And if Squid Game become a reality? On November 22, Netflix will announce The squid game: the challengea reality show inspired by the platform’s successful South Korean series.
The beginning? 456 competitors from around the world will compete in events based on those presented on Hwang Dong-hyeok’s show to try to win the sum of 4.56 million dollars, “the largest prize at stake in the history of reality TV” , specifies the program in a first trailer.
If there is no question of life or death here, unlike Squid Game, “there is always a lot at stake.” “Each player’s strategies, alliances and character will be put to the test as other competitors are eliminated,” we read in the series synopsis.
“Inhuman” filming conditions
A few months before its launch, The squid game: the challenge found himself at the center of a scandal, revealed in early January by the British tabloid Sun. Several candidates denounced the conditions of the reality show, filmed in Bedford, on a former Royal Air Force base, 80 kilometers northwest of London.
“We were tortured for eight hours,” said one candidate. “I know the show should be tough, but it was inhumane,” he added, considering that the production had privileged “good images” over the assistance provided to candidates in trouble.
Another participant spoke of the discomfort and tears among candidates who were “dropping like flies” from the cold, while temperatures in the United Kingdom dropped below zero degrees.
“Even with hypothermia, people were willing to stay as long as possible because there was a lot of money at stake. […] It was like a war zone. The doctors transported people, but nothing could be said. If you talk, you’re eliminated. Some people couldn’t move their feet because it was so cold,” confesses another competitor.
In a press release, the production, the Lambert and The Garden studios, as well as Netflix denied these accusations, stating that “the participants were prepared for this.” “We care deeply about the health and safety of our cast and crew, and have invested in all appropriate safety procedures,” the statement added.
The Serie Squid Game, aired in October 2021, was a dazzling hit on Netflix. In this nine-episode series, 456 debt-ridden gamblers agree to compete in children’s games with deadly stakes. Everyone is willing to risk their lives to win a prize of 45.6 billion won (or 32 million euros).
Source: BFM TV
