‘Filthy and only 2 hours sleep’: What it’s really like on Netflix’s most traumatic show

What would you be willing to sacrifice to win the $4.56 million (£3.6m) prize on Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge?

Could you face public shaming for lying to other contestants, like one player did when he invented a story about his fake pregnant girlfriend?

For Jacob – aka Player 432 – a good night’s sleep was a small price to pay to have a chance at winning such a grand prize… but it doesn’t mean it was easy.

Speaking to Metro ahead of the release of the second season of the Squid Game reality series on Netflix, Jacob explains what most viewers aren’t able to understand by watching it from home.

‘It’s the eating and sleeping part, definitely,’ he tells me.

‘You just don’t see any clocks, so you don’t know what time it is. I could barely sleep in there because you’ve got snorers, you’ve got the movers. It’s terrible.

‘I was running on like two hours of sleep a day not knowing what time of day it was.

‘It got to a point where I was just so tired but I had to be awake because the game is so intense. I started hallucinating a little bit because I’d close my eyes, then suddenly I’d have to wake up and it’s time to play.’

Entering Squid Games alongside his twin brother, Raul (Player 431), Jacob is aware of the massive target on their backs.

‘We knew that we would have eyes on us,’ he says.

‘Obviously we’ve seen the previous shows where because there’s two siblings, they’re a target. So we just accepted that and moved forward.’

Raul continues: ‘When you’ve got a bond like we do, nothing’s going to break us. We’ve been best friends since we were born.’

Prior to entering the games, the pair shared a terrifying moment when Jacob suffered a seizure back in 2022.

Raul caught Jacob as he began foaming at the mouth and his eyes rolled to the back of his head.

Speaking about the impact this had on them entering the show, Jacob explains: ‘It was such an intense situation, especially that age, I’m just proud that I overcame it and it was it was all fine.

‘I just didn’t see it as a negative. It didn’t stop me. It made me want to push out of my boundaries more and be more confident.’

Also speaking to Metro, Faith (Player 361), revealed how contestants live on the bare necessities.

‘We really do just get our one metal water bottle,’ she says.

‘When we look crusty and we have dandruff, it’s because we really aren’t showering as much as we normally would.

‘And it’s the strangest thing because I’ve never been so happy to be such a filthy, unsanimate creature in my life. But I think people at home would be surprised to know that it really was that bad in the best way.’

Asked about how stressful playing these games were, Melissa (Player 110) reveals: ‘The second I walked into these challenges I immediately started crying.

‘The level of intensity when you are strapped into a squid vest, I don’t think you can understand what that feels like. My heart immediately would drop every time.

‘The intensity was so much more than you could even imagine. They’re simple games, but we really were fighting for our lives.

‘$4million is a huge amount of money, and you don’t realise what that feels like until you are put under that kind of pressure.’

The eight-part Emmy nominated series returns next month, with the first four episodes airing on November 4 introducing us to the 456 brand-new contestants.

On November 11, the following four episodes will air, as shocking new twists and never-before-seen games are played.

Squid Game: The Challenge Season 2 airs on November 4 on Netflix.

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