Was turning Squid Game into a reality show really a good idea? Wasn’t the point of the dystopian South Korean original that late capitalism has gone south, making the masses so desperate for money that they’d risk life and limb just to get by? However you feel about it, the British Squid Game: The Challenge is here, and it’s already led to contestants seeking compensation for alleged injuries.
Per Entertainment Weekly, anonymous contestants have sent letters of claim to the show’s producers, alleging that they suffered hypothermia and nerve damage due to poor health and safety regulations. In England, letters of claim are sent before official legal action is taken.
“From what we’ve been told they pushed the boundaries of safety in the name of “entertainment,” said David Slade, CEO at Express Solicitors, who sent the letters. “Production companies need to ensure that health and safety standards on their shows don’t leave people at risk of harm.”
A spokesperson for the show insisted they take the “welfare of our contestants extremely seriously.”
The injuries were first reported back in January, when filming on The Challenge commenced. One game in particular — the “Red Light, Green Light” one, seen in the original show, in which some characters died — was alleged to have been filmed in freezing weather conditions. The led to serious injuries, including frostbite.
“Everybody was warned that it was going to be cold, we took all the necessary steps to prepare them for that,” show officials said at the time. “Yes, a few anonymous people were unhappy about the fact they had been eliminated and it had been a cold, quite long experience. But it was no worse than many unscripted shows… when you’re giving away a huge prize it is always going to be clear to us it was going to be a tough show to take part in.”
“Contestants thought they were taking part in something fun and those injured did not expect to suffer as they did,” Slade told The Sun. “Now they have been left with injuries after spending time being stuck in painful stress positions in cold temperatures. One client describes seeing someone faint, then people shouting for medics. We have a case where someone complains of hypothermia. One had his hands turn purple from the cold. Such injuries can have very serious long-term health implications. One of our clients complains of being given ill-fitting clothing despite the cold conditions.”
Squid Game: The Challenge hit Netflix on Wednesday. It’s modeled on the show, with over 450 contestants battling for a grand prize of $4.56 million.
(Via EW)
