By Grace Adepoju

Squid Game: The Challenge is a reality TV competition series with 10 episodes based on the South Korean drama series Squid Game produced by Stephen Lambert. In its release week 22nd November 2023, it was the most-watched show globally on Netflix, with 85.7 million hours. It reached number one in 74 countries that same week, including the US and UK and was Top 10 in 19 countries. Squid Game; the challenge, also boosted the original drama series Squid Game to number seven on the Non-English TV list with 1.5 million views that week.

The reality show featured 456 players competing for 4.56 million US dollars, the largest single cash prize in reality television history. The show involved a competition setting, both 7 games and 7 tests, where contestants participate in physical and mental challenges, similar to those in the original series. The featured setting include:

1. Contestants: Group of players from diverse backgrounds and age groups.
2. Challenges: Inspired by the show’s iconic games, such as Red Light, Green Light, and Marbles. New challenges were also introduced
3. Prize: The winner gets a grand prize of 4.56 million dollars in cash.
4. Format: It consists of a unique blend of physical and mental competition, strategy, and teamwork with eliminations occurring after each challenge.

The challenges and games in the show create tense, suspenseful moments, keeping viewers engaged and invested in the experiences of the players. The first game started off with the red light green light game with the participation of the 456 players. They had five minutes to cross the arena without getting caught by the robotic girl. 259 players were eliminated after this first game by getting shot with dye packs in their uniforms leaving 197 players in the game.

Players 134 and 101 were the first to take a test while peeling carrots, to give a player an advantage in the next game or eliminate a player. They opted to eliminate player 200. The elimination of player 200 from the game was a typical example of a stray bullet hitting you while on your own. During meal time that day, player 161 got in line for food, twice. He went ahead to collect food from another person who wasn’t interested. Why that was overlooked is a surprise.

The second game was the Dalgona game. Players were asked to stand in four lines. One player from each line was asked to agree on which groups(including themselves) would be assigned the four dalgona shapes (circle, triangle, star, and umbrella). When the four players could not come to an agreement in two minutes, they were eliminated. The following four could also not agree, then the next four finally agreed. The players were asked to cut out the shape of their groups from the cookie. 69 players were eliminated leaving 119 players in the game.

A phone test came up after the game and a phone was provided in the dormitory. Player 198 picked up the phone and received a McDonald’s meal. The second time the phone rang, the same player picked up the phone again and was told that, to avoid elimination, he would need to convince another player to pick up the phone as well. He picked up the phone the second time hoping that he would be asked to eliminate a player. He had player 432 in mind for elimination but he ended up being eliminated because he couldn’t convince another player to pick up the phone.

The third game involved the players evenly split into 8 teams. The teams then were faced off against another team to play the next game, a variant on Battleship. After identifying a captain and lieutenant, teams had to place boats on a game board and seat players in the boats. When all boats were placed, teams shot “rockets” at the other team’s game board to sink the ships. The first team to sink two ships won the round. All players in sunk ships and the Captain and Lieutenant of the losing team were eliminated, while all other players (including players on the losing team in surviving boats) moved on. 73 players remained in the game while 45 players were eliminated.

The third game was followed by the vote test, in which players were told that they each would place a vote for one person to be eliminated. Once a vote was cast against a player, they would be displayed on the screen. Five players were voted to be eliminated and the top three receivers of votes were eliminated. The next test was Jack-in-the-box test, five volunteers were provided with jack-in-the-boxes which included tasks for them to complete, to the effect of eliminating other players. In total, this test eliminated seven players.

The next test was the test for completing a chore successfully in the designated time. The players were treated with a picnic where they sat in pairs. Hidden in the baskets were marbles, and players were told that their opponents for the fourth game, the Marbles game, would be the person with whom they had their picnic. A player who had no partner in the picnic was selected to be safe through the round. 32 players were eliminated, leaving 31 players in the game.

An allegiance test followed the marbles game when the remaining 31 players were tasked to decide on a captain, which they did. The captain was told to select one ally from the group to advance to the next game alongside him. The person chosen then chose another ally and it continued until 20 players formed a chain of allegiance leaving 11 players who weren’t selected and were eliminated.

The fifth game was the glass bridge, featuring a bridge containing 17 pairs of glass tiles which had to be crossed within 30 minutes. Each pair had one safe tile and one unsafe tile. Each player was instructed to select a teddy bear from a claw machine. Each bear was associated with a number, which they then needed to assign to another player. This established the sequence in which the contestants would participate in the game. Wrong choice of stepping on the unsafe tile led to elimination. 12 players remained after the fifth game.

The die test came up next. Players took turns rolling dice and before rolling the dice, each player nominated their own name or another player’s. A 6 rolled resulted in the elimination of the nominated person. The game ended after three players were eliminated, leaving nine players left in the squid game challenge.

In the next game, the players were blindfolded and seated at desks in a circle called the circle of trust, with a gift box on a central podium. When tapped, a player secretly removed their blindfold, picked up the gift box, placed it on another player’s desk, then replaced their blindfold. All removed their blindfolds and the player with the box guessed who placed it. If they guessed correctly, the gifter was eliminated; if not, they were eliminated. Six players were eliminated in this game, leaving Sam, Mai, and Phil, the final 3.

The next test was the button test. The final three players were treated to a feast at a triangle-shaped table. A podium in the middle displayed three buttons. Each of them had to press a button. If it glowed green, that player would move on and choose another player to join them. If it glowed gray, nothing would happen. If it glowed red, the player would be eliminated. Mai pressed the button at the center which glowed gray. Sam pressed the right button which glowed red, eliminating him. Phil did not need to press a button because Sam had been eliminated.

In the final game, both Mia and Phil, players 287 and 451 respectively, stood at the squid-shaped grid. At the top and bottom of the grid were a safe and a box of keys. Both players drew a move in rock paper scissors. The winner selected a key from the box and tried to open the safe, the game continued if unsuccessful. The player who picked a key and unlocked the safe would win. Mai defeated Phil and won the competition, making her the winner of the squid game; the challenge.

Squid game; the challenge is a highly recommended show. It is recommended for its intriguing and unique concepts. It explores themes of survival, human nature, and social class while offering insightful commentary on contemporary societal issues like income inequality, class struggle, and the effects of capitalism. As the players face physical and emotional challenges, their personalities, motivations, and backstories are revealed, which made it easy to become emotionally invested in their journeys. Overall, the show offers a mix of action, suspense, drama, and social experimentation, making it an engaging and entertaining watch.