TikTok influencer Eric Roberts has broken his silence after being cast in Netflix's new reality show based on the extremely popular Korean web series Squid Game.
The Donegal native, who is already one of the most followed Irish people on social media, will compete in Squid Game: The Challenge, which sees the biggest cash prize in reality TV history up for grabs, with $5 million (nearly €4.6 million) on the line.
Roberts, who was spotted in the Netflix released trailer last week, will be the only Republic of Ireland applicant to make the final 456 contestants that will be pushed to their limits - while another contestant is from Belfast. The show landed on Netflix this morning, dropping the first five episodes, with more to follow in the coming weeks.
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Squid Game: The Challenge was filmed in January 2023 in London and Netflix spared no expense with mind-blowing sets and a totally immersive experience. Due to agreements with Netflix, Eric had to keep his involvement a secret all year, telling only some close friends and family. With a loyal following online of over 800,000, Eric knew the word would spread fast if the news broke.
Now that the first five episodes have dropped, Eric says: "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 added: "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."
The TikToker, who also recently moved into media presenting with regular slots on Ireland AM and other media brands such as LadBible Ireland, continued: "As incredible as the experience was, as you can expect from a reality re-enactment 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."
Eric further said he was chosen to face "some of the most difficult challenges in the games", however he added: "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."
Eric himself today announced the news on his Instagram account saying: "I’M ON NETFLIX Squid games the challenge is out now!!!! the biggest reality show of all time!!"
Eric isn't able to say much about how far he gets in the series due to NDA agreements made with Netflix. However all he is able to say is that he is "very proud about how far I got. Let's just say I represent Ireland very well".
Five episodes of the new reality series dropped on Netflix Ireland today, with four then following next week and the final episode the week after.
You can follow Instagram at @eric.roberts__ and TikTok @ericroberts44.
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