The Circle: Interview with Shabaz
Category: Press Pack ArticleNAME: Shabaz
AGE: 29
OCCUPATION: Secondary school teacher
FROM: Blackburn
PLAYING AS: 23-year-old chemistry teacher Alice
What is your MOTIVATION FOR ENTERING THE CIRCLE? What is it about the game that made you want to apply?
I thought it was such an interest concept. The minute I saw it, I knew I’d want to play this girl. I’ve been on social media for so long and this girl has always sort of been my competition. She’s the type of person that everybody hangs on her every word; everybody buys her merch; she gets millions of views. I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to live in this type of person’s shoes and see what it’s like having the world treat me completely differently.
Have you watched the show before and did that give you any tips on how to play the game?
I’ve watched both seasons. It really gave me tips on what not to do and what to do. Everything from the profile photos you choose to how much or how little information you should reveal. I want to try playing the personality of Alice as authentically close to my own. She’ll be fun, sarcastic and flirty, which are all qualities I have. But there are sides of my personality I can also shed away too. I’m quite defensive, whereas I think Alice won’t be as defensive as me.
What is your STRATEGY to win show? Are there any specific tactics that you think will help you win?
I use the analogy of Daenarys from Game of Thrones. Gather some allies, build those strong connections, get to the top and then in the end burn it all down! I think I’ll want to play Alice’s personality as truthfully near to my own as I can. Interact and react to things the way I would. She’s just the vessel and the soul is entirely me.
You are playing as Alice. How does she differ from the person I am speaking to right now and why did you decided to play as someone else?
Her background and her upbringing is totally different to mine. I grew up in a small northern town with working class parents who came from abroad. Alice grew up as the quintessential middle-class white girl in an affluent southern area. I think she grew up quite privileged. She went on holidays every year, she did horse riding as a kid, she took violin lessons. Her later years, post 18, will be quite similar to mine: She went to uni where I went to uni; She travelled where I travelled; She’s a teacher and I’m a teacher.
What made you think Alice would be more popular than yourself?
Growing up, I never really saw people like me online. Alice has always been a role model to all types of people. I call her my “last girl” because she’s the girl that survives to the end of the horror film. She’s Sidney Prescott. She's that girl who goes on the journey from being the simple girl next door to crawling through the mud as a survivor.
When I was growing up, and I’m sure it’s true for a lot of people of colour, this type of girl was the cool girl role model portrayed in the media and it didn’t make a difference to us. Whereas I think for white people, they wouldn’t have seen many role models from another race. Someone like Alice and I could both go online and talk about things like bullying and racism. We could both be saying the same core message, but she would be the one who gets more views because people instantly relate to Alice as a role model. People from all walks of life might relate to Alice straight away, whereas I think some people seeing me, Shabaz, could think “I don’t get his life. I don’t get his struggle” just because we aren’t similar.
Are you worried about any backlash you might get when you reveal that you are not the person you are saying you are?
I can’t see people being too mad – my personality will be very similar. I don't want to come across like I'm manipulating people. For me personally, it's a social experiment. I'm trying to see whether people do react differently. I also don’t want people to be angry that I’m being a girl – I understand the struggle of being a woman is much more than talking about makeup and her being popular online! It’s a game and I’m just me playing a character. As I say, Alice is just the vessel but I’m the soul.
How much research have you done on your catfish personality?
I’ve done quite a lot. In terms of being a girl I’ve tried to go deeper than just the superficial things. I think if a lad were doing research, the first thing they might do is read about girl’s makeup, but I’ve tried to go into more detail about the female mind. I’ve grown up with a lot of girls so that part wasn’t difficult. In terms of Alice’s background and where she grew up, I have a full page in my notepad just about her area. Where she grew up, local attractions, how far she had to drive to get to the local supermarket, where her nearest cinema and bowling alley would be. I’ve researched that completely. She’s also six years younger than me, so I’ve tried to make sure I’ve got a timeline of where she would be in her life at different years and key events. So, for example, if someone asked her about where she was when Michael Jackson died in 2009, she would know that she was in year 8 at school, and it was the start of the summer holidays, that type of thing. But I wouldn’t want to fall in the trap of being deep in the notes when someone asks a question. I’d want her answers to be natural and flowy – that’s why I’ve kept some things like her career similar to mine.
Has being a school teacher informed the character of Alice?
Being a teacher, you have to be very open minded and Alice and I would be on the same page on a lot of social issues like black lives matter, trans rights, immigration, Brexit, poverty, gay rights, gender inequality etc. If someone were to ask about a topic like Brexit or something, I would give my own opinion of it because Alice’s adult life and Shabaz’s adult life have been very similar and we’re likely to agree on things like that.
How do you feel about being on TV?
I think it’s going to be weird. I’ve been on social media and have put myself out there doing all kinds of things like doing comedy skits or putting on full Halloween make up. So, in that way, it doesn’t bother me too much because I understand that people will have all kinds of reactions to me.
How much do you use social media in the real world?
A lot. I do the scrolling thing of looking at Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, Snapchat, then go back to Instagram. The screen time counter on my phone told me last week I averaged about 26 hours on social media and that's insane, because that's more than a full day of social media.
In real life how does your online social media self differ to who you really are in person?
I think I’m probably much more dramatic on social media. I completely admit the fact that, really, I’m bratty. I complain a lot and if something doesn’t go my way, I get really aggy. Those traits get amplified online because we all portray a bigger character. Sometimes I might go on rants when I’m annoyed, but it’s all exaggerated because that’s what social media is. People think from my social media that I’m always off somewhere doing something, but they don’t see that most of the time I’m sat in my bed in my pyjamas. They only see the best of my life.
Who do you admire on social media? Who do you think uses it well?
As much as people hate on them, The Kardashians know what they’re doing on social media. Kim especially, because I think she understands that younger people are looking up to her. The way they’ve handled everything on social media, whether it’s been a leaked photo or a meme, they just know how to put a good spin on it and rake those views in. Kylie Jenner knows that everyone’s dying to see her daughter and all she puts up on social media is little glimpses of her, like a few fingers to tease people and keep them intrigued.
As a teacher do you think social media has had an impact on young people?
It’s definitely changed from the days when I was at school. These days social media is an advertising tool. It's a weight loss tool. It can make you feel worse about yourself. It can make you feel good about yourself. A lot of teenagers attach their emotions to their social media and compare their popularity and fame to people online. We didn’t grow up like that. If we were popular in school, we were popular with our mates and that was it. I try to tell my students that things like views and likes don’t mean anything. They’ll be really excited if they see I’ve done a video with 12,000 views whereas I try to tell them that that the people watching were probably just bored at home with nothing else to do. They see it as a path to being famous and I just see it as something to do when I’m bored.
Have you ever been catfished? Or caught a catfish?
I haven’t really. I think everyone catfishes to a certain extent. When you look at them in person, they might not be quite how they look on social media. Even personality wise. I’ve met YouTubers who are super friendly online and really extroverted and then when I’ve met them in person are really quiet and mousey.
Do you think you'll be able to spot any catfish on the show?
I like to think I’d be intelligent enough to spot the catfish, but I don’t want to go in obsessed with trying to find them. I could get so caught up in that, that I lose my own self and my personality to become the detective. The game’s not about finding the catfish, it’s about being the most popular. If I’m talking to somebody and they’re lovely and genuine and I vote for them to be popular, does it really matter if they’re a catfish or not? If I genuinely have a connection with someone’s personality, I can be friends with them.
Do you think what you say on The Circle matters or will you say anything if it would help you win?
I want to say things that I would genuinely say. Alice is about giving me a chance to be popular. I think my personality has the potential to be popular. I’m not a sucking up kind of person, so I wouldn’t say something just to manipulate other players. I want to be true to me.
Do you ever use social media to flirt or look for love?
I’m not a writing kind of flirter. There needs to be some element of that person in front of me. I flirt with everybody, but not online really. I like to be friends with someone first before I take it anywhere else. I wouldn’t be sliding into someone’s DMs and sending them a flirty message. No way! Even the thought of it makes me want to die!
Has social media made it easier or more difficult for you to find romance?
I think social media has made it a lot harder, because there’s such a high expectation in what people look for online. They don’t give personality a chance when they can just scroll and make a snap judgment on a picture.
Do you think it is possible to fall in love online?
Going back to the days of MSN Messenger, you could really fall for someone based on what they were saying. It’s very difficult now because everyone second guesses everyone’s intentions, so I do think it’s harder to tell if people are being genuine. If you’re being genuine with each other, then 100%, you can fall for someone online.
Will you be open to people flirting with Alice on the show?
I think Alice will be open to flirting but the type of flirting that’s more banter than compliments. It won’t be all that overly sexualised “What are you wearing?” type chat, because I think that would be a red flag for people. She’ll treat them more like a bro. I’ve seen the way guys interact with girls who do all the hair flicking type stuff and it comes across quite fake, compared to the “treat em mean, keep em keen” that I think is more Alice’s style of flirting.
Do you want to win? How far will you go to win?
100 percent, I want to win. Anyone who says they don’t want to win is a liar. Who doesn’t want to go on a gameshow to win? But the experience is also really important. It’s so different to anything I’ve ever done. I want to win based on my personality. I don't want to be master manipulator and don't want to be one of those people that is playing the game to mug other people off. We’re all playing a similar game in life. As a teacher, I’m playing a game. I want to appear one way or another for my bosses or my students to like me. I think everybody does that in life.
What would you do the prize money?
I haven’t even thought that far. I’d love to give a chunk to my parents just to clear any debts and let them relax, and then I’d probably go on holiday. I should probably save it to buy a house, so I might save some up to buy a fixer upper.
Any surprising facts or hidden talents that we should know about you?
I’m afraid of sloths, and crumpets. I’m afraid of anything with holes in it. I won’t even walk down the aisle in the supermarket where the crumpets are. If I need to buy bread, I’ll send someone else down that aisle to buy it for me.