A contestant on an ITV Squid Game-inspired game show has branded the show 'dangerous' after three contestants were rushed to hospital during filming. 

99 To Beat, which is presented by brothers Adam and Ryan Thomas, will see members of the public go face-to-face in a series of physical tasks.

The eight-part series, which will air on ITV1 in early 2025, sees 100 contestants competing in a series of games.

Each contestant in the show will take part in task and strive to avoid elimination until one star is left standing.

However, ahead of its release on the box, contestant Amir Jardan, 38, has opened up about his experience on the show.

He said he joined the show 'as an exciting challenge' but 'never in a million years' did he expect to 'nearly lose his life'.

Over the course of a week, Amir and the 99 other contestants took part in over 13 challenges, but on the second day of filming in July 2024, things ended up in a bad way.

During the game named 'needle in a haystack,' he said contestants had to jump into a 20ft pile of hay to escape elimination - which lead to several people needing medical attention and an ambulance called to set. 

Amir continued filming the week-long challenge, but now fears there could be 'long term' issues with his health after the incident. 

Speaking ahead of the programme's debut, the fire alarm engineer from Dorchester, Dorset, told The Sun: 'It's a dangerous show and it caused my fiancé - who was heavily pregnant at the time - additional stress. 

'When we had to jump into this massive stack of hay, a cloud of dust engulfed us. Somehow, I managed to escape but I couldn't breathe because I could feel my throat closing up. After that, the whole thing was a blur, but I remember I was put into the recovery position as the ambulance was called. 

'I didn't think I'd see our children again. I spent six hours waiting in the hospital to get checked over. I haven't been the same since.'

Amir explained that he considered himself to be 'healthy and athletic' prior to filming, but now he feels like his breathing has been left in 'tatters'.

'I'll be nervous when watching the show because it'll be like I'm reliving it,' Amir added. 

A production company spokesperson for 99 To Beat previously said: 'A small number of contestants received medical attention after having an adverse reaction to hay, while participating in a game to retrieve chopsticks from a large haystack.

'Filming was temporarily suspended and is due to resume later this week.

'Contributor welfare remains our top priority, and our established robust health and safety processes are regularly reviewed and assessed.'

Production company Initial TV, behind shows like Big Brother, Soccer Aid and Total Wipeout, hopes to bring 99 To Beat to ITV in the UK. 

Speaking about the upcoming show, Adam and Ryan said: 'It's new, it's fresh, it's fun and we can't wait for people to see it,' said the duo in a shared statement commenting on their new job.

'It really is the ultimate family show, and so we couldn't be more excited to be hosting it together, as a family. It's a dream come true for us. 

'We can already imagine people at home playing these games with their families as it's fun/silly/competitive & heartfelt.'