Squid Game: The Challenge has started filming, but not everything is going smoothly. Competitors complain of several problems
At the announcement of the release of a reality show entirely dedicated to Squid Game, many had shown a certain curiosity. After all, a reality show on a global scale is not found every day on the TV schedules. There were many and coming from all over the world, those who decided to support the audition to try to grab the prize money. In the end 456 competitors were recruiteda real record of participants, never attempted before for a reality show.
The Netflix showwhich does not yet have a release date, has put 45.6 billion won up for grabs, about 34 million euros for those who manage to get to the end of all the tests. The production has been very quick to choose suitable candidates, so much so that the filming of the game show is already underway and the first rumors have already leaked.
However, not everything seems to be going right. Although filming has just begun, there are several already eliminated players who have indulged in revelations that caused quite a stir. Let’s find out.
Squid Game: The Challenge and temperature problems
It would seem that the filming of the game show was characterized by an element that created many problems: the cold. Word of John, former competitor, eliminated in the first round, along with 227 other competitors. The boy confessed to Variety that he was subjected to exhausting filming sessions, precisely because of the cold.
This is not a Bear Grylls survival show. If they had told us it would be this cold, no one would have gone through with it.
The contestants would show up for filming convinced that it would last for about two hours. The reality was quite different, since the game lasted for almost 7 hours, in freezing cold, in an airplane hangar in the UK, filming location. This led to some contestants feeling sick, verging on hypothermia, waiting for the game to begin. There are even those who speak of “competitors dropping to the ground like flies“.
Netflix pointed out that the contestants were allowed to bring warm clothing such as jackets, as well as providing them with heaters, with which they could keep warm. However, conditions worsened as filming began, when each player had to leave his heavy clothes behind and put on simple overalls. The game, which according to reports should be the now iconic “Un, due, tre, stella!”, forced them to stand still for up to 15 minutes (although some argue that the time was longer). Only repeated interventions by medical personnel would have convinced the production to create more acceptable conditions.
Games rigged?
Other competitors have also expressed themselves negatively towards Squid Game: The Challenge, complaining of many problems in player management. An anonymous contestant revealed:
It was simply the cruelest and meanest thing I’ve ever been through. We were like in a human horse race and just like horses we were treated.
As if that weren’t enough, some former players have felt that the show is rigged. In fact, it would seem that among the participants in the games there are also faces already known to the public (mostly influencers) who would not be offered the same treatment as the others. In fact, there are those who swear that some of them, after being eliminated, have been readmitted to the race, without an explanation. “It really wasn’t a game show. It was a TV show and we were basically extras” one eliminated sadly admitted.
In the face of these allegations, Netflix defended itself, denying what happened. The company has emphasized that it is aware of not being able to go to the level of the Korean series, but also that the competitors who took part in the game were perfectly aware that the conditions would not be easy at all. A spokesperson for the platform stated:
Any insinuation that games may be rigged is false, as are claims of serious harm to players. We care deeply about the health and safety of our cast and crew and have invested in all appropriate safety measures. As cold as it was on the set – and the attendees were prepared for this – any rumors of serious injuries are not true.
In short, it would seem that, while not wanting to, this reality show is much more similar to the original Squid Game than one might think. We are waiting to understand how the situation will evolve; we will always be here to keep you updated.
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