The Contestants on ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ Are Spilling All the Tea

The Gist:

• Squid Game: The Challenge, based on the hit show of the same name, premiered on Netflix on November 22, 2023.
• Contestants took to social media to spill the tea about what happened behind the scenes.
• They were given very little sleep, and very little food among other things.

This article contains small spoilers for Squid Game: The Challenge.

Squid Game premiered on Netflix on September 21, 2021 and became a massive hit worldwide. Not only did this Korean show win many accolades, but it was a pop culture phenomenon. And now has inspired a reality tv competition show, Squid Game: The Challenge.

Before you get your panties in a twist, stakes are not nearly as high as the original show. When you lose a game, for example, you don't die. That said, some of the contestants are taking to TikTok to spill the tea on the behind the scenes.

And TBH, it seemed like they had it pretty rough. We break down the details below.

Lots of the contestants from Squid Game: The Challenge have been taking to TikTok to tell us what it was really like behind the scenes. We are curious if the contestants were even encouraged to post, as the amount of tea out there is unmatched compared to other shows, though this may account to the amount of contestants that played this game. They started with 456 people, just like the original show.

Player 326 explained how they actually lived on the set 24/7. She said, "We slept there. We ate there. We showered there. We went to the bathroom there," and even said they were filmed in the bathroom. 326 also told us that they were only allowed to bring in contacts, glasses, and pre-approved medication.

She also explained in a different video that while the lights were dimmed for sleep times, it was not completely dark making it very hard for people to sleep.

There was a group hangout of a bunch of players spilling even more tea. Thankfully Player 273 filmed it for us. In the video, different people told us how they were stuck inside without daylight for over 10 days, there were no chapsticks so people were using lube from condoms to moisturize their lips, and they were feeding the contestants less than 1,000 calories a day.

Speaking of food, 326 also told us that the food was not good and that every day they ate cold oatmeal for breakfast, and either fried rice, pasta, or meatballs for lunch and dinner.

She also let us know that the first game, Red Light Green Light, took almost eight hours, with each freeze section being between 20 to 45 minutes long.

Other people are answering questions about the games themselves in their videos. Player 299 explains how 288 accidentally made a hole in the wall during a game.

Some players seem to be spilling tea that is less than factual, causing a bit of drama. Player 432 was interviewed saying that there was an argument on who should be captain during Warships and that he was helping to make calls.

Player 220 dueted the interview saying that there actually wasn't any fight and that she had volunteered and wasn't met with pushback. She also called him out saying that everyone was helping.

That barely even scratches the surface as far as the amount of content about the behind-the-scenes of Squid Game: The Challenge! These players are truly out here for their 15 minutes of fame, and we are here for it. Get your bag.

Make sure to catch episodes of Squid Game: The Challenge streaming on Netflix now.