Contestants on Squid Game: The Challenge reported several cases of injuries while competing on the new reality show, which is based on the 2021 Netflix hit series. Medics were apparently called out to the set to treat contestants after they participated in the first game, citing freezing conditions and cold temperatures.
Squid Game: The Challenge is a new reality show based on the massive South Korean show Squid Game, which revolved around 456 contestants competing in a series of gruelling and life-threatening challenges for a huge prize pool of money. Netflix wanted to capitalise on its success by literally turning it into a reality show where the rules and most of the games appear to be the same, only contestants don’t actually have their lives threatened, for the most part.
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However, that hasn’t stopped injuries from surfacing after the first game, Red Light, Green Light, was being played by participants in the reality show earlier this week. According to Variety, several constestants came forward to talk about their experiences while filming on the set in the UK. According to them, conditions were freezing with temperatures reaching as low as -3C.
“Some people couldn’t move their feet because it was so cold,” said one participant. “You could hear someone yell ‘medic’ and the crew would rush on. We ended up standing there for 30 minutes between takes.”
Despite the imposing conditions, most people were willing to stand there and brave the cold because $4.56 million was on the line. The children’s playground game Red Light, Green Light also involves standing around in one position for long stretches of time. When combined with the freezing weather, it’s easy to see how injuries can happen. Thankfully, none of them were severe or serious.
One contestant described:
“Even if hypothermia kicked in then people were willing to stay for as long as possible because a lot of money was on the line. Too many were determined not to move so they stood there for far too long. There were people arriving thinking they were going to be millionaires but they left in tears.”
Squid Game: The Challenge is currently being filmed in the UK with 456 contestants, many of whom aren’t from the UK so aren’t acclimatised to the cold weather. Some were reportedly given hand warmers and thermal underwear on the first day of filming.
Netflix has since come forward and denied that any serious injuries took place while filming the reality show. A Netflix spokeperson told Variety:
“We care deeply about the health and safety of our cast and crew, and invested in all the appropriate safety procedures. While it was very cold on set–and participants were prepared for that–any claims of serious injury are untrue.”
Netflix’s plans to expand the Squid Game universe is expected given the show’s success, but a reality show where injuries are a possibility is not the best idea.
Source: Variety
