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Netflix threatened with lawsuit over injury claims on Squid Game reality show

Reality competition series Squid Game: The Challenge

Contestants of Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge are threatening to take legal action against the streaming giant, claiming they were injured on set and that the production “pushed the boundaries of safety in the name of entertainment.”

UK legal firm Express Solicitors said yesterday that it has been instructed by two unnamed contestants to pursue compensation for injuries incurred while filming the reality series at Cardington Studios near Bedford, UK in January.

The contestants claim they suffered injuries including nerve damage and hypothermia as a result of “poor health and safety standards on set.”

Squid Game: The Challenge is a reality competition series based on Netflix’s smash hit Korean drama Squid Game, which became the streamer’s most-viewed title ever when it premiered in 2021.

The reality series, billed by Netflix as the “biggest competition series ever” owing to its US$4.56m cash prize, is produced by Studio Lambert and The Garden. It sees 456 contestants taking part in challenges inspired by those featured in the scripted series.

Filming coincided with a cold snap in the UK in January, with Netflix confirming at the time that three contestants had received medical attention. However, it also said any claims of serious injury were “untrue.”

The show was commissioned in June 2022 and the first five episodes premiered globally on Wednesday. A second batch of episodes will be released on November 29 before the finale premieres on December 6.

“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,” said Daniel Slade, CEO of legal for Express Solicitors.

“Production companies need to ensure that health and safety standards on their shows don’t leave people at risk of harm.”

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