'The Circle' Season 5 Release Date, Trailer, Cast and More

The Circle is heading back to Netflix for Season 5 and this time around, there are going to be a few surprises for viewers.

The reality television show, hosted by actress and comedian Michelle Buteau, follows a group of contestants who live in the same apartment building but do not meet face-to-face, instead communicating through online messaging devices.

The Circle contestants can create their online profiles as themselves, or they can play somebody else. Throughout the game the cast rank each other, with the most popular at each ranking being deemed "influencers," and the least being at risk of being "blocked" and eliminated from the game.

At the end of the season, the contestants rate each other one final time, with the highest rated player being declared the winner of the series and receiving a cash prize.

This time around Netflix has confirmed there will be a major twist as all of this year's players are single, or claim to be, and the new season is officially called The Circle: Singles.

The Circle Season 1 favorite Shubham "Shooby" Goel, who came in second place back in 2020, will be one of the new players and Netflix has promised fans "more flirting, more drama and lots of surprises" as the singletons (or contestants playing singletons) battle it out to win hearts, make romantic bonds, and be named top influencer to win the grand prize.

Last season's winner, Frank Grimsley, ended up with $150,000, more than any winner has pocketed in the past.

Newsweek has everything you need to know about the upcoming season of The Circle on Netflix.

'The Circle' Season 5 Release Date

The first batch of the new The Circle episodes will be released on December 28, but fans won't be able to binge the whole thing at once as the episodes will be staggered.

The season will continue on January 4 and January 11, culminating with the finale on January 18.

The full release schedule can be seen below:

• Wednesday, December 28: Episodes 1-4
• Wednesday, January 4: Episodes 5-8
• Wednesday, January 11: Episodes 9-12
• Wednesday, January 18: Finale

'The Circle' Season 5 Cast

The contestants taking part in the new season can be seen below. Three of the cast are playing as a catfish as they playing as other people and not their real selves.

Shubham Goel, aka Shooby

Brett Robinson

Chaz Lawery

Marvin Achi

Oliver Twixt

Raven Sutton

Sam Carmona

Tom Houghton

Xanthi Perdikomatis

Brian Clark - playing as Brittney

Billie-Jean Blackett - playing as Bruno

Tasia Lesley - playing as Tamira

'The Circle' Season 5 Trailer

The trailer for the fifth season of The Circle was released by Netflix on December 13, 2022, and gives fans a glimpse at the drama to come.

In the footage, viewers get a sneak peek at the new contestants and it looks like things are set to get very tense as money—and hearts—are put on the line in pursuit of being crowned the winner.

The Circle returns to Netflix on December 28. The first four seasons are available to stream now.