Contestants From the Real-Life 'Squid Game' Are Claiming They Faced 'Inhumane' Conditions, Nerve Damage "Squid Game: The Challenge" premiered on Netflix on November 22.
By Emily Rella
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In 2021, the Korean fictional drama series "Squid Game" became a global sensation and an award-season darling for Netflix. It also led to the creation of a real-life game show called "Squid Game: The Challenge," which premiered this month on the streaming platform.
In the series, contestants agree to compete in a series of games to win a life-changing amount of money, only to find out during the first game that players are eliminated by dying gruesome deaths during each challenge.
"The Challenge" reality game show was created for contestants to attempt some of the challenges on the hit show — without the death part, of course.
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But now, some of the game show's contestants are claiming they faced inhumane conditions during filming, including nerve damage and hypothermia, and are threatening to sue.
Two contestants have reportedly approached a British personal injuries law firm to represent them for injuries that occurred during the opening sequence of the show, which was filmed on a former Royal Air Force Base in Britain.
The game in question is called "Red Light, Green Light" and requires contestants to move at the command of a large, animatronic doll when "green light" is called and stop when "red light" is called. If contestants move at the wrong time, they are eliminated.
Three players out of the 456 contestants needed immediate medical attention while filming the game, Netflix confirmed in February, in part due to a massive cold front and freezing temperatures that plagued the area during filming.
The firm representing the two contestants, Express Solicitors, has sent "letters of claim" to Studio Lambert, the co-producer of the Netflix reality show.
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"Contestants thought they were taking part in something fun, and those injured did not expect to suffer as they did," Express Solicitors said in a statement. "Now they have been left with injuries after spending time being stuck in painful stress positions in cold temperatures."
Netflix did not immediately respond to Entrepreneur's request for comment.
"Squid Game: The Challenge" premiered its first five episodes on Netflix on November 22.
