Kriti Mehrotra
If there’s one thing absolutely nobody can deny, it’s that Netflix’s ‘Squid Game: The Challenge‘ has lived up to its high expectations in every way, shape, and form, which honestly says a lot. That’s because this reality adaptation of the incredible South Korean original put everything at stake; there was no life or death situation involved, but there were millions and millions of dollars.
We actually refer to both the resources it took to make this production come to life as well as the astounding grand prize pot of $4.56 million — $10,000 for each of the partaking 456 players. Yet for now, if you simply wish to learn more about the money we see in the massive piggy bank hanging in the cast dormitory — mainly whether it was real cash or not — we’ve got you covered.
Is the Cash in the Prize Pot Fake or Real?
Well, the direct answer is a resounding no; the cold, hard $100 notes we see dropping into the dangling glass sphere following every elimination in ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ are entirely fake. In fact, this aspect is just there to replicate the way things transpire in the original show and not only attract viewers’ attention but also inadvertently push contestants to keep going no matter what.
After all, the physical proof of what awaits at the end of the tunnel — even if fake — motivates them to play the game for as long and as genuinely, ruthlessly, as well as strategically as possible. It basically encourages them not to stop or think about what/who they’ve left behind to be a part of this experience, especially because they have to stay away from loved ones, friends, work, and the entire real world for weeks on end.
We should also mention that although the funds we see are not real at any level, there is such careful thought behind it that each bundle totals up to precisely 6,000 phony dollars, according to reports. Moreover, per United Kingdom rules and regulations — where the series was filmed in its entirety — “All of that money you see coming down from that funnel had to be looked after 24/7 by a security guard” since it could be used for heinous counterfeiting purposes. “Even when you have that amount of what is effectively fake money,” executive producer Tim Harcourt candidly told Netflix’s Tudum recently, “it has to be guarded by a security firm, by law.”
Read More: Squid Game The Challenge Season 1: Where Are the Contestants Now?
