“Squid Game” is leaving its fictional world and entering the realm of reality. Netflix is working on making a reality show based on the popular series and, according to participants, it’s a brutal competition — but it comes with the biggest cash prize in television history, per The Hollywood Reporter.
Upon its release, the 2021 Netflix drama became the streaming service’s most viewed series ever in just a matter of weeks, reports Variety. The Korean drama gained a lot of attention online, and you probably saw dozens of TikToks, memes and articles about “Squid Game” circa September 2021.
The series follows contestants through a deadly game show with a massive cash prize. It’s been compared to “Hunger Games” and “Battle Royale,” where participants must fight for their lives through winning popular children’s games. If they fail, they’re killed.
Inspired by the mega-popularity of the fictional “Squid Game,” Netflix is working on a reality show that follows the basics of the series — minus the killing part.
What is ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’?
Netflix is calling it “the biggest reality competition of all time,” per The Hollywood Reporter, and while the stakes aren’t life or death, there is a $4.56 million cash prize on the line.
“Squid Game: The Challenge” will have 456 participants competing for the chance to win. The reality series is 10 episodes long.
“Fans of the drama series are in for a fascinating and unpredictable journey as our 456 real-world contestants navigate the biggest competition series ever, full of tension and twists, with the biggest-ever cash prize at the end,” said Brandon Riegg, Netflix’s vice president of unscripted and documentary series, per The Hollywood Reporter.
While the reality show won’t murder losing participants, early reports say the conditions are extreme and brutal. According to Variety, medics were called to the show’s set on Monday when a cold snap left some contestants freezing.
Where is ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ located?
The first filming location for “Squid Game: The Challenge” is located at Bedford’s Cardington Studios in England, which is located in a hangar on a former Royal Air Force base north of London, reports the Los Angeles Times.
What are the challenges in ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’?
The challenges in “Squid Game: The Challenge” are based on the fictional Netflix series “Squid Game.” The first reported game of the challenge was “Red Light, Green Light.”
In the Netflix series, “Squid Game” the challenges are based on childhood games within South Korean culture, so “Squid Game: The Challenge” will most likely do something similar.
What are ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ participants saying about the game’s conditions?
On the first day of filming, some “Squid Game: The Challenge” contestants required medical attention after filming in freezing cold conditions in England. Participants played a round of “Red Light, Green Light” in 26 degrees Fahrenheit. Fewer than five players needed medical attention, according to Indie Wire. And just 288 players made it past the first round.
One contestant spoke to the British tabloid The Sun and claimed the conditions were “not humane” and “psychological torture.”
“Conditions were horrendous and the whole thing was staged. It was a huge con. People were treated in a diabolical way. Many had travelled from the other side of the world to be there without any chance of winning,” the contestant, identified only as Sophie, told The Sun.
Netflix defended the conditions on set.
“We care deeply about the health and safety of our cast and crew, and invested in all the appropriate safety procedures. While it was very cold on set — and participants were prepared for that — any claims of serious injury are untrue,” the streaming service told Variety.