When the South Korean series Squid Game made its debut on Netflix this past September, it quickly became an international sensation.
The dystopian drama series, where impoverished contestants compete in deadly challenges based on children's games to win a massive cash prize, quickly became the streamer's most watched show to date.
Now, thanks to social media superstar Mr. Beast, Squid Game super fans have their chance to actually partake in the games.
A concept which has left people severely divided.
This past October Mr. Beast posted a video to his TikTok page where he promised if the video got more than 10 million likes, he would "recreate Squid Games in real life."
@mrbeast It’s in your hands tik tok
Mr. Beast, who's real name is Jimmy Donaldson, is well known for his YouTube channel featuring expensive stunts and challenges for sky-high cash prizes.
Though he has also made headlines for using both his YouTube channel as well as his celebrity for charitable causes.
According to Newsweek, the video received over 10 million likes in roughly 11 hours
The 23-year-old influencer and philanthropist subsequently posted an update, claiming he was "grabbing random TikTok followers to compete in his Squid Game."
@mrbeast #stitch comment what number contestant you want to be :)
The comments section of the update was filled with fans eager to partake in the real life Squid Game.
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@mrbeast/TikTok
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@mrbeast/TikTok
@mrbeast/TikTok
This past weekend, Mr. Beast showed fans his replica of the hit series' set, including the iconic and terrifying giant doll from the deadly "red light/green light" game.
@mrbeast Reply to @m1.6zzz since you all have been asking… #beastgame
Mr. Beast revealed the project was a multimillion dollar undertaking, and the cash prize would be likewise.
Impressive as the recreation was, the project was met with a decidedly mixed reaction on Twitter.
As was to be expected, there were several fans who were in awe of what he achieved and put themselves forward as prospective competitors.
But Mr. Beast was also met with a sizable amount of backlash, with several pointing out he missed the point of the show, intended to be a critique of capitalism and class disparity.
Others believed his money could have been put towards a far worthier cause.
However, a number of Mr. Beast's more devoted fans quickly came to his defense, bringing attention to his highly successful philanthropic efforts which include raising over $20 million for the Arbor Day foundation.
With the TikTok video having received over 33 million views and over five million likes, it seems Mr. Beast's real life version of Squid Game has the potential to cause as big a sensation as the original show.
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