SINGAPORE — The highly acclaimed South Korean thriller series Squid Game has welcomed its new reality show successor Squid Game: The Challenge amid criticisms of players’ over-dramatisation. 

The 10-episode reality competition show, filmed in England and produced by British companies, has its 456 participants compete against each other in elimination games and tests for the ultimate prize of US$4.56 million (S$6.1 million). This is the largest singular cash prize ever to be won in reality television and game show history on entertainment streaming site Netflix. 

Fans of the original Squid Game series will recognise stark similarities such as the iconic masked guards, set designs and faithful emulation of the games called “Red Light, Green Light” and “Ppopgi” (also known as Dalgona) among others, accompanied by the introduction of new games and twists. 

Thankfully, unlike the series, players of Squid Game: The Challenge would not be shot or killed for failing to complete the games. Rather, they wore black dye-pack canisters that would explode upon elimination, simulating a fictional death, USA Today reported.

The show released its first five episodes on Netflix on Wednesday (Nov 22), making waves on social media with more than 19 million views and 200,000 engagements across various online platforms, with mixed reactions from viewers. 

On X (formerly Twitter), many users scoffed at the participants' over-dramatisation and attempts to portray their “deaths”. 

One X user critiqued: “I like Squid Game: The Challenge but my main issue so far is that it takes itself way too serious(ly). This isn't the original show where it's life or death. Let's have fun with it.”

Another expressed her disappointment, writing: “The amount of bawling and crying these people are putting down in this show.”

Much like the original series, the reality show highlights some standout personalities throughout its episodes, with certain players receiving criticism from viewers.

(*Spoiler alert*)

Some users highlighted specific examples such as Mr Spencer Hawkins, or Player 299, who was forced to make a decision, eventually resulting in his elimination and exaggerated “death” where he was seen gasping and falling backwards into a foetal position. 

One X user quipped: “Dude was the only one to die for real on this show.”

Another said: “This dude is seriously breaking down crying because he has to fight for a shape.” Shape refers to the prop the contestant has to get before completing a carving task for the "Ppopgi" game.

Viewer and X user “tiffanyspawn” reacted to Mr Hawkin’s theatrics in a series of tweets expressing her amusement, writing: “The dramatics on this show... 'You’d think they were actually gonna díe'.”

Expressing some sympathy, one user wrote: “I hope 299 is okay! I felt so bad for him! Like this competition messed him up mentally, it was hard to watch!”

Other users took to X to show support for their favourite players, such as mother-son duo Player 301 (Mr Trey Plutnicki) and Player 302 (Ms LeAnn Wilcox Plutnicki). They received considerable love from some users who envied the pair's evidently close bond when they embraced at the end of the first game.  

Another participant, Player 432 (Mr Bryton Constantin), was dubbed by social media users as the “villain” for his bully-like behaviour and supposed lack of empathy when he coldly told a player who was breaking down to "control your emotions", and that the show was "not a game of sympathy, at all". 

Despite the criticism, social media users commended the spot-on set design and effort to innovate from the original series. 

One said: "I did not want to like this show as much as I did given all of the bad press about it but there’s no denying how entertaining it is. Plus that set design is insane, the budget is crazy.”

Another user complimented the show's producers: "Every new bit they add is fresh and brutal, while the famous scenes play like a stale reunion tour. Relieved they did some things new."

The next four episodes of Squid Game: The Challenge are set to air on Nov 29, while the finale is scheduled for Dec 6.