Shubham “Shooby” Goel is a 30-year-old Indian-American product manager, public speaker, and reality TV personality from Los Angeles. He graduated from UCLA with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and a minor in Film and Television, acted in a few short films, and did a LinkedIn photo commercial before Netflix came calling.
He is a product manager by trade, a tech entrepreneur by instinct, and one of the most likable people the Netflix Reality Universe has ever produced.
He is also, notably, a man who, in 2018 ,ran for Governor of California on a platform that included banning social media for K-12 students — and then went on a social media competition show twice. The irony isn’t lost on him. He has leaned into it with good humor at every turn.
‘The Circle’ Season 1 — The Origin Story
Shubham came into “The Circle” Season 1 with an open disregard toward social media and was ranked last by his castmates on the very first day. That might have been the end of his story. Instead, it was the beginning of one of the show’s most beloved arcs.
On a show where most contestants were calculating their online personas with surgical precision, Shubham was the odd man out — the guy who introduced himself by confirming his disregard for the fundamentals of the game. He played as himself, completely and unapologetically, and the cast responded to it. He climbed the rankings, built genuine friendships across the platform, and made it all the way to the finale.
Shubham finished as runner-up to Joey Sasso — missing the $100,000 prize but winning something arguably more valuable in the reality TV economy: a fanbase that has never stopped rooting for him.
‘The Circle’ Season 5 — The Catfish Era
Shubham returned to ‘The Circle’ for Season 5 as the show’s surprise guest player. The twist: instead of playing as himself this time, he catfished as a woman — specifically, a tech blogger named Sasha.
It didn’t go as planned. While he had evolving strategies, he was eliminated early on — a sharp contrast to his Season 1 run and proof that the same qualities that made him a fan favorite the first time were harder to replicate behind a fake profile.
He has reflected on the experience honestly, telling Bustle: “Even when people are catfishes, the ones that did really well had a lot of truth rooted in their catfishes. When you’re yourself, you can just feel it.”
‘Battle Camp’ — The Third Netflix Chapter
“Battle Camp” premiered April 23, 2025, dropping all ten episodes at once on Netflix. The format threw 18 Netflix reality alumni into a remote camp where a giant spinning wheel of misfortune determined eliminations — part physical competition, part social game, part pure luck.
One outlet called Shubham “unbeatable, unbreakable, unhateable” in their Battle Camp coverage — a description that tracks given what he actually did on the show. He made it to the final six alongside Georgia Hassarati, QT, Chase, Polly, and Lorenzo — the eventual winner.
The finale flipped the format: instead of punishing the losers, the winners’ names went on the wheel. Shubham and QT, both “Circle” alumni, voted for each other. In the finale challenges, Shubham placed in the top three in the Full Throttle pedometer challenge — holding his own physically against a cast that included a former NFL offensive lineman. The wheel ultimately didn’t land on him as the winner — Lorenzo, “Squid Game: The Challenge’s” player #161, was crowned the Season 1 winner and took home $250,000.
Shubham finished as a finalist. For the third time on a Netflix competition show, he made it deep into the game, earned the respect of his cast-mates, and left without the top prize. The Shooby consistency is undefeated.
What He Has Been Up To Beyond Netflix
Shubham currently works as a Senior Product Manager, most recently at Rise8, a company focused on software delivery for defense and government applications. His LinkedIn documents a career that has moved through eBay and several tech startups since his “Circle” days. He co-founded iERP Company, an enterprise resource planning firm, and has been public speaking on authenticity in the workplace — including at corporate events where his “Circle” experience has become a professional talking point rather than just a television credit.
He visited the U.S. Space Force Maui Space Surveillance Complex, attended the Netflix Summer Break event, walked the red carpet for the “Senior Prom” Netflix premiere, among many others.
He has 471,000 Instagram followers at @shubham_goell, documents his life with the same openness that made him compelling on screen, and remains one of the few reality TV alumni who genuinely seems like the same person off camera as on.
“The Circle” Seasons 1 through 7 are streaming now on Netflix.
“Battle Camp” is streaming now on Netflix.
Read next:
- Sammie Cimarelli: Where Is ‘The Circle’ Season 1 Star Now?
- Joey Sasso & Kariselle Snow: Where Are They After ‘Perfect Match’ Season 1?
- Chloe Veitch & Shayne Jansen: Where Are They After ‘Perfect Match’ Season 1?
- Where Is Joey Sasso From ‘The Circle’ Now?
- Who Is Chloe Veitch? Her Netflix Career & Where She Is Now
For more “The Circle,” click here.
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