Back in June 2022, Netflix announced Squid Game: The Challenge – a 10 episode reality competition series based on its 2021 South Korean hit series Squid Game.
Squid Game: The Challenge sees 456 real players compete through a variety of challenges inspired by the original show for a $4.56 million USD cash prize, the largest in reality TV history, per Netflix
Earlier this week, The Sun reported that some of the reality show’s contestants required medical assistance while the filming took place in freezing cold conditions in the U.K.
One player told The Sun, “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.”
Some people couldn’t move their feet because it was so cold.
You could hear someone yell ‘medic’ and the crew would rush on. We ended up standing there for 30 minutes between takes.
Some were crawling by the end. At least one was carried out on a stretcher.”
Everyone was shaking. I don’t think there were any heaters.
Reportedly only 228 of the 456 contestants made it past the first hurdle to continue through to the rest of the game. Filming is set to continue throughout February.
Netflix has denied the claims.
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 and Studio Lambert, which is co-producing Squid Game: The Challenge said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.