tvN’s Entertainment Program Criticized For Disregard Of Participants’ Safety During Dangerous Games

The production of tvN‘s show, The Wedding War, has come under fire after participants were revealed to have sustained injuries during games that required more safety precautions.

The Wedding War is a new reality entertainment show by tvN where real-life couples compete against one another to win prize money worth ₩290 million KRW (about $222,000 USD) and get married.

Within its first few episodes, the program has seen a considerably positive reception from audiences. However, the sixth episode became a source of pointed criticism for the makers as viewers were horrified to witness the disregard for contestants’ safety during some of the dangerous games.

The episode, which aired on August 8, saw the couples divided into two teams, White and Black. During the second round, female team members had to climb a 4-meter-high wall and snatch the flag on top to win. Kim Hae Ri, a member of the White team, lost her grip on the rope and fell over the heads of two male members standing on the ground right below her. There were no safety measures in place, and Kim Hae Ri, who came tumbling down the wall onto the ground, as well as her teammates, who were at risk of getting hurt by her entire body weight hitting them at high speed, could have been seriously injured in this accident.

In the third round, the contestants had to flip over a tire that weighed 300 kg. After 30 minutes, the production crew reduced the task’s time limit and the number of participants per team. Eventually, one male and one female member from each team had to pass that heavy tire to each other. The challenge ended up lasting for more than 3.5 hours in real-time.

In an after-game interview, a contestant named Mariam said, “I couldn’t move my body and felt dizzy.” “I wanted to drink water, but it just wouldn’t go down,” she added. Choi Kwang Won, competing from the same team, also sustained injuries on his finger but had to continue the game after wrapping it up with a bandage.

Though not as large-scale, the incident is reminiscent of the controversies surrounding the production of the Squid Game: The Challenge reality TV show. In both cases, participants have been allegedly exploited by the makers while they tried to hold out as much as possible for the life-changing sum of money at stake.

Are reality shows taking it too far, especially when contestants are non-celebrities?