Inside: USA hasn’t made it to the top 10 list on Netflix yet, and that’s a bit of a shock, because it’s just the kind of reality competition show that goes viral in America.
According to BBC, the Inside popularity in the UK surpassed Love Island, which is saying a lot for the reality fandom. Think, Squid Game meets The Circle meets Fear Factor (but without the looming threat of death). Mix in a few big names like former NBA player, Dwight Howard, Selling Sunset star, Bre Tiesi, and popular YouTube streamer, Sketch, and now you have the potential for a hit show!
Inside: USA released four episodes on September 21st, 2025, and the next batch released September 24th. The general concept of the show is a game of temptation and a test of frugality. The contestants, who all happen to be mega influencers, compete to win $1 million dollars in seven days. It shouldn’t be hard to refrain from spending a million dollars in a week, but you’d be surprised what the 12 contestants prioritize when they are faced with no food, cold showers, and possible elimination from the game.
Here’s a glance at the first four episodes—you be the judge on whether this show should make the top 10 this week.
Episode 1 of Inside: USA introduces 12 contestants, but there are only 11 beds (someone won't make it through the night)
In the first episode of Inside: USA, we meet the high-profile contestants. Netflix released a full list of the cast if you're curious about who you'll be watching. They seem to get along well enough—that is until it’s time to make decisions about money. Some players are more outspoken than others, like popular TikToker Fatinna, but her outgoing personality quickly makes her a target for elimination.
Why would anyone be tempted to dip into the million-dollar pot of cash? The food provided is probably worse than prison food if you can imagine, causing players to spend up to $2,500 just for a meal upgrade! In addition to better food, some contestants vote to purchase sofa cushions, since there are none provided in the living area, and that costs them $20,000. Since some contestants are willing to be more frugal than others, tension starts to build.
If living in the same space weren’t enough to cause some problems among the cast members, there are also challenges that they must go through. Failing a challenge could mean losing a few thousand dollars, so the players must stay on their game. The first challenge is basically Truth and Dare, where contestants must answer questions that force them to throw jabs at other players. Some tarantulas, scorpions, and a cobra make an appearance in that episode, adding an element of fear to the challenge. One uncomfortable fact remains by the end of episode 1: a player must go home before the night is over.
Episode 2 of Inside: USA amps up the stakes for winning $1M
In episode 2 of Inside: USA, one contestant was voted off the show by Sketch, who was chosen at random to eliminate a player. No hard feelings? Hardly! His decision will come back to bite him later. In the meantime, contestants compete in another challenge, testing their ability to carry drinks from one table to another with an extremely slippery floor beneath them.
Failing the challenge could mean losing money for their team. In between challenges, contestants are still racking up costs by purchasing snacks, and one player is sent into a temptation room where he has the choice to spend $30,000 on pizza, wings, and burgers—ahh, American delicacies.
By the end of the night, the million-dollar pot is down to $796,000, and players are starting to get suspicious about who is spending the most money. Another player is chosen to eliminate someone, bringing the total number of players down to 10. The show throws in a couple of twists in this episode that I won’t spoil yet- just know that as with most reality shows, anything goes when it comes to hosts switching up the rules to boost the drama.
Episode 3 of Inside: USA causes a need for new alliances
In episode 3 of Inside: USA, loyalties shift, causing a need for players to choose their alliances carefully. Building an alliance is a reasonable strategy in this game, as seen on The Circle, because it can guarantee that certain people won’t vote you off if given the chance. Unfortunately, people can be very deceptive when it comes to competing for money, so some alliances may be weaker than they seem.
The game unintentionally becomes divided in an alliance of guys vs. girls. Will this separation last, or will one of the sides start to turn on each other? No players are sent home in this episode, but some are tempted to spend more money.
Episode 4 of Inside: USA exposes sneaky behavior
In episode 4 of Inside: USA, some secrets that players have been hiding surface—with camera footage to prove it! In the chaos of new surprising information, relationships break even further and lead to some hurt feelings among the contestants. Mark, a member of the popular TikTok group, the Montana Boys, is faced with an intense challenge that he must complete in thirty minutes, or he will fail. If he fails the challenge, the players lose even more of the money, which has dwindled down to the $600,000s.
At the end of the episode, the women are faced with a challenge that will end up in an elimination of one of them, and we get a sneak peek at episode 5, which includes the same challenge for the men. Find out who is going home next in Inside: USA episode 5, which released on September 24th, 2025.
Catch up on Inside: USA before the finale episodes air on Sunday, September 28, 2025.
Inside: USA is now streaming on Netflix.