Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Inga Parkel

Squid Game: The Challenge player reveals how much they earnt to appear on show

PETE DADDS/NETFLIX

Squid Game: The Challenge player 352, Radhika, has revealed how much she was paid for appearing on the reality show based on Netflix’s 2021 South Korean dystopian drama.

The 27-year-old engineer and business owner from the UK was one of 456 contestants who competed in a series of gruelling mental and physical challenges for the chance to win $4.56m (£3.55m), the largest lump-sum jackpot in reality TV history.

When asked on TikTok how much money she earned for her time on the show, Radhika answered: “Zero. Zero GBP, zero USD, zero rupees, zero Yuan, zero Pesos. Zero. Literally zero!

“It was all or nothing, and we were really in there acting like that for nothing because the stakes were so high,” she said in the recently posted video.

She did confirm, however, that the production covered all transportation costs for the participants, including international flights to London, where the majority of the show was filmed across 16 days.

“I don’t live too far from London, but they organised a taxi, a train, and literally anthing you can need for getting to the location, and also getting back home,” she continued.

“So yeah, we went in there with the clothes they gave us, [and] a bum bag full of toiletries,” Radhika added, “and we left with group trauma.”

Clarifying that she was just joking, she said: “We left with so many crazy, extreme, abstract memories. I think that’s the best way to put it. But it was such a wild experience, and I would not take it back for the world. And would I do it again for free? 100 per cent.”

In a separate TikTok video posted by player 243, Stephen, he revealed that some contestants were prematurely “booted from” the show after they broke the rules by “hooking up”.

Last week, player 301, Trey, revealed that several contestants used lubricated condoms to try and soothe their chapped lips.

The season finale, which will be released on Netflix on Wednesday, 6 December at 9pm EST/6pm PST, will see the three finalists: Mai (287), Phil (451)and Sam (016), face off in a grand finale event.

Read here to find out everything there is to know about the final three.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.