Following a truly jam-packed series, the second run of Channel 4’s The Circle came to a dramatic conclusion on Friday night when the remaining contestants finally learned Sammie’s true identity.
While catfish have come and gone over the course of the series, Sammie – a single mum, who was actually being played by a young man called James – was the only one to stay the course, entering on day one and making it all the way to the final.
Having raised suspicion in the last few days thanks to a few strategic game-playing moves, Sammie and her fellow contestants finally met face to face after making their final ratings, to determine who would scoop the show’s £70,000 prize money.
Tim – who had been furious with Sammie a day earlier over what he deemed “manipulative” behaviour – was the first to be dealt the blow he’d actually been speaking to a man the whole time, playfully calling James a “very naughty boy”.
Georgina was up next, declaring “who the fuck are you?”, before fellow players Paddy and Woody joined for what was eventually a pleasant dinner together.
Our favourite reaction of the night, though, actually has to go to eliminated contestant Ella, whose exit was engineered by Sammie – sorry, we mean James – as part of what had been branded the “revolution”.
Upon discovering Sammie’s true identity during her interview with Emma Willis, Ella branded James an “immoral little shit”, which she followed with a big laugh.
In the end, it was Paddy who the players chose as their winner, while the viewers’ champion was Tim, earning him a respectable £30,000.
Paddy entered The Circle as a late arrival, and initially chose to keep the fact he has cerebral palsy secret from his fellow contestants, as he wanted to see if he was treated differently by people if they didn’t know about his disability.
Eventually, he revealed the truth in what was undoubtedly one of the series’ most tearful scenes.
The Circle is expected to return to Channel 4 for a third series in 2020, with new international versions also in the works at Netflix.
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These truly are the best of the worst...
'There's Something About Miriam'
Back in 2003, 'There's Something About Miriam' hit the airwaves. A dating show with a difference, the titular Miriam dated six different men over a period of time before revealing to them all that she was transgender.
After filming ended, the six men who took part in the show filed a lawsuit against producers, accusing them of conspiracy to commit sexual assault, defamation, breach of contract and psychological and emotional damage.
It was also blasted by critics, with some accusing the Sky One show of reinforcing stereotypes about trans people, and exploiting an important issue.
'I Wanna Marry Harry'
The premise of this completely ridiculous show was that a group of American women were flown to the UK, where they competed for the affections of a man they were led to believe was Prince Harry, but was actually a look-a-like.
Eventual winner Kimberly Birch later hit out at the show, claiming the girls all knew that 'Prince Harry' was an imposter, but were manipulated into thinking they were just being paranoid by producers, who urged doubters to speak to a fake therapist for reassurance.
'Playing It Straight'
OTT and mildly offensive, 'Playing It Straight' saw one woman having to whittle down a group of 12 single men, with the unfortunate obstacle that six of them are hiding the fact that they're gay.
The E4 show was eventually won by former Mr Gay UK Ben Harris, who opted to split the prize money with the show's leading lady, Zoe.
'Being Bobby Brown'
'Being Bobby Brown' marked Whitney Houston's move from Grammy-winning voice of a generation to the side-kick in a Bravo reality show, the highlight of which was this infamous scene.
'Shattered'
A reality show where contestants are truly pushed to their limits, the participants in 'Shattered' were required to stay awake for a full week in a bid to win £100,000.
What Channel 4 hadn't banked on, though, was quite how dull this would be for viewers.
'Dapper Laughs: On The Pull'
More than one person at ITV2 gave this programme the thumbs up. In fact, a string of people thought this was a good idea. Something to think about.
'CelebAir'
When you start running out of skills celebrities can learn as part of a TV show, you have to think outside the box, and that's exactly what the producers of 'CelebAir' did when they came up with a show that would see a host of C-listers training to become cabin crew members.
'Flockstars'
No, but seriously. Who gave the green-light to a show where Fazer from N-Dubz, Tony Blackburn and Brendan Cole herd up a load of sheep?
Of course, the involvement of Leslie Joseph meant we still watched every episode...
'Lindsay'
"Cut the bullshit"
"'K"
One of the finest exchanges in reality TV history.
What was so unbelievable about 'Lindsay' wasn't that the former wild child got her own reality show (forgive us, docuseries), but just how uneventful it was.
'Cheaters'
A show where people catch their philandering partners in the act... with an entire camera crew behind them, and Clark James Gable quizzing them about how they feel.
Running mascara and a few torn-out hair extensions later, and hey presto, you've got yourself a reality show.
'Totally Jodie Marsh'
This MTV reality series saw Jodie Marsh choosing a spouse from a group of eligible bachelors, eventually plumping for the ex-boyfriend of her rival, Katie Price (funny, that).
In 2015, she admitted she was "ashamed" of the show, describing it as "the worst period of her life".
'Bridalplasty'
People love bridal shows, and people love shows about plastic surgery. Put 'em together and what have you got..?
'Peter Andre's Bad Boyfriends Club'
A reality show entirely dependent on the premise that Peter Andre is the perfect boyfriend.
Sure thing.
'Princess Nikki'
E4's attempt to turn post-'Big Brother' Nikki Grahame into the UK's answer to Paris Hilton, with this British spin on 'The Simple Life'. It was actually comic genius, which sadly only ran for one series.
'Temptation Island'
What better way to test your relationship than to head to two separate private islands with a load of people you fancy, get plied with alcohol and just let the cameras see what happened?
Surprisingly, 'Temptation Island' was a smash the world over, with editions airing in the UK, America, Australia, Italy, Spain, Russia, Romania THE LIST TRULY DOES GO ON.
