Squid Game reality TV spin-off faced challenge of depicting player "shooting"

The worldwide sensation Squid Game made its mark on the entertainment industry, gaining immense popularity for its dark and thrilling storyline. This South Korean drama portrayed a group of individuals in dire financial straits who risked their lives in a deadly game, sparking conversations about wealth inequality and human desperation. Following its tremendous success, a reality TV spin-off titled Squid Game: The Challenge was commissioned by Netflix. However, adapting the grim themes and life-and-death scenarios of the original drama into a reality show presented unique challenges for its producers.

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Stephen Lambert, the producer behind Squid Game: The Challenge, revealed that creating the show raised several concerns, including the depiction of how contestants would be "shot" during the game. The reality show mirrors the plot of the original, with 456 contestants from various parts of the world competing for a substantial cash prize.

The enormous success of the original Squid Game, viewed in 142 million households and accumulating 1.65 billion viewing hours in its first 28 days of release in 2021, piqued Netflix's interest in exploring a reality TV adaptation. However, merging the dark and intense themes of the original with the ethical considerations of a reality show proved to be a complex task.

"It's a very unusual project," Stephen Lambert acknowledged while speaking to Radio Times. "But to have a hugely successful drama that includes a game that could be played for real gave an almost unique opportunity for crossover. Although it throws up a lot of problems to play it for real." The central challenge lay in recreating life-threatening situations in a responsible and non-graphic manner.

In the fictional series, contestants faced perilous games such as Red Light, Green Light and other lethal challenges. Consequences for losing these games included contestants being "shot" when caught moving. Given the sensitivities around real-world issues like school shootings in the United States and ongoing global conflicts, the producers had to carefully consider how to depict the elimination of contestants. They opted for the use of squibs – small explosive devices worn by the players – which would explode with black liquid upon elimination. This approach ensured that the show remained engaging.

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While the life-and-death element of the show was adapted, the rest of Squid Game: The Challenge closely mirrored the original, including the daunting task of casting 456 players. Netflix wanted a substantial number of North American participants to appeal to a global audience.

One noteworthy aspect of the spin-off was Netflix's insistence on a sizable prize pool of $4.56 million, translating to $10,000 for each player. This substantial sum transformed Squid Game: The Challenge into the largest game show in television history, offering the most substantial single prize. Lambert noted, "The fact that the prize is so big is the solution of how you adapt a drama that is all about being shot when you can't shoot them. The prize is life-changing. So, when you are eliminated, the dreams that came from entering just die. And the fear of that happening drives how the contestants play the game and interact with each other."