When you adapt a TV show about murder and betrayal into a game show, there are bound to be some issues. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’ll be looking over the allegedly troubled and traumatic production that took place during “Squid Game: The Challenge.”
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00:00 - It is now time for the next game.
00:02 (upbeat music)
00:04 - Welcome to WatchMojo.
00:10 And today we're looking over the allegedly troubled
00:12 and traumatic production that took place
00:14 during "Squid Game The Challenge".
00:16 - Squid Game.
00:17 What an odd name.
00:20 - Based on societal greed.
00:24 Perhaps the trouble with "Squid Game The Challenge"
00:26 can be traced back to its morally challenged inspiration.
00:30 Based on the mega hit Korean survival drama
00:32 that is Netflix's "Squid Game",
00:34 this reality competition spin-off
00:35 centers around one thing, greed.
00:38 - This is a 4.56 million dollar game.
00:41 - The money is so...
00:42 - Like the scripted series,
00:46 we find numerous individuals fighting for money
00:49 at all costs.
00:51 (speaking in foreign language)
00:55 (speaking in foreign language)
00:59 - Okay, so unlike the fictional premise,
01:02 the stakes aren't life or death.
01:03 But there are plenty of cold and calculated moves
01:06 that need to be made in order to advance in the game.
01:09 Essentially, the premise plays off
01:11 our most desperate and nasty qualities.
01:14 - You can't trust anybody in here.
01:16 - You must now pick two players to eliminate.
01:21 - A participant was even quoted
01:24 in "Rolling Stone" magazine as saying
01:25 the whole experience was quote,
01:27 "The cruelest, meanest thing they've ever been a part of."
01:30 The show boasts a 4.56 million dollar cash prize,
01:34 the largest lump sum cash prize in TV history.
01:38 So, as Netflix proudly states
01:40 in their advertising of the show,
01:41 quote, "The stakes are high."
01:43 But in this game, the worst fate is going home empty handed.
01:47 - This game has to be played with strategy.
01:51 I'm gonna be your best friend.
01:53 But I will absolutely double cross you.
01:56 - It can be said that the premise alone
01:58 set the contestants up for a nasty
01:59 and cutthroat experience before the cameras
02:02 even started rolling.
02:03 - Preparations for the first game are complete.
02:06 You can begin now.
02:08 - Inhumane environment.
02:10 Early on in the production, many reports made it apparent
02:13 that things were not running smoothly
02:15 during "Squid Game The Challenge."
02:16 It turns out that the trauma contestants experienced
02:19 wasn't just related to the rigors of the game itself,
02:22 but rather the alleged inhumane filming conditions.
02:25 (speaking in foreign language)
02:29 Speaking anonymously with variety,
02:32 various contestants recounted a traumatizing experience
02:35 while filming the famed red light, green light game.
02:37 (speaking in foreign language)
02:41 They say they were woken up at 3.30 a.m.
02:48 to take a two hour trip to the filming location,
02:51 a former Royal Air Force hangar.
02:53 The temperature in this vast environment
02:55 was said to be sub-freezing.
02:57 Thankfully, participants were given coats to keep warm,
03:00 along with thermal underwear and two pairs of socks.
03:03 But when it was time to film,
03:05 everyone was instructed to remove their coats
03:07 and leave their thin "Squid Game" jackets unzipped
03:10 so audiences could see when their color packs exploded.
03:13 ♪ Life that keeps me alive ♪
03:16 Freezing from head to toe.
03:19 One participant likened the experience
03:21 to being in a human horse race, quote,
03:23 "Where the horses were left out in the cold."
03:26 - Let the game begin.
03:28 (speaking in foreign language)
03:32 - Contestants provided forms from their doctors,
03:40 but were told that the shooting for this particular game
03:43 would last around two hours.
03:44 They were also told it would require holding poses
03:47 for up to two minutes.
03:49 (speaking in foreign language)
03:53 However, filming "Red Light, Green Light"
03:55 stretched past the seven hour mark,
03:57 and poses had to be held for 10 to 15 minutes,
04:01 with one going as long as 26 minutes.
04:04 Participants did not sign up
04:05 for an environmental competition series like "Survivor"
04:08 and were unprepared for the frigid conditions.
04:11 Because the merciless temperature
04:12 had nothing to do with the game,
04:14 it left many contestants calling foul.
04:17 Oh, and did we mention water and bathroom breaks
04:19 were not permitted during the entire filming of this game?
04:23 (speaking in foreign language)
04:26 Injuries.
04:30 As you might imagine,
04:31 the cruel conditions participants were placed in
04:33 led to several medical incidents.
04:35 Reports from "The Sun" and "Rolling Stone"
04:38 note that at least 10 individuals were injured
04:40 during this first game.
04:41 (speaking in foreign language)
04:45 (wind whooshing)
04:48 As "Red Light, Green Light" pressed on,
04:52 players started to collapse.
04:53 This from being required to stand still in the bitter cold.
04:57 One participant recounted seeing a girl swaying in her pose
05:00 and then buckling.
05:01 She said she could actually hear her head hit the ground.
05:05 (speaking in foreign language)
05:09 She also recounted that while people were falling,
05:12 a voice came over the speakers
05:14 telling everyone to hold their positions
05:16 because quote, "The game is not paused."
05:19 This reportedly caused more people to drop.
05:22 There were also allegations that medics took a long time
05:25 to reach players who had fallen
05:27 because producers did not want camera shots to get ruined.
05:30 "Rolling Stone" reported that as a solution,
05:32 quote, "Masked people in pink jumpsuits
05:35 were sent out on the floor with black coffins
05:37 and positioned themselves to block out the medics."
05:40 This supposedly took place
05:41 while the rest of the contestants
05:43 had to remain frozen in their poses.
05:45 (speaking in foreign language)
05:49 However, Netflix has denied that the game
05:57 resulted in any serious danger or injury.
06:00 They stated, quote, "We care deeply about the health
06:03 and safety of our cast and crew
06:05 and invested in all the appropriate safety procedures."
06:08 Several contestants disagree with one saying, quote,
06:11 "It was the incompetencies of scale.
06:14 They bit off more than they could chew."
06:16 (speaking in foreign language)
06:20 False pretenses.
06:23 The show has also come under fire for allegations
06:25 that it was quote, "Skewed toward high profile participants."
06:29 - We're in Squid Game, let's get real.
06:31 Let's sink these ships.
06:32 - Contestants say that TikTok and Instagram influencers
06:36 were the only ones fully mic'd up
06:38 while the vast majority of contestants
06:39 were given dummy microphones.
06:41 Not only that, but they also say
06:43 that those types of individuals often had rules,
06:46 quote, "Bent in their favor."
06:48 - We are a good team.
06:49 - You're the brightest light in here.
06:50 (shouting)
06:51 - Netflix denies special treatment was given to anyone,
06:55 but at least one participant says
06:56 she simply felt like nothing more than an extra
06:59 in a TV show.
07:00 (speaking in foreign language)
07:07 Of course, the massive, not to mention historic cash prize
07:10 made many players giddy.
07:12 Producers allegedly favored contestants who had a quote,
07:16 "Whatever it takes attitude to get the money."
07:18 They're accused of wanting to focus on those
07:20 who did not care about their health and safety.
07:23 One angry player even said that instead of Squid Game,
07:26 the show should be called Rigged Game.
07:29 - You have been eliminated.
07:31 (shouting)
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07:48 Lack of accountability.
07:51 Many contestants say they are most frustrated
07:54 with Netflix's lack of accountability.
07:56 The streamer's soft response on the reported injuries
07:58 did not sit well, with one ex-player saying
08:01 that everyone was injured, quote,
08:03 "Just by going through the experience."
08:05 (speaking in foreign language)
08:09 They also called out the show's other co-producers,
08:28 Studio Lambert and The Garden,
08:30 for their lack of preparation and flexibility.
08:33 One contestant says that Studio Lambert
08:35 was actually exceptionally caring
08:37 in the pre-production phase,
08:38 with plenty of communication
08:39 and extensive background checks.
08:42 (speaking in foreign language)
08:46 But she says when the game started,
08:48 that all changed and she no longer felt cared for.
08:52 As for the celebrated fictional Squid Game series,
08:55 a second season is still very much in the works at Netflix,
08:58 despite the dark production of its reality show spinoff.
09:02 (speaking in foreign language)
09:06 What are your thoughts on Squid Game
09:07 The Challenge's troubling allegations?
09:09 Let us know in the comments below.
09:11 (dramatic music)
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