‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ Stars on Advice They’d Give to Future Players

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Squid Game: The Challenge, Episodes 1-9.]

Squid Game: The Challenge is a cutthroat competition with 456 players pitted against one another, but is there a method to the madness?

We caught up with some of the show’s players who are sharing their best advice for possible future contestants of the Netflix reality competition based on the Emmy-winning scripted K-drama Squid Game.

Emerging as an early leader, TJ (player 182) used his background as a former pro basketballer to inspire his fellow participants in group challenges. But when it comes to the competition at large, he says, “Run away,” jokingly, adding, “The only thing that could prepare you for these games is life.”

(Credit: Courtesy of Netflix)

When it comes to Bee (player 018), the games industry professional who was unlucky enough to roll a six during a game of dice, suggests that it’s most important to think of how you present yourself. “For me, it’s just stay true to yourself,” she tells TV Insider. “Don’t change your character for anything. Not even for four million dollars, I don’t think. You’re going on national television, and you might not get it anyway, and then you are there forever looking awful.”

Roland (player 418) feels similarly to Bee, chiming in to say, “Be yourself. If you want to form an alliance, I guess that’s fine. But most of the people who formed alliances were out at the end. So be yourself, make friends when you’re in there, and enjoy the ride.”

And mother-son duo LeAnn (player 302) and Trey (player 301) kept their advice short and sweet, with her saying, “You have to be resilient. You never know what’s coming next. Just be resilient when you’re hit with it.” Trey, on the other hand, suggests, “You’ll sleep when you’re eliminated. Talk the entire time to anybody and everybody who will listen and also listen [to others].”

(Credit: Pete Dadds/Netflix)

Despite being eliminated earlier on, Phalisia (player 229) has an optimistic piece of advice to offer, “I would say, don’t give up… You’re in this environment with 455 other people, and you don’t know them, but that’s what you’re here for. You’re here to win. It’s not going to be an easy thing… I would just say, keep your eyes on the prize, and you’ll get there.”

Her friend Ashley (player 278), who made it much further in the competition, suggests it’s all about looking out for number one, a.k.a. yourself. “I made it to the top five. I don’t know how I did that, but it takes a strong mind. It’s nothing about physicality. It takes a strong [mind]; you need to be very secure in yourself. Everybody saw all the peer pressure. I knew what I wanted to do for myself, and I think that’s the biggest thing that you can take into Squid Game: knowing who you are and trusting your mind first.”

As for the final three? Viewers don’t know who went all the way, but their advice rings true to what viewers have seen so far. A frontrunner since the season’s beginning, Mai (player 287) says for her, it’s important “to be respectful and be patient.” She adds, “Don’t [guess] what game you’re going to be playing. Just keep an open mind.”

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Sam (player 016), on the other hand, notes it’s about not forgetting who you are. “This is something that everyone’s going to see for a very long time. This is on the internet, and the internet is forever. Remember who you are, be proud of who you are inside and outside of the game, and as long as you can look at yourself and smile and be happy with your contribution, then you’re golden.”

Rounding out the advice, Phill (player 451) preaches kindness, saying, “Kindness really does go a long way. Kindness, patience, respect, all those things really, I think, is what carried us all forward. The connections that we made and the genuineness of it all, I think, really made the whole experience so much more special.”

Will that advice pay off for their own game? Don’t miss the finale to find out who will make it the

Squid Game: The Challenge, Streaming now, Netflix