AN Irish social media star is among hundreds of contestants hoping to win millions in the new reality TV series Squid Game.
Based on the deadly game in the fictional 2021 series of the same name, Netflix released their reality version this week.
Donegal native Eric Roberts – a TikTok star with over 800,000 followers - is the only applicant from southern Ireland to make the cut and went up against 455 other contestants, including one from Belfast in the North, who are all vying for the $5million prize.
The first five episodes of Squid Game: The Challenge are now available to watch, with more due to drop next week before the final airs the week after.
Social Media influencer Eric Roberts is a contestant on Squid Games: The ChallengeThe show, which was filmed in January in London, began with the famous red light green light challenge, where half of the total contestants are immediately knocked out.
Due to agreements with Netflix, Roberts had to keep his involvement a secret all year, telling only some close friends and family.
Now that the series has begun airing he has spoken out about the experience
“It’s amazing to be able to finally speak about this after having to keep such an incredible and totally one-in-a-million experience to myself for so long,” he said this week.
“They took our phones away when we got to London, and I went ghost online throughout the filming period.
“I had so many messages when I finally got my phone back, wondering what had happened, but I couldn’t tell anyone where I was”.
Squid Game: The Challenge was released on Netflix this weekHe added: “As incredible as the experience was, as you can expect from a reality reenactment of the iconic Squid Games series, we were pushed to our absolute limits.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.
“The hunger and lack of sleep was horrible, and when you mix that with having to play these high pressure games it was a real physical and mental battle.
“I was chosen to face some of the most difficult challenges in the games, luck was against me.
“But I made sure I wasn't going to be eliminated because of bad luck. It's safe to say most people will never experience anything like this in their life".
The Irish influencer is unable to talk about how far he gets in the series, due to non-disclosure agreements made with Netflix.
But he admits he is "very proud about how far I got”.
“Let's just say I represent Ireland very well," he added.
