Hwang Dong-hyuk created Squid Game which easily became a worldwide phenomenon with the survival series that shook the viewers to their core. As the series became a global sensation, Netflix brings Squid Game: The Challenge on the streamer as a reality TV show having games similar to Squid Game but without the deaths, of course. However, since it is a reality TV show, many would question the authenticity of the scenes and a producer of the real-life competition admits to having some scenes staged.
Squid Game: The Challenge was brought by Netflix during the hype of the series of Hwang Dong-hyuk as it is a reality TV show version of the beloved series without the macabre deaths. Netflix sought 456 contestants to vie for the largest single cash prize ever given in the television and game show history of a whopping $4.56 million. The show is also, by far, holds the highest number of participants to form part of a reality TV show in the whole history of television. Yet, some scenes of the show don't feel real so are those faked?
Is Squid Game: The Challenge scripted?
In reality TV shows, the authenticity of the scenes is a main concern for the viewers. Since Netflix brought Squid Game: The Challenge to the streamer, some viewers questioned whether what is being shown is actually real. There were some scenes that appear to be scripted or staged, and the producers of Squid Game: The Challenge finally broke their silence on the issue.
Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, executive producer Stephen Lambert divulged how much of Squid Game: The Challenge are true and those scripted. Stephen Lambert revealed:
If somebody else was making it, they might have made a different judgment call. We think it works for us. People expect the show to be quite like the scripted show. I think the use of the guards was something we are very pleased with — they helped build that sense of it being an immersive experience for the contestants.
Lambert also disclosed that the players knew some information and that they even hired a choreographer to coordinate the movements of those on set:
They did a lot of the communicating of the information to the players, rather than having producers doing it, or having a host. And they looked good. I think one of the best decisions we made was hiring a choreographer who worked with them to ensure that they move in the right way to convey authority and a kind of presence. We worked very hard trying to get that balance right.
In a separate interview with EW, John Hay, Stephen Yemoh, and Toni Ireland also revealed statements that support Lambert's revelations. Hay disclosed the decision they had for a part of the game:
We talked about that a lot but for Red Light, Green Light, we had to have something that was instant. It had to be tangible, it had to feel like it belonged in the 'Squid Game' universe, but we didn’t want to pretend that people were dying. I enjoy the moments in the edit where somebody looks down at their squib and goes like, 'Oh, s---.'
Ireland further explained that they gave the players some liberty on how they would react about their elimination:
It was down to the players to decide how much they wanted to act out their elimination if they wanted to. Some people don’t have big reactions and others really go for it, and it’s their moment. If they wanted to do that, that’s absolutely fine by us.
While there were some elements that were staged, the same executive producers ensured that not everything on Squid Game: The Challenge are staged. Being a reality TV show, there remains authenticity in most of the scenes but viewers love some drama to heighten up the tension between the players. After all, drama spices everything up.
The first four episodes of Squid Game: The Challenge are now available on Netflix. The next batch of episodes are arriving on November 29, 2023.
