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当然被淘汰了

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behind-the-scenes look

Darylle Johnson, a board game designer from Surrey B.C., was contestant 273 on the show. She said her background in games was part of her strategic approach to the show.

"I love strategy, like escape rooms and, like, just figuring out puzzles and things. And so that attracted me to this show in particular."

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But a lot of it was less about strategy and more based on "luck," Johnson said. One thing that she said stood out was the day-to-day stress of the show.

"It was really chaotic.... I mean, I've always looked at reality shows and kind of judged people a little bit for crying on TV or being overly dramatic or, you know, building these really strong friendships in, like, four days or six days," she said.

"And I completely get it now because you're immersed in this environment where you've got no phones, no TV, no nothing. All you have is each other."

• NEW Squid Game: The Challenge is pretty good. It also embodies everything Squid Game condemned

One competition in particular was much more difficult than viewers may realize, Johnson said.

"The show itself made Red Light, Green Light seem like it was five minutes long. It was nine-and-a-half hours ... in below-freezing weather, just in this little tracksuit," she said. "It's hard to really explain what that was like. Just to hold a position for 20 or 30 minutes in the freezing cold and then sprint. Like, it was very hard to not give up."

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Johnson said she was able to successfully get through the game with just seconds to spare. Unfortunately, she was eliminated as a lieutenant going down with her warship(s) in the third episode.

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She said despite her elimination, the Battleship competition was one of her most memorable experiences.

"I used to be a very shy person. So this moment was the OK, I'm just gonna be brave, speak up and, like, put myself out there. And I was, like, 'Hey guys, I'm a strategist. I make games. They say there's going to be twists and turns in this show. So what if there are twists and turns in this game? Let's put me up there to be able to navigate.'"

Along with the games, Johnson said living in the dorms was a "surreal experience."

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"It was just one big room with 200-something bunks and these bright lights that were just constantly on. And no music, no other sounds. It's just the voices of each other."

And that one rumour, circulating online, is certainly true. "I think by Day 3, everybody's lips were just ridiculously chapped," she said.

Johnson said contestants began using such things as hair conditioner and lubricant to prevent chapped lips, and when the staff found out what was going on, they provided people with containers of Chapstick.

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The last three remaining competitors in Netflix's Squid Game: The Challenge were, left to right, Sam Lantz, 37, of Florida; Mai Whelan, 55, of Virginia; and Phill Cain, 27, of Hawaii. The winner of the $4.56 million US prize — the biggest in reality TV history — was crowned on Wednesday night. (Netflix