Squid Game: The Challenge Viewers Already Hate One Player - But Do They 'Die'?

Television Reality TV

Contains spoilers for “Squid Game: The Challenge”

“Squid Game” remains one of the most popular Netflix series ever, and as audiences wait for Season 2, they’ll have to make do with the reality series based on the show — “Squid Game: The Challenge.” The show takes away the death and larger criticisms surrounding capitalism and provides a challenge-based series where contestants play children’s games to earn a large cash prize. However, one thing the show has in common with the original “Squid Game” is that there are heroes and villains, with one player, in particular, assuming the role of the latter.

It didn’t take long for Bryton Constantin, a.k.a. Player 432, to rub people the wrong way. In Episode 2 — “The Man With the Umbrella” — Husnain Asif (Player 198) called him a “frat boy,” which clearly wasn’t meant as a term of endearment. Constantin’s bio on Netflix even mentions how “he tends to be very outgoing and confident,” but people on social media would call it something else. Take these unkind words from @KamDanvers on X, formerly known as Twitter: “432 from Squid Game The Challenge should shut the f*** up! So arrogant.”

X user @TrojanKing86 was quickly wishing for a swift elimination, writing, “Please eliminate Bryton: most cocky annoying self absorbed idiot that doesn’t even make sense.” Those viewers got their wish in Episode 3 — “War” — where players engage in a human-sized version of “Battleship,” which the show dubs “Warships.” Constantin’s boat gets sunk, and he goes home. His disappointment is palpable in his confessional, where he says, “Damn. You know, I really thought I was going to make it all the way.”

Bryton Constantin’s fate was out of his hands

The thing about “Squid Game: The Challenge” is that the games are designed to test myriad skills. It’s not purely about physical strength, an attribute Bryton Constantin prided himself in. His Netflix bio mentions how he rides dirt bikes and works out, and he definitely assumes a more jock-like attitude throughout the series. There’s no doubt that helped him earn the “frat boy” moniker, but he also displays some underhandedness that likely didn’t earn him any fans either.

Take the Dalgona Cookie Challenge, where contestants have to carve a design out of a cookie; this is pulled straight from the original “Squid Game” show. Here, Constantin convinces Spencer (Player No. 299) to take the umbrella cookie, which has a more difficult design to get out. He promises Spencer to help him if there’s time left, and it’s only after the fact they discover players cannot help one another, which Constantin appears to have assumed was the case. Karma comes swiftly, as Constantin’s fate is placed in someone else’s hands during “Warships.” The captain of his team tells him to reposition his boat from where he wanted it to be, and it proves to be a fateful choice.

For some, Constantin’s elimination has been the highlight of “Squid Game: The Challenge” so far, with @RaphaelPace writing on X, “Had to skim through Squid Game The Challenge just to watch 432 get eliminated.” Reality show or prestige drama, every show needs a villain. “Squid Game” made ruthless gangster Jang Deok-su (Heo Sung-tae) the contestant viewers loved to hate, so it only makes sense that “Squid Game: The Challenge” would need a contestant that irritated viewers the same way. Constantin may not win the $4.56 million grand prize, but he definitely made an impression.