Contestants are planning to file a lawsuit after they allegedly suffered injuries on the Netflix show “Squid Game: The Challenge.”
“Squid Game: The Challenge” is a spin-off of Netflix’s global hit Korean series “Squid Game.”
“Squid Game: The Challenge" (Netflix)
The new show premiered on Netflix on Nov. 22 with five episodes to be followed by four episodes on Nov. 29 and one episode on Dec. 6.
In the show, 456 contestants join a competition show aiming to win $4.56 million.
“As they compete through a series of games inspired by the original show - plus surprising new additions - their strategies, alliances, and character will be put to the test while competitors are eliminated around them,” according to Netflix.
Update: However, some contestants are claiming they were injured and are claiming damages from the show's production company, Studio Lambert.
The contestants are represented by UK-based Express Solicitors, “an award-winning no win no fee law firm specializing in personal injury claims.”
On Nov. 27, Express Solicitors replied in an email to Manila Bulletin's inquiry about the claims by the contestants.
Daniel Slade of Express Solicitors is supervising cases for the claims made against Studio Lambert.
He said in a statement:
“We have sent letters of claim on behalf of contestants injured in this show. We recognize 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.
“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.
“From what we've been told they pushed the boundaries of safety in the name of entertainment. Production companies need to ensure that health and safety standards on their shows don’t leave people at risk of harm.”
The opening game of the show was filmed in the UK in January this year in a huge ex-RAF base on the outskirts of Bedford, which previously hosted “Batman” and “Star Wars” films.
The contestants were participating in the game “Red Light, Green Light” when they started to feel unwell in cold temperatures.
For the game, those who don't pass over a finish line before the timer runs out or don't stop, motionless, when a sinister doll says "Red light" are eliminated, via sniper rifles in the show and with squid packs in the real-life game.
Players wore special vests with squibs of ink that exploded when they were "killed,"
Contestants complained that they went off even if they didn’t move and that clothing didn’t fit properly exposing them to the cold.
The rest of the game was filmed in Wharf Studios in London with six interconnected stages used to recreate the “Squid Game” environment.
Express Solicitors are looking to speak to other contestants injured in the games.
In response, a spokesperson for “Squid Game: The Challenge” said that “no lawsuit has been filed by any of the Squid Game contestants. We take the welfare of our contestants extremely seriously," the UK media outlet The Sun reported.