‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ Contestants Threaten to Sue for Injuries Sustained During Filming
A United Kingdom-based law firm representing two contestants from “Squid Game: The Challenge” is considering legal action against the Netflix series’ producers over injuries that allegedly occurred during filming of the series in January.
The contestants claim that they suffered “injuries such as hypothermia and nerve damage as a result of poor health and safety standards on set.” They are seeking compensation from the show’s coproducer Studio Lambert.
“We have sent letters of claim on behalf of contestants injured in this show. From what we’ve been told they pushed the boundaries of safety in the name of entertainment,” Express Solicitors CEO Daniel Slade said in a statement. “Production companies need to ensure that health and safety standards on their shows don’t leave people at risk of harm.”
Slade told The Sun that the firm recognizes 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 continued. “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.”
The 10-episode reality competition series, which was first ordered in June 2022 less than a year after the debut of the original “Squid Game” series, premiered with its first five episodes on Wednesday.
The show, which consists of 456 players competing for a $4.56 million cash prize, is a coproduction between Studio Lambert and The Garden, which is part of ITV Studios.
Shortly after the series began filming in the United Kingdom, medics were called to production during a game of “Red Light, Green Light.” Fewer than five of the show’s contestants were injured. Those injuries were in part due to Britain’s cold snap at the time.
It’s far from a shot to the head, but it was a distinct echo of the real “Squid Game” — a fictional universe where desperate people put themselves in harm’s way for the chance to win a life-changing amount of money. A select group of contestants also told Rolling Stone the series was “cruel” and “rigged.”
Netflix, Studio Lambert and The Garden responded to the claims, giving the following statement at the time: “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 aftercare for contestants – and an independent adjudicator is overseeing each game to ensure it’s fair to everyone.”
On Thursday, a spokesperson for “Squid Game: The Challenge” told TheWrap that no lawsuit has been filed by any of the show’s contestants.
“We take the welfare of our contestants extremely seriously,” the show added.
Representatives for Express Solicitors and Studio Lambert did not immediately return TheWrap’s request for comment.
Stephen Lambert, Tim Harcourt and Toni Ireland from Studio Lambert and John Hay, Nicola Hill and Nicola Brown from The Garden serve as executive producers.
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