Somehow, twomore seasons of Squid Game still weren’t enough to convince people that competing in deadly (or even fake deadly) children’s games for cash isn’t something to aspire to. Love it or hate it, Squid Game: The Challengeis back for round two, now with a whole new set of games from seasons two and three of the main show to pick from. In a press release, Netflix promises that the new installment of the reality competition series will “raise the stakes higher than ever.” We’ve already seen pretty high stakes in the Squid Game world, but Netflix’s note presumably doesn’t mean actually killing its competitors when they move during Red Light, Green Light or can’t build a house of cards fast enough. Even so, the trailer doesn’t shy away from showing all the fake death awaiting the 456 people who signed up to cosplay the competition Gi-hun tried so hard to shut down.
If you forgot (or perhaps decided not to watch after reports of all the very real dangers facing the participants arose), the first season of Squid Game: The Challenge aired in 2023 and saw its competitors forming alliances and betraying each other for the chance to win the grand prize of $4.56 million. The new crop of players aren’t coming to make friends either. “In this game, loyalty can get you pretty far, but betrayal could win you $4.56 million,” one contestant says. Another pulls out a total lie about having a pregnant girlfriend back home straight out of legendary Survivor villain Johnny Fairplay’s playbook. They may not actually be able to stab each other in the back, but they’ll absolutely do it metaphorically.
Even if someone tries to shut the game down from the inside this season, it won’t matter. The Challenge has already been greenlit for season three, which is currently recruiting players to enter the dormitory (presumably through a little less face slapping and a little more paperwork). In the meantime, season two will begin to whittle down its cast beginning with the first four episodes November 4, followed by episodes 5 through 8 the following week, and the finale the week after that. Or maybe they’ll all vote to end the games early and everyone will be free. That won’t happen, but it’s a nice thought.
