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A popular Youtube channel ScreenJunkies recently launched a spinoff called ScreenJunkies News. (this is to show notability)

On a recent episode titled "Real Life Hunger Games Coming To TV", the host of the show (Sasha Perl Raver) claimed:

"Game 2: Winter" will find twenty contestants attempting to survive negative 40 degree F conditions in over 2000 acres of Siberian wilderness, and given the OK to do literally anything on camera, including rape, kill or be killed".

Is the bolded part of the claim accurate? Sounds... unlikely.

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  • The cohosts seem to be dismissing the idea later in the show, but sounds like their personal opinions, not any sort of evidence.
    – user5341
    Dec 26, 2016 at 15:56

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The BBC reported on this in a little more detail a little while back: http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/38342421/russia-does-the-hunger-games-for-real-in-siberia-but-no-guns-are-allowed

A Russian TV network has launched a real-life version of The Hunger Games.

Contestants will have to survive on their own for nine months in Siberia.

Producers say that anything goes, including rape and murder, although they warn people taking part that they're still subject to the rule of law and can be arrested at any time.

"You must understand that the police will come and take you away. We are on the territory of Russia, and obey the laws of the Russian Federation."

The 20 male and female participants taking part in Game2: Winter can carry knives but aren't allowed guns.

Slightly more speculative, based on the above (so possibly not appropriate for a skeptics SE answer, since it's not backed up by any sources):

The 'rape and murder allowed' looks more like sensationalist PR from the channel making the program: it's all still illegal and will get you arrested, so it's pretty much the same as being in a TV quiz show in that regard. The only real differences might be:

  • The film crew won't intervene to prevent crimes being comitted against other contestants
  • Committing crimes might not get you disqualified from the competition, although presumably being arrested rather interferes in the ability to take part
  • The production company might not be criminally liable, although whatever waivers constestants might have signed may or may not stand up in court
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    Sensationalist PR. Yep.
    – user11643
    Dec 26, 2016 at 17:57
  • So a case of ScreenJunkies News faithfully reproducing 3rd party rubbish, rather than creating nonsense itself.
    – Andrew Grimm
    Dec 27, 2016 at 0:45
  • As to the second point, the remoteness of the location may preclude any risk to the production company of having contestants whisked away in policecars. They'd be more likely to be arrested after returning to society at the end of the ordeal, the television footage being used as evidence against them.
    – jwenting
    Dec 29, 2016 at 9:01
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    I wonder what the Russian Federation would think about the film crew being capable of intervening to prevent a murder, or of immediately reporting it, but not doing so. I wouldn't want to have to justify that in a court of law in any country.
    – Larry Gritz
    Dec 29, 2016 at 17:57
  • @LarryGritz Will there, in fact, be an on-site film crew? Or will contestants be using personal cameras (e.g. GoPro)?
    – called2voyage
    Jan 3, 2017 at 17:46
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No, this information seems to be false at this moment.

The only information regarding illegal activities that I managed to find on their official website is:

VIOLATION OF THE LAWS OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION.

For a violation of the laws of the Russian Federation a participant leaves the project, without the right to the prize, and is handed to law enforcement agencies.

Source: https://game2winter.ru/pravila (use Google Translate)

Maybe the producers of the show made earlier some statements for the PR stunt but right now rules are explicit that criminal activity will not be tolerated.

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