Quori-Tyler Bullock on his Circle journey

OOne of the joys of watching competitive reality shows is seeing how they evolve over time, adding new dimensions to the game and offering avenues for new ways to play. Sometimes that means new twists: Survivor introduced Hidden Immunity Idols in Season 11 and the “Shot in the Dark” mechanic in Season 41, both of which completely changed how players vote during tribal council. Other times, individual players provide new models for complex strategies: Big BrotherNakomis Dedmon pioneered the “back door” strategy that became common after its first use in Season 5.

Although Netflix’s social media competition series The circle While it may not feel as strategy-intensive as those long-running series, it has gone through its own evolution since its first season in 2020, maintaining its relaxed feel while introducing much more deliberate strategies. In the show’s sixth season, former NBA and NFL dancer Quori-Tyler (QT) Bullock became the latest player to cross that line: by consciously manipulating her fellow players, even during seemingly trivial games to break the ice, she maneuvered carefully to the end. From forming the Tres Fuego alliance to shutting down influencer Jordan’s secret team, refusing to block anyone he wanted to block, Bullock is unquestionably one of the series’ most powerful puppet masters – a phrase she’s used to describe herself since the first episode. It’s no wonder her threat level prevented her from taking victory, finishing in third place.

TIME spoke with Bullock about the show’s evolving strategy, what it’s like watching her experience on screen and looking forward to her next foray into reality TV.

See more information: The circle Season 6 gave the traitors a run for their money

TIME: How have you been feeling since the final fell on Wednesday?

Bullock: I’m feeling really good, even though I didn’t win. I went in as a superfan and did the show justice. I did exactly what I wanted to go out there and do. I checked everything on mine Circle bucket list. I wouldn’t have changed anything I did.

What has the response been like throughout the season?

The answer for me was a little confusing. I think a lot of people who like strategy and those kind of cutthroat games really like how I played it, so I’m getting a lot of love in that aspect. But The circle there are so many different things for different people. The show started as a popularity contest, but also a chance for different personalities and people who would never have gotten together to become friends. But I went in with a game plan and didn’t care about all that. It was definitely the most strategic season, from what everyone says. In my eyes, that’s a good thing, but some people like the OG friendship kind of vibe.

It’s always interesting to see how the strategy evolves on any competitive reality show like this. Where do you think the show could go next? Are there untapped sources of strategy?

I like it when people have a different perspective on the game. That’s what I brought to this. I thought about some things a little differently. During the game where we had to make paintings, I thought, “Well, I need to make a painting and frame someone else” — using the tools you have at hand. The circle to navigate the game in a way that takes you to the top. I’m interested to see if the next players will use any of these things in their strategies. Hopefully people will prepare even more for this by watching past seasons and getting an idea of ​​how they can use things other people have done.

During the final rankings, you can clearly see that everyone really respected your consistent control of the game, and as a result, the majority voted you down. Is there any way to avoid your fate when you are already seen as a major threat?

That’s the hardest part The circle. I had very strong control of the game the entire time, until I got the second influencer position at the very end when I was number 1. I felt like there was no way I could win the game anymore. I was too much of a threat, too much of a target. I know how final rankings always go: people who have been at the top all along end up coming in last place in the final rankings. I was way ahead throughout the game. That’s something interesting that I’d like to see a player do in the coming seasons: be on top in the same game and still manage to win. We haven’t really seen it – maybe [Season 2 winner] DeLeesa [St. Agathe]. This rarely happens.

I wanted to be ahead all the time in the beginning. I wanted to be an Influencer, I wanted to make the decisions about who goes home so that this would create a path for me to reach the end. But then, when you’re doing that, how do you get back to the middle? I tried to do this by not having as many conversations as I did in the beginning. But when people feel comfortable with you, they feel comfortable with you. It’s a double-edged sword. And at this point, no one is really going to evaluate the person who really is the most popular to win in the end.

What was it like seeing yourself back on screen?

Obviously I did the NBA, I was an NFL cheerleader, so I’ve been on TV before in the dancing aspect. It used to seem Hannah Montana moments. When I was in uniform, everyone wanted to take my picture and worried about me. As soon as I take off my uniform, no one cares about me. I become invisible. But now I am who I am, Quori-Tyler, on screen. It makes me feel vulnerable. I know a lot of people are watching and seeing me, so it’s a little weird, but I think I love it, as a fan of it all.

It must be interesting to see what was going on in the other apartments while you were there. Is there anything new or surprising you learned?

That was my favorite part of watching it. When you’re there, you feel like the main character and think that everything you’re doing will be shown on TV. Something random that really shocked me: When I said the “AI abs” thing about Kyle, I was saying it as a joke. “Your abs look so good, they must be fake.” Seeing everyone’s reaction to it – everyone was like, “Oh my God, QT, how can you say that?” Whenever you are texting someone, you don’t know what tone the person is reading it in. That was a great example of how things can be misinterpreted depending on how you read it in someone else’s voice.

What did you think of Jordan’s gameplay? It’s kind of wild to see how far he’s gone in his obsession with getting Myles out.

It was so wild to watch. In the game, I was the one who marked Jordan’s game the most among everyone who was there. I saw what he was doing, I saw that we played very similarly. I got the feeling he was a fan of these shows too, and I respected that. “He’s doing exactly what he needs to do.” When he came after Myles and me, I thought, “That makes sense. He should.” But seeing it now, he was like a dog with a bone. He wasn’t going to let go of the Myles thing. There was a chance for him to change when he saw that Myles wasn’t becoming an Influencer again. Myles wasn’t as on top as Jordan thought he was, which I don’t even know why he thought he was so on top of. It would have been smarter if Jordan did what he did to Myles. my.

Especially since he already had Myles’ trust.

Exactly. Even within Tres Fuego, it’s interesting that he chose Myles when Myles was the one who protected him the most. It’s crazy to watch now, but I think when you’re in that game, especially in Jordan’s position, it’s really hard to figure out what you need to do to get to the end and win. He probably only decided on one thing. I think once he thought this was what he needed to do, he didn’t give up.

Did you get any inspiration for your gameplay, whether from previous seasons of The circle or other reality shows?

Circle specifically, I think DeLeesa had an incredible game. Chaz from last season is one of my favorite players. He didn’t use much strategy — he was more sincere — but he did a good job of reaching out to as many people as possible and keeping some people at a distance so that when he had to make decisions, he could without people feeling betrayed by him. That’s what I tried to do, in a sense. Outside of The circle, there are an infinite number of people. Dan Gheesling from Big Brother, Of course. I love Tyson Survivor. I love players who are really there to play and don’t play with any emotion. Janelle in Big Brothershe is number 1.

What’s next for you? What other competition shows would you be interested in doing?

I don’t know what’s next. I say this in every interview because I want them to bring me back: I would love to do The circle again. There is so much more I want to show that I can do. I would love to maybe play catfish; I don’t think I’ll ever be able to be myself again. But literally any opportunity that comes up for a show like this. The traitors-oh my God, I would die.