On November 22nd it opens Round 6: The Challengecompetition program inspired by games from the hit series Round 6, from Netflix. And the progress of production, somewhat intriguing, was surrounded by controversy.
The new reality show was billed as a competition based on the original series, searching for contestants across the world. Those selected would then participate in a game with several tests to win the millionaire prize of US$4.56 million.
It is clear that the result of the games Round 6 it would not be in violence, several deaths and the survival of a single winner, as happens in the South Korean plot. However, this does not mean that the competition was not dangerous.
Controversies of Round 6: The Challenge
The recordings of Round 6: The Challenge began in January 2023, in the United Kingdom, with 456 participants. It didn’t take long for the eliminated people began to accuse Netflix of neglecting their competitorsreporting what they experienced.
At the time, former contestants said they were treated coldly by the producers, and that everything was very mean and cruel. Reports said that participants needed to repeat the activities constantly, even in freezing temperatures.
During the most popular game in Round 6called “Batatinha Frita 1, 2, 3” in Brazil, the participants spent around 9 hours in the cold and faced a thermal sensation of 10º without being able to move, which lasted around 30 minutes.
Round 6: The Challenge has participants from all over the worldSource: Netflix/Disclosure
According to the testimonies, people fainted and help took a long time to appear. The justification would be that the production did not want the attendance to interfere with the recorded scenes, causing anger among those who were there.
“It was the cruelest, meanest thing I’ve ever been through,” said a former participant in an interview with Rolling Stone. Another competitor stated that the trauma and torment experienced were not exactly because of the games, but because of the producers’ negligence.
The complaints also reveal that many participants were digital influencers invited by the reality show, selected in advance to overcome the challenges and move on to the next stages. Even those who passed were eliminated without explanation.
Ordinary participants even received microphones that didn’t work, and even had their return tickets purchased in advance, as if the production had already decided that they would be eliminated.
“Actually, it wasn’t a competition show, it was a TV show and we were basically extras,” said one of the participants.
The reality show inspired by Round 6 will have 10 episodesSource: Netflix/Disclosure
Netflix’s response
In response to the first accusations made by former participants, Netflix said that only three players sought medical help for minor injuries. At the time, London was going through a cold wave and, according to the producers, the contestants were prepared to face it, and that any statements about serious health cases are unrealistic.
The series Round 6: The Challenge premieres on Netflix on November 22nd and will feature 10 episodes in total.
