The only thing stranger than Squid Game is the real-life reality show version, Squid Game: The Challenge, and as this divisive program hits Netflix, contestants are opening up about their experiences on the IRL Hunger Games. Allleigh (@alleigh508), or as you might know her, Player 335, took to TikTok to talk about the “fever dream” experience.
“So let me just say that it really was the craziest thing I’ve ever done in my entire life,” she said. “I was literally freaking the eff out. We all knew the first game was gonna be Red Light, Green Light, but they don’t tell you anything. They don’t tell you a single thing.” On the first day, Alleigh said they were woken up at the crack of dawn and were “shipped” off on a bus for an hour. “Keep in mind, we had no clocks or sense of time,” she added. As for Red Light, Green Light itself, Alleigh said it was “insane.”
“You could see people walking around practicing,” she said. “People were getting in groups, like, pausing. I was too nervous. I didn’t even want to practice. For me, my strategy was ‘slow and steady wins the race.’ But that worked too well for me because I ended up crossing the line at the last second.”
Despite passing the challenge, Alleigh said it was “such a long, long, long game.” Filming, she added, took nine hours. “The second the doll called red light, you would have to freeze, and you have to stay frozen for 20 to 30 minutes […] It was so difficult to stay in [position]. There were no breaks. You couldn’t go to the bathroom; you couldn’t have a snack. How I passed the time mentally is I literally just counted in my head in minutes.” She conceded that Red Light, Green Light “looks a lot easier on the show” and noted how her body was “in shock” from the “high stakes” and “intensity” of it all.
In the multi-part TikTok series, Alleigh also talked about her experience in the Squid Game dorms, the quality of the food (she was expecting the “bare minimum,” so she was pleasantly surprised), and her interaction with fan-favorite participants in the show.
In total, these TikToks amassed over 3 million views. Not exactly 45.6 billion won, but not too shabby, nonetheless. Alleigh didn’t immediately respond to the Daily Dot’s request for comment via TikTok direct message.
