Contrary to what you might have heard, nobody died while filming Squid Game: The Challenge, though there was a chapped lip incident. Despite the buzz and initial backlash, some contestants did enjoy their time on the reality series, and others thought it was just plain silly.
Squid Game: The Challenge put 456 contestants together and had them compete in various challenges, mostly based on children’s games, like Battleship, Red Light Greenlight, and marbles. Runner-up Phil Cain/player 451 spoke to EW about his initial reactions to the final challenge, which was an intense game of Rock Paper Scissors, also known as every 8-year-old’s recess nightmare. Cain told the site:
Oh, my God. This is the silliest thing I’ve ever seen, but what better way to go out than Rock, Paper, Scissors, the simplest game ever? [Laughs] In a way, it was nice because it really was mostly chance — or I thought it was mostly chance. I didn’t realize that there might’ve been strategy behind it! [Laughs] That was kind of comforting being like, Whatever way this goes, at least we know it’s going to be fair. There’s no backstabbing anymore. There’s no more drama. It’s just a simple game. Let’s decide it right now.
Despite losing, Cain says that he is happy he was on the polarizing show. “It was a beautiful representation of what human nature really is in the face of adversity, because even though the game was literally pitting us against each other, it never felt like that,” he explained, “It never felt like it was me against them. It always felt like us vs. the game. It was an honor to be a part of that, and I’m pretty proud of myself for playing with integrity and never having to compromise on my values.”
Sure, it’s silly, but if you’re interested, season two is now casting!
(Via EW)