- Written by Andre Roden-Paul
- BBC News
Players had to cross the line while the singing doll faced the wall, but were eliminated if they were caught moving when the doll turned its head to face them
Lawyers for contestants on Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge said they are seeking damages for injuries they claim they suffered during the show.
Express Solicitors represents two players who it says “suffered injuries such as hypothermia and nerve damage”.
Players competed for a $4.56 million (£3.63 million) prize in the spin-off, inspired by the hit South Korean drama Squid Game.
“We take the best interests of our contestants seriously,” a spokesperson for the show said in a statement.
Studio Lambert, the company that co-produced the show for Netflix, has been contacted for comment.
Express Solicitors claimed the unnamed contestants suffered injuries when they “had to remain motionless for hours in cold temperatures during filming”.
Daniel Slade, CEO of the British company, said: “The contestants thought they were participating in something fun and the sufferers did not expect to suffer as they did.
“They have now suffered injuries after spending time in painful positions in cold temperatures.
“We had a case where someone complained of hypothermia. His hands turned purple from the cold.”
The law firm said it had sent demand letters to Lambert’s studio outlining the alleged injuries to its clients, which it says were “the result of poor health and safety standards on set”.
A letter of claim is a step before taking legal action – a lawsuit may be filed against a person or organization.
Contestants who were unable to remain still were eliminated by a team of judges who were watching the video footage
In the Green Light Red Light game, players run to a line while a 13.7-foot (4.2 m) tall puppet sings and faces a wall. But players must stand still once the doll rotates its neck to face the players.
Those caught moving were eliminated using an automated video system with multiple arbitrators selecting the players who moved.
Stephen Lambert, CEO of Lambert Studio, previously said that players who crossed the line quickly took two hours to finish the game, but slower players took four or five hours.
“Everyone was told it was going to be tough,” he said in press materials for the show.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) confirmed it had contacted the show’s producers after concerns were raised with them, but said it had decided to take no further action and stressed to them the importance of “properly planning for any risks in future filming”.
A spokesperson for Squid Game: The Challenge said: “No lawsuits have been filed by any of the Squid Game contestants. We take the best interest of our contestants seriously.”
The game was filmed at Cardington Studios in Bedford.
Last week, Lambert told BBC News that the company takes player welfare “very seriously”.
He said: “Everyone was warned that it would be cold, and we took all the necessary steps to prepare them for that.
“Yes, a few anonymous people were unhappy with the fact that they were eliminated and it was a very cold and long experience.
“But it was no worse than many unscripted shows… When you give away a huge prize, it’s always going to be clear to us that it’s going to be a tough show to get into.”
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