Editor’s Note: This story contains spoilers from season 2, episode 1 of “Squid Game: The Challenge.”
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — When Staten Island native Sydney Belle tuned into Netflix’s “Squid Game: The Challenge” Season 2 premiere last week, she was ready to relive one of the wildest weeks of her life. But there was just one problem: Netflix said she was from Ohio.
“I’ve never even been to Ohio,” Sydney told the Advance/SILive.com, laughing. “I don’t really know what’s in Ohio besides “Glee.” I guess it was one of those very unlucky typos. I don’t know. But I’m settling the record straight now — I’m from Staten Island, New York, born and raised.”
A true South Shore local, Sydney, 23, went to Totten Intermediate School (IS 34) before graduating from Tottenville High School. These days, she lives just across the bridge in New Jersey, but she still spends plenty of time on Staten Island, especially when it comes to celebrating milestones like this one.
Sydney Belle celebrating her appearance on “Squid Game: The Challenge” Season 2 with friends and family at Marbella Restaurant in Stapleton.Courtesy of Sydney Belle
At Marbella Restaurant in Stapleton, surrounded by friends and family, Sydney hosted her own premiere party. The crowd gathered to watch her debut in Episode 1 of the Netflix competition, a spin-off of the hit Korean survival drama that has become a pop-culture phenomenon in recent years.
“It was my close friends and family for a little intimate premiere,” Sydney said. “Although the show said Ohio, it was very important for me to represent Staten Island. So I was like, I have to do it at my favorite restaurant on the Island, Marbella. And it was absolutely fabulous. Really, it was everything I could have dreamt of.”
Her loved ones cheered her on as she faced one of the season’s first challenges — the “Pentathlon” — a five-part obstacle course that tested both teamwork and skill.
“Everybody was cracking up the whole time,” she said. “My mom, too. She was like, ‘You have the same cry face from when you were 2.’ Everyone has been so, so supportive, and I love them so much.”
For Sydney, who built her following online through beauty, fashion and lighthearted mother-daughter videos, being on “Squid Game: The Challenge” was a world away from her day-to-day life as a full-time content creator.
Sydney Belle, left, with mother Michelle Belle, celebrating Sydney’s appearance on “Squid Game: The Challenge” Season 2 at Marbella Restaurant in Stapleton.Courtesy of Sydney Belle
Her mom, Michelle, a constant presence in her videos and a fan favorite among her followers, became a quiet source of strength during filming, even from afar. Sydney said she often thought about how her mom would react to seeing her in such high-stakes moments.
“It was very high stress. A lot of people watch it and I’m sure are like, ‘Why is this girl crying? Like, it’s a game.’ But I swear, emotions are so heightened in there,” Sydney said. “I was praying a lot and, like, really channeling my mom, because I knew she’d be like, ‘Syd, it’s a game, you got it, just, do it.’”
Filmed in London, the show gathered 456 contestants from around the world competing for a $4.56 million prize. Sydney’s episode centered around a counting challenge, which eliminated half of the contestants off the bat, and the “Six-Legged Pentathlon” challenge, a sequence of traditional Korean games that required teamwork, coordination and focus under pressure.
For her, that meant facing “gonggi,” a Korean version of jacks.
“I was terrified. I knew my contribution affected my whole team, and I really didn’t want to let anyone down,” she said. “I was very nervous because I knew I did not practice enough — I had only practiced the gonggi maybe five times at home.” Still, she pushed through: “a girl’s got to do what a girl’s got to do.”
Sydney Belle celebrating her appearance on “Squid Game: The Challenge” Season 2 with friends and family at Marbella Restaurant in Stapleton.Courtesy of Sydney Belle
Sydney said the experience tested her patience and perseverance in ways she didn’t expect.
“I was crying a lot. But, ultimately, I needed to lock in. So I did what I had to do,” she said. “And honestly, my team was so, so supportive. I love them to pieces. They could have been yelling at me, and if they were yelling at me, I probably wouldn’t have done it.”
When it came to how she came across on-screen, Sydney was relieved when she finally saw how the show portrayed her.
“I think they portrayed me exactly like how I am. I’m a doof. I get very, very worried and I cry a lot and I’m also a diva,” Sydney laughed. “Me and my mom were thrilled because you never know. They could’ve made me look like a mean girl. So I’ll definitely take the spoiled girl edit. I was happy with that.”
Sydney Belle, a content creator from Tottenville, competed in Netflix’s “Squid Game: The Challenge” Season 2.Courtesy of Sydney Belle
While she didn’t walk away with $4.56 million, Sydney said the experience gave her a new kind of confidence — and maybe even a taste for more time on screen.
“Hopefully this is just the beginning,” she said. “I want to do so many more. Let’s manifest all of it, because I want to do it all. This was so out of my comfort zone, but it honestly made me grow so much as a person and I am so, so grateful for the experience. It’s really a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
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