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'It played on our morals': 'Squid Game: The Challenge' contestants open up about 'cruel' reality show

One explained that while those who were eliminated had fake microphones around their necks, the influencers appeared to always be mic'd up

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: 'Squid Game: The Challenge' competitors reportedly called the reality competition "rigged game" as they found the filming to be "inhumane."

The show draws inspiration from the massively successful 2021 fictitious series 'Squid Game' on the streaming giant Netflix, which featured impoverished individuals taking part in violent games for millions of dollars. With 456 competitors competing for $4.56 million, the real-life version offers the largest prize pool ever awarded on a TV game show.

Four individuals who claimed to be contestants in the upcoming season described themselves to Rolling Stone as TV "extras" in a scripted influencer-heavy game. The magazine had approached the streaming giant for comments but according to the New York Post, Netflix has denied the allegations. 

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'It was the meanest thing I've been through'

Unnamed traumatized players came forward and told The Rolling Stone that the production of the show was risky and horrible, alleging that at least 10 people passed out while spending up to nine hours in a chilly airport hangar for a game that was supposed to last only two hours. According to Rolling Stone, one even claimed that producers were worried about damaging the video and actually delayed sending medics to treat sick contestants.

“I’m shaking, and I’m talking about, like, I’m-on-top-of-Mount-Everest-and-I’ve-got-nothing-on shaking,” claimed one. “It was just the cruelest, meanest thing I’ve ever been through,” one former player told Rolling Stone about the experience. “We were a human horse race, and they were treating us like horses out in the cold racing, and [the race] was fixed.”

Former players claimed that many candidates are TikTok and Instagram influencers and that their inclusion in the game appeared to be dependent more on producers' decisions rather than on how well they completed challenges. One explained that while those who were eliminated had fake microphones around their necks, the influencers appeared to always be mic'd up.

'It played on our morals and it’s sick'

Prior to even beginning the game, according to two prior competitors, their return flights were already scheduled. According to Rolling Stone, their flights home were due to depart immediately after they were eliminated. A participant saw that competitors had an "every man for himself" mentality as they battled through harsh conditions in the hopes of taking home the life-changing cash prize.

“People were beating themselves up, including myself, around the fact that you’ve got a girl convulsing, and [we] all stood there like statues. On what planet is that even humane?” they asked.“Obviously, you would jump and help — that’s what our human nature is for most of us. But absolutely it’s a social experiment. It played on our morals, and it’s sick. It’s absolutely sick.”