Netflix has announced the renewal of its successful show “Squid Game: The Challenge” for a second season after weeks of a claim by a couple of former contestants that they are considering suing the network due to freezing and nerve damage they allegedly suffered during the filming of a segment of the show.
Main Information
Netflix has issued a call for open auditions for 456 contestants to compete in the second season of “Squid Game: The Challenge,” a British reality competition show that pits players against each other in a series of contests.
The network has not announced the cash prize that players will compete for in the upcoming season, but the prize in the first season was $4.56 million, and the winner will be crowned in a finale episode next Wednesday.
Contestants in the first season were eliminated in each episode beginning with a game called “Red Light, Green Light,” where they tried to cross a yard without being noticed by a mechanical doll. In the following episodes, they competed in the show’s version of classic games like Tug of War and Head and Shoulders.
The first season of “Squid Game: The Challenge,” released over nine episodes in recent weeks, became the most-watched show on Netflix since its premiere on November 22, achieving a total viewership of 31.5 million viewers from November 20 to December 3.
Legal Threats and Harsh Conditions
Although the competition show does not contain the level of danger present in the fictional Korean series “Squid Game,” where participants face serious injury or death, two former contestants on “The Challenge” have threatened to sue Netflix for freezing and nerve damage they reportedly suffered during the “Red Light, Green Light” game.
Netflix confirmed at the time that three of the 456 players required medical attention after filming the show in the cold Royal Air Force base, and an independent investigation into the safety of the site was conducted, but a spokesperson for the show said that no lawsuits had been filed.
Some other contestants reported that they faced “inhumane” conditions during filming, with one contestant describing the “Red Light, Green Light” game to Variety magazine as a “war zone.”
What to Watch For
Season two. Netflix has not announced the release date for the new season.
Main Background
The original series “Squid Game” is a South Korean drama produced for Netflix. In the fictional show, which aims to be a commentary on capitalism and class divides in South Korea, 456 players in need of money compete in a series of lethal games for a chance to win 45.6 billion won ($34.6 million). Behind the scenes, a group of billionaires runs the show for entertainment purposes. Characters include an elderly man suffering from a brain tumor who prefers to risk his life in the game rather than die from his illness, and a gambling addict playing to pay off his debts and regain custody of his daughter. The show has caused a stir worldwide and has become Netflix’s most-watched series in over 90 countries. “Squid Game” holds a critic rating of 95% and an audience score of 84% on Rotten Tomatoes. The second season and the new spin-off “Squid Game: The Challenge” were announced last summer.
Main Criticism
Fans of the original show have criticized the new spin-off almost from the start. The Independent reported on Wednesday that watching “The Challenge” raises a “moral issue” and quoted statements from Ling Lam, a lecturer in counseling psychology at Santa Clara University, saying that enticing people to give up “fundamental parts of their humanity for entertainment is a 100% ethical violation.” Others have said the new spin-off mocks the original “Squid Game” message—that forcing people to struggle as a form of entertainment is wrong. “Netflix is exploiting the success of Squid Game by turning it into a reality show, it’s akin to how Paramount capitalized on the success of Apocalypse Now by invading Vietnam,” wrote one commentator on platform X, formerly known as Twitter.
Fact
Interesting
Netflix wasn’t the first to turn “Squid Game” experiences into a real competition. YouTuber Jimmy “MrBeast” Donaldson – who has a fortune of over $500 million – recreated the show’s challenges for his online audience and offered 456 randomly selected people a chance to win a cash prize of $456,000. The video has over 540 million views.
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