‘The Circle’ Season 4 Winner Frank Grimsley Joined the Show to Prove a Black, Gay, Plus-Size Man Can Be Popular
usmagazine.comNo catfish here! Frank Grimsley was crowned the winner of The Circle season 4 — and he did it by staying true to himself.“I wanted to show people that I — as a Black man, as a Black gay man, as a Black plus-size man — that I can go into a game and be popular,” Frank, 29, told Us Weekly exclusively before the Netflix competition’s finale dropped on Wednesday, May 25. “I wanted to show representation in the game.
A visual representation, not only to everybody that’s watching but for the other players as well. That we can exist in this space on TV and thrive in it.”The Netflix hit, which debuted in January 2020, markets itself as a lighthearted and strategic competition series where contestants who are in isolation can choose whether to play as themselves or go in as other people while chasing a generous cash prize.
The show, however, became an instant success with viewers not because of its competitive focus, but due to the authentic human connection that formed in the midst of heated gameplay.While the Maryland native told Us that he “holds no shade toward anyone” who chose to enter The Circle as a catfish or play strategically, it was imperative for him to “be himself the whole time.”“I have an infectious personality and I know what I bring to the table,” the content creator explained. “And there’s something about me that other people fall in love with.
I wanted to show people who were watching that I could play this game by simply being myself. I just kept saying, ‘I’m going [with] my gut here and following my heart.’ And I wanted to show people that you don’t have to be cutthroat, shady, or throw people on the bus to win this game.”That doesn’t mean Frank didn’t face more strategic contenders who tried to take him
