Insiders (Spanish TV series)

Last updated
Insiders
Genre Reality television
Created byJose Velasco
Directed byMamen Fernández
Presented by Najwa Nimri
ComposerAlfonso G. Aguilar
Country of originSpain
Original languageSpanish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes14
Production
Executive producersJose Velasco
Sara Fernández-Velasco
Arantza Sánchez
Marco A. Castillo
ProducersHortensia López
Yaiza Sánchez
CinematographyJavier Ruiz
Running time43-60 minutes
Production companyiZen
Original release
Network Netflix
ReleaseOctober 21, 2021 (2021-10-21) 
present

Insiders is a Spanish reality television series hosted by Najwa Nimri. It premiered on Netflix on October 21, 2021. [1]

Contents

Premise

Thirteen contestants are gathered in a 1,600 square-meter studio under the guise of the final stage of the casting process for a reality show. What they do not know is that, in fact, they are already in the show: cameras are secretly filming them during all their stay in the area. The objective of this is to catch contestants off guard and make them confront the differences in their behavior between the times they know they are being filmed and the times they think they are not. The winner will earn a €100,000 prize. [2]

Season 1 (2021)

Contestants

Name [3] AgeHometownOccupationEnteredExitedResult
Nicole27 Canary Islands Social media personality17Winner
Laura25 Madrid Graduate in Journalism17Runner-Up
Olaya21 Barcelona Luxury store salesperson17Third Place [note 1]
Iván Molina28 Valencia Professional poker player17
Peter26 Madrid Engineer and DJ178th Eliminated
Estefanía29 Valencia Student167th Eliminated
Fama26 Blanes Graduate in Physical Education166th Eliminated
Hugo33 Madrid Cook155th Eliminated
Bárbara "Bibi"25 Madrid Make-up artist144th Eliminated / Fan Favourite
Cynthia24 Barcelona Graduate in Tourism233rd Eliminated
Query35 Chipiona Hospital attendant and town councilman132nd Eliminated
Iván Míguez33 Ibiza Restaurant manager121st Eliminated
Tatiana28 Málaga Comedian12Fake contestant [note 2]

Results and elimination

Casting Phase
12 Days
Streaming Phase
7 Days
Episode 1Episode 2Episode 3Episode 4Episode 5Episode 6Episode 7
Final
NicoleExemptPassPassPassPeterExemptNot
Eligible
Not
Eligible
FinalistWinner
(Episode 7)
LauraExemptPassPassPassHugoNot
Eligible
Not
Eligible
Not
Eligible
FinalistRunner-up
(Episode 7)
Iván MolinaExemptPassPassPassHugoNot
Eligible
Not
Eligible
PeterFinalistThird Place
(Episode 7)
OlayaExemptPassPassPassNicoleNot
Eligible
Not
Eligible
Not
Eligible
FinalistThird Place
(Episode 7)
PeterExemptPassPassPassHugoExemptNot
Eligible
Not
Eligible
Eliminated
(Episode 7)
Laura
EstefaníaExemptPassPassPassNicoleNot
Eligible
Not
Eligible
Eliminated
(Episode 6)
Iván Molina
FamaExemptPassPassPassHugoNot
Eligible
EstefaníaEliminated
(Episode 6)
Laura
HugoExemptPassPassPassPeterFamaEliminated
(Episode 5)
Nicole
BárbaraExemptPassPassFailedEliminated
(Episode 4)
Nicole
CynthiaNot in
House
ExemptFailedEliminated
(Episode 3)
Nicole
QueryExemptPassFailedEliminated
(Episode 3)
Nicole
Iván MíguezExemptFailedEliminated
(Episode 2)
Olaya
TatianaExemptLeft
(Episode 2)
EliminatedTatiana
Fake contestant
Iván Míguez
Committee's choice
to eliminate
Query
Committee's choice
to eliminate
Bárbara
Committee's choice
to eliminate
Hugo
4 of 8 votes
to eliminate
Fama
Hugo's choice
to eliminate
Estefanía
Fama's choice
to eliminate
Peter
Iván Molina's choice
to eliminate
WinnerNicole
4 of 8 votes
to win
FinalistLaura
2 of 8 votes
to win
Cynthia
Committee's choice
to eliminate
Iván Molina
1 of 8 votes
to win
Olaya
1 of 8 votes
to win

Season 2 (2022)

During a press conference for Netflix's Spanish originals at the 2021 Vitoria FesTVal, Álvaro Díaz, Netflix Spain's director of non-fiction content, confirmed that a second season had already been filmed. [4] Season 2 premiered on May 19, 2022. [5] Laura and Peter from Season 1 returned as 'mole' contestants, trained by the show's crew for a special assignment.

Contestants

Name [5] AgeHometownOccupationEnteredExitedResult
Raquel Arias29 Madrid ModelEpisode 1Episode 7Winner
Lorenzo34 Ciudad Real Graphic designerEpisode 1Episode 7Runner-Up
Ainhoa "Nowa"29 Mérida Social workerEpisode 1Episode 7Third Place
Ramón30 Ibiza Private chefEpisode 1Episode 7Fourth Place
Marta25 Madrid HREpisode 1Episode 66th Eliminated
Adán30 Seville BusinessmanEpisode 1Episode 65th Eliminated
Tania35 La Rioja Store clerkEpisode 1Episode 54th Eliminated
Pablo29 Huelva EngineerEpisode 1Episode 33rd Eliminated
Sofía25 Santa Cruz Business Administration studentEpisode 1Episode 32nd Eliminated
Álex34 Madrid Commercial advisorEpisode 1Episode 21st Eliminated
Laura25 Madrid Graduate in JournalismEpisode 1Episode 2Fake contestants
Peter24 Madrid Engineer and DJEpisode 1Episode 4

Results and elimination

Casting Phase
12 Days
Streaming Phase
7 Days
Episode 1Episode 2Episode 3Episode 4Episode 5Episode 6Episode 7
Final
RaquelExemptPassPassPassLorenzoNot
Eligible
Not
Eligible
Not
Eligible
FinalistWinner
(Episode 7)
LorenzoExemptPassPassPassRamónTaniaNot
Eligible
Not
Eligible
FinalistRunner-up
(Episode 7)
NowaExemptPassPassPassAdánNot
Eligible
Not
Eligible
Not
Eligible
FinalistThird Place
(Episode 7)
RamónExemptPassPassPassLorenzoNot
Eligible
Not
Eligible
Not
Eligible
FinalistFourth Place
(Episode 7)
MartaExemptPassPassPassRaquelNot
Eligible
Not
Eligible
Not
Eligible
Eliminated
(Episode 6)
Lorenzo
AdánExemptPassPassPassTaniaTaniaNot
Eligible
MartaEliminated
(Episode 6)
Raquel
TaniaExemptPassPassPassAdánNot
Eligible
AdánEliminated
(Episode 5)
Nowa
PeterExemptPassPassPassLeft
(Episode 4)
PabloExemptPassFailedEliminated
(Episode 3)
Raquel
SofíaExemptPassFailedEliminated
(Episode 3)
Raquel
ÁlexExemptFailedEliminated
(Episode 2)
Lorenzo
LauraExemptLeft
(Episode 2)
EliminatedLaura
Fake contestant
Álex
Committee's choice
to eliminate
Sofía
Committee's choice
to eliminate
Peter
Fake contestant
Lorenzo
2 of 7 votes
to fake evict
Tania
Lorenzo &
Adán's choice
to eliminate
Adán
Tania's choice
to eliminate
Marta
Adán's choice
to eliminate
WinnerRaquel
3 of 6 votes
to win
FinalistLorenzo
2 of 6 votes
to win
Pablo
Committee's choice
to eliminate
Adán
2 of 7 votes
to fake evict
Nowa
1 of 6 votes
to win
Ramón
0 of 6 votes
to win

Episodes

Series overview

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
1 7October 21, 2021 (2021-10-21)
2 7May 19, 2022 (2022-05-19)May 26, 2022 (2022-05-26)

Season 1 (2021)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal release date
11"Welcome to Insiders"
(Bienvenidos a Insiders)
October 21, 2021 (2021-10-21)
After host Najwa Nimri explains some basic aspects of the show to the viewers, the contestants arrive and meet the crew, including deciding committee members Marina and Rubén (who are actually two actors playing producers). They are allowed to keep their phones for fifteen more minutes to say goodbye to their friends and families before the final casting begins (unbeknownst to them, they are already in the show proper). Mamen, the show's director, tells the contestants that their phone interactions have resulted in a leak to the press, and the show could be shut down if the culprit doesn't come forward.
22"If You Tell Anyone, You're Out"
(Si lo cuentas, estás fuera)
October 21, 2021 (2021-10-21)
Tatiana comes forward as the person inadvertently responsible for filming the video that resulted in the alleged leak, and is removed from the show. As viewers learn through a flashforward that Tatiana is another actress, and never was an actual contestant, new player Cynthia arrives as Tatiana's replacement. The contestants' morals are put to the test by the committee with a challenge involving a gun loaded with blank bullets (although the players aren't told of that last detail) and four rabbits locked in glass capsules, players then being asked to shoot one of the rabbits. Hugo is up first, and refuses on principle to harm any of the animals, being then warned by Rubén that he will be cut from the casting if he discusses the test with the rest of contestants. The other players are put to the same test, and several of them do pull the trigger. Iván Míguez is eliminated.
33"No Such Thing as Perfection"
(La perfección no existe)
October 21, 2021 (2021-10-21)
44"Streaming Life"
(La vida en streaming)
October 21, 2021 (2021-10-21)
55"Double Feature"
(Sesión continua)
October 21, 2021 (2021-10-21)
Hugo is voted out of the competition by the other players, and learns that he can pick the next eliminated contestant out of the players who did not receive any votes; but he has to be careful, because that person will also get to choose the next eliminated player.
66"Taking You Down with Me"
(Te arrastro conmigo)
October 21, 2021 (2021-10-21)
After staying in the house for some more time to make his decision, Hugo, having promised Nicole that he would think of her, eliminates the one contestant he is sure will not remove Nicole from the game: Fama, who later chooses to eliminate Estefanía. Instead of picking the next elimination herself, Estefanía has the chance to pick which of the remaining players will choose the last eliminated contestant before the finale. She chooses Iván Molina, despite him having asked her not to. Peter goes into the white room and announces he has a plan.
77"The Last Shall Be First"
(Los últimos serán los primeros)
October 21, 2021 (2021-10-21)
Peter's strategy is to sacrifice himself so that Laura can have a chance of winning, asking Iván to eliminate him, claiming that he had a deal to split the prize with Laura and promising Iván to give him his half of the prize should Laura win. Iván reluctantly eliminates Peter. The eliminated contestants then learn that the alleged software that was assessing their qualities to determine who was closest to being the "perfect contestant" was a ruse; instead, they are the ones who will vote to determine the winner. After the vote, Nicole is announced as the winner. The season ends with Najwa announcing that Insiders is not over yet: the crew has a new plan for the next season, and Laura will be involved in it.

Season 2 (2022)

No.
overall
No. in
season
TitleOriginal release date [6]
81"Insiders's Main Game"
(El gran juego de Insiders)
May 19, 2022 (2022-05-19)
92"Nothing's What It Seems"
(Nada es lo que parece)
May 19, 2022 (2022-05-19)
103"Two Sides"
(Dos bandos)
May 19, 2022 (2022-05-19)
114"They're In"
(Están dentro)
May 26, 2022 (2022-05-26)
125"Join Forces or Die"
(Aliarse o morir)
May 26, 2022 (2022-05-26)
136"Insiders in Check"
(Jaque a Insiders)
May 26, 2022 (2022-05-26)
147"The Perfect Contestant"
(El concursante perfecto)
May 26, 2022 (2022-05-26)

Critical reception

Insiders was met with positive to mixed reviews in Spain, being hailed as a return to the essence of reality television. FormulaTV's Sergio Navarro compared the show to American television series Unreal , noting that it showed the crew plotting where the show was heading. "And it is thrilling to witness those private meetings, unbeknownst to the contestants, where you can see how they weave the twists and turns and how they come together to create an exciting program." [7]

Bluper's Juan M. Fernández also picked up on the comparison to Unreal, while praising the decision to keep the runtime at an hour or less per episode: "It was about time that shows with episodes of no more than 50 minutes were done in this country. The show wins with it. More so with such outstanding music. Insiders cuts to the chase, gets right down to business." [8]

Espinof's Mikel Zorrilla was less impressed, noting that the format becomes overcomplicated in its attempt to keep contestants and viewers alike on their toes: "Insiders wants to outsmart everyone, at once trying to retrieve something unique and to constantly surprise. The mixture is striking at first, but there is a point where everything turns out kind of random, leaving the show at a strange middle ground between the search for something real and the completely manufactured." [9]

For similar reasons, Decider's Joel Keller advised readers to skip the show, concluding: "There’s a good reality competition somewhere within the convoluted format of Insiders. But the pains the producers take to keep their secret from the contestants makes it all about the conceit and not the contestants themselves." [10]

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References

  1. Paredes, Mónica (16 September 2021). "'Insiders', el 'reality' presentado por Najwa Nimri, ya tiene fecha de estreno en Netflix". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  2. Rodera, Alejandro (16 September 2021). "Netflix estrena 'Insiders', su primer reality español, el 21 de octubre". FormulaTV (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  3. "Netflix presenta a los concursantes de 'Insiders', su primer reality en España". Bluper (in Spanish). 5 October 2021. Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  4. Fernández, Juan M. (3 September 2021). "Netflix impacta e ilusiona con los primeros avances de 'Insiders', 'Amor con fianza' y 'Yo soy Georgina'". Bluper (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  5. 1 2 Cabanillas Tapia, Andrea (20 April 2022). "'Insiders 2' se estrena el 19 de mayo en Netflix y presenta a sus diez nuevos concursantes". FormulaTV (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 April 2022.
  6. "Shows A-Z – Insiders on Netflix". The Futon Critic . Retrieved May 13, 2022.
  7. Navarro, Sergio (18 October 2021). "Crítica de 'Insiders': Una fantasía de metarreality para los amantes de la televisión". FormulaTV (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  8. Fernández, Juan M. (20 October 2021). "'Insiders', el adictivo e inquietante reality de Netflix que necesitaba el amante del género en España". Bluper (in Spanish). El Español. Retrieved 24 October 2021.
  9. Zorrilla, Mikel (21 October 2021). "'Insiders' quiere ser una revolución, pero el primer reality español de Netflix se complica demasiado buscando la sorpresa". Espinof (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 October 2021.
  10. Keller, Joel (21 October 2021). "Stream It Or Skip It: 'Insiders' On Netflix, A Convoluted Spanish 'Big Brother' Copycat Where The Housemates Don't Think They're Being Filmed". Decider. Retrieved 23 October 2021.

Notes

  1. Iván and Olaya's eliminations in the finale were announced at the same time without disclosing the full results; therefore, they are considered to be tied for third.
  2. Tatiana was later revealed to be an actress who was there to fool the contestants.