The Circle: Interview with Tally
Category: Press Pack ArticleNAME: Tally
AGE: 23
OCCUPATION: Receptionist at a doctor’s surgery
FROM: Worthing
PLAYING AS: Herself
What is your MOTIVATION FOR ENTERING THE CIRCLE? What is it about the game that made you want to apply?
I got quite badly bullied at school, I had glasses and was really lanky. I started posting pictures of myself and editing them quite a lot. Over the last two years I have built this Instagram that doesn't really represent me as a person. I'm kind of embarrassed of my own Instagram. I really want to go on The Circle to strip everything back and be perceived as my normal quirky self rather than these posey, edited pictures. I want to see if you are really only accepted if you look a certain way.
Have you watched the show before and did that give you any tips on how to play the game?
Yes. I think you can only be a catfish if you've got a killer game plan and you really stick to it. I'm a little bit flaky and all over the gaff, so I don’t think I can be anyone else.
What is your STRATEGY to win the show? Are there any specific tactics that you think will help you win?
The basics is to befriend everyone and be super chatty. You have to not only be a girl's girl, but a boy’s girl as well. I’m playing it single so flirting could be a huge game plan.
Why did you decide to play yourself and not another character?
I'm all over the shop. I trip over my lies and my memory is horrific. I have the memory of a goldfish. I'd lie about something and make notes, but then forget where I put the notes. I just wouldn't be able to pull it off. I do think that I've got a good enough personality and my pictures, even when I don’t edit them aren’t unbearable to look at. I think I've got the best chance if I’m just myself. I've got all my unedited pictures ready, which I wouldn’t normally put on Instagram. I've also got an Instagram folder as a backup, because if it all goes wrong, I still want to win!
What do you want viewers at home to think of you or learn from you?
Although I enforce it on my Instagram at the moment, I don't think that you should have to look a certain way. I understand that it's easy to fall into that Instagram trap. I want to prove that no matter what stage you’re at with it, you can still redeem yourself.
How do you feel about being on TV?
I'm excited. I've always been a bit of a performer anyway, so I like the limelight. I think anyone would be apprehensive. It's like listening to your voice back, no one likes that. I'm sure there will be bits that will make me cringe, but it is what it is.
How much do you use social media in the real world?
Literally every day. I try to keep my screen time down because it eats me up inside. I deleted Twitter because I was going between Twitter, Instagram and TikTok and I was wasting around seven hours on it. I mostly use Instagram but I can also spend hours scrolling through TikTok, so God forbid if I ever made one because that would be a whole new addiction!
In real life how does your online social media self differ to who you really are in person?
Massively. I think in person I'm weird, a bit dorky, the class clown, quirky and loud. Whereas on Instagram I'm posey, subdued and I look serious. I’m not at all like that in person. I never put anything too out there on Instagram out of fear, it’s ridiculous. I'm completely aware of how much of a damaging place it can be. Sometimes I think I’m going to just scrap social media but the problem with our generation is that you completely alienate yourself if you do that.
Who do you admire on social media? Who do you think uses it well?
There is a girl called Rianne Meijer on Instagram who is all about keeping perspective and showing the reality behind her Instagram posts, I admire the humour she brings to her honesty as well. I think some editing on pictures is fine, because I love art and photography. You'd be stupid to think that the editor of Vogue doesn't edit the front cover, because it is a work of art. I think it’s alright as long as you're honest about it but I’m not.
Have you ever been catfished? Or caught a catfish?
I haven't, no.
Do you think you'll be able to spot any catfish on the show?
Yeah, I’m very intuitive. I ask a lot of questions and I'm quite deep so I like intense emotion and if you get deep enough into any kind of conversation you're going to hit flaws if someone’s not being themself.
Do you think what you say on The Circle matters or will you say anything if it would help you win?
I've got ADHD so I do struggle to process what comes out of my mouth before I say it but I do have coping mechanisms. I think quite heavily about what I say because I've learnt the hard way. Sometimes I'm very impulsive and if I’m angry or upset by something, I will blurt something out.
Do you ever use social media to flirt or look for love?
I am completely different to what I portray on Instagram so I would never really date online. If I don’t look like what I actually look like, how can I trust someone else will? I'm really old fashioned, I would much rather meet someone in a pub or club rather than on social media. I probably just missed that generation bracket. I think the generation now rely quite heavily on meeting people over Instagram and Twitter, which I think is quite sad.
Has social media made it easier or more difficult for people to find romance? Do you think it is possible to fall in love online?
It’s definitely more difficult. I love Instagram but I hate what it's doing to relationships and love. I listen to some of my mum and dad’s stories about how everyone would meet at the pub and they’d have quality conversations and relationships. Now everything is magnified because of social media, it would be so hard for anyone to meet someone at face value before having a look at them online. I think it's negative on relationships and meeting people for sure.
Will you be open to people flirting with you on the show?
100%. I still would like to win. I wouldn't take it to the extent of leading them on or taking advantage of someone, but a flirt is harmless.
Do you want to win? How far will you go to win?
I want to win. I am insanely competitive, but at the same time I’m extremely sensitive. If someone upsets me or gets me angry, I would retaliate. I love retaliation and revenge so if someone annoys me, I'd be inclined to do it back. I wouldn't go out of my way to hurt someone without getting provoked.
What would you do with the prize money?
I’d put it towards a flat because it’s impossible to get a mortgage nowadays. Also, there’s an animal sanctuary near me, in someone’s back garden that two elderly ladies run. I would love to donate some of the money to them. I would feel so good by giving a small chunk of it away.
Any surprising facts or hidden talents that we should know about you?
I’ve never eaten meat before. I was born a vegetarian, even though my dad was a butcher. My parents raised me and my sister as vegetarian’s so that we would grow up to have respect for animals. When we were 10 they said we could eat meat but I just never did.
A hidden talent of mine is whenever I go into the kitchen of any house or flat, no matter how big, I always know where the cutlery draw is!