Insiders (Spanish TV series)

Spanish reality television series

Insiders

Genre| Reality television
Created by| Jose Velasco
Directed by| Mamen Fernández
Presented by| Najwa Nimri
Composer| Alfonso G. Aguilar
Country of origin| Spain
Original language| Spanish
No. of seasons| 2
No. of episodes| 14
Production
Executive producers| Jose Velasco
Sara Fernández-Velasco
Arantza Sánchez
Marco A. Castillo
Producers| Hortensia López
Yaiza Sánchez
Cinematography| Javier Ruiz
Running time| 43-60 minutes
Production company| iZen
Original release
Network| Netflix
Release| October 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]

## Premise

[edit]

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)

[edit]

### Contestants

[edit]

Name[3] | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Entered | Exited | Result

|
|
|
|
|
|

Nicole  | 27  | Canary Islands | Social media personality  | 1  | 7  | Winner
Laura  | 25  | Madrid | Graduate in Journalism  | 1  | 7  | Runner-Up
Olaya  | 21  | Barcelona | Luxury store salesperson  | 1  | 7  | Third Place[note 1]
Iván Molina  | 28  | Valencia | Professional poker player  | 1  | 7
Peter  | 26  | Madrid | Engineer and DJ  | 1  | 7  | 8th Eliminated
Estefanía  | 29  | Valencia | Student  | 1  | 6  | 7th Eliminated
Fama  | 26  | Blanes | Graduate in Physical Education  | 1  | 6  | 6th Eliminated
Hugo  | 33  | Madrid | Cook  | 1  | 5  | 5th Eliminated
Bárbara "Bibi"  | 25  | Madrid | Make-up artist  | 1  | 4  | 4th Eliminated / Fan Favourite
Cynthia  | 24  | Barcelona | Graduate in Tourism  | 2  | 3  | 3rd Eliminated
Query  | 35  | Chipiona | Hospital attendant and town councilman  | 1  | 3  | 2nd Eliminated
Iván Míguez  | 33  | Ibiza | Restaurant manager  | 1  | 2  | 1st Eliminated
Tatiana  | 28  | Málaga | Comedian  | 1  | 2  | Fake contestant[note 2]

### Results and elimination

[edit]

| Casting Phase
12 Days  | Streaming Phase
7 Days

|
|

Episode 1  | Episode 2  | Episode 3  | Episode 4  | Episode 5  | Episode 6  | Episode 7
Final
Nicole  | Exempt | Pass | Pass | Pass | Peter  | Exempt | Not
Eligible | Not
Eligible | Finalist | Winner
(Episode 7)
Laura  | Exempt | Pass | Pass | Pass | Hugo  | Not
Eligible | Not
Eligible | Not
Eligible | Finalist | Runner-up
(Episode 7)
Iván Molina  | Exempt | Pass | Pass | Pass | Hugo  | Not
Eligible | Not
Eligible | Peter  | Finalist | Third Place
(Episode 7)
Olaya  | Exempt | Pass | Pass | Pass | Nicole  | Not
Eligible | Not
Eligible | Not
Eligible | Finalist | Third Place
(Episode 7)
Peter  | Exempt | Pass | Pass | Pass | Hugo  | Exempt | Not
Eligible | Not
Eligible | Eliminated
(Episode 7)  | Laura
Estefanía  | Exempt | Pass | Pass | Pass | Nicole  | Not
Eligible | Not
Eligible | Eliminated
(Episode 6)  | Iván Molina
Fama  | Exempt | Pass | Pass | Pass | Hugo  | Not
Eligible | Estefanía  | Eliminated
(Episode 6)  | Laura
Hugo  | Exempt | Pass | Pass | Pass | Peter  | Fama  | Eliminated
(Episode 5)  | Nicole
Bárbara  | Exempt | Pass | Pass | Failed | Eliminated
(Episode 4)  | Nicole
Cynthia  | Not in
House | Exempt | Failed | Eliminated
(Episode 3)  | Nicole
Query  | Exempt | Pass | Failed | Eliminated
(Episode 3)  | Nicole
Iván Míguez  | Exempt | Failed | Eliminated
(Episode 2)  | Olaya
Tatiana  | Exempt | Left
(Episode 2)
Eliminated  | Tatiana
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 | Winner  | Nicole
4 of 8 votes
to win
Finalist  | Laura
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)

[edit]

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

[edit]

Name[5] | Age | Hometown | Occupation | Entered | Exited | Result

|
|
|
|
|
|

Raquel Arias  | 29  | Madrid | Model  | Episode 1  | Episode 7  | Winner
Lorenzo  | 34  | Ciudad Real | Graphic designer  | Episode 1  | Episode 7  | Runner-Up
Ainhoa "Nowa"  | 29  | Mérida | Social worker  | Episode 1  | Episode 7  | Third Place
Ramón  | 30  | Ibiza | Private chef  | Episode 1  | Episode 7  | Fourth Place
Marta  | 25  | Madrid | HR  | Episode 1  | Episode 6  | 6th Eliminated
Adán  | 30  | Seville | Businessman  | Episode 1  | Episode 6  | 5th Eliminated
Tania  | 35  | La Rioja | Store clerk  | Episode 1  | Episode 5  | 4th Eliminated
Pablo  | 29  | Huelva | Engineer  | Episode 1  | Episode 3  | 3rd Eliminated
Sofía  | 25  | Santa Cruz | Business Administration student  | Episode 1  | Episode 3  | 2nd Eliminated
Álex  | 34  | Madrid | Commercial advisor  | Episode 1  | Episode 2  | 1st Eliminated
Laura  | 25  | Madrid | Graduate in Journalism  | Episode 1  | Episode 2  | Fake contestants
Peter  | 24  | Madrid | Engineer and DJ  | Episode 1  | Episode 4

### Results and elimination

[edit]

| Casting Phase
12 Days  | Streaming Phase
7 Days

|
|

Episode 1  | Episode 2  | Episode 3  | Episode 4  | Episode 5  | Episode 6  | Episode 7
Final
Raquel  | Exempt | Pass | Pass | Pass | Lorenzo  | Not
Eligible | Not
Eligible | Not
Eligible | Finalist | Winner
(Episode 7)
Lorenzo  | Exempt | Pass | Pass | Pass | Ramón  | Tania  | Not
Eligible | Not
Eligible | Finalist | Runner-up
(Episode 7)
Nowa  | Exempt | Pass | Pass | Pass | Adán  | Not
Eligible | Not
Eligible | Not
Eligible | Finalist | Third Place
(Episode 7)
Ramón  | Exempt | Pass | Pass | Pass | Lorenzo  | Not
Eligible | Not
Eligible | Not
Eligible | Finalist | Fourth Place
(Episode 7)
Marta  | Exempt | Pass | Pass | Pass | Raquel  | Not
Eligible | Not
Eligible | Not
Eligible | Eliminated
(Episode 6)  | Lorenzo
Adán  | Exempt | Pass | Pass | Pass | Tania  | Tania  | Not
Eligible | Marta  | Eliminated
(Episode 6)  | Raquel
Tania  | Exempt | Pass | Pass | Pass | Adán  | Not
Eligible | Adán  | Eliminated
(Episode 5)  | Nowa
Peter  | Exempt | Pass | Pass | Pass | Left
(Episode 4)
Pablo  | Exempt | Pass | Failed | Eliminated
(Episode 3)  | Raquel
Sofía  | Exempt | Pass | Failed | Eliminated
(Episode 3)  | Raquel
Álex  | Exempt | Failed | Eliminated
(Episode 2)  | Lorenzo
Laura  | Exempt | Left
(Episode 2)
Eliminated  | Laura
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 | Winner  | Raquel
3 of 6 votes
to win
Finalist  | Lorenzo
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

[edit]

### Series overview

[edit]

Season| Episodes| Originally aired

|
|

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

### Season 1 (2021)

[edit]

No.
overall| No. in
season| Title| Original release date

|
|
|

1| 1| "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.

2| 2| "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.

3| 3| "No Such Thing as Perfection"
(La perfección no existe)| October 21, 2021 (2021-10-21)
4| 4| "Streaming Life"
(La vida en streaming)| October 21, 2021 (2021-10-21)
5| 5| "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.

6| 6| "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.

7| 7| "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)

[edit]

No.
overall| No. in
season| Title| Original release date [6]

|
|
|

8| 1| "Insiders's Main Game"
(El gran juego de Insiders)| May 19, 2022 (2022-05-19)
9| 2| "Nothing's What It Seems"
(Nada es lo que parece)| May 19, 2022 (2022-05-19)
10| 3| "Two Sides"
(Dos bandos)| May 19, 2022 (2022-05-19)
11| 4| "They're In"
(Están dentro)| May 26, 2022 (2022-05-26)
12| 5| "Join Forces or Die"
(Aliarse o morir)| May 26, 2022 (2022-05-26)
13| 6| "Insiders in Check"
(Jaque a Insiders)| May 26, 2022 (2022-05-26)
14| 7| "The Perfect Contestant"
(El concursante perfecto)| May 26, 2022 (2022-05-26)

## Critical reception

[edit]

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]

## References

[edit]

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. ^ a b 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

[edit]

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.

* v
* t
* e

Netflix original current series

Since 2016|

* Stranger Things

Since 2017|

* Big Mouth
* The Toys That Made Us

Since 2018|

| Non-fiction|

* Car Masters: Rust to Riches
* Queer Eye
* Somebody Feed Phil
* My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman

|

Animation|

* The Dragon Prince

Since 2019|

| Live-action|

| English|

* Virgin River
* The Witcher

|

Other|

* Delhi Crime
* How to Sell Drugs Online (Fast)
* Sintonia

Non-fiction|

* Formula 1: Drive to Survive
* Rhythm + Flow
* Selling Sunset

Animation|

* Love, Death & Robots

Since 2020|

| Live-action|

| English|

* Blood & Water
* Bridgerton
* Emily in Paris
* Outer Banks
* Sweet Magnolias

|

Other|

* Alice in Borderland
* She
* Mismatched
* Valeria
* The Victims' Game

Non-fiction|

* The Circle
* Love Is Blind
* Too Hot to Handle
* Barbecue Showdown
* Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives

Animation|

* Blood of Zeus

Since 2021|

| Live-action|

| English|

* Ginny & Georgia
* The Upshaws

|

Other|

* AlRawabi School for Girls
* Hellbound
* Lupin
* Squid Game

Non-fiction|

* High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America
* Love Is Blind: Brazil
* Single's Inferno

Animation|

* Arcane
* Go, Dog. Go!
* Gabby's Dollhouse
* Oggy Oggy

Since 2022|

| Live-action|

| English|

* Heartbreak High
* Heartstopper
* Mo
* Monster
* The Lincoln Lawyer
* The Recruit
* The Sandman
* Savage Beauty
* The Watcher
* Wednesday

|

Other|

* All of Us Are Dead
* Alpha Males
* Di4ries
* The Empress
* Everything Calls for Salvation
* I Hate Christmas
* Kleo
* Midnight at the Pera Palace
* Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein

Non-fiction|

* Is It Cake?
* Love on the Spectrum
* Selling the OC
* The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On
* Young, Famous & African
* Worst Roommate Ever

Animation|

* The Creature Cases

Since 2023|

| Live-action|

| English|

* The Diplomat
* FUBAR
* I Woke Up a Vampire
* My Life with the Walter Boys
* Neon
* One Piece
* Survival of the Thickest
* The Night Agent
* That '90s Show
* Unstable
* XO, Kitty

|

Other|

* 1670
* Barracuda Queens
* Berlin
* Bloodhounds
* Cigarette Girl
* Copenhagen Cowboy
* Class
* Eva Lasting
* Fake Profile
* Feedback
* Gyeongseong Creature
* Kaala Paani
* The Law According to Lidia Poët
* The Lying Life of Adults
* Rana Naidu
* Replacing Chef Chico
* Suburræterna
* Tore
* YuYu Hakusho

Non-fiction|

* Beckham
* Captains of the World
* Full Swing
* Life on Our Planet
* Outlast
* Perfect Match
* Physical: 100
* Squid Game: The Challenge
* Stranded with my Mother-in-Law
* Surviving Paradise
* Tour de France: Unchained

Animation|

* Blue Eye Samurai
* Captain Laserhawk: A Blood Dragon Remix
* Castlevania: Nocturne
* Good Night World
* Mulligan
* My Daemon
* Ninjago: Dragons Rising
* Onimusha
* Onmyōji
* Pluto
* Pokémon Concierge
* Princess Power
* Scott Pilgrim Takes Off
* Skull Island
* Supa Team 4
* Unicorn Academy

Since 2024|

| Live-action|

| English|

* 3 Body Problem
* Avatar: The Last Airbender
* Bodkin
* Geek Girl
* Ripley
* The Gentlemen
* Supacell
* Tires
* The Vince Staples Show
* Kaos

|

Other|

* A Killer Paradox
* Brigands: The Quest for Gold
* Detective Forst
* Heeramandi
* Iron Reign
* Joko Anwar's Nightmares and Daydreams
* Killer Soup
* Let's Talk About CHU
* GG Precinct

Non-fiction|

* The Boyfriend
* The Great Indian Kapil Show
* John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA
* Love Is Blind: Sweden
* Love Is Blind: UK
* NASCAR: Full Speed
* Six Nations: Full Contact
* Sprint
* The Trust: A Game of Greed
* Tribhuvan Mishra: CA Topper
* America's Sweethearts: Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders

Animation|

* Exploding Kittens
* Garouden: The Way of the Lone Wolf
* The Grimm Variations
* Hot Wheels Let's Race
* Jurassic World: Chaos Theory
* Rising Impact
* Terminator Zero

* Original ended series
* 2012–2018
* 2019 onward
* Continuation series
* Specials
* Upcoming series

*[No.]: Number
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template