'The Circle' Season 7 Spoilers! Antonio Hayes Says the Real Tierra Watching Him Catfish As Her Was a 'Dream Come True'

Warning! The interview below contains spoilers for all of Netflix’s The Circle Season 7, which aired in September and October. Please do not continue if you do not wish to be spoiled on who was blocked in those episodes.

Antonio Hayes knew he had a lot of making up to do when he entered The Circle Season 7. After all, contestants who enter as late as he did have a tough time ingratiating into the social hierarchy, and are often the first cast out. Luckily for Antonio, makeup was also the primary focus of his catfish “Tierra.” He was dropped into a prime opportunity, as the players were riling each other up and a string of brutal blockings was about to kick off. As a result, Tierra was able to play the middle between various warring factions, largely staying out of the drama. And while that kept Antonio in a comfortable position to make the finale, his lack of close relationships put him at the bottom of almost everyone’s ratings, giving him a fifth-place finish.

Read on to hear Antonio’s thoughts on his time in the game. And check out Parade.com throughout The Circle Season 7 with the various players and catfishes alike.

Related: The Circle Season 7: Everything You Need to Know

What’s your history with The Circle? How did you end up getting on the show?
I am a massive reality TV competition fan. So Big Brother, Survivor, The Traitors, and The Circle. I got onto The Circle a few years ago, and Tierra is actually the one who put me onto it. And I was like, “Tierra, why have you talked about the show before? Because I’m hooked.” I binged two seasons in like a couple of days. I just love the aspect of a game where it’s like you don’t see anybody and it’s just a screen, and you sort of have to make your way to the end just by your rapport and who you are, or catfish your way to the end, which is really, really fun. So it caught my eye immediately. And I really haven’t had opportunity to audition before in the past, just because I would always see the audition and I will always miss it. But it just so happened to be the right timing and the right situation, and we’re here now. So it all comes full circle!

So when does Tierra come into the picture? Were you always intending to catfish?
I am someone who hasn’t always been 100% comfortable with myself, or love who I am. And it took me time to get to where that was. And what I didn’t want is my insecurities of that male beauty standard to hold me back from playing the game. Tierra is also a fan of the show. And I was like, “Listen, if I can take my friend in here with me in any way and form, playing her as a catfish would be perfect. Because not only is she also a fan, but she is someone who doesn’t stray away from her beauty standards, her differences. She’s a gorgeous woman, and I could use her specifically as just my mask and just be unhinged, play the game without thinking in my head about what I look like. She was the perfect candidate for it. I asked her, she was like, “Hell yeah!”

In retrospect, how do you think you would have fared if you played as yourself?
So I think I would have done pretty well. It just depends on where I would have come in the game, because, as you’ve seen, the alliances built really quickly. Honestly, I think I would have been fine. I don’t know if I would have played as aggressive or played the way that I played as being a catfish. Because it’s my face up there, and I feel like I would have gotten in my head a lot more than if it’s like, “Wait, I’m playing Tierra. This is a character. I can be whatever I want to be.”

To that point, how much did your strategy change when you knew you were coming in late?
Coming in later in the game, you have to make relationships as quick as possible. Because Circle history is the new players who come in, they’re typically the first people blocked. Because it’s the easiest thing to do; they don’t have enough time to build those relationships. So the moment I got a conversation with Kevin, I was like, “Well, now is my chance to submit something with him. Let me see what’s going on.” And I just feel like in that moment, I felt like he was someone who had some sort of power, just how he was presenting things to me. And I didn’t want to just come on and waste the opportunity. So I just went into it. I was like, “Listen, let’s tag team. Let’s do this.” And my mission, coming in from when I came in the beginning, was I saw that there was these two couples. So I figured, in my mindset, those couples must be running this game. Because why are we having a wedding party?! Y’all know this! This is four people. This is a four-person alliance. Why are we celebrating this? I was confused. And I was like, “These couples got to get broken up.” Kevin told me the same thing, “They’re going to run the game.” So it so happened that what he wanted is what I wanted, and it just worked out that way.

Do you feel coming in late helped or hurt or your game more?
I think it put me right in the middle. I think one of the things with players who come into the game later, it sort of reminds the other players that, “This is a game. Don’t get comfortable. Everyone is fair game.” And I think it opened up to the possibility of two sides: People who saw Tierra as someone who they can work with, and then people who saw Terra as “I don’t like how she’s coming in. I don’t know if I can work with her, but I’m curious. Because I need to work with her, because right now where I’m standing, it’s all over the place.” So I think it worked beneficial where I was right in the middle.

So how were you feeling going into those final ratings? Because, to your point about your position, you were the only one left who hadn’t copped heat at some point this season.
So initially, the first time I was eligible to get rated. I thought that I would do way higher than I got. Because I know I was making relationships. I was showing people that I’m honest, I’m loyal, I’m here to play the game. But I was sort of disappointed. And in that, it helped me solidify, “Okay, these relationships are a lot tighter than I thought.” So I thought, “Okay, I got a lot to catch up on.” And I think in the second time I get ready and I get the position that I do, I’m like, “Okay, I have a chance.” Because I have my conversation with Gianna and Kevin, and I stick with them and Madelyn and the girls, I think that ends up helping me and them, knowing that I can be loyal. I can work with you guys. This is someone who wants to be here, and this is someone who you could use. And I think the ratings spoke for itself when I go from seventh to fourth.

So what was your reaction to finishing in fifth?
So, as you see, I feel like, for me, when it comes to these later players, and it comes to those final ratings, it’s two decisions. Are you going to think and rate strategically, or are you going to rate with your heart? And I feel like I was so afraid of people rating with their heart. And I was hoping that I made enough of an impact in the chat. That whole “at risk” check, we’re like, “Gianna cannot win, Kevin cannot win. We’re not going to give them our money.” I was hoping that people kept that mindset all the way to the end, and in doing so, would rate me higher.

So when I was fifth place, I had a feeling it was coming. There was a chance where I was like, “You know what? Maybe if people 100% think strategically, there’s a chance I can get second. There’s a chance I can get first.” So when I saw fifth, I was like, “Okay, everyone just voted with their heart and just voted with me.” Friends with okay; it is what it is. I mean, you can do about it. But I am so proud of myself as someone coming in, in this case, last, and being able to get through. As you see, this game was brutal. To be able to play the game that I did, to be able to survive the blockings and get this far, I’m proud. I’m proud of that game. So when I saw fifth, I honestly I was content. I was content.

We saw you rate Madelyn second and Gianna third. Where did you rate Kevin and Rachel, and what was your reasoning behind your ratings?
I believe I put Kevin first. I wanted to think strategically, and I wanted to think with my heart. I did not want Gianna to win, and I did not want Rachel to win. I felt like, when Rachel was was revealed, she was all over the place. I wasn’t liking that. And for me, the very first person I did connect with was Kevin. I don’t know, there was something about Kevin that made me like he’s a trailblazer. He overcomes so much in that he had so much heat on himself, but he continuously became influencer. And I admired that as a gamer of strategy competition shows; I respected it. So I was like, “If I can’t win this game, I would be okay with Kevin winning.” Because he played a great game, and I respect the game that he played. I just did not want Gianna or Rachel to win. So that’s why my logic and putting him first in hopes that he would win. 

At that point in time, Madelyn’s game has blown up. I just feel like Madelyn did everybody so dirty, and at that point in time in the game, it was the lesser of two evils. And I was like, “I feel like you guys are both low enough here that wherever you go wouldn’t impact how you will do overall, because I feel like everybody else is sort of thinking the same way.” But I think Madelyn got a little bit higher than Rachel in those final ratings, and I was actually surprised about that.

Finally, how has the real Tierra reacted to getting to watch you play as her?
Tierra loves it! She loves the game that I play. She loves the little nuances I brought with her. She loved the lingo that I used. We we were studying extensively. We met in Louisville. I’m in Nashville; she’s Ohio. We drove halfway to talk about our game plan, all aspects of things I learned about makeup. It was really intense. So when she saw it, I wanted her to be proud of the character I played, but also just have fun as a fan. And I think she did both. She loved watching it, and she loved how I played the game. In her mind, it’s a dream came true. For her, a dream came true as well. And I love that for our friendship.

Next, check out our interview with The Circle Season 7 fourth-place finisher Deb Levy (AKA “Rachel”).