Squid Game was one of the highest grossing shows to ever come out on Netflix. This Korean thriller took the world by storm in 2021. It was a fictional story of a game show of 456 people coming together to compete for $4.56 million. Lose a game, the contestant dies.
Right off the bat this show was a huge hit and many Youtubers began trying to replicate the game show in real life, without the dying part, of course.
Youtuber Mr. Beast was probably the closest to replicating the show in his video “$456,000 Squid Game In Real Life!”. He had 456 people compete for $456,000. As of January of 2024, this video has gathered over 229 million views!
On November 22, 2023, Netflix released their very own version of Squid Game, called “Squid Game: The Challenge”. This was very similar to the real thing. 456 people, for $4.56 million. This was a 10 part series that was a rather captivating watch.
It was interesting to witness what 456 people can turn into as the game goes on, since this was a reality show, there was a large social aspect to this game. Strategies were used in this show that were used in the fictional version as well, including: creating alliances, backstabbing, lying, and the use prior knowledge of Squid Game mini-games.
The reality show felt so similar to what it was based on largely due to the fact that the watch time was similar for both the real thing and the fictional one. The directors did a good job on allowing the audience to feel connected to the contestants. Mainly the ones that lasted the longest of course, but even characters that may have only been there for an episode or two.
Every contestant was interviewed prior to the filming of the game, this gave them a chance to talk about their strategy and personal life. Throughout the show the directors would flashback to those interviews to give some insight on each character.
Spoiling this game show would most definitely ruin the viewing experience. Go out and watch it, it is a great casual viewing show that is very easy to binge, and who doesn’t like a good binge?
