This Is Where The Circle Is Actually Filmed
Netflix's hit reality show "The Circle" has now spun three seasons out of the "Big Brother"-like concept since 2020, with a 4th and 5th season now on the way (via Deadline).
The premise is that contestants move into apartments within the same building and are kept isolated. They can't ever meet each other or go outside. Instead, the players only communicate with each other and do so via text. They are also allowed to effectively catfish one another, much like in real social media, using fake photos and biographies. Some players, for instance, pretend they're more attractive than they are while others even change gender for the sake of the game. The real challenge is that everyone has to rate each other continually. High-rated users become Influencers and have control of who stays in "the circle," especially lower-rated players.
At the end of "The Circle," the highest-rated player wins and receives $100,000. The season's Fan Favorite, as chosen by viewers, gets $10,000. It seems simple enough, but figuring out the right apartment building for the game must be a challenge. Here's where the Netflix reality series is actually filmed.
The show is shot near Manchester, England
"The Circle" uses various images of American cities Chicago and Milwaukee for transitions but is still an international production (via Marie Claire). The large, luxury apartment building the series uses, called The Adelphi Wharf Phase One Building, is located in a Northern English town, Salford, close to Manchester. "Circle" creator Tim Harcourt explained to The Chicago Tribune that the show used Chicago and Milwaukee for imagery "because the shot of the buildings matched Manchester."
Twelve of the Adelphi's 65 units are kept for "Circle" players to stay in, though the apartments are redecorated depending on who is staying in them. The building also features a gym and yoga room, essentially ensuring that none of the contestants would be tempted to leave. Food and laundry services were even provided by the studio. Contestant Bill Cranley said that he only shot in the apartment for three days but "they were 100% filming 24/7." He also claimed that "there were cameras on every single corner of the room that would move."
At least Cranley can now interact with his fellow "Circle" contestants, telling the Tribune that the group now talks and meets up regularly.