Netflix’s Squid Game rose to immense popularity at the height of the pandemic when people were just staying at home and enjoying television shows. The thrill of the story and the compelling cast certainly contributed to the success of the franchise.
Because of its fame, other studios wanted to replicate the show and give it their own flavor. The UK-filmed Squid Game: The Challenge attempted to follow the game, but it seems the working conditions were not up to standards, at least according to the testimonials of those who participated.
Squid Game Players Expose Netflix And The Grueling Game Conditions
One of the players known as Marlene recounted the grueling experience of filming Red Light, Green Light. They were told the game would only last two hours but it stretched to seven hours while they endured zero degrees Celsius. She told Variety:
“It’s not like we signed up for ‘Survivor’ or ‘Naked and Afraid.’ The conditions were absolutely inhumane and had nothing to do with the game. The second time the song played, I saw in my left peripheral vision that this girl was swaying. Then she just buckled, and you could hear her head actually hit the ground.”
Jenny, another player who flew to the UK, was angry that the studio was covering up the truth about how many were actually hurt during the production.
“I’m infuriated by the narrative that Netflix is putting out there, that only [a few] people were injured…we were all injured just by going through that experience. I’ve never been that cold for that long a period in my life. We couldn’t feel our feet or our toes. It was ridiculous.”
An unnamed player told The Sun that everyone suffered extreme cold temperatures for the sake of the prize which amounts to $4.56 million.
“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.”
Despite this revelation, the studio has remained steadfast in its statement that it provided enough care and assistance to the players.
Netflix Claims Accusations Are Hoax
Netflix and producers Studio Lambert and The Garden responded to the allegations via a statement obtained by Variety:
“We care deeply about the health of our cast and crew, and the quality of this show. Any suggestion that the competition is rigged or claims of serious harm to players are simply untrue. We’ve taken all the appropriate safety precautions, including after care for contestants – and an independent adjudicator is overseeing each game to ensure it’s fair to everyone.”
The players who voiced out their sentiments claimed that they did not sign up for the physical nightmare they endured all throughout the game. Surprisingly, the contestants also claimed to be unpaid for their participation in the series.
Squid Game: The Challenge is available to stream via Netflix.
