Having missed the point of the original South Korean series entirely, last year, Netflix opted to green light “the biggest reality competition series ever” with Squid Game: The Challenge (which now has a teaser trailer).
That description isn’t exactly marketing hyperbole either. Dangling reality television history’s largest lump sum cash prize ($4.56 million) in front of reality television history’s largest cast (456 players), this promises to be a high-stakes game of strategy, alliances, and character.
As per the official logline: “Though the reality version of Squid Game isn’t a matter of life or death, there’s still a lot on the line… Through a series of games, each player will be pushed to their limits and forced to ask themselves just how far they’ll go to win, with opportunistic alliances, cutthroat strategies, and timely betrayals to follow.”
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By all accounts, the experience was fairly authentic for a handful of the contestants in the worst possible sense. Back in January, there were reports that multiple contestants had been seriously injured, while many more had endured “inhumane” conditions.
“It was just the cruellest, meanest thing I’ve ever been through,” one former contestant told Rolling Stone.
“We were a human horse race, and they were treating us like horses out in the cold racing and [the race] was fixed.”
“All the torment and trauma we experienced wasn’t due to the game or the rigor of the game,” another added.
“It was the incompetencies of scale — they bit off more than they could chew.”
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Of course, Netflix itself was quick to deny all allegations. In an official statement, the streamer said:
“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 10-episode affair has been co-produced between Studio Lambert (The Circle) and The Garden (24 Hours in A&E), part of ITV Studios; and filmed on location over in the UK. Stephen Lambert, Tim Harcourt, and Toni Ireland from Studio Lambert alongside John Hay, Nicola Hill, and Nicola Brown from The Garden have served as executive producers.
Squid Game: The Challenge premieres on November 22nd — check out the teaser above.
