The Circle is like a buckin’ bronco. You gotta grit your teeth, tighten your grip, and hang out for dear life or else you’re gonna get thrown out of the game. Except in the case of The Circle, all those tips are metaphors. You gotta grit your teeth and send sweet messages to players you want to block. You gotta tighten your grip on your alliances. And you gotta hang on for dear life while waiting for the influencers to reveal if they’re bucking you. These metaphors are all too clear to The Circle Season 6’s most recent blocked player — and her head’s still spinnin’ just thinkin’ about them. SPOILERS ahead!
First Paul got the block in this week’s batch of episodes, albeit a self-imposed blocking, and then we lost Autumn. She became the second blonde country girl to get the boot this season when QT went rogue and made what was supposed to be a decision between two Ride or Dies into a one-player mandate. Autumn’s #CircleBestie Jordan wasn’t going to let her get the chop, but QT had other plans — and that led to Autumn’s demise.
Below, we got all the tea from Autumn on her run in the game. Why didn’t she chat with Cassie? Why didn’t anyone ask her about bull-ridin’? And what was it like coming face to face with the player who couldn’t’ save her? Keep on readin’!
AUTUMN
Decider: What was your strategy going into the game, especially since you were entering late?
Autumn: I went in wanting to be 110% genuine and build relationships and connections. That was my ultimate goal. I didn’t know I was going in late until I was in there going in late. So strategy was kind of like “bah humbug” there for a second because I was trying to figure out what to do. I had to catch up on a lot of stuff, but essentially it was just to be genuine and build relationships. So I did the best I could.
Usually when players come in late, they bond with the person they’re entering with. You entered with Jordan, “Big J,” but you two didn’t get a one-on-one chat right away. Was it hard to form a bond with Jordan?
We got a chat later on, but we didn’t really get that intimate, one-on-one chat right when we entered, which I do think would have been really helpful for both of us — especially for me going in and not really knowing what’s happened. He’s a lot more of strategy, logic, all that stuff. We could have benefited each other because I’m more heart, he’s more brain, but we didn’t really get that chance so it was a little tricky. It was definitely tricky.
When it comes time to choose a player to chat with first, you passed over chatting with Cassie — another blonde from the south — and you went with Paul. What was the thought there?
Here was my thought: it would be the easy choice. People were expecting the two blonde country girls to align and I didn’t want to do what everybody was expecting. That’d be too easy. So I went with Paul, which people obviously weren’t expecting because Cassie was shocked. Everybody else was like, “Wow.” But there can only be one blonde country girl in the game.
Have y’all connected since?
Yes, we all talk. I love Cassie. I love her so much. She’s just a sweet little southern bumpkin.
Paul came in hot with lots of tea in your first chat. What was your take on Paul after that?
It just turned me off. It was less, “Hey, let’s get to know each other, let’s be genuine, let’s be an alliance.” It was more, “This person you can’t trust, this person you can’t trust.” Being new, I’m like, “Oh shoot. Now I got all this information but I don’t know what to do.” So he sussed me out a little bit.
You were paired with Lauren for the Ride or Die twist. Who would you have paired with if you had been able to choose?
Kyle. I think that the conversation I had with him was the most genuine. I felt the least sussed out by him. I don’t know what it was. He seemed like a genuine character in the way he messaged so I definitely would’ve wanted Kyle.
Y’all bonded over gym life. What was your take on The Circle’s gyms? They have two now, right?
They did. It was definitely nice. It was nice to switch it up because each was a little different in its own spunky way.
What was your take on your actual Ride or Die, Lauren. Paul had said some iffy things about her in your chat with him.
Initially going in, I’m not going to trust nobody, okay? So there’s always going to be that little bit in the back of my head where I’m like, “Okay, Lauren seems sweet, she seems innocent, whatever — but I don’t fully trust her.” But in terms of fully trusting Paul, I didn’t trust him either. So what he said about her was in the back of my head, but I haven’t seen it. So until I’ve actually seen it, I’m going to try to keep that in the back of my head instead of going straight into being like, “I don’t trust Lauren, I don’t like that this is my Ride or Die.”
In the Circle Scenarios game, Lauren ends up naming you as the person most likely to buy likes. After that, everyone else started naming you in a negative way. Did Lauren start a dog pile?
Here’s where it is: I do not think Lauren started it. I do think it was a stupid answer, 100%. But I don’t think it started it because I know that Myles and Olivia had this plan. I was the sacrificial lamb. They’re like, “We need to pick somebody,” so I knew they were already going to pick me. The one person that followed everybody in the tracks was QT, because it was Lauren and then QT was in there somewhere. She’s like, “Well, I guess if everybody else is doing it, I’m gonna do it too.”
Was that like your second day or something? Did you even have a chance to connect with anyone?
No, not really. I barely dipped my pinky toe into the water, okay. There was not a drip of water on my pinky toe yet.
After that you get apologies from both Olivia and Lauren. What was your take on those apologies?
I struggled because people tug at my heartstrings easily, okay. So immediately Olivia is coming at me with her past and I feel it. It hurts. I’m bawling. I have a red face, whatever, because I relate. But at the same time, whether this is true or not, I need to keep in the back of my head what happened to me… which was smart, because immediately after that beautiful little chat we had, she still threw me under the bus. That was kind of worthless. And then for Lauren, I was so stuck in my head about, “what were you thinking” that I couldn’t even hear her apology. It was going in one ear and out the other. I was befuddled.
For the Ride or Die ratings, it’s Paul and Kyle who end up in the bottom. You seemed incredibly surprised that you and Lauren weren’t in the bottom.
I don’t know what happened. I feel like it was a glitch in the game. I still am shook to this day. I have no idea where that that came from, but I still didn’t feel safe moving forward. I was like alright, well I got saved this time. But uh, moving forward, no, it’s still not safe
The Circle Chat right after Paul’s blocking got pretty heated, too, when you and Jordan essentially started asking for apologies.
Where was the beef?
While everyone else in the Circle tiptoed around touchy subjects, you and Jordan were both very direct.
I was like, listen, own up, because I was so confused. If there was beef, where was the beef cooked? I was confused because I had none. There was no salt there for me. So when they all came at me, I was like, “What did I do? What did I not do? Can I get an apology at the very least? What’s going on?” And they were all like, [meek voice] “We didn’t want to, we just had —” Okay. All right.
This is where you and Jordan bonded. He slid into your DMs and told a wild lie about Myles flirting with him.
I was over there like, “Okay, get some. Okay, Myles be playing QT and — okay, get some.” But then come to find out — I had no idea because you don’t see what’s going on with everybody else’s chats. I’m thinking, “Oh, Jordan’s so sweet. He’s so genuine.” I was trying to give him a relationship advice. [Laughs]
Then QT becomes the influencer with her Ride or Die, Jordan, as the secret influencer. QT blocks you and you go to meet Jordan… who you then find out was half of the duo that blocked you. How did you feel then, before you learn about QT leaving the influencer chat?
Not great. I did not feel good. Part of me wanted to believe wholeheartedly that he fought tooth and nail for me, but I also knew that QT was running the game. She was doing pretty good, so I guess it wouldn’t have shook me at all if he did fight tooth and nail but she was like, “Nah.” But based off of what he told me, it sounded like he did. It is what it is. It’s the name of the game. After the Circle Scenarios game and I got trashed anyway, I was riding a wave from there. So, it is what it is for my own mental sanity.
You also found out that Jordan was catfishing as himself, except a few years younger and a hundred pounds heavier. Did that surprise you at all?
I walked in and listen, my mind’s playing tricks on me. I’ve been isolated for a hot minute. I don’t know what’s happening. Because I look at him and the face looks similar. I see similarities, but you’re not — And then he finally told me and I was like, “Oh, my gosh.” I seriously thought I was going crazy. I thought I was having some mental breakdown or something. But no, it was really cool. I do see why he did it. It made sense and I thought it was a really unique twist. We hadn’t had that on The Circle yet.
What’s really wild is that — you rodeo.
I watch rodeo. I used to do bull riding for fun. I don’t do it competitively because, uh, that’s terrifying. I would like to have children one day. [Laughs] But yes.
Did that come up at all? You shared a bull riding photo during Naughty & Nice, but did you ever get to talk about it?
I didn’t. I didn’t, and I was sad because going in so late, I had to work extra fast. I didn’t actually have time to really get into, “Hey, this is me.” It was more so, “Oh my God, what’s happening? How do I put myself in a better spot since I’m so late to the game?” So I definitely was at a disadvantage when it came to having them learn about who I am. And then when I put the bull riding picture up, people are like, “Nah, she’s fake.” The one time — !
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. New episodes of The Circle Season 6 premiere on Netflix on Wednesdays.
