Frank Grimsley made a promise to producers, the audience, and himself on his very first day in The Circle: He was going to win. The school social worker felt he had the social skills and savviness to make it through. And throughout the twistiest season of the Netflix series yet, Frank was the constant. He finished at or near the top of the ratings every blocking, always making a great first impression that would segue into solid relationships. And those relationships not only got him to the finale, but they earned him the number one spot. Frank surrounded himself with people he liked, and in turn liked him. And in the end, he exited The Circle victorious, earning the show’s highest cash prize to date in $150,000. Read on to hear Frank’s thoughts on her time in the game. And check out Parade.com throughout The Circle season 4 with the various players and catfishes alike. First off, congrats on the win! What has it been like watching everything back, considering how you know how it ended? It’s so weird. People are like, “Oh, my God, I’m rooting for you.” I’m like, “Bitch, I did it!” (Laughs.) But I think my biggest reaction is actually a lot of the stuff that I say, like the one-liners and stuff. I have no recollection of saying them. I’m hearing it with you all for the first time. And I’m like, “You’re really a fool. You really have no sense.” (Laughs.) Because that truly shows that I’m not calculating my thinking. I literally just say whatever’s on my mind sometimes. So I’ve been laughing with y’all. You said in the final minutes of the season that you felt The Circle always needed you. What made you think that and decide to apply for the show? I think that I am not like anybody else in this world. I knew that I could not only play the game, I knew that I could win the game. And I felt like I could do that by genuinely just being my authentic self. My friends find it so funny. They’re like, “They probably think that you’re just doing this for TV, and you’re like this in real life.” I watched a lot of reality TV. So I knew what I wanted to represent in that space. I wanted to be positive; I wanted to be happy. I don’t want to have a whole lot of drama. I love NeNe Leakes and Tiffany “New York” Pollard. So I knew I gotta come with the one-liners; I gotta make some funny lines. I gotta have bits that make people LOL, even if it’s just for five seconds. I want to at least make people laugh at least once every episode. So I gotta really just go on here and be funny. That’s all I really want to do. So you never gave any thought to playing a catfish? I really wanted to show little fat boys, little fat girls, and other men and women of big size. I really wanted to show that we could get into these spaces and be just as popular. I think growing up, I had this idea that you’ve got to have washboard abs to be popular. You never really see somebody my size being in a space and not only occupying it, but owning it. Because I believe every space I walk into, I own it. That’s why I feel like my confidence is so high. So I think I had to show not only that I knew that I could do it, but I had to show the world that I could be in these spaces, and I could be most popular, and I could win this game by being fat and Black. Let’s start with where things ended. How surprised were you that you ended up winning, especially when it came down to you and Trevor? Throughout the casting process, I kept saying I was gonna win. I said from day one, “I’m gonna win this.” And the producers were like, “Okay, everybody says that.” I’m like, “No, I’m gonna let you know, I’m going to win this! It’s already mine.” Money’s already in my bank, as I said in my profile. I think it clicked when Yu Ling finished in third. I knew for a fact that when it was just Trevor and me that I won. And that’s no slight to Trevor. But I thought, “If Trevor ends up winning and not me, I’m gonna punch him.” (Laughs.) That being said, with Trevor, I know we probably had imprints of each other’s hands because we were holding each other’s hands so tight. And I think it was good. I really liked the final five. There were some others that I would love to have been there as well. But I think, for the most part, I would have been very happy with anybody winning. I’m still pretty close with everybody. I think everybody played a really good game. Do you remember your final ratings for the other four players? I know I rated Yu Ling first. I probably rated Rachel second, then Trevor third, and Eversen last. You spoke a bit when you were the super-secret influencer about playing strategically versus using your heart. It seems you rated with the latter. But did you give any thought to possibly tanking someone like Yu Ling to give yourself a better chance? I felt like I had to continue playing with my heart. There were moments when I could have been strategic and tried to throw off the vote. But I was like, “I’ve been playing such a genuine and positive game so far. I’m not gonna let the high stakes alter who I have shown myself to be.” Because I felt like it would be like I was really just putting on a facade. I had to continue to be genuine. And I really wanted to vote for somebody I felt deserved to win if it were not me. It’s not an easy thing to do to play the game and get to the battle. It’s a lot. If you got there and I thought you deserved to win, I wanted that to be reflected in my votes. You got to be influencer three times throughout the season. I can imagine there are both positives and negatives to that, since you do have the power to block, but it draws a target on you as someone who could be a threat to win. What were your feelings about your time as influencer? I did not want to be the first influencer. That was my number one thing. I was talking to my best friend about that at the airport when he was dropping me off. And I was like, “I’m not going to try to be influencer at first. That’s a red flag, and nobody has ever been successful when they do that. It always comes back to bite them.” Then I get in there, and I’m like, “Okay, I’m just gonna dial my personality down a little bit.” But I was forgetting that I have a huge personality. Even when I bring it down a little bit, it’s still big. So when I got influencer, I was like, “Oh, I [expletive] up already.” And you can see some of the episodes I’m not as active in because I told them, “Listen, I have to play the background. I cannot be influencer again two times in a row. I’m gonna be out of here.” So I got in third. I was like, “Okay, I was happy with it.” So then, when I kept being on top after that, I was like, “This is kind of strange. I’m grateful, but this is weird. This does not happen.” So the fact that it kept happening and kept happening, I kept being in positions where I would say, “I gotta really make sure that I’m playing a tight game. {eople are seeing that I keep being influencer, and I don’t want them to knock me off.” Alyssa outlined that you played with your heart and not with your head. But then, during one game, a couple of people said you were the most strategic in the Circle. Did that surprise you? You know, I really didn’t understand. I think it was it was dope to see Alyssa say that. For her to be able to understand and recognize that through a screen, it goes to show that I was just genuinely being myself. But I really didn’t know people were saying that I was such a big threat, and I really do not feel that way. I was more so grateful than anything. But yeah, it was strange. It was really, really strange. I can’t even really put it into words. Let’s talk about some of your key relationships. You formed a really early bond with Crissa, calling her your “Day 1 Number 1.” Talk to me about that dynamic and how much it affected you to lose her so early on. It was tough. I think me and Crissa identify so well together because we’re both in the community. And I felt, “Okay, regardless of whatever, we’re allies. I will have her back outside of this. And I feel like we’re the only two identifiable ones right now so far. So I want to make sure that I create a safe space for her, and I want her to create a safe space for me.” I think that’s why we got along. She was fun. Her pictures looked fun. Her energy was great. She was funny; she made me laugh. And I always love just genuine people. I think she played a genuine game. It tore my soul when she left because I had to regroup. That is probably the only thing that did not go the way I wanted it to go. Because I just knew that Crissa was going to be the number one or number two influencer, and she was going to definitely keep me safe. So the fact that she was not in that room, I was [expletive] bullets. (Laughs.) Having to regroup my game was a pivotal moment for me. I had to learn to restructure everything that I had thought to be true. That goes back to how Alyssa and a lot of people weren’t able to gather where I was. Because I didn’t have any strong alliances until a little late in the game. I was really just going off vibes. I didn’t want to have an alliance with just anybody. I wanted to be in an alliance with people because I had a genuine connection with people. And that eventually happened with Rachel and Yu Ling. And we came together to form something. Not necessarily an alliance, but more so where we made an agreement and a pact to support each other and have each other’s back in this game. Not just because we wanted to get to the end of the game, but because we all really liked each other. Speaking of Yu Ling, you encouraged her to come out of her shell more after the first blocking. Then she became one of your closest allies all the way to the end. How did that develop? I felt like Yu Ling was a mystery. Because when we first got in, she was this big burst of energy. And then I kind of saw her play the background. And I was like, “Huh, I don’t know if she’s a catfish and it’s too overwhelming for her.” It was just a lot. So I didn’t know where I could trust her. I knew that I liked her, but I just didn’t know what kind of game she was playing. So when she did start to open up, when we did finally get a chance to have a chat, I was like, “She’s genuine. I can tell. That’s the girl that I saw on the first day early on. And that’s the person that I really want to align myself with.” She represents such a different group of people. I don’t normally hang out with someone like her. Her makeup, her confidence. And I’m sure she thought the same about me because I was so confident. So just having those conversations and those moments. I didn’t even know I was bringing her in from another alliance. So when I found out afterward that she was on a “throuple”…(Raises eyebrows.) I didn’t know how intense the throuple was until I watched the show. Well, you were part of your own “throuple” in a way when you brought yourself, Yu Ling, and Rachel together. How did that happen? Rachel allowed me to have a space of vulnerability with her. Early on, in our first conversation, we talked about my mom. And I talked about that freely, but I don’t share so soon with people sometimes. The fact that I felt that I could share that with her was big for me. And when she told me, “Carol’s a catfish,” I realized she doesn’t give a damn. She had that pink hair, and when I got the first peek of her in her profile picture, I was like, “She’s somebody I can get along with. She doesn’t give a damn. She’s who she is unapologetically.” And that’s the people I want in my everyday life, because that’s who I am as a person. I know you keep speaking about wanting to play with genuine people. Then you have moments where a catfish in Alex/Nathan approaches you to throw Bru under the bus. In those types of moments, how do you reconcile that motto of being genuine with this new information? So when people approach me with that type of stuff, I really want to engage. Regardless of my experience with people, I still wanted to give people a fair trial. So even when Nathan came to me, it was very late in the game. My strategy antenna went off. I was like, “This is strategic. Your alliances are gone. I’m the most powerful player in the game right now. And you feel like you want to gauge where we are to gauge how safe you are.” It was definitely gameplay to me. So I engaged with it because I could have a conversation with anybody. Whether you made me mad 20 years ago or two minutes ago, I’m always open to having a conversation. I was in a space where I could have a vulnerable conversation with anybody. So I think that’s why Bru and I were still able to have a conversation, a good conversation that I felt we should have had earlier on in the game. I’m still trying to build connections. People have to go home, but I’m trying to connect with people. And I think I was able to pretty much do that, despite what was going on. You lost your grandfather shortly before coming to play The Circle. Did that affect the headspace you played the game with? I felt like I was being thrown tricks. I had found out that same day that my job wasn’t gonna allow me just to take leave to go play. So I had to quit. Then I got home ad I found out my grandfather died. And I was talking to my best friend sobbing. And I was like, “I just don’t understand. I can’t catch a break. I finally get this opportunity to go over here and do this thing that I always want to do.” I have to quit my job, something that I worked hard for, and I’m in student debt for over $200,000. And I can’t go to my grandfather’s funeral. My grandmother had just passed the year before, and I had an uncle pass from COVID. It was definitely a lot. I was also worried about my family’s reaction to me not coming home. I don’t want to turn my back on them. But I also remember that when I was really, really young, both of my grandparents, when I got ready to move all the way to Maryland, both told me that they had lived their dreams and that I should live mine. So those things kind of stuck with me. So I went over there with the mindset. I’m really spiritual. There is no way that God took all these things for me to get here and leave empty-handed. My bank account was in the negatives. My best friend was paying my bills while I was there. So I knew it was nothing else for me to do but win. Did you find it difficult to open up to the other players about those hardships you went through? No. I feel like I’ve been through what I’ve been through to show somebody else the way through it. I have a very unique story. And I feel like it is my job, my purpose in life, to share how, despite all the things I’ve lost, I’ve still won all these other things. I’ve had somebody reach out to me and say they lost their daughter, and they wonder if they will ever get to a space of feeling good about themselves again. So I knew that there were people out there in the world that have experienced a loss, and are wondering what the other side of that looks like. And not just the part of the sadness, but what I was able to accomplish because of what I lost. I knew that it was a risk. But I also had to remind myself that even with catfish, there is somebody on the other side of the screen playing this person. And everybody has lost something; you know what loss feels like. So me being able to express that, I think it gave them the full picture. Because if you look at me, I’m positive, I’m happy. I’m funny. But I’m that way because I’ve been through so much. I feel like I have no option but to radiate those things, so that the universe will give me what I feel like I deserve since I’ve already lost so much. I wanted them to see the full picture. So what has life been for you since The Circle with $150,000 to your name? M biggest thing in life has always been money. I shop like a rich man! (Laughs.) I always knew that I want to live a life of wealth. I’m not there yet. But I’m able to undo some things. I made some terrible decisions when it came to money because of my circumstances. I was evicted four months after I graduated from grad school. So I was able to pay that debt off. Things like that are super important to me. It didn’t make sense then. But it makes sense now. So I’m just super grateful. My problem used to be I didn’t have any money. I was paycheck to paycheck. And it’s not that anymore. I can get what I want if I really want to, even though I shouldn’t sometimes. (Laughs.) As you mentioned before, you came in confident about yourself as a person and your ability to win. But did you learn anything about yourself during your time on The Circle? For years and years, despite what you guys see on TV, I did have trouble with friendships, relationships, things like that. I always thought I had to overcompensate to be enough in spaces. That’s why I used to look back on some of the fashion choices I made, and I’m like, “Child…” (Laughs.) I used to overcompensate to feel accepted. But I didn’t have to overcompensate in this space. I was just literally myself. I was enough to not only have people fall in love with me, but fall in love with me across the world. I won this game. It reminded me that in whatever space I’m in, I’m enough and that I should always go with my gut and bet on myself. I said that I was going to win it from day one. It just really goes to show that the things that I put out into the atmosphere have to come back to me. If I truly believe that they’re gonna happen, they’re gonna happen. Getting to do exactly what I said I was gonna do is really inspiring to me. And I’m gonna inspire other people to hopefully go after their dream. Next, check out our interview with John Franklin AKA “Carol,” who was eliminated in The Circle Season 4 Episode 11.
