This YouTuber made an IRL 'Squid Game' with $456,000 on the line for competitors
Would you join a real-life Squid Game?
YouTuber Mr. Beast brought the hit Netflix series to life gathering 456 people to compete for a $456,000 grand prize, without the life-or-death implications.
The YouTuber had competitors play all the childhood games the characters did on the show—from "red light, green light," sugar honeycombs, tug of war, marbles, the glass bridge, and more.
What's amazing about this iteration is that Mr. Beast and his team recreated the Squid Game set down to a T. He allegedly spent around $3.5 million on the video: $2 million for production and $1.5 million more for prizes.
Around 2 mil to build and produce and 1.5 mil in prizes
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) November 13, 2021
The costly construction of the set lasted for over a month.
Recreating Squid Games is costing more then I thought it would but i’m in to deep to stop now lol pic.twitter.com/Z196lyz4Ig
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) November 7, 2021
As of writing, this Squid Game in real life video, uploaded on Nov. 25, sits at #1 on YouTube's trending page with over 25 million views.
Lavish spending backlash
Once the YouTuber shared details like the cost of the project, it became a topic of discussion among users online.
Some have pointed out that it seems a little tone-deaf. In Squid Game, people with crushing debt were pit against each other for the entertainment of the wealthy—which some say Mr. Beast is also doing. He has since responded to this, saying people are missing the point.
Others mentioned that the YouTuber should've just put the money he spent on the video to charity.
WHY CANT MR BEAST USE ALL OF HIS MONEY TO UM…. HELP PEOPLE IN NEED MAYBE????? INSTEAD OF MAKING SUCH AN IRONIC SQUID GAME! pic.twitter.com/ciEE9sT7YW
— ??non suspicous normal account?? (@2498_C7) November 15, 2021
However, as plenty of users defended, Mr. Beast has done his fair share of philanthropy—he has a YouTube channel where 100% of the revenue goes to a food pantry. He also pledged $30 million to clean up the world's oceans.
People really bagging on @MrBeast about the squid game, need to take a long look in the mirror and realize they don't even do .000001 percent of what he does for charity pic.twitter.com/ONpiYlh1oh
— JurrasicBook (@BookJurrasic) November 15, 2021
Aside from Mr. Beast, TV personality Chrissy Teigan got on the internet's bad side after hosting a lavish Squid Game-themed party.
"This is so beyond tone-deaf as a millionaire to invite your rich friends over and reenact Squid Game which is rooted in the violence of capitalism," one user commented on Teigan's Instagram post of her in a Squid Game doll costume.