Squid Game: The Challenge bosses reveal why they left out tug of war
The iconic Squid Game tug of war challenge was changed for the reality series – but could it still make an appearance?
Netflix's reality take on its hit Korean series Squid Game is proving to be as popular as the original.
Only the first five episodes of Squid Game: The Challenge have landed on the streamer, but viewers are already clamouring for more.
Despite the reality show's instant hit status, it's not without its critics, and some elements are noticeably different from the drama it's based on (including the fact that people don't die when they lose, of course).
One of those elements was ditching tug of war, which saw the Squid Game cast split into two teams to chase each other around two raised platforms - with unsurprisingly gruesome results.
In The Challenge, tug of war is replaced by war ships, a decision the reality's producers are especially happy with.
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Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Squid Game: The Challenger executive producers Stephen Lambert, Tim Harcourt and John Hay explained the thought process behind the decision – and why it works better.
"One of the great challenges about this show is everyone’s watching it after the drama [series]. They want to see the greatest hits of the drama. But then one of the keynotes of the drama was surprise," Hay explained.
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He added: "So, you’ve got to somehow deliver surprise, as well, and getting the balance right between familiarity and surprise was key.
"By the time we got to the third game, doing a rug-pull of leading viewers and players to expect one game and then delivering them another game was an opportunity for us.
"It wouldn’t feel true to the spirit of Squid Game if we just trotted out all of the same games, one after another, in the same order. And we’re really pleased with the way war ships played."
It sounds like the popular game could make an appearance in one of the five episodes still to air, however, so we'll keep our eyes peeled for that.
The first five episodes of Squid Game: The Challenge is available to stream on now. Sign up for Netflix from £6.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix. Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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