(Image via theescapeeffect.com)
Staff Writer: Gwen Pichette
Email: gpichette@umassd.edu
When the South Korean hit Netflix show Squid Game, created by Hwang Dong-hyu, took the media by storm in 2021, it was entirely fictional, but it has now become a reality.
The original show was a high-stakes drama that followed hundreds of players competing in a series of deadly games and challenges, all for the slim chance of winning a multi-billion-dollar cash prize.
The challenges were pulled from the following South Korean children’s games: Red Light Green Light, Dalgona, marbles, and tug-of-war. While such games would certainly be considered fun and innocent under regular circumstances, the failure to pass said challenges resulted in the immediate death of the players.
Because of the show’s extreme popularity, Netflix released Squid Game: The Challenge two years later, on November 22nd, 2023. The reality TV show depicts hundreds of contestants playing similar children’s games as in the fictional show. A hefty cash prize of $4.56 million is awarded to one lucky victor.
While there was, of course, no actual risk of death involved, the unsafe working conditions instilled genuine fear in many of the participants.
Stars complained that the weather conditions were unbearable while playing Red Light Green Light. In the challenge, players must run forward at the phrase “green light” and stop moving at “red light.” This cycle continues until they reach the finish line — failure to remain still results in elimination.
Although it sounds simple enough, players allegedly had to stay outside for prolonged periods of time in below-freezing temperatures.
The show-runners are now facing potential lawsuits from multiple players alleging that they suffered from hypothermia and sustained nerve damage because of the show’s careless conditions.
In an interview with NBC, Melissa, or player #326 on the show, provided more insight into these allegations. She claimed that contestants wore nothing but tracksuits along with only one other layer of clothing despite it being mid-winter in London. Because of the severe temperatures and stress, multiple people fainted and needed medical attention.
She reports that none of them appeared to have sustained serious injuries, but the conditions were certainly not pleasant.
Emma, or player #021 on the show, disclosed the discrepancies between what was being presented on the screen and what was really happening in the same NBC interview:
“You see 5 minutes on the timer when you’re watching the show. But what you don’t know is that that 5 minutes was spread upwards of 7 or 8 hours” all the while players had to remain in a cold, metal warehouse.
While this game may have been entertaining for viewers oblivious to how strenuous it truly was, this combination made for extremely uncomfortable conditions for contestants.
Additionally, stars often fall victim to being seen more as fictional characters than real human beings. This leads to viewers being desensitized to the pain and suffering depicted on screen, instead often finding it comedic.
The controversy surrounding the production has prompted a larger conversation about the ethics surrounding reality TV shows, in which good ratings and high revenue are often prioritized over the well-being of stars.
However, reality TV stars calling for better treatment is nothing new.
The hit reality TV show Dance Moms, which follows a girls-competition dance team and their overzealous mothers, faced allegations of being filmed under abusive conditions back in 2014.
Dance instructor Abby Lee Miller was accused of abusing her students, some as young as 6 and 7 years old. In nearly every episode, the young dancers are seen crying in response to Miller yelling at them.
One dancer, Paige Hyland, on the show for seasons one through three, sued Miller for claims of physical and emotional abuse. Judges dismissed the claim, and the show continued to run successfully for eight seasons and has garnered a substantial fan base to this day.
This continued success of the show, despite proof of abusive conditions, points to how the mistreatment of reality stars is normalized. As long as viewers are amused and show creators are successful, the stars’ safety and comfort are entirely secondary.
A less severe incident occurred with Spencer Hawkins, player #299. He went to the popular social-media platform Tiktok to rehash his experiences on the Squid Game reality show. He spoke of how he had “no abnormal reactions to stress coming into the game,” but “inundated in the stress” of competition, reacted abnormally.
Hawkins can be seen in the show exhibiting tell-tale symptoms of anxiety, such as vomiting, hyperventilating, and crying while playing Dalgona, the honeycomb game. Countless videos have surfaced on TikTok, sharing clips of his reactions to this stressful situation, calling it hilarious.
This pattern of entertainment being produced at the expense of the contestant’s suffering cannot be so easily ignored. Psychological stress in reality TV is standard for stars but often flies under the radar because fans’ enjoyment takes top priority.
An article from Intouchweekly.com delves into how The Real Housewives of New York City star, Leah McSweeney spoke out about similar experiences. While on her show, she faced extreme adversity, battling an alcohol relapse and the death of her grandmother. Yet she was offered no support by the show during this time.
When she recovered, she was allegedly told by the network that viewers “didn’t like” her now because “there was such a stark difference between [her] when [she was] drinking versus this season,” as it made her less entertaining to watch.
This means that the producers tried pushing her into compromising her safety to get fan ratings up. The network is now facing a lawsuit for discrimination.
Reality TV is favored mainly because of the comedic relief it offers to viewers. Often, the more dramatic the scenes, the more entertaining. But at what cost does this entertainment come at?
The jeopardizing of stars’ welfare.
Despite the immense controversy, Squid Games: The Challenge has been given the green light for a second season. But the success of the second season is still unknown.
The looming potential threat of a lawsuit against Netflix has left many viewers apprehensive about the show’s principles — and about the ethics of reality television in general.