Following the success of “Squid Game” and capitalizing on its ad revenue, a special edition known as Parasquid Games will be held to determine Medicaid eligibility. Those who are in the process of applying for Medicaid but have been turned down, as well as those whose eligibility is uncertain, are encouraged to apply. Much like in “Squid Game,” contestants will compete in a series of (deadly) children's games — but with mobility aids, ramps and ASL interpreters this time!
Since there are consistently hundreds of thousands of applicants on Medicaid waiting lists, narrowing the recipients down to only 456 has proved difficult.
“Ultimately, our goal is to make a lot of ad money — uhhh, I mean to, to promote healthy lifestyles! We look for people who really inspire viewers to cheer them on daily on channel 8 at 7 p.m. central time. You know — someone who you can look at and instantly feel like, ‘Wow! I'm glad I'm not that bad!' But even though they are, they still keep living,” says Lucy Morningstar, a producer and casting director.
We also had the opportunity to meet with a couple of the contestants and learn about their motivations. Most stated something along the lines of, “Well, what other choice do we have?” But some, including Jessica Moss, a woman with lupus, remained hopeful.
“You know, I'm just going to chug a coffee and go out there and put my whole lupussy into the competition,” Moss said. “I have to constantly tell myself that I can do this and it will work out; there's no way to keep going if you don't.”