Netflix's Real-Life Squid Game Is Looking For Contestants

Netflix's Real-Life Squid Game Is Looking For Contestants
Images via Netflix

Written by 

Tom Chapman

Published 

13th Jul 2022 16:00

Netflix has given the "green light" to one of the wildest but most ambitious reality TV ideas yet, as Squid Game: The Challenge offers you the most money ever given away on a reality series. Better yet, the show is now looking for contestants to apply.

When you think of Netflix phenomenons, you think of the likes of Stranger ThingsBird Box, and now, Squid Game. Although Hwang Dong-hyuk wrote the story back in 2009, he couldn't find a production company, meaning it took until 2021 for Netflix to take a gamble on the survival drama. Away from the confirmed second season, the streaming giant is working on a real-life Squid Game.

How Do You Apply For Squid Game: The Challenge?

Squid Game Series
Click to enlarge

Squid Game: The Challenge has its own site, where it's looking for contestants in the UK, US, or globally. 456 members of the general public will compete for a life-changing sum $4.56 million. As well as games inspired the ones we saw in the show (we're guessing Red Light, Green Light, and Ppopgi), there are some "surprising new additions."

The description reads: "You've seen the drama, now it’s your chance to take part in Netflix’s biggest ever social experiment! This supersized unscripted show turns the scripted world of the drama into reality. Real-life players will be immersed in the iconic Squid Game universe and will never know what's coming next." You'll face a series of "heart-stopping games" to be the last man or woman standing.

If you fancy yourselves as something of a Gi-Hun, now's the time to try. You'll need to be agile and have your own game plan, as Netflix concludes, "With a fortune up for grabs, who will be an ally, who will you trust, and who will you betray in this ultimate test of character?" If you've watched Squid Game, you'll know it isn't long before the bodies start stacking up. Obviously, this won't be the case in Squid Game: The Challenge

 

Has There Been A Real-Life Squid Game Before?

What else Squid Game: The Challenge has in store remains to be seen, but we're expecting the 10-part game show to have all the iconography of the series including masks and the dormitory. Also, it wouldn't be Squid Game without that giant doll and her lazy eyes watching over us all. Thankfully, "the worst fate is going home empty-handed," so it'll be a blood-free outing. 

You might remember when Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson held his own Squid Game. Although it cost him a whopping $3.5 million, it raked in over 270 million views and has earned the content creator a small fortune. Netflix has also seen the dollar signs in its eyes and come up with the money-making scheme of expanding the Squid Game IP. What's next though, Stranger Things: The Challenge where you have to run away from a robotic Vecna while Kate Bush plays in the background? 

Tom Chapman
About the author
Tom Chapman
Tom is Trending News Editor at GGRecon, with an NCTJ qualification in Broadcast Journalism and over seven years of experience writing about film, gaming, and television. With bylines at IGN, Digital Spy, Den of Geek, and more, Tom’s love of horror means he's well-versed in all things Resident Evil, with aspirations to be the next Chris Redfield.
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