Netflix is going to host "Squid Game" reality TV series and has started recruiting participants, the streaming giant announced on Tuesday. Inspired by the survival drama series, 'Squid Game", Netflix said that the show will be "biggest reality competition ever". However, it will not be life or death that is at stake, as depicted in the South Korean dystopian drama.
Instead, around 500 participants from across the world will participate in the competition and the one with the worst luck will go home empty-handed. Earlier this week Netflix said that it will renew "Squid Game" for a second season this year.
Bigger Than the Biggest
Netflix made the announcement of the "Squid Game: The Challenge" reality TV series at Banff World Media Festival, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The company also said that it has already started looking for contestants. As of now, the company is looking for English-speaking participants from across the world in its first round of recruitment.
Much like the original series, the competition will host 456 contestants — the largest cast in a competition ever — who will fight it out in a string of mind-bending games to win a massive cash prize. The winner will take home a whopping $4.56 million.
The company also said that the 10-episode series would offer the "largest cast and lump cash prize in reality TV history".
"As [players] compete through a series of games inspired by the original show - plus surprising new additions - their strategies, alliances, and character will be put to the test while competitors are eliminated around them," it added.
While the games and challenges haven't been announced yet, "Squid Game: The Challenge" will be "full of tension and twists" Netflix said. However, participants need to be at least 21 years old to participate in the series.
Banking on Squid Game
Netflix didn't have a great first quarter and lost thousands of subscribers. Naturally, the streaming network is trying to bounce back from the losses and is banking heavily on "Squid Game" both as a series and a reality TV show.
In April the company said that it lost millions of subscribers and millions more are expected to give up subscriptions. This saw more than $50 billion getting wiped out from the company's market value.
Tuesday's announcement comes just days after Netflix officially renewed "Squid Game" for a second season. "We're grateful for this support as we turn the fictional world into reality in this massive competition and social experiment," Netflix's Brandon Riegg said. "Fans of the drama series are in for a fascinating and unpredictable journey."
The South Korean thriller series revolves around the lives of a group of debt-ridden people as they compete in a deadly series of children's games for a large cash reward. "Squid Game" is Netflix's most-watched series of all time, with 111 million people watching it in the first 28 days of its release.
Hwang Dong-hyuk, director, writer, and executive producer of Squid Game, said in a statement on Monday: "It took 12 years to bring the first season of Squid Game to life last year. But it took 12 days for Squid Game to become the most popular Netflix series ever."
How to Apply
Netflix is presently accepting applications from all over the world for potential candidates. Because the game's instructions will be presented over a loudspeaker in English, applicants must be able to communicate in English.
To apply, a participant needs to make a one-minute video describing who he/she is, "why you want to be on "Squid Game: The Challenge," what your game strategy would be, and what you would do with a major cash prize if you won," and "what you would do with a huge cash prize if you won."
Participants must also be over the age of 21 and available to compete for four weeks in early 2023.
