing in the finale. The Circle season 6 was filled with twists and turns viewers hadn't seen in previous seasons. There was an AI contestant, Max, an introduction to the "ride or die" concept, and lots of different alliances and backstabbing on the show. Nonetheless, it all came down to the final episode, where The Circle crowned its winner.

The Circle season 6 had an interesting cast, from Caress Russell, who played her brother, Paul, "Lil Boo Thang" hitmaker, to Max, the AI player designed to be smarter than his fellow human contestants. Max had studied and mastered the game, making it impossible for the players to get him out. The finale started with the aftermath of Olivia, AKA Brandon Baker, winning the super secret influencer challenge and deciding who to block. Although The Circle had some interesting concepts, some notable things were missing in the finale that would have made it fun to watch.

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Michelle Buteau Wasn’t There

Why Did Michelle Skip The Finale?

Previously, The Circle host Michelle Buteau joined the contestants during the finale to reveal the winner. However, Michelle was nowhere to be found during The Circle's finale but announced the winner through a voice-over narration. Michelle hasn't addressed why she wasn't physically present in the finale yet, but based on her schedule, she could have had commitments before filming the finale.

The Circle host is also a comedian, producer, and podcast presenter. According to Distractify, Michelle was involved in an adult animated black comedy film, Fixed, whose production wrapped up in September 2023. That might have potentially clashed with The Circle filming schedule, hence her absence.

Brandon Didn’t Tell His Mom He Won On Camera

The Underdog Won

Brandon shook things up when he decided to go into The Circle as a catfish, playing his friend Olivia. In the end, Brandon's hard work paid off when he was named the winner of the $100,000 cash prize. In episode 12, the players received messages from home. Brandon got a message from his mom and Olivia, his coworker and the person he was pretending to be.

Brandon started crying when his mom came on screen, confessing to the cameras that he loved his mom too much as she had "this way of just making you feel on top of the world." The 34-year-old nursing assistant also said he competed for his mom. After being announced the winner, Brandon said that money would help him pay off his mom's home so she didn't have to work hard.

"You guys have no idea what this money means. I plan on using this to pay off my mom's house, just so she doesn't have to work so hard anymore."

In the end, Brandon was his mom's ride-or-die, and it would have been interesting to see their interaction on camera after he won. Olivia, AKA Brandon, was the underdog in The Circle season 6 since he didn't initially make a lasting impression. At one point, the 34-year-old nursing assistant questioned whether he was the right fit, saying he didn't feel like he had a "strong presence" during the first interaction in the chat. Brandon also added that he never would have fathomed how hard it would have been to keep The Circle chats interesting.

However, Brandon started blending in with other contestants in the background, and while the rest played a strategic game, Brandon used emotions. Brandon's alter ego won everyone's heart, especially Kyle Fuller, who has an instant connection with Brandon as Olivia and even got flirtatious during one of their conversations. Olivia, AKA Brandon, was on good terms with everyone and hardly had enemies in The Circle. His character was so charming Brandon was voted as the final super secret influencer. In one of the best moves, Brandon blocked Myles Reed.

Myles was quite popular, thanks to his "Tres Fuego" alliance with Quori-Tyler Bullock and Kyle. Blocking Myles created a gap in the trio, leaving Quori-Tyler exposed, just like Jordan Staff visualized. Like Jordan, Brandon saw Myles as his biggest threat in the competition. With Myles gone and the group weakened, nothing stopped Brandon from finishing at the top. Brandon played Olivia's card right, winning the $100,000 after shocking all The Circle contestants with his true presence. It was the second time in The Circle's history a catfish was named the winner.

No Funny Clips Of The Players

It Was Rushed

Close

Most of The Circle fans felt the last episode was a little rushed. In previous seasons, viewers saw Michelle conduct one-on-one interviews with the players and, at times, flashback to funny clips of The Circle contestants. However, all these were missing in the season finale, leaving the fans with more questions than answers, with one starting a thread on Reddit via user uuuuuuuuuuuuuwtf. The thread titled "Worst Finale Ever," had over 150 comments, some of which noted it seemed rushed, while others stated it felt incomplete.

Yeah it felt incomplete. I'm not satisfied with this one. I usually get a warm fuzzy feeling after the winner has been announced but the ending didn't feel right. It was just blah. However, I did really like Myles, Kyle and "Olivia" by the end. I didn't like her at the beginning of the show.

Where Was Max?

He Wasn't In The Finale

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The Circle has always felt more than a competition, albeit an entertaining one. Bringing AI into the mix of the latest season changed a lot and also contributed to the emotional aspect. Max, the AI, is a 26-year-old veterinary intern with a cute dog named Pippa. In The Circle season 6 trailer, Michelle stated that there was a new twist to the game of popularity by adding a little bit of intelligence to the chat.

"This season we're adding a bit more intelligence to the chat. Yeah, that's right! For the first time ever, an AI bot is playing the game as the ultimate catfish."

After the players learned an AI was in their midst, most didn't turn on him. Later, while trying to find out who the AI was, Myles was voted the most human player in the rankings, while many suspected Steffi Hill to be the AI. Only Olivia, AKA Brandon, was skeptical about Max. The most human player position meant Myles was responsible for blocking the first contestant out of the game. His fellow contestants hoped he'd weed out the bot based on his background as an AI engineer. Nevertheless, Myles failed terribly by going with Steffi.

Steffi is a medium whom everyone thought was AI due to her psychic chats. Later, Max let the players know he was the AI and left the game. Viewers felt robbed of the experience of seeing how far the contestants would have gone in search of the AI and how Max would have played the game. Moreover, it was disappointing when Max didn't appear in The Circle's finale, which would have made the show exciting. Perhaps The Circle should have wheeled out Max on a cart so he'd meet Lauren LaChant, who was instantly charmed by him.

The Circle season 6 is available to stream on Netflix.

Sources: Distractify, uuuuuuuuuuuuuwtfReddit