With the latest batch of Squid Game: The Challenge episodes released on Wednesday (29 November), viewers may be wondering how long they have to wait for the season finale.
Netflix’s new reality competition series – based on the hit South Korean survival thriller – sees 456 people compete in a series of games and challenges inspired by the original show for the chance to win a cash prize of $4.56m (£3.57m). This is the largest lump-sum jackpot in the history of reality TV.
Following the release of its first five episodes on 22 November, Squid Game: The Challenge has taken the No 1 spot on the streamer’s Top 10 watched series list in both the US and UK.
Before the latest four episodes were released on Wednesday, the number of contestants had dwindled down to 63. The sixth episode, titled “Goodbye”, opens with all of the contestants preparing to go head-to-head against their friends in a game of marbles, which will only leave 32 remaining.
After viewers make their way through the nine episodes currently available to watch, they will have to wait until 6 December at 9pm PST to finally see the victor unveiled.
According to Tudum, approximately 81,000 people applied for the popular game show, which was filmed at Warf Studios, London, over a 16-day period.
While contestants in the original series were killed after they were eliminated, the competitors on The Challenge wear an ink packet under their shirt during the first two episodes that burst to emulate getting shot once they’re eliminated.
Squid Game: The Challenge
(COURTESY OF NETFLIX)
Several viewers have found this detail amusing, with many calling it “dramatic” and “ridiculous”.
In his three-star review of the series for The Independent, Nick Hilton wrote: “Like most epics, it’s overlong, overblown, and thinks it’s much smarter than it really is. But as a showcase for human desperation, and an illustration of the random brutality of chance, it just about sticks the landing.”
The first nine episodes of Squid Game: The Challenge are available to stream on Netflix. The season finale will be released on 6 December at 9pm PST.
James Parker is a UK-based entertainment aficionado who delves into the glitz and glamour of the entertainment industry. From Hollywood to the West End, he offers readers an insider’s perspective on the world of movies, music, and pop culture.
