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1 year ago
27
Squid Game: The Challenge was the hardest thing that I have ever done in my entire life.
I'm a full-time caregiver for my six-year-old daughter, who has special needs, and I signed up to the Netflix show to try and win the $4.56 million jackpot to help my family - but I had no idea how tough it would be.
We couldn't tell the time or see the outside, so day and night didn't matter. We ate, slept, and gamed on the demand of the guards. I think we had about eight hours of rest in between days.
I decided to apply after seeing a casting advertisement on Twitter. I was asked to film a one-minute video, and within a day and a half of submitting it, I had producers on the phone with me.
Irish TikTok star Mikie Bowe was allocated player 254 in Squid Game: The Challenge
The father-of-five, 36, said he assumed the competition was going to be child's play - but none of it was a game
There followed months and months of background checks, including a medical, and production bosses trawling through my social media accounts.
And then one day, I was food shopping with my wife, and I got a phone call from an unknown number.
I answered - which I never normally do - and I was told I had made it onto the show. It was unbelievable. I was like, 'Wow, I'm going to be on Netflix, and I'm a part of Squid Game! I love Squid Game!'
I didn't know what I'd signed up for. I assumed it was just going to be child's play - but none of it was a game. It was so serious and intense.
My game plan initially was to fool everyone into liking me by making them laugh and getting them on side with my banter - before taking them down one by one.
But that went out the window when I started to really connect with the other players.
On day one, we left the hotel early in the morning and we got to this massive space to get ready.
There was a huge marquee, and we were given the famous green tracksuits, extra socks and thermals, and there were heaters to keep us warm. There was food for us, coffee, and tables and chairs, and so many people taking care of us.
He said Red Light, Green Light was the hardest challenge that he competed in
Mikie shut down talk of 'fixing,' claiming he crossed the line in Red Light, Green Light with Player 302, LeAnn, who some contestants have claimed was given a free pass
Then it was time to play the infamous Red Light, Green Light - and filming really did take ages.
We had to hold poses for so long so that the adjudicators could accurately check who had moved, and as a result, needed to be eliminated.
But the game wasn't nine hours long like some people have made it out to be, and it was definitely not fixed.
During the game, I was so focused on myself and how I desperately needed to make it through, that all I could see was the finish line. I was completely zoned out of everything around me.
It was nail biting. I had three seconds left to cross the line before I ran out of time, but I made it. It was the hardest thing that I, and probably everybody else, had to do during the entire series.
A few players have since said that the challenge was rigged. Oh, my God, I wish it was rigged!
I heard people talking about some of the players being microphoned - and while that was true, it made no difference to how people performed. There were people with full blown working mics who went out right in front of me.
Talk of content creators being favored to win because they were more popular is rubbish - I watched them all getting eliminated.
There were also reports that producers allowed player 302 - LeAnn Plutnicki - to go through in order to keep the storyline going of her and her son. But that's not true. I crossed the finish line with her. In saying they let her win, well, that's a slap in the face.
The full-time care giver said he bonded with his competitors in between challenges - which thwarted his game plan
The players were forced to eat, sleep and game on the demand of the guards
Mikie claimed the players were shocked after being confronted with Warships when they believed they were walking into Tug of War, which featured on the drama series
I hate that people are calling it rigged. It grinds my gears. Did everyone have a fair chance? 110 per cent. The playing field was level.
The second challenge, Dalgona - which required us to cut out shapes from a piece of sugar candy without breaking it - was the first time I felt completely immersed. I finished the challenge with about one minute to spare. But when I got the guard's attention he shook his head to signify that I wasn't finished.
Although I was certain I had cut my triangle out, I had missed that there was a piece still touching the side of the honeycomb. I had to calm my shaky hands to carefully move it away. I was a wreck at this point, but I was determined to beat the odds.
Warships was another intense challenge because we all thought we were walking into Tug of War, which featured in the drama series, so were shocked to be faced with a rogue game.
As soon as the second ship got hit, I knew I was safe and that I could continue.
When we made it into the dorms for the first time, it was like a party, and we all went crazy. Everyone had the best time. I only wish show bosses had included some of that in the final edit.
I got a little bit of a sore throat while filming, which must have been the dry air, and they had the medics take real, real good care of me. Just for a sore throat!
In between games, we were able to really bond with our fellow players. I had a nosebleed at one point because my friends and I were just laughing so hard.
What we had accomplished in the games brought us closer together - although I did notice some contestants jumping from alliance to alliance and spreading gossip.
Food was fuel. For some of us it was unbearable, but I ate it all. We had oats for breakfast, which I didn't mind, but the Americans couldn't handle it.
Other meals consisted of bland rice and a weird egg.
Players enjoyed a sweet treat before cruelly finding out their next challenge
While we had enough food, there were no treats, except for one time at the picnic in episode five, which unbeknownst to us was actually the Marbles game.
Myself and Kyle, my best bud, were immediately suspect. We didn't want to team up together because why would we want to? It was obvious that they were not really treating us.
If you look at the episode where we do the picnic, me and Kyle are at the very end getting our blankets last because we didn't want to team up together. But no one else would team with us because they had already found their people.
We sit down and we're serious. Kyle is there rooting through the brownies, crisps, and juice, and then we lift up the false bottom and see the marbles and we start panicking.
I'm like: 'Does anybody want to swap places with me? We will give you everything we have here. Just a swap places!'
It was tough to see Kyle leave.
After filming wrapped, we were taken care of from head to toe, which was really nice. The production crew would make sure that we were okay.
Squid Game: The Challenge premiered on Netflix on November 22 - with the final episode scheduled to air on December 6
They'd ask, 'Are you are you happy with how you were in there?' and: 'Are you excited for the show?'
They would say: 'If there is any help we can offer you, if you're if you're feeling down, if you're feeling this, if you're feeling that, we're here for you.'
I still receive calls from welfare, psychologist calls and general 'how are you' calls to check in on me.
Squid Game: The Challenge was not a picnic. It was the hardest thing I've ever done - but we were treated fairly, and the games were fair.
People have claimed that it's rigged, but I think they're just salty that they didn't win.
I would do it again in a heartbeat.
English (US)