To be or not to be — yourself, that is. 

If you have binged on Netflix's hit reality TV show The Circle, you'd know that is the entire premise of the show — to be yourself or not to be yourself. 

The Circle features a number of contestants who are kept in separate apartments, away from one another and the rest of the world.

Then again, you wouldn't have a reality show without the drama of interaction. So, the contestants interact through a proprietary social media platform.

The contestants have the liberty to choose if they want to set up a profile as themselves or catfish as someone else. They can use real or fake names, photos, and details about their lives.

The participants rank each other every week, and someone is voted off. 

That person must then identify themselves to the rest of the cast, confirming if they were being real or catfishing in hopes of winning the game.

The winner ends up with the prize of $100,000.

But as with every other reality TV show out there, fans can't help but wonder, "Is The Circle Scripted?"

The Premise of the Show is Real

Anyone who has spent a decent amount of time on the internet would most definitely think that spotting a catfish would not be much of an issue, especially when one has a massive cash prize to keep them motivated. 

However, it is noteworthy that the contestants have no connection with the outside world while filming, which means no wifi! 

As per reports from The Cinemaholic, the cast members are "not allowed to bring phones, laptops or any other devices" into their apartments.

The contestants can still bring in a host of books, magazines, and other offline content (even pre-downloaded music and movies) into their apartment.

Of course, they are encouraged to entertain themselves by chatting via The Circle app whenever they want to. 

Is The Circle Scripted?

If the show's first season winner Joey Sasso is to be believed, the show appears not to be scripted; it is as real as it can get. 

He clarified that everything from the rankings to the connections that the viewers see on their screens appears to be genuine to the best of his knowledge. 

He also added how the players had real conversations, where they got honest and made real friends and not just allies to further their strategic position within the game show. 

The Circle App Is Not as Real as Advertised

That being said, the app that the players were chatting over was not entirely real — or, let us say, as real as advertised. 

The building where The Circle is shot

The building where 'The Circle' is shot (Source: YouTube)

Most features of the app were real. After all, even the show's creator, Tim Harcourt, agrees that the application is a glorified WhatsApp. (via Vulture)

The aspects, like its voice activation and recognition, were not exactly real. 

Harcourt told Vulture that they initially did try to use the technology behind voice recognition, but it was not an easy task.

So, they have producers on standby to transcribe the voice commands and pass them onto the next room, or as Harcourt likes to call it, "there is some humanity in the app."