The VIPs are no longer watching from behind gilded masks. This time, they’re playing.
Netflix has officially announced Squid Game: The VIP Challenge, a celebrity edition of the hit competition spinoff that will drop eight well-known personalities into the franchise’s nightmare of childhood games turned dramatic strategy battles.
On the show, “eight VIPs will step into the high stakes game and put their wit, strategy and skillset to the ultimate test.”
Meet the VIP Cast of ‘Squid Game: The VIP Challenge’
Here’s who’s trading red carpets for red light, green light:
Dylan Efron (The Traitors)
Fresh off winning season 3 of The Traitors as a Faithful and placing fourth on Dancing with the Stars season 34, Efron is a surprisingly strong competitor. Strategic, social, and calm under pressure, he may be one of the early favorites.
Hannah Godwin (The Bachelor)
The season 23 finalist and Bachelor in Paradise alum turned influencer knows how to navigate alliances and shifting loyalties. Reality TV politics are practically second nature.
Kim Zolciak (The Real Housewives of Atlanta)
A Bravo original who has survived multiple seasons of reunion show warfare, Zolciak brings veteran reality savvy. She’s also competed on Dancing with the Stars and appeared on The Surreal Life, so she’s no stranger to pressure-cooker formats.
RELATED: Who Won ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ Season 2?
Kristy Sarah (Content Creator)
The Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree built a massive following through high-energy family content and pranks.
Mel B (Spice Girls)
Scary Spice herself, with over 100 million records sold as part of the Spice Girls and years of experience judging high-stakes talent competitions. She also finished runner-up on Dancing with the Stars, so she has shown can be a fierce competitor.
Ryan Serhant (Owning Manhattan)
The luxury real estate mogul and Netflix reality lead has built a career on reading rooms and closing deals.
Tristan Thompson (NBA Champion)
The 2016 NBA champion brings endurance and athleticism. Whether that translates into the psychological warfare of Squid Game remains to be seen, but he is no stranger to reality TV. His ex is none other than Khloe Kardashian, with whom he shares two children, True and Tatum.
Viper Glanton (Squid Game: The Challenge)
Fans will remember Viper from season 2 of Squid Game: The Challenge, where his bold “back of the line” strategy during the emotionally charged “Catch” game backfired in heartbreaking fashion. He told Parade at the time, “Honestly and truly, when we were all strategizing in my mind—I was like, I just cracked Da Vinci’s code.”
His elimination became one of the season’s most talked-about moments, and now he gets a second shot, this time among celebrities.
What Is ‘Squid Game: The VIP Challenge’?
While Netflix has not yet revealed the specific games or prize structure, the format suggests this will mirror Squid Game: The Challenge, which crowned its most recent winner after weeks of social maneuvering, brutal eliminations and insane twists.
The original spinoff began with 456 contestants competing for $4.56 million, delivering some of the most tense reality competition television of the year.
But now, the VIP lounge is empty. The famous faces won’t just be observing the chaos. They’ll be inside it.
This story was originally published by Parade on Mar 3, 2026, where it first appeared in the TV section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
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