Alert! For seven seasons, The Circle has delighted us with catfishing shenanigans, costumed dance parties, and digital friendships that’ll last a lifetime. We’ve laughed, we’ve cried — and we screamed when Kevin and “Gianna” found each other in the influencer chat for the third time in a row. And through it all, our host Michelle Buteau has been there for us with witty one-liners and sarcastic reality checks. But what happened once the winners were crowned and #CircleFam left the chat? Ahead, the winners give us their status updates about life after the apartments. 

Joey, Season 1

It’s none other than the champ who started it all. Our first Circle winner has appeared as himself on multiple TV series since his big victory, including Perfect Match Season 1 (where he proposed to castmate Kariselle, but they later broke off the engagement) and even an episode of Girls5eva. Before you ask, yes, he still hangs out with his best Circle bro, Shubham Goel, and he’s also made friends with other members of the #CircleFam, including Season 2’s Chloe (also seen on Too Hot to Handle Season 1 and Perfect Match Season 1). And most recently, he released Young Lion of the West — an indie film he started writing more than a decade ago. As Joey would say, “Yeah, buddy!”

Ben Blackall/Netflix

DeLeesa, Season 2

DeLeesa and her husband, Trevor, have had two daughters together since she won The Circle Season 2. “Our house is crazy!” she tells Tudum.

Life looks a lot different than when DeLeesa was in the Circle apartments — much of it thanks to her win. For starters, she says the prize money allowed Trevor and her to buy and furnish their first home, a two-story house with a backyard — DeLeesa’s dream from the time she was a little girl growing up in a small New York City apartment. “I’m so happy to provide that for my children,” DeLeesa says, adding that she’s currently working on a series of children’s books.

In addition to fulfilling her dream of homeownership, DeLeesa has thrown herself into the content creator lifestyle on social media with the platform she built in The Circle. She’s since appeared on another reality show (TLC’s sMothered) and been involved in a number of acting projects. She and her fellow cast members still share the occasional catch-up call, and of course they see one another at Netflix events. “I also am cool with a lot of people from other seasons,” she says. “We really become a Circle familia.” 

James, Season 3

James has been very busy since leaving The Circle as a winner. He married his longtime girlfriend, Brittany Jefferson, who we saw on the show, and he currently hosts a syndicated radio show. James might’ve been struggling financially before entering The Circle, but now, he tells Tudum, “I am making a living doing what I love.” Although he loves everyone in the #CircleFam, James keeps most closely in touch with Nick, Kai, Matt, and Sophia from his season, as well as Season 1 winner Joey, Courtney Revolution from Season 2, Alex from Season 4, and Raven from Season 5. 

As the first Circle winner to start partway through the game instead of at the beginning with everyone else, James’ best advice to hopeful contestants is that if you don’t make the starting group, “throw your starting player strategy out the window.” If you start in the middle, he says, “your only chance is to adapt and strategize and unfortunately be cutthroat.”

James will be the first person to admit that a lot of people didn’t like his dog-eat-dog strategy of blocking players from his own alliance. At the same time, he says, “I know my bank account did, lol.”

Frank, Season 4

Frank’s irrepressible spirit made him a favorite with fans and his Circle fam alike in Season 4. Since winning, he says he’s been working overtime to fulfill his dream of being an entertainer. He appeared in Netflix’s How to Get Rich in 2023, and since then he’s become a full-time “creative entrepreneur,” working with a spectrum of brands. He’s hosted panel events and conferences, and he’s even done some celebrity pop-culture commentary for his local news station, FOX 5 DC. 

As for the Inner Trust Circle, don’t worry — Frank reports that it’s still going strong. “I just talked to Rachel about planning a trip for all of us, so we may see the gang back together really soon,” he says. “I am always gagging over Yu Ling’s social content, and I feel like that’s our little way of keeping in contact unless I have some big tea to call her about.” He also shouts out Raven from Season 5, a fellow DC area resident. “I am just so appreciative of her representation,” he says. “She is killing it, and I am always so proud to see her shine!”

Sam, Season 5

Sam might’ve started at the bottom of the Circle rankings, but a healthy dose of charisma and some strong alliances shot her all the way to the top. She’s since parlayed that success into a massive social media following, as well as ventures like an Amazon store and a merch shop, BKSHEDEVIL. Her Circle “gusband” Chaz is still in the picture, as is Raven, and Sam also appears to have made friends with Season 6 winner Brandon. At least, it sure looks like they all know how to have fun together. Michelle Buteau would be proud.

Brandon, Season 6

Brandon, who won the game catfishing as “Olivia,” aka his friend and co-worker Claudia, is still deciding on his next steps since winning The Circle. “I love entertaining people and making them laugh. I want to continue that energy! I’ve been traveling a lot and just being my messy self!” he says. Although winning the game boosted his self-confidence, he also jokingly admits that the game’s theme of deceit and subterfuge might’ve given him “some trust issues.”

Although he and his fellow Circle players all have their own lives, Brandon says he still does his best to keep in touch with everyone. “I could call any of them today, and I’m confident they would answer,” he says. “#CircleFamForLife.”

Jojo and Nicky, Season 7

Not much time has passed since the Scarlottas won the most recent season of The Circle by playing as Jojo’s girlfriend, Gianna, but they’re already thinking of ways to leverage their victory into the content creation they were already doing full time. 

Winning the game “definitely shows what’s possible when you bet on yourself and take the risk,” Jojo says. “And,” he adds with a grin, “I’m sure it’s gonna show us financially what’s possible when we get the check.” According to the twins, Gianna has loved what she’s seen of the season so far.

Before they entered The Circle, Jojo says, Gianna got the twins up to speed with certain slang words that girls tend to use “so we were familiar” — like saying sis a lot. Nicky adds that they also had her write down a couple makeup routines, complete with order of operations, just in case anyone decided to quiz them. When asked if they were prepared to actually put makeup on a mannequin, like some contestants have in the past, Nicky doesn’t mince words.

“Thank God that wasn’t the case,” he says. Without missing a beat, his brother adds, “We would be terrible with that.

The Scarlottas credit their win on their content creation, comedy, and improv backgrounds. “You never know what the game was gonna throw at you,” Nicky says. “Certain players would just stick to their strategy no matter what, and it kind of hurt them in the long run. But we’re adaptable, and we can think on the fly.”

“And there’s two of us,” Jojo says, “so that helped.”