Squid Game: The Challenge Fans Are Furious Over Player 278's Glass Bridge Controversy
"Squid Game: The Challenge" kicked off its run on Netflix on November 22, turning the dystopian thriller into a real-world competition show. The series sees a group of 456 contestants compete in a gauntlet of challenges in pursuit of a $4.56 million prize. Naturally, these challenges aren't life-threatening like those on the real "Squid Game," but that doesn't mean that some competitors don't treat them as life-or-death scenarios. Take Player 278, real name Ashley Tolbert, for example, who has raised some eyebrows for her actions during the Glass Bridge challenge.
The rules of this game are simple: contestants are assigned a number between 1 and 20, and in the order of the numbers they draw, they must cross a bridge comprised of glass tiles. Some tiles are safe, while others will drop when stepped on, resulting in contestants falling through and being eliminated. Some of the players involved decide they will take their turns one step at a time instead of trying to figure out the entire bridge individually in one turn. This way, everyone has a fair shot at victory. Player 278, who drew fifth, doesn't go along with this plan. This prompts fan favorite Player 301, Trey Plutnicki, to take multiple steps and inevitably fall through.
In the wake of this challenge, "Squid Game: The Challenge" viewers have expressed frustration and disappointment with Player 278 and her inability to be a team player.
Many Squid Game: The Challenge fans took to social media to angrily discuss the Player 278 situation
Upon watching the Glass Bridge challenge, "Squid Game: The Challenge" fans hopped on social media platforms such as Reddit to discuss Player 278's actions. Unsurprisingly, the majority of the comments regarding her behavior were far from kind.
"Imagine the lack of foresight that she must have. By pulling the stunt she did, everyone hates her, and she still ended up having to do THE EXACT SAME THING SHOULD WAS SUPPOSED TO DO IN THE FIRST PLACE," wrote u/Apprehensive_Alarm34, highlighting the foolish nature of her decision to look out for herself. u/Atalos1126 couldn't believe Player 278's choices either, calling her "hands down the worst person and player on the show by far" in their comment. They also wonder why none of the other players went out of their way to speak out about the situation.
Expanding on that point, u/Salt-Library4330 commented, "Everyone enabled her. Trey should've stood his ground and quit jumping. And the guy behind her shouldn't have stepped up till she fell smh." Others brought up the fact that she went along with the team strategy once doing so would benefit her — a choice that only further fueled the fire against her. "She went ahead anyway after Trey left, and then proceeded to make only ONE guess – which was the strategy agreed upon to begin with! Make it make sense," said u/ffflyin on that aspect of Player 278's supposed game plan.
Player 278 has addressed and defended her actions
Between the Glass Bridge fiasco and her actions during previous challenges, Player 278 evidently doesn't have the best reputation among "Squid Game: The Challenge" audiences. In fact, it's no stretch to say that she has become something of an antagonist in their eyes, especially since she has owned up to such a label herself. "Somebody has to be the villain, and it lands on me for not taking an extra jump," she said during a chat with Entertainment Weekly, where she discussed what went down during the Glass Bridge challenge.
During the interview, she made an interesting point regarding the nature of the aforementioned competition. She told the publication, "I made it across the bridge and I used what I had to get what I want. Was I helping people on the bridge? Probably not, but it wasn't a team effort." She's not wrong, as the Glass Bridge challenge was designed for every player to fend for themself, so, technically speaking, she was just doing what she had to do to get by. Thus, she added that she stands by her actions and would repeat them if she found herself in that scenario again.
The season finale of "Squid Game: The Challenge" arrives on Netflix on December 6.