39 challengers vie to survive for 10 days in iQIYI variety show

"This is the craziest attempt I have made in my career because the filming site, with four areas, was more than 20 square kilometers, posing a great challenge to direction and filming," the director said. Also, unlike a drama anchored by a script, Tenday was based purely on participants' actions and interactions as they tried to survive the games' physical and psychological twists, filmed around the clock for 10 days.

Host Zhang Dada, one of the 39 challengers, said that over the 10 days, it took him a lot to combat the smartphone withdrawal effect. He posted 10 times on micro-blogging platform Sina Weibo on the day filming was over, stoking much interest in the show.

"During the 10-day filming, I built friendships I never had before, endured hardships I had never experienced, and discovered potentials and talents I thought I could never have in my lifetime," he said.