just the clarify in case anyone is confused - i mean the game, not the actual show. also the theory is just for fun so don’t sue me haha.

oh, and spoilers. obviously lol.

when the VIPs came down and talking about who they placed their bets on, my immediate thought was that the contestants were unknowingly in some sort of reality TV show.

we never see who the VIPs are, apart from two - the old man and the puma mask. when il-nam explains to gi-hun that he and his friends wanted to gamble on people and not horses, he never explains why they’re so wealthy.

i believe that the VIPs are all high up in different, worldwide TV channels - worldwide as the VIPs also all had different accents.

the games started in the 90s (due to the fact that we see files when jun-ho is investigating), and became a worldwide phenomenon. as we see countless times, humanity isn’t always good. we let things slide and only few people care to help out.

the doctor helping out the staff could also be evidence, as whenever a member of staff is on the security cameras, they delete the footage. if the viewers knew that the doctor was helping the staff, the show would be in hot water. so not only do the contestants not know of this, neither do the viewers. when the players see the dead bodies of the doc and some of the staff, it is not televised - it is a warning to the contestants. the viewers are left in the dark about the doctors death.

korean people do not know of the show. since 400 people go missing and are killed every year, there would undoubtedly be protests if there was public knowledge of the game. therefore, only the higher-ups know of the game and they turn a blind eye.

GH not getting on the plane in episode nine is obviously a cliffhanger for a possible season two, but if we looked at it in this context, it’s him unknowingly leaving behind the truth that he would discover; his hair change would make him less recognisable and he’d possibly be able to discover the truth, but he didn’t board the plane.

we are the VIPs. watching from a distance, wondering who will win and who will die. enjoying the show and knowing that this could never happen to us. it’s just a game to us and the VIPs, but to the unknowing contestants, it is everything.