Every Contestant In Netflix's The 8 Show, Ranked By Likeability

May 30, 2024, 4 p.m.

Movies

Every Contestant In Netflix's The 8 Show, Ranked By Likeability

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Summary The cast of The 8 Show brings a captivating ensemble K-drama to life with individuality shining through each character's core values.

Characters like 6 show toxic masculinity, while 8 exhibits a dark and sadistic nature that makes her unlikable but captivating to watch.

Lower floor characters like 2 and 5 stand out for their strong morals and kind personalities in contrast to the more sinister upper floor contestants.

The 8 Show only consists of eight characters and some of them are a lot more likeable than others. Like many other Netflix dark comedies, The 8 Show thrives under a character-driven narrative. This narrative allows each character to have a distinct purpose within The 8 Show while also helping to steer the narrative in a new and often unpredictable direction, making The 8 Show thrilling to watch.

Character Name & Floor Cast 1 Bae Seong-woo 2 Lee Zoo-young 3 Ryu Jun-yeol 4 Lee Yul-eum 5 Moon Jeong-hee 6 Park Hae-joon 7 Park Jeong-min 8 Chun Woo-hee

There are many similarities between The 8 Show and Squid Game, with one being that they both have exceptional casts. The 8 Show's cast of both veteran and rookie actors work together effortlessly to bring this captivating ensemble K-drama to life while making each character's individuality shine. Without such a talented ensemble that meshes so well together, The 8 Show surely would have felt more disjointed. However, their efforts allow each character's core values to be easily apparent, which makes some contestants a lot more likeable than others.

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8 “6” Played By Park Hae-joon

His Love For Violence Makes Him Hard To Like

6 is the encapsulation of toxic masculinity and this makes him a very scary player. As one of the upper-floor contestants, 6 automatically gains power over all but two contestants (7 and 8, respectively), and reinforces control through violence. 6 repeatedly demonstrates violence as a first resort, relishing the lawlessness that The 8 Show provides. However, his particular disdain for 2 makes him a particularly unfavorable character, as he does not hold back when hurting her, leaving her in much worse shape than other contestants.

All that is known of his life before The 8 Show is that he was a former baseball player whose outbursts cost him his career, and his actions in The 8 Show make it clear why. 6 only cares about himself and how he can regain control of The 8 Show's contestants. However, this mentality finally comes back to bite him after he manipulates 5 into releasing him, with implications that he slept with her to do so. 5's final request in episode 8 sees her enact revenge on 6 by castrating him in a moment that is dark yet satisfying for this brutal character.

7 “8” Played By Chun Woo-hee

Her Unpredictable Nature Makes Her Both Selfish And Terrifying

Much like 6, 8 is an equally terrifying character. 8's artistic spirit leads her to do exactly what she wants whenever she wants, regardless of how it affects the other players. As the contestant with the most wealth and control of the food and water, she makes use of this power. She purchases clothes with the communal time and withholds food and water when voted to keep the other contestants' waste. If it does not align with her idea of fun, then 8 is not interested until she gets what she wants.

She is the only contestant to continually enjoy her time in The 8 Show and relish every new direction that the show takes her.

8 may not be violent herself, but that does not mean she doesn't enjoy making others suffer. In fact, she is the only contestant to continually enjoy her time in The 8 Show and relish every new direction that the show takes her. The further The 8 Show progresses, the more sadistic 8 becomes as she watches the torture of her fellow contestants consistently for her own pleasure. 8's selfish actions and dark nature make her well-disliked by most of the contestants, yet they all work to please her so they suffer less at her hands.

6 “4” Played By Lee Yul-eum

She Is Much Slyer Than She Comes Across

Though 4 appears sweet and innocent, she knows exactly what she wants and how to get it. 4 has a great ability to read people and knows just what to say to them to get them to do what she wants. As a result, her influence often shifts the tone of The 8 Show without the other contestants realizing it, and she is the catalyst that begins the end of The 8 Show.

4 considers herself as a player rather than a human in The 8 Show, and this mentality certainly works in her favor as she is rarely on the wrong side of events, despite being one of the lower-floor contestants. She generally sides with those in power, which leads her to side with 6 and 8 throughout most of The 8 Show. However, her disloyalty and sly nature make her very unlikable despite her bubbly appearance, as she is afraid to do the bidding of those in power to stay unharmed.

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5 “3” Played By Ryu Jun-yeol

He Is A Coward Who Rarely Works Independently

Despite being the main character within The 8 Show's ensemble, 3 does not stand out. He is drawn to The 8 Show as it does not require any talents to participate, which is something that later comes back to bite him as he earns the least amount of time in episode 3's talent show. 3 acts like a sheep and often follows the lead of other contestants before acting on his own. For example, in episode 2, he only decides to take over for 1's stair climbing duty after 2 volunteers without hesitation.

As one of the lower floor contestants, 3 often finds himself being mistreated by others. Plus, his bad luck and lack of skill mean he is often at the mercy of cruel punishments made by other contestants, such as the taser in episode 4. However, despite maintaining good relationships with several of the other characters, 3 lacks memorability for the audience. Only in the final moments of The 8 Show does 3 act on his own accord as he attempts to end the show, but this change of heart is not enough to make him as likeable as other contestants.

4 "5" Played By Moon Jeong-hee

She Is Too Kind For Her Own Good

Compared to the other upper floor contestants, 5's kind personality is a breath of fresh air. However, this makes her incredibly easy to manipulate and often sees her face the same punishments as the lower floors. 5's mental health also greatly suffers in The 8 Show. She is very upfront about often seeing hallucinations, which begin to appear more as 5's mental capacity weakens. As a result, the other contestants take advantage of her mental state to do their own bidding.

5 genuinely only wants the best for herself and others.

Much like 3, 5 tends to follow others' opinions without really making her thoughts well known. She does try and act as a mediator and bring arguments to a level grounding, but her attempts are often futile. Moments of weakness also see 5 work towards self-preservation rather than remaining steadfast with her allies, which also makes her a contestant who is hard to trust. Despite this, 5 genuinely only wants the best for herself and others, and her rash actions are a result of gameplay and mental deterioration, making her a much more likeable contestant than other members of the upper floors.

3 "7" Played By Park Jeong-min

He Plays By His Own Rules But Shows Remorse

Out of all the characters in The 8 Show, 7 is the hardest character to read. His intelligence is highly valued in The 8 Show as he is the one who points out the unfair system of the show and organizes his fellow contestants. However, his true loyalty remains a big question. In episode 5, 7 is recruited by the other upper-floor contestants to create a system of entertainment that sees the lower floors work on their behalf. This system is only brutal because of 7's design, yet he also aids the lower floors in their revolt.

Despite the wealth and power that comes from living on the 7th floor, 7 chooses to side with the lower floor contestants, even though it takes a while for them to rebuild trust. 7 shows remorse for his actions and the brutality that his contestants had faced in episode 6, and felt a similar sense of despair at the hands of 6, 8, and 4. Though he may be calculated and cold at times, 7's complexity makes him a very interesting character and his growth within the game warms his personality.

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2 "2" Played By Lee Zoo-young

She Never Wavered From Her Strong Morals

Though 2 appears cold and unfriendly, she is by far one of the most likeable character on The 8 Show. 2 has a very strong sense of justice and is unafraid to fight for what she believes in, even if it means she will get hurt in the process. She is always the first to aid other contestants, especially 1, and goes out of her way to do what she believes is right without asking for anything in return.

2's unwavering morals make the underdog story of the lower floor's rise to power much more exciting. She is the exact opposite of 6 and uses violence only to prove her point rather than for control. Though 1 is looked down upon the most, 2 endures the most physical suffering due to her feud with 6. However, 2 never complains. She always endures and looks for a new way to find justice against the tyranny of the upper floors, making her a much more endearing character than her fellow contestants in The 8 Show.

1 "1" Played By Bae Seong-woo

He Just Wanted A Good Life For His Daughter

Throughout The 8 Show, 1 is looked down on the most. He is the character that earns the least from the game, yet he always tries to play his part within the team. For example, when his disability meant that he could not climb the stairs like the other contestants, he volunteered to hold their waste. His upbeat personality makes him a very endearing character and makes every bad thing that happens to him even more upsetting.

1's frugal efforts only ended up being futile and led him to take extreme lengths to extend the show at all costs.

In episode 8, flashbacks reveal that 1 had attempted to end his own life so that his daughter could continue to get medical treatment through a large life insurance policy under his name. However, he was instead recruited into The 8 Show to earn money another way. 1's frugal efforts only ended up being futile and led him to take extreme lengths to extend the show at all costs, but he died as a result. 1’s death proves not only The 8 Show's anti-capitalist message but also how beloved 1 was by the other contestants.