Squid Game: The Challenge

[laughs]

Like, are we, are we getting closer to Running Man than we are to anything else? And reading your last chapter where they talked about, like, the, the, the hazardous workplaces of some of these shows, like the, the Squid Game reality show, and again-

Yeah

...

You can say, "Oh, well, they have a choice.

They don't have to go on," but if people are put in a position where they're like, hey, you know, you tell someone who's desperately poor, like, s- you know, "Stand in this line for 24 hours straight in the freezing cold and we'll give you a chance to win $3,000," it's like, well, yeah, they, they can say no, but if they're thinking like, "This is me, uh, being able to provide for my family or not," you get some pretty extreme reactions, and I think there's a huge responsibility on the pr- on people making these shows to come in and say, "Guys," like, "we, we can't be putting people in this position," or, "We need to really take their safety seriously." And one thing I mention in that chapter is the, the networks, the TV networks are all so accustomed to putting safety first after so many years of reality TV, but now that the streaming networks are getting involved- There's a lot less of that because they just don't have the experience, they don't have the same, you know, conduct rules, the same, uh, regulations, the same sort of barriers for that to happen.

And so I think Beast Games and Squid Game, Squid Game is on Netflix, Beast Games on Amazon Prime, and I think a big part of why both of those games, those shows, had so many incidents with, like, safety and danger is because they didn't have the same parameters that the, like, that N- NBC would have if they were making the same show.

If you start to talk about the reality shows that you see on YouTube or on other streaming platforms that are not even as legitimate as [laughs] Netflix and, uh, and Amazon Prime, they start to get really dodgy because there's no one there saying, "Hey, you can't do this." You know, there's a few, like, underground reality shows on YouTube and on other streaming services, like, like, webs- websites, and that's when you start to get into real, not quite Running Man territory, but, like, the closest thing to it without being illegal.

Oh, there we go.

And it's basically a Willy Wonka themed version of Squid Games.

It's fucking dog shit, mate.

There's far too

It's the most

staged shit ever because they do stuff that is...

The best thing about the Squid Games experiment or experience, whatever it's called... is it the experience whatever the the real no the challenge squid game the challenge where it's real people real games is all of the games are genuine surprises whereas with this they do this like puff of smoke and someone disappears they've obviously staged it

and then the other person so basically they go in as pairs there's a person that got the golden ticket and then they choose to bring someone in with them and then they arrive outside the chocolate factory and they've got all these actors like a crowd of actors outside like whooping and cheering and just being so enthusiastic so funny probably all been

Um, it's a nine-episode reality competition on Netflix, and the premise is a group of, several grou- uh, groups of pairs, duos, have, much like in the movie Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, have been, uh, selected to go into this Wonka's factory and compete in various, I don't, competitions, challenges, um, w- to win money.

And, uh, I would say the show this most reminds me of, I bet you're gonna agree, Squid Game: The Challenge.

Mm-hmm.

Um, it's kind of like if everyone on Squid Game: The Challenge came in with a partner, and, uh, it's really fun.

Well, didn't they do that?

Did they? Partners? Oh, yeah.

You're right.

Yeah.

But I remembered one that I forgot about.

Um- Squid Game the challenge.

[gasps]

Have you ever seen that?

Although I was real shy as a child, I'd probably be, like, freaking out.

Fair.

No, but I feel like Squid Game would be such fun.

Yeah.

It is...

I love the Squid Game Challenge.

Do you care about the Squid Game Challenge?

I love the Squid Game Challenge, yeah.

Yeah.

This feels very reminiscent of the Squid Game Challenge in the casting.

There are some people that are gonna be on like 20 shows after this that you can just feel they just, they have it for reality TV.

The, the editing is similar.

And then over Christmas, I get an email with like 10 ideas.

And I said, what'd you do? Well, I'm a runner on Squid Game the Challenge or something.

So we just hired him.

I made him like challenge director or something.

Yeah.

Were you excited, nervous? Like what, like being, stepping back into like reality TV, like the, this specific like squid game challenge show alone, like where you, what were your

thoughts going into that? Honestly.

So I, when I got off of bachelor and bachelor in paradise, I was like, I need to just catch up and like was down to, like, kind of lean in the whole, like, influencer realm.

Sent you a picture.

So, uh, Trey, Trey Pletnicki, for any fans of Squid Game: The Challenge.

[laughs]

Okay.

There were the two contestants on Squid Game: The Challenge that were the mother and son, Li Han and Trey, and they got, like, a huge edit, and Trey makes it to, like, I don't know, like, final 12 or something.

He goes out-

Mm-hmm

RHAPCON.