‘Gross and 2 hours of sleep’: What it’s like on Netflix’s most traumatic show

What would you be willing to give up to win the $4.56 million (£3.6 million) prize in Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge?

Can you face the public embarrassment of lying to another contestant, as one player did when he made up a story about his girlfriend being fake pregnant?

For Jacob – aka Player 432 – a good night’s sleep is a small price to pay for a chance to win the top prize… but that doesn’t mean it’s easy.

Talk to Metro ahead of the release of the second season of reality series Squid Game on Netflix, Jacob explains what most viewers won’t understand by watching from home.

‘Definitely the eating and sleeping part,’ he told me.

‘You just don’t look at any clocks, so you don’t know what time it is. I could barely sleep there because you’ve got snorers, you’ve got movers. This is terrible.

‘I keep sleeping two hours a day without knowing what time it is.

“It got to the point where I was so tired but I had to stay awake because the game was so intense. I started hallucinating a little bit because I was closing my eyes, then suddenly I had to get up and it was time to play.”

Entering the Squid Game with his twin brother, Raul (Player 431), Jacob realized the big target on their backs.

‘We knew that we would be watched,’ he said.

‘Obviously we’ve seen shows before where because there are two siblings, they’re targeted. So we accepted it and moved forward.’

Raul continued: ‘When you have a bond like ours, nothing will break us. We’ve been best friends since we were born.’

Before entering the match, the pair shared a terrifying moment when Jacob had a seizure in 2022.

Raul caught Jacob as his mouth started to foam and his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

Speaking about the impact it had on them going into the show, Jacob explained: ‘It was a very intense situation, especially at that age, I’m proud that I got over it and everything was fine.

“I just don’t see it as a negative thing. It doesn’t stop me. It makes me want to push my boundaries more and be more confident.”

Also talk to MetroFaith (Player 361), revealed how the contestants live off basic necessities.

“We really only got one metal water bottle,” he said.

‘When we look crusty and have dandruff, it’s because we don’t shower as often as we used to.

‘And it was the strangest thing because I had never been so happy to be such a dirty, unhealthy creature in my life. But I think people at home would be surprised to learn that things are that bad.’

Asked about how stressful it was playing these games, Melissa (Player 110) revealed: ‘When I faced this challenge, I immediately started crying.

‘The level of intensity when you’re strapped into a squid vest, I don’t think you can understand what it’s like. My heart starts pounding every time.

‘The intensity is much greater than you can imagine. It was a simple game, but we were literally fighting for our lives.

‘$4 million is a huge amount of money, and you don’t realize what it’s like until you’re under that kind of pressure.’

The eight-part, Emmy-nominated series returns next month, with the first four episodes airing on November 4 introducing us to 456 new contestants.

On November 11, the next four episodes will air, with surprising new plot twists and never-before-seen games being played.

Squid Game: The Challenge Season 2 airs November 4 on Netflix.

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