How to Get Cast in Squid Game: The Challenge – Casting Directors Interview

Collider Interviews

Like: 4

Most reality TV competition shows require casting teams to track down a small group of competitors with the potential to become stars. Squid Game: The Challenge, however, is a whole different beast. Just like the award-winning drama series, Hwang Dong-hyuk’s Squid Game, The Challenge needs a grand total of 456 players, and every single one of them needs to be a compelling player and a worthy winner. How exactly does one go about finding a whopping 456 reality TV stars that’d inspire viewers to get behind them over the course of the show’s run? That’s on casting directors Erika Dobrin and Robyn Kass.

Dobrin and Kass are both hugely accomplished reality television casting directors. Kass has worked on Big Brother for 13 seasons and also specializes in dating series, while Dobrin’s credits include The Biggest Loser, Dating #NoFilter, and many more. While all that experience likely comes in handy, Squid Game: The Challenge demanded a very different approach to the work. Upholding the blueprint of the drama series, The Challenge starts with 456 players. Those players must power through a series of games inspired by childhood classics, like “Red Light, Green Light” and a version of Battleship. Every time a contestant is eliminated, $10,000 is added to the jackpot until, ultimately, two finalists are vying for a grand total of $4.56 million. Day one, everyone has a shot, and that means Dobrin and Kass must cast every single individual with confidence that, should they get the most screen time and make it to the end, they’ll strike the necessary chord to keep viewers engaged and invested.

With Squid Game: The Challenge looking to be a strong contender this Emmy season, Dobrin and Kass took the time to join me for an extended chat covering the challenges of casting a first season of a reality TV show, what made the Squid Game casting process unique, and what tips they’d offer folks eager to snag one of 456 spots on the Season 2 roster.

For interviews, movie reviews, and more visit

13.06.2024