Squid Game: The Challenge Season 2 – Eliminated Players Reflect On Exits

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Be warned, this contains spoilers for season 2 of Squid Game: The Challenge! The first four episodes have arrived, and many contestants have already been eliminated. Based on the popular Korean drama Squid Game, this reality show features 456 players competing in both new and classic games for a grand prize of $4.56 million.

The second season of Squid Game: The Challenge features a diverse group of contestants, including people with jobs like office administrators and NFL cheerleaders, as well as a retired bomb technician and a stunt double from the Twilight films. Two players, Viper (Player 152), a DJ and fitness instructor, and Mark (Player 100), a customer service representative, were eliminated during a game of Catch. Viper was out when another player wouldn’t play, while Mark failed to catch the ball due to pressure from Ryan (Player 272).

In a recent interview with ScreenRant, Mark and Viper talked about their time on Squid Game: The Challenge season 2. Viper explained what happened during his elimination, which unexpectedly led to the removal of another player, Jonti (Player 118). Jonti had chosen Viper to play the Catch game for him, and Viper admitted he was completely unaware that this would result in a double elimination.

When we were at the hotel, I honestly didn’t realize that was part of the game at all. I was also surprised Jonti picked me, since we weren’t very close.

Viper admitted he didn’t fully trust his opponent on Squid Game, remembering an incident from season 2 of The Challenge where Jonti was upset. He confessed his first thought was dismissive – essentially telling himself to not feel bad for her. Despite being surprised Jonti picked him, Viper ultimately believed he was the right person for her to choose as a teammate.

Mark & Viper See Their Squid Game Eliminations As Stemming From The Challenge’s Unpredictability

During the Squid Game challenge you both failed, what did you discuss about what happened?

A lot of the challenges in this competition are unpredictable, so you just have to pick a path and stick with it. For example, with the ‘Catch’ game, we had to choose a line with other teams, not knowing what the challenge actually was. Once we understood the game, we could start to plan our strategy. That really sums up the whole show – you never know what’s coming next. You just have to take things one step at a time and hope for the best.

It was a really tough experience. I remember making my initial choice, then realizing my close friend, August (Player 111), hadn’t been selected – which meant he was out. I was devastated and actually cried walking out of the room, worried I’d never see him again. After that, I tried to focus on the next challenge, ‘Catch,’ and thought maybe I still had a chance. I talked strategy with Ryan, and thankfully we’ve made up since then – I don’t support bullying, but he apologized right away. It was hard to stay positive with so much going wrong, and ‘Catch’ turned out to be much more difficult than I expected, especially since I usually have good hand-eye coordination! I just couldn’t pull it off that day.

ScreenRant: Mark, please tell me you got to go to Star Wars Celebration in Japan!

Wow! We didn’t get to go to Star Wars Celebration, but we did have a fun time at Disneyland this week – we went to Star Wars Night and got to ride all the rides. I’m really hoping we can go to Celebration next time!

Looking back on last season, if you were to play again next season, would you do anything differently?

There are small details I might change, but overall, I’d play the game the same way. I’d continue to take charge when necessary and hold back when it felt right. You can’t really prepare for something like this – you just have to experience it and react in the moment. As long as I stay true to myself, both in and out of the game, I’m happy with how things went.

ScreenRant: How do you feel about the guy who turned around and refused to catch the ball?

Honestly, I thought his choice was pretty weak. He really needed to try! I always say you have to believe in yourself to succeed. If you’ve already decided you can’t do something, you probably won’t. That’s what happened with him. It was frustrating because he was playing with me at the time, which held me back too. It wasn’t fun to watch, and I doubt he’s happy looking back on it. We’re good – there’s no hard feelings – but we both could have played better.

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2025-11-05 23:59