Netflix Denies Claims Of ‘Serious Injury’ On Set Of ‘Squid Game’ Reality Competition

The Squid Game is no joke.

On Monday, production kicked off on the upcoming reality competition series “Squid Game: The Challenge”, but according to reports, things didn’t go so smoothly.

READ MORE: ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ Invites Real Players To Compete For $4.56 Million

For the first game of the shoot, contestants played “Red Light Green Light”, which fans of the hit Korean drama would recognize, in which players had to make it across a finish line, but go completely still when the person who was “it” turned around to look.

U.K. tabloid The Sun reported this week that things went haywire during filming of the game due to a cold snap in the country, which left contestants freezing and requiring medical attention.

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

They reported that one player even had to be taken away in a stretcher, as temperatures allegedly got below zero degrees celsius.

“Even if hypothermia kicked in then people were willing to stay for as long as possible because a lot of money was on the line. Too many were determined not to move so they stood there for far too long,” a source said. “There were people arriving thinking they were going to be millionaires but they left in tears.”

Contestants in the reality show are playing for a prize of $4.56 million, with 456 players competing in the first round.

READ MORE: Netflix Officially Announces ‘Squid Game’ Season 2, Series Creator Teases New & Returning Characters

But in a statement to Variety, Netflix disputed the characterization of the first day of production, denying that there were serious injuries on the set.

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

Only 228 contestants will make it through the first round of the competition, which is set to premiere on the streamer later this year.