When it comes to the second season of the American adaptation of Netflix’s The Circle, nice guys finish last. Bryant Wood came onto the reality show as himself, having led a series of lives that brought him to his breathwork career, filling his lungs with equal parts air and love. Bryant made quick connections, vibing with “River” (actually Lee Swift) and his fellow “Loyal Lad” Courtney Revolution. But his downfall came in not connecting with the right people, namely influencers Savannah Palacio and Terilisha. They both felt he had not talked with them enough to get a good dynamic, and he was also so social he could be a threat to the $100,000 prize. It was a combination that ultimately proved lethal for Bryant, making him the first player blocked (read: eliminated) from this season of The Circle. Read on to hear Bryant’s thoughts on his time in the game. And check out Parade.com throughout The Circle season 2 with the various players and catfishes alike. Why did you want to come onto The Circle? I want to say first that I personally feel The Circle is one of the most genius social experiments that has ever existed. Personally experiencing it, it blew me away. I’m pretty well-known on social media, so I’ve been around the block. It’s a direct reflection of all the things that go on in social media, all the things we hate, and all the things that we love. I have a completely new perspective on what actually goes on online. I felt like I fell in love with people that were not who they said they were. And I still love them, no matter who they turned out to be. You know, so it was interesting. I came in knowing that nothing really could go wrong as long as I was true to myself and my core messaging. And a lot more things could have gone right. When you visit Lee, aka “River,” after your elimination, he tells you that you were playing with your heart rather than with your head. Did you have a strategy during your time in The Circle? My strategy was to connect, feel and actually get to know the other contestants beyond their avatars. I didn’t have a strategy to win. My strategy was to share breathwork and tools to help people manage their stress within the Circle because it is a very high-stress environment. Even though I was only there for a short time, I’ve made friendships that I feel could last for a lifetime. And after meeting everyone at the end, people were way better than I could have ever imagined, based on how everyone decided to play. One of the reasons Savannah and Terilisha decided to block you was because they felt they really hadn’t gotten to know you and make those connections. How do you respond to that? It played out how it played out. I didn’t get the opportunity to truly have one on one time with Savannah. And there’s a funny story from after I got eliminated when we all met up at the end. They put Savannah and me in the same dressing room! So I spent like three hours with her one on one. [Laughs.] It was so easy to forgive her just because of how open and wild and fun she actually was. I realized even though I didn’t get that chance to connect initially, it came full circle when I spent three hours alone with her in the dressing room. Someone who you were able to make a connection with was Courtney. What was it about him that created that “Loyal Lad” bond so quickly? I go off base energy and intuition. So the whole time, I was led to speak to exactly who I was meant to speak to. And again, it wasn’t playing to win; it was playing to connect with the people that were at the truest and most heartfelt and loving. Courtney and I connected immediately just off his energy, smile, open heart, and how close he was to actual friendships. Like immediately, I felt his desire to connect, but also his hesitancy. I was able to kind of break down those barriers in a short time just being myself. To this day, we’re still really good friends. Were you surprised at being blocked, considering the conversation you had with Terilisha after you were ranked last? I had a great conversation with Terilisha. I was excited that she ended up being one of the influencers, and my heart hurt a little when I found out I was eliminated with her having the chance to save me. But everyone’s playing their game, so I accepted it. Even though I got very last, there’s nothing that I would have done differently because I got to spread a little bit of love during the time that I was there. Hopefully, there’s someone out there who resonated with my story. And that’s all we do that for, that one person that thinks, “Even though he got last, he’s still the happiest person because he felt he followed his heart.” To that point, we saw some people rank you last because they saw you as their biggest competition. Despite you not going onto The Circle to necessarily win, how did it feel to hear you were such a threat so early on? People are always going to perceive things how they perceive them. It just goes back to me staying true to what I came to accomplish, which was to connect, to love, to uplift, to spread wisdom and guidance. Whatever the outcome is, I’m content with it. The way I was playing made everyone feel like I was their biggest competition. And it helped people rethink their own strategy and drop back into their hearts a little more. I want to talk about your post-elimination choice to visit “River.” You were going back and forth between many people, including Courtney, Savannah, and Terilisha. Why did you end up choosing River? The hardest thing that came up for me while being on The Circle was the surface-level conversation. And immediately when I interacted with Lee, aka “River,” I felt his debt. I felt his heart; I felt his pain. And I already knew that he was not playing who he said he was. I chose to see him to truly let him know that it doesn’t matter who you decide to be on the show; you’re still incredibly amazing. The word that you wrote is not the avatar that you’re playing. It’s who you are. I felt that, and I wanted to express that. And I got a chance to read with him, hold his hand, and tell them I love him. At that moment, Lee said that he made a friend for life. Did those bonds hold outside of The Circle? Lee is the best! He keeps the whole tribe together. He messaged me probably 10 minutes ago, checking in on me. He was so sweet. He asked me my pronouns and sexual orientation, just in case if I do these interviews, he knows who I am. And I was like, “That is such a profound, caring thing to ask.” He just goes over the top to always check in on all of us. These are quite extraordinary human beings. In your final message to the contestants, you talk about how your time on the show taught you to deeply listen to what others say and how what we are at our core connects us all. Can you elaborate on what your time in The Circle taught you about people? We’re all playing a game to figure out what we desire, what makes us happy. How can we connect, and how can we express our love. All of us are sorting that out on some level. But when you’re able to look past the identity that’s on The Circle and connect to the soul that is behind it, regardless of gender, race, religion, or economic status, you’re able to listen in a different way. You’re able to hear them for what they truly desire and what they need. Nobody there is playing for $100,000. They’re playing to be seen, heard, and loved. Next, check out our interview with Joey Sasso, the winner of The Circle season 1.
