"It was really savage": Player 107 details his Squid Game: The Challenge journey

Squid Game: The Challenge, Netflix's latest reality competitive show, aired the first batch of episodes on Wednesday, November 22, 2023. The segment started with all 456 contestants entering the dorm, where they stayed for the show's duration.

According to Player 107, the whole experience, in addition to the time spent in quarantine ahead of filming, consisted of more or less two weeks. In a recent YouTube video, the fitness trainer talked about his time on the show. The winner of the first challenge, the iconic "Red Light, Green Light" challenge, called it "savage." He noted that while on screen, it may have looked like they stood at the starting line for 30 seconds; it was close to 30 minutes while filming.

As for the first challenge, he said,

"It was really savage. So what happened was we actually had to stand on the spot, maybe in the show it looks for, like, 30 seconds. We stood on the stop for like 20 to 30 minutes it was no joke."

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#107 opens up about filming Squid Game: The Challenge

Squid Game: The Challenge season 1 featured 456 players in the K-drama-inspired competition. One of those 456 contestants recently uploaded a video on YouTube and called filming the show an "epic experience."

Mateo/Tayo, or Player 107, spoke about having to quarantine ahead of the show and noted that the players weren't allowed to leave their rooms except when they were given free meals. While the meals were served in a canteen-like area, the players weren't allowed to interact with one another as the creators wanted to save that for the show.

Player 107 noted that although he was confident about his physical abilities, he didn't practice any of the games shown in the original Squid Game and struggled with the cookie-cutting challenge, the Dolgana.

He said,

"The filming took place in London, they flew out like 300 Americans, I think there was 100 Brits and around like the rest international kind of cast."

The Squid Game: The Challenge contestant noted that for their first task, Red Light, Green Light, the cast was taken to an army hanger outside England. He called the game an "absolute massacre" and noted that they filmed most of the day while it was freezing that day.

He noted that the players had to remain still every time the doll turned. Those shots also took 20-30 minutes to film since the crew had to focus on every contestant individually.

He added,

"The physical pain was there, I knew like this is horrendous, but mentally, you just have to battle and push through."

The Squid Game: The Challenge contestants were taken back to the hotel after the game and had to wake up early the next day to go to the dorms, where the "fully immersive experience started."

Player 107 added that nothing in Squid Game: The Challenge was scripted, including the reactions fans saw when the cast entered the dorms. The contestant attributed living in the place without breaks to the deep bonds formed during the show.

Squid Game: The Challenge will air episodes 6-9 on November 29, 2023, through Netflix.