Last night the live final of Channel 4's 'The Circle' revealed that Kate/Alex was the winner of the £50,000 prize after receiving the highest ratings from his fellow finalists. Kate/Alex went on to win a further £25,000 after viewers voted him the fan favourite on The Circle App, meaning that the shows comedian catfish walked away with a grand total of £75,000 in prize money.
Alex who played the game as Kate was lost for words after discovering he had won in both the ratings and viewer votes. The photographs he used to portray Kate were actually of his girlfriend Millie who rushed onto the stage to hug her boyfriend after it was revealed that Alex/Kate had won a second lot of prize money.
The Guardian wrote, "This throws up some horrible lessons for viewers: you’ll never succeed by being yourself, it pays to obfuscate your true self, lying always pays – and, while it may not be shared by the rest of The Circle’s viewership, the impression I took from the finale was that we had been played just as much as Dan."
Catfish Kate
Although some may have found it unfair that Alex/Kate won the entire £75,000, those who followed the show fell for Kate despite knowing she was a catfish all along. Alex/Kate remained endearing throughout the entire three-week process and often accused of sitting of the fence but in doing this managed to get through the process without hurting anyone's feelings.
Of course, Alex/Kate did eventually cause some upset when the final four met face to face for the first time. Dan was the first to witness the reveal of Alex/Kate. Dan smiled at first thinking that Alex might have been Freddie, but when it was revealed that Alex was actually Kate the mood in the room soon changed.
The Guardian called Dan "Equal parts horny and gullible, essentially stood as an analogue for the typical internet user," having been catfished by not only Kate but also a previous player named Mairead.
However, it was only with Alex/Kate that Dan developed a close relationship, and the pair became good friends almost immediately.
The hurt on Dan's face was obvious, and there was a momentary awkwardness until positive Sian entered the room and managed to put a smile back on everyone's face. Viewers of the live final were excited for Dan to meet the real face of Kate, Mille but the show missed a trick by leaving her in the live audience instead of having a more formal meeting between the two.
Outside 'The Circle'
'The Circle Uncovered' will reveal an inside look at the players of Channel 4's newest game show on Tuesday, 16th October, and allow contestants to reveal what they thought about their experience as well as the gameplay of their fellow players.
Although the show has not been confirmed for a second series, the popularity of the show suggests that it is likely and even Netflix have shown an interest in the concept. The BBC wrote, "It proved a big success with 16-34-year-olds, resulting in Netflix announcing it's to make international versions."
