The real-life version of "Squid Game" comes from popular YouTuber MrBeast, who recreated all six games in the show, and offered the princely sum of $456,000 to the lucky winner. Fortunately, MrBeast didn't embrace the dystopic nature of the show in full, so while the sets and costumes are rather accurately recreated in his video, the losing participants didn't actually lose their lives as well. Instead, MrBeast's team rigged all the contestants with special effect devices that pop once a contest is eliminated, creating a tiny "explosion" and a smoke cloud. What's more, upon elimination, they all received at least $2,000.
Just like the original, MrBeast's "Squid Game" sets 456 competitors against each other, with guards in red boiler suits watching as MrBeast himself narrates the proceedings — dressed in the Front Man's (played in the show by Lee Byung-hun) black garments, of course. While there are some small differences to the show's elaborate set pieces — such as the fact that many of the guards don't cover their faces — the production values of the video are pretty impressive. The Red Light, Green Light game has the creepy giant girl doll (that has some surprising origins all its own). They have a version of the show's massive dorm room, bunks and all. The dalgona is there, and the people who get the umbrella shape are just as horrified as you'd expect. Even the lighter scene is replicated.
Some of the sets, of course, had to be altered for safety. The deadly falls of the Tug-of-War and Glass Bridge are now comfy foam pits, and the dorm room battle has been replaced with the ddakji game Gi-hun (Lee Jung-jae) plays with the Salesman (Gong Yoo). The ultra-violent Squid Game itself has also been turned into a game of musical chairs, for obvious reasons.
