Netflix Literally Makes 'Squid Game' A Reality (TV Series, That Is)

In November 2021, Chrissy Teigen courted backlash for hosting a themed Squid Game party at her lavish mansion. Squid Game, you'll recall, was Netflix's mega-smash hit from South Korea about financially struggling citizens competing in a series of deadly children's games in order to get out of debt while the rich watched and laughed.

At the time of Teigen's party, many commenters shook their heads and wondered how someone could miss the point of Squid Games so badly. Enter Netflix, who is now literally making Squid Games a reality in the form of a reality TV series.

This afternoon, Variety reported that Netflix had opened a casting call for Squid Game: The Challenge, a reality competition series in which 456 contestants will compete for $4.56 million. Contestants will compete in games from the series, as well as some new additions, which "are all intended to test their strategies, alliances and character as others are eliminated around them."

Presumably, no one will get shot to death in a game of Red Light, Green Light, but that remains to be seen. The press release does say, "Here, the worst fate is going home empty-handed."

It struck many as odd that Netflix would take a show that was a clear critique of capitalism, as the series is literally about the rich watching the poor fight each other to the death for a chance for financial stability, and decide to unironically do that for real.

I feel like Netflix making an actual reality game show based on Squid Game is peak "missing the point"

— 少年アムロ (@ZFighterAmuro) June 14, 2022

The Squid Game reality series is perhaps the most absurd example of "folks existing in a boardroom missing the entire point" I have ever seen in my entire life, and I lived through the late 90s, Dark Universe, and more

— Mike Cecchini (@wayoutstuff) June 14, 2022

It takes a real demented fuck to watch Squid Game and say, “let’s make that reality!” https://t.co/9TomqGAEUC

— Marc Love (@marcslove) June 14, 2022

Hey, this actually sucks. I can't imagine a more bleak message that Netflix is sending by turning a drama about how toxic and dehumanizing capitalism is to common folk into a Squid Game reality show. It's really lame. https://t.co/ZDLwDprOYn

— alessandro fillari (@afillari) June 14, 2022

At the very least, should the show go forward despite the negative backlash to its announcement, 455 people will now unironically be able to reply to the question "What happened?" with "SQUID GAMES!"