Squid Game: The Challenge Contestants Axed for 'Hooking Up'

Summary

• With one final episode of Squid Game: The Challenge remaining, some of the eliminated players began to share their experiences.
• One of them, Stephen Lomas, talked about how some players were eliminated early due to attempts to 'hook up.'
• However, during the show itself, this rule seems to have been lifted.

Whether or not you think Squid Game: The Challenge is ethically problematic or not, there's no denying the incredible popularity the reality competition has enjoyed since it began airing on November 22.

On the day the first five episodes were released, the spin-off of the Korean survival thriller took the number one spot in the top 10 most-watched shows on Netflix in the US and UK. That's not surprising, as it's one of the biggest reality competition shows in history, boasting both the largest number of contestants and the largest prize — a whopping $4.56 million.

And of course, the beauty of Squid Game: The Challenge is how much it is driven by the diverse contestants who reveal themselves in stressful situations, as ordinary people in ordinary lives. One of the most popular was number 243, Stephen Lomas, who managed to form one of the strongest alliances around him. Sadly, Stephen was eliminated in the fifth episode, but this allowed him to reveal many interesting details about the show's backstory. In particular, he disclosed that some contestants were eliminated because they tried to hook up.

Some Contestants Were Eliminated Before the Show Even Started

Although Stephen tried to hide his internet persona during the show, he and his wife Alix are known to many for their social media activities, including Instagram and Tiktok. On November 28, Stephen published a remarkable post in which he interacted with his fans.

Answering one of the questions, he said that even before the start of filming at Warf Studios London, each of the contestants was individually isolated in a separate room so as not to have any idea about their future allies and competitors.

'[We were] not allowed to interact or talk to each other,' he shared. 'Some people got caught sneaking into each other's rooms and hooking up so they got booted from the show.' So we'll probably never know what numbers they had, but they were obviously replaced quickly.

Stephen also revealed that he himself almost got kicked off the show along with his friend Chase, number 456, who was eliminated in the second episode during the Dalgona Challenge.

'But they were like, "Oh, they came here together anyway so they're fine,"' he concluded.

Was There a Similar Rule During the Show?

While this was unlikely to be possible during filming, the producers were clearly concerned that some contestants would still get close and want to spend time in a more intimate setting. For example, number 301, Trey, told EW that in the absence of chapstick, many tried to make up for it with the only thing available — lubricated condoms.

In other words, the rule was clearly not working when the show started!

When Will We Know the Results of the Finale?

The final tenth episode will pit the remaining three contestants, 37-year-old Florida artist and business owner Sam Lantz at number 016, 55-year-old Virginia immigration judge Mai Whelan at number 287, and 27-year-old New Jersey musician Phill Cain at number 451, against each other for the ultimate cash prize.

Judging from the promo materials, we should expect the finale to be about the same as the K-drama, including a lavish but tragic finalist dinner. However, considering that the producers have impressed contestants with unexpected plot twists in the previous episodes, we can expect anything from the upcoming episode. The main thing is that there should be no stabbings!

The tenth episode will be available to US Netflix subscribers today, December 6, at 9 pm ET. UK subscribers will have to wait a little longer as the episode will be released on December 7 at 2am ET.

Source: Instagram, EW.