Squid Game Contestants Threaten Lawsuit

Contestants on Squid Game: The Challenge, Netflix's spin-off reality competition show based on the mega-hit series from South Korea, say they were harmed while filming and are threatening the streaming company and producers of the show with a lawsuit. Two contestants say that while filming in cold weather in the UK, they suffered injuries including hypothermia and nerve damage, Deadline reports. The law firm representing them says they did not know they would need to crouch and remain still for hours in cold temperatures and are seeking compensation, the Guardian reports. The top prize on the game show, which premiered last week, is $4.56 million, the BBC reports.

"Contestants thought they were taking part in something fun and those injured did not expect to suffer as they did," a lawyer says. The game involved in the allegations was called "Red Light, Green Light" and involved contestants trying to avoid being noticed by a huge robotic doll, and Netflix did say at the time of filming that three contestants needed medical attention. Per a spokesperson for the show, "We take the welfare of our contestants extremely seriously." The rep notes no lawsuit has been filed; per the law firm, letters of claim, which serve as notices that legal action could be coming, have been sent. (Read one participant's recounting of the six-hour-long "Red Light, Green Light" filming experience here.)