During the "glass bridge" challenge, all of the shots of contestants falling through the glass trap doors were shot using stunt doubles.
From day six everyone's lips were cracked and bleeding due to the dryness of the air. It became so bad that contestants resorted to rubbing the lube from provided condoms onto their lips. They were later given Vaseline.
The series faced controversy and threatened lawsuits due to the inhumane conditions, such as lack of food and low-calorie meals.
Contestants experienced emotional and physical discomfort during the challenges, with some requiring medical assistance and suffering hypothermia and nerve damage.
While condense for TV, the first game, "Red light, green light", took hours to film. The players would all have to stand still for up to 40 minutes each time while producers checked to see if anyone had moved.