Squid Game: The Challenge Makes An Unexpected Change To The Dalgona Game
Contains spoilers for "Squid Game: The Challenge"
"Squid Game: The Challenge" takes the games from the hit Netflix series and turns them into a genuine reality competition, with hundreds of people vying for the $4.56 million grand prize. There are certainly deviations from the original show, but fans should recognize plenty of the games transferring over, such as the infamous "Red Light, Green Light" challenge. Netflix even provided an authentic recreation of the set.
Another familiar game is the "Dalgona Cookie Challenge," where players have to lick and carve a specific shape out of a cookie. Breaking said design results in elimination. However, the reality series changes the rules a bit when this game comes up. In "Squid Game," players are asked to form lines in front of shapes before learning those shapes are what they have to get out of the cookies. In "Squid Game: The Challenge," contestants are told to form four lines. Each line must decide which shape to carve together, and it must be unanimous within two minutes. The first group, consisting of Players 328, 098, 166, and 170, fail to decide, with Player 098 refusing to accept the umbrella shape, which is understandably difficult.
It's a noteworthy change because people get eliminated before the game even starts, which didn't happen in "Squid Game." It's a good way to keep contestants on their toes. Just because they watched "Squid Game" doesn't mean they can anticipate everything that'll happen.
It's a necessary change to maintain the tension of Squid Game
"Squid Game" shocks audiences with its brutal killings of players who fail to complete each respective game. The reality series simply eliminates players, but there still needs to be a sense of tension, and the change to the "Dalgona Cookie Challenge" accomplishes that. In the original show, contestants don't know what the shapes correlate to. When they realize they have to carve the shapes out of cookies, with protagonist Seong Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) getting the most difficult umbrella, it adds stress to the proceedings.
If a similar format had been followed for "Squid Game: The Challenge," everyone would've lined up for the triangle since it's easiest to carve along three straight lines. Player 098 clearly thought getting the umbrella out of the cookie was impossible and chose a swift elimination rather than attempting it anyway. Seong Gi-hun got it out, but not without great effort.
Changing up the rules isn't the only way "Squid Game: The Challenge" keeps players guessing. New games that weren't part of "Squid Game" are added to throw players for loopers. For example, Episode 3 — "War" — includes a game called "Warships," which is basically a high-stakes version of "Battleship." Captains designate players for boat positions on a board, and if a ship is sunk, those players go home. "Squid Game: The Challenge" shows how strategy is just as important (if not more so) than brute strength. Part of that involves seeing how contestants respond to curve balls, and some just can't handle it.