Netflix Taking Wrong Lesson From ‘Squid Game,’ Making Actual ‘Squid Game’ Competition
For everyone who tuned into Squid Game and left the series not with a deeper understanding of the violence of capitalism, but with an over-confident belief that you’d be able to win the whopping cash prize — you’re in luck. Netflix has announced it’s begun recruiting for Squid Game: The Challenge, a 10-episode reality series in which 456 people will enter a real-life re-creation of the game with a $4.56 million reward at stake.
The network is searching for English-language speakers to participate in a series of challenges inspired by the South Korean survival drama. In pursuit of the largest cash prize in reality TV history, the contestants will try to outperform each other in games designed for children — tug of war, the honeycomb cookie game, marbles, or red light/green light — with heightened stakes.
Of course for for ethical and, uh, legal reasons, the worst outcome for any participants in Squid Game: The Challenge will be going home broke, rather than not going home at all.
“Squid Game took the world by storm with Director Hwang’s captivating story and iconic imagery. We’re grateful for his support as we turn the fictional world into reality in this massive competition and social experiment,” said Brandon Riegg, Netflix VP of Unscripted and Documentary Series. “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.”
The competition series announcement comes days after Netflix confirmed that Squid Game would be returning for a second season. The series, created by writer-director Hwang Dong-hyuk, remains the network’s most popular series of all time, having racked up 1.65 billion view hours in the first month of its release.
“It took 12 years to bring the first season of Squid Game to life last year. But it took 12 days for Squid Game to become the most popular Netflix series ever,” Hwang wrote in a statement. “And now, Gi-hun returns. The Front Man returns. Season 2 is coming. The man in the suit with ddakji might be back. You’ll also be introduced to Young-hee’s boyfriend, Cheol-su.”
