Squid Game is a worldwide phenomenon that has garnered millions of fans since its premiere in September 2021. There are many reasons why viewers gravitated toward this K-drama, one of them being the twisted games players were forced to participate in. The games, including "Red Light, Green Light" and "Tug Of War," are reminiscent of childhood playground games but with a shocking twist that kept viewers hooked. These challenging tasks also reminded fans of their favorite reality competition shows like Survivor.
The competitions players participate in have a lot in common in both shows, albeit the stakes are a little higher in Squid Game. The games in both Survivor and Squid Game are so simple yet players from both shows have to use their brains to outwit their competitors and to make it to the end.
Log Jam
"Log Jam" made its debut on Survivor: Amazon where two players must stand on a revolving log over a pit of muddy water. The player that outlasts all other opponents wins the game. The physical challenge made a return during three other seasons, including Survivor: All-Stars, Gabon, and Redemption Island.
This Survivor challenge fits perfectly with "Tug Of War" due to both games having physical and strategic attributes. The players who participated in "Log Jam" had to study their opponent's movement and figure out how to catch them off guard. If this game were featured in Squid Game, the only difference would be instead of falling in muddy water the players would fall into something a little more deadly.
Survivor Auction
Throughout many seasons viewers were able to see the castaways participate in the "Survivor Auction." This was a reward challenge where players were given money and had to outbid other castaways for certain rewards like food or items to improve the comfort in their camp. While some items were definitely worth bidding for, others rank among the worst rewards in Survivor history.
"Survivor Auction" embodies the entire Squid Game series because it's a game of chance. Survivor players had to think strategically if they wanted the Auction to work in their favor. Do they succumb to giving away their money for food after not eating for several days or do they hold out and hope for an advantage that could potentially get them further in the game?
SOS Signal
"SOS Signal" made its debut on Survivor: Borneo, where players from both tribes had to make a distress signal using objects at their campsite. A helicopter pilot judged both distress signals from the sky, and the tribe that had the most attention-grabbing signal won.
Squid Game features many difficult challenges and "SOS Signal" would be the perfect addition for Squid Game if it comes back for season 2 because the players are already on an island. Also, if the VIPs play a big part in the next season they could be the ones who determine who has the best distress signal.
Get A Grip
In this competition, players had to hang onto poles for as long as they could without holding onto the top. The last player left on the pole won the challenge. This was one of the more popular Survivor challenges, appearing in nine different seasons. It was also one of the challenges that took the longest to film. During Survivor: Cook Islands the game went on for two hours and fifteen minutes.
The aptly named "Get A Grip" is one of the toughest challenges in Survivor history, which is why this game would be a perfect part two to "Red Light, Green Light." Both games are simple to understand but incredibly intense. "Get A Grip" is also a good fit because it asks the question how badly do players want to win? Or in the case of Squid Game, how badly do players want to survive?
Chimney Sweep
"Chimney Sweep" made its debut during Survivor: Fiji. Players stood between two walls where the only thing supporting them is their arms between the walls and two-foot pegs that they had to stand on barefoot. Every 15 minutes the players had to step down to a smaller peg, and if they fell they were out of the game.
What made "Chimney Sweep" such an intense game is the pain these players have to go through why standing barefoot on small pegs. This is why this Survivor challenge would be a good match for Squid Game because it would test the amount of pain players were willing and able to endure to survive another day.
Splash Back
Another fan favorite Survivor challenge is "Splash Back." While balancing on a small platform, castaways had to hold onto a rope while leaning over a pool of water. Throughout the challenge, players had to move their hands down the rope, which made it harder to balance on the platform.
Concentration is key when it comes to this challenge which is why it would make a great fit for Squid Game. Not only is it every player themselves, but strength also plays a big part when it comes to how long players can stay on the small platform. Squid Game could put a deadly spin on this challenge by having competitors hover over shark-infested waters, or do the same challenge from a much greater height.
By Any Means Necessary
This challenge was an all-out brawl in Survivor. Known as "By Any Means Necessary" but also called "Battle Dig," "Beach Bash," and "Water Slaughter" in different iterations of the show, the challenge takes place in the ocean. Players from each tribe had to race out a retrieve a ring and bring it back to their station. The catch is players were able to wrestle other players to get the ring out of their possession.
This challenge would be a great opportunity to bring a water-based round to Squid Game. In "By Any Means Necessary" players had to physically battle it out to win, but it wasn't just all about brute strength. Players had to study their opponents and watch their every move to come out on top.
Broken China
"Broken China" debuted on season 15 of Survivor: China. Players had to stack several dishes on a flat surface, but what made this difficult was that players were holding onto a lever that was connected to the surface. If any of the china fell over the player lost.
This challenge has a similar concept to the honeycomb challenge in Squid Game. In the show, competitors have to carefully carve out an umbrella from a honeycomb without breaking it. They have to use intense concentration to complete the game. The same goes for "Broken China" where the plays have to display an intense amount of concentration and patience to avoid the dishes falling.
11-Mile Hike
During Survivor: Guatemala castaways found out their first challenge would be an 11- mile hike through the jungle. The winners of the challenge were able to get a better campsite as well as flint to help them make a fire.
This would be the perfect game to kick off Squid Game. Not only does it deal with endurance, but it means that teams are only as strong as their weakest player so they have to look out for one another to make it to the finish line first. To make this competition more Squid Game-esque winners would survive while the losers would meet their end thanks to numerous dangers of the jungle.
Buggin' Out
Survivor featured many challenging food tasks, and during "Buggin' Out" castaways had to eat a variety of different foods that included bugs and other native appetizers. This game appeared in several seasons both as an individual challenge and a team challenge. For an individual challenge, the last person to finish each dish lost the game.
This challenge is perfect for Squid Game because it puts the players' minds to the test, and they must ask themselves how far are they willing to go (or, in this case, what their willing to eat) to make it through to the next round. To make the challenge a little more deadly for Squid Game, players could have a choice between two dishes - one is safe to eat while the other is poisonous.