Squid Game Reality Show Contestants Needed Medical Assistance on the First Day

A number of contestants on Netflix’s Squad Game: The Challenge, a game show based on the hit drama series, had to be treated for weather-related symptoms during production of the most recent episode. According to Variety, over 400 players were engaged in a massive game of Red Light, Green Light (also sometimes called Statues) on Monday, and three had to be treated during the game. Two were treated for “mild ailments” related to a powerful cold snap currently ongoing in the United Kingdom, where the show was filmed. Reportedly, a third contestant had to be treated after running into a wall. It appears that on-set medics were able to manage the injuries, and no one was hospitalized.

The game was filmed in an abandoned airplane hangar at Bedford’s Cardington Studios, north of London. Temperatures in the area reached a low of zero degrees Celsius, and it’s unlikely that the hangar provided much shelter from the punishing weather outside.

“Some people couldn’t move their feet because it was so cold,” an eliminated player reportedly told British tabloid The Sun. “You could hear someone yell ‘medic’ and the crew would rush on. We ended up standing there for 30 minutes between takes.”

“We care deeply about the health and safety of our cast and crew, and invested in all the appropriate safety procedures,” Netflix told Variety in a statement. “While it was very cold on set — and participants were prepared for that — any claims of serious injury are untrue.”

The Red Light, Green Light game was one of the first competitions in the series, which started production on Monday. According to the Variety report, only 228 of the 456 initial players made it through to the next round, suggesting that early rounds in the game show would involve huge numbers of people, being pared down to a manageable size for audiences to keep track of the contestants. Since it was the first round of competition, and so many people were involved, the report speculates that rescheduling would have been nearly impossible without creating a significant cost to the production.

The weather has been uncharacteristically frigid in the U.K. recently, which may make for ongoing challenges to the show’s production, particularly for any games that take place outdoors, or need to use facilities where weather becomes a factor.

The series, inspired by the 2021 Korean drama that became a worldwide hit on Netflix, invited contestants from around the world to compete in challenges based on the Korean children’s games featured on the show, as well as new games developed for the game show. The winner will receive a $4.56 million cash prize.