Some of the contestants on Netflix's "Squid Game: The Challenge" are claiming the game was stacked against them, and the whole thing is turning out to be a huge challenge for everyone involved.
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00:00 Some of the contestants on Netflix's "Squid Game the Challenge" are claiming the game
00:05 was stacked against them, and the whole thing is turning out to be a huge challenge for
00:09 everyone involved.
00:10 If you somehow missed all the hoopla about it, "Squid Game" was a South Korean Netflix
00:14 drama series that took the world by storm in 2021.
00:18 The show's breakout success was due in large part to its unapologetically anti-capitalist
00:23 message, and its central dilemma about wealth inequality.
00:27 The potent themes were represented by the title game, which pitted 456 players against
00:33 one another in a fight to the death.
00:35 So it certainly raised eyebrows when Netflix announced that it would be producing a reality
00:40 series version of that very same game for a grand prize of $4.56 million, titled "Squid
00:48 Game the Challenge."
00:49 "The prize up for grabs is $4.56 million, but losers will go home empty-handed."
00:57 The series premiered in November 2023, and critics weren't especially impressed.
01:02 The series only reached 44% positive ratings among critics on Rotten Tomatoes, though viewers
01:08 seemed to have liked it more.
01:09 Its average audience score, as of the making of this video, is 83% positive.
01:14 That said, the show has gotten some pretty bad press.
01:17 There have been reports of inhumane treatment and appallingly lax safety precautions, and
01:22 Rolling Stone reported that several participants alleged that the reality series was actually
01:28 rigged by Netflix producers from the start, allegations that Netflix denies.
01:33 Reality shows have a long history of decision-makers placing a thumb on the scale, but "Squid Game
01:38 the Challenge" allegedly took things beyond the nudges a typical reality show might use
01:43 to shape its narrative.
01:45 Even though every contestant on the game show was required to sign a non-disclosure agreement,
01:50 many spoke to news outlets either anonymously or off the record to discuss their experiences
01:54 on the series.
01:56 One called it,
01:57 "The cruelest, meanest thing I've ever been through."
02:00 Many contestants were outright dismayed by what they viewed as favoritism and partiality
02:04 shown towards some over others.
02:06 "It was as real as it could have been.
02:09 We suffered during Red Light, Green Light."
02:12 In separate reports by both Rolling Stone and The Wrap, sources alleged that the popular
02:17 Red Light, Green Light challenge was not so real, though.
02:20 As a group of contestants made their way to the finish line, roughly 20 were said to be
02:24 wrongfully eliminated despite finishing the challenge with 38 seconds to spare.
02:29 This, combined with witnesses describing other eliminated contestants being added back to
02:34 the game while others were unfairly given extra time to finish, resulted in many of
02:38 the eliminated contestants demanding to see the footage that supposedly confirmed their
02:43 fates.
02:44 Netflix reportedly denied these requests.
02:47 Adding insult to injury, many who spoke to reporters also accused the production of giving
02:51 preferential treatment to higher-profile contestants, such as TikTok and Instagram influencers with
02:57 large followings.
02:58 According to one,
02:59 "It really wasn't a game show.
03:01 It was a TV show.
03:02 And we were basically extras in a TV show."
03:05 Other said contestants were throwing around nicknames, claiming,
03:08 "Instead of 'Squid Game,' they're calling it 'Rigged Game.'
03:12 Instead of 'Netflix,' they're calling it 'Netfix,' because it was clearly obvious."
03:17 Without Rage reaching a fever pitch in the aftermath of such reports, which documented
03:22 various injuries, illnesses, emotional trauma, and other symptoms of collective mistreatment
03:27 on top of claims that the game's outcome was predetermined, Netflix waded into the fray
03:31 to deny the allegations as mischaracterizations.
03:35 In a joint statement, Netflix and show production companies Studio Lambert and The Garden wrote,
03:40 "We care deeply about the health of our cast and crew and the quality of this show.
03:45 Any suggestion that the competition is rigged or claims of serious harm to players are simply
03:50 untrue.
03:51 We've taken all the appropriate safety precautions, including aftercare for contestants, and an
03:57 independent adjudicator is overseeing each game to ensure it's fair to everyone."
04:02 But that statement is directly at odds with the feelings of one contestant, who told The
04:05 Wrap,
04:06 "We just all wanted a fair shot at the $4.56 million purse, right?
04:11 We felt like none of us were given a fair shot at it."
04:14 The companies behind the series undoubtedly hope that the bad press will fade away with
04:18 time.
04:19 At least one group of former contestants have no such plans, however.
04:23 According to Rolling Stone, some were seeking legal advice to investigate whether there
04:27 could be grounds for a lawsuit claiming workplace safety violations, false pretenses, and negligence.
04:32 "