After a season of snakes, cyberattacks and Spice Girls, The Circle Season 4 is finally coming to a close. But at the end of Episode 12, we’re left with more questions than answers. Who does newly minted super influencer Frank send home — Nathan or Eversen? Who finally snags that final influencer spot? And does anyone ever figure out Imani’s true identity? (Major spoilers — obviously — ahead.)

A quick finale recap: Frank sends home frat boy Nathan, aka real-life wife guy Alex. On his way out, Nathan visits his Circle flirt Yu Ling, admitting that he’s actually spoken for but had to flirt for the #Game. After the final five players rank each other for the last time, they meet each other IRL. (And no one sees Imani aka Trevor coming, least of all Yu Ling, who calls him “incredibly hot.”) And finally, host Michelle Buteau crowns the winner of The Circle Season 4: Frank, the “big boy with a big personality,” whose vulnerability (clearly) pays off.

“I’m not overwhelmed with so many emotions because it kind of feels normal to me,” Frank tells Tudum. “I knew I would get to this place one day, so that feels great. But it’s almost like all this stuff belongs to me. I deserve all these things.”

Tom Dymond/Netflix

Congrats on the win! What are you going to do the day the finale airs? I definitely think I’m going to take off [work]. I will probably sit in my bed and cry for a few hours. I’m having a big party that weekend — it’s just a brunch right now; people don’t know we’re going to be celebrating something larger. I also just want to treat myself. I have my eyes on this Gucci bag that I want, and it’s like $1,300. I have luxury items and stuff like that, but I want to actually go into the store and have the experience of just feeling like that bitch.

You’re a school social worker. Have any of your students watched the show? Word of mouth is traveling. All the teachers have watched it. Now the kids [are starting to find out]. One of them was like, “Hey, were you in a movie?” I was like, “No.” He was like, “Are you sure? I’ve seen your picture on Netflix.” I was like, “No, couldn’t be me.” Then, the next day, he came back and he was like, “Mr. G, are you sure you don’t know a show called The Circle?” I said, “The Circle? What’s that about?” Then he started telling me what it was about. He was like, “I really think you’re on it.” I said, “No. I must have a twin, Trayvon. I don’t know who you’re talking about.” But I’m sure that’s going to get out. I want to show them the winning moment, but I just don’t want to show them the whole season because I curse a lot. I tell them often, “Do not curse!”

One teacher, every time I come in the hallway, she’s like, “Oh guys, it’s a celebrity. Take my picture.” And has all the kids run up to me and take pictures. Everybody’s been calling me famous!

Have you kept in touch with the cast? I would say I’m really close with everybody, but myself, Yu Ling, Rachel, Parker and Alyssa talk every day. But now that the show’s active, [the entire cast] is talking at least once or twice a week.

What’s your group chat called? Circle Familia. I don’t know who came up with that — probably John. Me, Rachel and Yu Ling, of course, have one called the Inner Trust Circle.

You were a fan of The Circle before going on the show. Was there anything that was really different from what you expected? Child, I had watched so many interviews and YouTube videos and behind-the-scenes. I had watched everybody’s Q&As, so I knew how everything was going to work. I’m that type of person. I like to be as prepared as possible, so I need to know every single thing that I can know about something before I go into it. So nothing was really shocking. I think the one thing that shocked me the most is how able I was to kind of just be without my phone. I thought I was going to pass out, but it wasn’t that bad.

What was your strategy going into The Circle, and did you have to make any changes throughout? I never really thought of it as a super strategic thing. I was like, “I’m just going to be myself.” I wanted to represent Black gay men on TV in a positive way. I wanted to show people that you can be who you are and it’ll take you far.

So you never wanted to play as a catfish? No, no. I’m way too cute for that.

You were an influencer three times during the season but were never targeted. What do you attribute that to? God. Because that doesn’t happen. You don’t be an influencer first, and then third place next, then you’re at the top for the rest of the game and you actually win. [As the game went on,] producers started getting so invested because they’re like, “He’s on the top and he’s not coming down. Something’s going to happen.” Looking back on it, if you would’ve told me that would be how my game played out, I would’ve told you, “Absolutely not,” because I’ve never seen it happen before.

On the show, you opened up a lot about sensitive topics, like body positivity and your family’s story. Did you plan on opening up about all of that publicly? Yeah. I always wanted to be that person that was very open and very vulnerable. I knew that everybody isn’t offered a chance to be on a large platform such as Netflix, and I didn’t want to take it for granted. I wanted to shed light on the things that I had lost in life, and I wanted people to know that you can go through all of that and still be positive, still be happy, still be genuine, still be lovable, still make people laugh. I wanted people to see the whole picture of me and not just one image.

I have a unique story. I know people have lost their parents and stuff like that, but I lost my mom and my dad at a very young age. I actually found my mom dead and I still went to school that day. My grandfather passed away right before I came on the show, and I had to decide whether I was coming to the show or going home for the funeral. So I’ve always been a person that’s persevering. I’ve always used the things that I’ve lost as fuel to get to the things that I know I deserve out of life, because if I’m losing all these things, then the universe has to be giving me something in return. Something has to be on the other side of these things.

What does winning mean for you going forward? Winning to me means a lot. I mean, getting on the show was a win for me. I knew I had a story, I knew that I could motivate people and I wanted a larger platform to do it. But to actually win, it’s just like the icing on the cake. I’m able to get myself out of some financial binds that I’ve gotten myself into. I’ve been able to really set myself up for the future.

What are you planning on doing next? You might see me in your living room again soon. I can’t say too much, but keep your eyes peeled. I hope I’m supposed to say that. I ain’t ask nobody! You’ll see me again and again and again and again, because I’m going to keep popping up in y’all living rooms until y’all get sick of me.

This interview was edited for length and clarity.