Contestants on the new Squid Game-inspired reality show are threatening legal action against Netflix and producers after claiming they got hypothermia and nerve damage during filming.
A British personal injuries law firm, Express Solicitors, said it was representing two unnamed players from Squid Game: The Challenge, who claim they did not know they would be risking their health by crouching motionless for long periods in cold temperatures.
The allegations concern the players’ experience shooting the show’s opening game, Red Light, Green Light, in which players must evade the attention of a robotic doll.
The game was filmed at Cardington Studios, a former Royal Air Force base in Bedfordshire, during a cold snap in Britain. At the time, Netflix confirmed three of 456 contestants received medical treatment during filming, but said “claims of serious injury are untrue” after a contestant claimed people were stretchered out.
Daniel Slade, the CEO of Express Solicitors, which specialises in no-win no-fee claims, said: “We recognise people may see this as a classic David and Goliath battle with the company and its production partners.
“Contestants thought they were taking part in something fun and those injured did not expect to suffer as they did. Now they have been left with injuries after spending time being stuck in painful stress positions in cold temperatures.”
Slade said one client described “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.”
Premiering on Wednesday, the show – a recreation of the blockbuster Korean drama – involves contestants from around the world competing for a $4.56m (£3.64m) cash prize, the largest single prize in gameshow history.
It was commissioned by Netflix after the remarkable success of the original Squid Game, in which poor people are lured to play lethal versions of children’s games, risking death for wealth. The fictional series was viewed in 142 million households and accumulated 1.65bn viewing hours in the first 28 days of its release in 2021.
A spokesperson for Squid Game: The Challenge said: “No lawsuit has been filed by any of the Squid Game contestants. We take the welfare of our contestants extremely seriously.”
Deadline reported in February that Squid Game: The Challenge faced an independent safety inspection after the medical incidents on set. While the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) reminded producers to plan properly for risk on the show, it ultimately decided that no further action was necessary.
