I said, ‘Never.
Not once.'"
Warning: This article contains spoilers aboutThe Circleseason 5 finale.
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And in the end, her strategy of no strategy reigned supreme.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How long has it been since you filmed the finale?
SAM CARMONA:Maybe a year-and-a-half.
Netflix
I was 34 when we filmed and I’m pushing 36 now.
What was it like for you having to keep your win secret for so long?
It is the hardest secret I’ve ever had to keep in my life.
Netflix
There are family members who have no idea that I was even on a show.
Don’t trust that person."
[Laughs] I’m like, “Okay.
Going intoThe Circle, did you think winning was even a possibility?
How much did you expect this outcome?
I said, “Never.
And it really did.
A lot of other players got deep into thinking about strategy, but you played really straightforward.
Did strategy ever come into play for you?
Transparency moment: I had no idea what I was doing.
It was just like my eyeliner I winged it.
I like butterflies.”
What was going through your mind when Michelle announced you won?
Because I genuinely did not know.
And when she said that, I literally felt like there were cinder blocks on my shoulders.
I couldn’t even carry the weight.
I was like, “Wait, what?”
And just crying aggressively.
Have you watched the finale yet?
I am up to the second batch.
If you don’t ruffle any feathers, just stay in the cut and mind your business.
Why do you think you were able to beat Chaz and Raven for the win in the end?
And then there’s other instances where you have Chaz like, “I love Sam.
I’m going to rate her high.”
It’s nice to be able to say you didn’t make any enemies.
When I tell you I love everyone, I have no beef in these streets.
Were you ever worried that you were in danger of getting blocked?
[Laughs] Didn’t you see episode one?
I was losing my mind.
I literally had no clue what was happening.
Everything was just pixelated, the world was not in focus.
I was like, “I didn’t even do anything.
I just said I like chicken and you guys are going to send me home?”
That was the only episode where the wind was taken out of me.
How did that first ratings scare affect how you played the rest of the season?
It definitely lit a fire.
In my real life, I’ve never been one to brown nose or kiss ass.
If I meet someone and they don’t like me, that’s it.
I don’t ever have to speak to you again.
I can completely detach.
I’ve got to be fake.
I’ve got to tell somebody I like their shoes when their shoes are crap.”
It was a mental battle within myself.
My gusband got me.
My sister got me."
You guys go at it, I’m going to sit back.
I don’t want no part of it."
The one moment you couldn’t avoid the drama was with the hacker.
Something that I could attribute to my Nuyorican heritage is that we pay attention to details.
Ooh, I’m mad all over again.
It was impressive how quickly you were able to figure out that it was Jennifer.
That person went to Hacker University, because that was done seamlessly.
Initially, I just wanted her gone.
All I saw was red.
I wanted Jennifer out.
I didn’t care if Marvin dated every single person, including Tom, Marvin could stay.
Betrayal is not taken lightly in my world.
No problem, whatever you want to do."
I love her so much, I couldn’t dare.
Which catfish surprised you the most?
Of course, Shooby.Nobody was ever expecting to see Shooby.
I just didn’t want anybody to see it on TV, so I told everyone everything.
I cleared my conscious immediately, just in case.
Before you went onThe Circle, had you watched every previous season?
[Laughs] No.
She’s like, “Yeah.”
I’m like, “Is it good?”
And she explained it.
She didn’t explain it well because I still had no idea.
But she’s like, “Hell yeah, do it.”
And the rest is history.
I didn’t think that it was going to be that intense, but it was intense.
I get that a lot: “You weren’t playing a savage game.”
People definitely say I gave season 1/season 2 love.
Do you have any regrets of how you played this season?
So if you say something, stand on it."
So far from what I’ve seen, I don’t regret anything that I’ve said.
I don’t regret anything that I’ve done and I’m happy with the way that I played.
And I seem to be received pretty well by the public, so I’m guessing I did okay.
I will tell you, at some point you get numb to the cameras.
You honestly forget that they’re there and that you’re being filmed.
I talked about poop angels, there’s no going back now.
Who from the cast are you close with now?
I speak to Chaz and Raven daily since we’ve been back from the U.K.
The rest of the cast, we speak from time to time.
I cannot wait to see them and hug the hell out of them.
This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.
All episodes ofThe Circleseason 5 are now streaming on Netflix.
