'The Circle's Filming Schedule Is Pretty Straightforward for Players Each Season

For some reality shows, filming takes place in multiple locations over a period of several months. We're looking at you, Bachelor franchise. But even some other shows, of a more competition-based variety, tend to take contestants either out of their home country or at least to multiple locations during the duration of filming. For those on The Circle, though, filming takes place in one spot for the entire time.

But how long does The Circle actually film? Season 6 took things in a slightly different direction with a brand new apartment building in the United States rather than the Netflix show's former home in the UK. But the filming schedule in these apartments appears to have remained the same despite other changes along the way.

The Circle is a fast-paced game show that features eliminations, or blockings, with no real rhyme or reason. Each season lasts around 13 episodes, but there is no guarantee when players will be blocked or if they'll be asked to come back into the fold. In that regard, The Circle is unpredictable and it definitely keeps viewers guessing the entire time. However, when it comes to how long players film The Circle, producers keep them on a certain schedule.

According to a reddit thread about filming, someone who was allegedly part of the series for a couple of years said that filming takes place over the course of three weeks. Another person in the reddit thread noted that there is also a short time when the players are sequestered in their apartments before filming actually begins.

If that's correct, then it makes sense, since eliminations don't happen weekly like with other reality shows. So having fast-paced game play for three weeks keeps things interesting for the active players.

That timeline for filming The Circle also makes sense because it's filmed in an Atlanta apartment building that offers furnished short-term rentals. If Netflix doesn't own these apartments in any way, then there may be limitations on how long they can rent them out for filming. Three weeks to a month at a time makes sense.

Like other reality shows where players are sequestered, The Circle has a strict policy against players phoning home. This isn't The Weakest Link, after all. And we do see players get emotional as the game goes on and they spend more time alone in their respective apartments. Most reality competition shows don't allow players to call home for fear of disrupting the game at hand. But if Circle players only film for a few weeks, it's not that strenuous compared to other shows' filming schedules.

The only people players can contact is each other through various Circle messages and group chats. However, it's all in the name of walking home with the grand prize (and only prize) of $100,000.

Watch The Circle on Netflix.