Future ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ Contestants Might Want to Know About the Show’s Grueling Conditions

Netflix’s hit show Squid Game recently became a reality with its spin-off series The Challenge. The show pits real-life contestants against each other for a grand prize of $4.56 million. If the show returns for another season, applicants might want to know the first season wasn’t all fun and games.

What some contestants have said being on ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ is really like

Squid Game: The Challenge doesn’t pose the same life-threatening stakes for its contestants as the original series does. But for a lot of the players, the series might not have been too far off from the original show. Some were unpleasantly surprised by the physicality required to see through the contest.

“This game was no longer fun or respectable to those of a certain age. It went beyond being a game,” the contestant once recalled to Variety. “But I thought, ‘You know what? It’s $4.56 million. I can do this.’”

But the contestant soon felt being a millionaire wasn’t worth the reality show’s conditions.

“Imagine you’re playing ‘Red Light Green Light’ for six hours. What game is that? This isn’t a game. The fun is now gone. You can’t tell people they have to stand in below freezing temperatures in just a tracksuit and two pairs of socks. Come on,” he added.

One contestant also called into question the meals that they were given, revealing she woke up to a cold McDonalds meal waiting for her. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, producer Toni Ireland revealed that contestants shouldn’t expect luxurious meals. Rather, they were given just enough food to get by.

“It wasn’t a free-for-all. Each of the meals were nutritionally balanced and the calories were right and everything like that, and each of the meals were slightly different, but it wasn’t a luxury hotel, so the meals were just what they needed,” she said.

One of the contestants believed the producers should’ve taken more accountability for the injuries sustained on set due to the environment. She also claimed that the amount of injuries that reportedly occurred on The Challenge had been understated.

“I’m infuriated by the narrative that Netflix is putting out there, that only [a few] people were injured…we were all injured just by going through that experience,” she said. “I’ve never been that cold for that long a period in my life. We couldn’t feel our feet or our toes. It was ridiculous.”

It’s unclear if there will be a second season of The Challenge. If there is, however, these accounts might give potential applicants an idea of what to expect from the reality show.

How to end up on ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’

According to the reality show’s producers, casting The Challenge was a very time-consuming process that required a lot of hard decisions. Ireland, confided that they formed casting teams tasked to find potential contestants all over the world. In the end, they had no issue recruiting willing participants, as thousands tried signing up for the spin-off show.

“We had over 80,000 people apply. Huge,” producer John Hay said. “We were looking for the same things you would in any casting, but just the whole thing was supersized to an extraordinary degree. The game is a test of human nature, so you want the widest possible variety of humans to play it and reveal themselves through the process.”

Out of 80,000 hopefuls, the show’s producers picked 456 contestants for the competition. Keeping true to Squid Game‘s spirit, it was the exact same number of people that signed their lives away in the original Netflix series.

Ireland shared that they mostly used video interviews to determine the most qualified candidates for the show.

“We were inviting people to apply, and then potential contestants filled in application forms online. They had to provide a video and say why they wanted to do the show, and then our casting team gave them a call, found out more about them, and saw if they were for the show,” she said.

If Netflix grants The Challenge a second season, potential competitors can apply for the series on the website www.squidgamecasting.com. The web page has separate sign-up options for those based in the U.S and the U.K. There’s also a Global Casting option for eager participants outside of those two countries. Applicants must send a one-minute video introducing themselves to the show’s producers. Recent headshots and photos are also required for The Challenge, along with standard questions regarding date of birth, nationality, and gender.

Although Squid Game The Challenge‘s future is uncertain, the original Squid Game has already developed a second season. It’s expected to make a return in 2024.