Netflix lets real people play "Squid Game"
Following the huge success of "Squid Game", Netflix is launching a reality show that is almost indistinguishable from the original series. What is different, however, is that now it is not actors but real people who are competing for a hefty prize. And there is another important difference.
The dark South Korean thriller series "Squid Game" became a huge success for streaming market leader Netflix in 2021. Even today, the project by creator, writer and director Hwang Dong-hyuk still leads the eternal ranking of the most successful non-English-language series on Netflix by a huge margin. Before the second "Squid Game" season, which has already been confirmed and is currently in production, will presumably appear on the streaming service in 2025, Netflix is now presenting "Squid Game: The Challenge" first. In the reality series, 456 players compete for prize money of 4.56 million US dollars.
The first five episodes of "Squid Game: The Challenge" started today, Wednesday, on Netflix. Four more episodes will follow on November 29 before the final episode of the show is released on December 6. Netflix has stated in advance that one of the participants in this season finale is certain to win the prize money. It is also said to be the highest prize money in the history of reality TV and game shows.
A flawless copy - with one difference
At first glance, "Squid Game: The Challenge" looks like a flawless cosplay series. Everything, but really everything, is modeled on the great South Korean series. The participants enter rooms in green tracksuits that are indistinguishable from those in the series.
The players are guarded by people in red suits with masks over their faces, and the "Squid Game" games such as "red light, green light", sugar combs, the marble game and the stepping stone game are also recreated in a deceptively realistic way. But there is one big difference to the "Squid Game" series: the players are eliminated in the course of the show, but of course nobody dies in "Squid Game: The Challenge".
There is no real terror
Instead, typical, familiar elements of reality TV are integrated into the new show. For example, the participants speak individually in front of the camera about their motivation for taking part in the game show, often mentioning very real financial hardships, and share their thoughts and feelings about the events and their fellow players as the series progresses. Some new games have also been invented for "Squid Game: The Challenge". For example, participants must repeatedly decide whether to give others an advantage or eliminate an unpleasant competitor. These little tests reveal the true character of the people in question.
However, the game show spin-off "The Challenge" is not as dark and macabre as the series "Squid Game". The players are all recognizably huge fans of the original and, despite all the competition, clearly enjoy their time on the set of the reality series. As a result, the new show doesn't have the same level of terror as the original "Squid Game".
- The success of "Squid Game" inspired Netflix to create a reality show, titled "Squid Game: The Challenge," where real people compete for a substantial prize, drawing influence from both South Korean television and Hollywood's popular reality TV shows.
- Plans to air the new series on Netflix have already been announced, with its first five episodes debuting today, while the rest will follow throughout November and December, leading to a grand finale with a winner who will claim a record-breaking prize sum.
- People in "Squid Game: The Challenge" are dressed in the iconic green tracksuits and are followed by guards wearing red suits and masks, as homages to the original series, but the competitors are bound by the rules and challenges of reality TV shows, eschewing the dark themes and lethal consequences of the original.
- With "Squid Game: The Challenge," Netflix manages to marry the entertainment value of popular TV series and reality shows, allowing viewers to enjoy the thrill of competition without the fear or tension that came along with its darker counterpart.
Source: www.ntv.de
