Sounds like it's pretty much this.
And I pretty much agree with Levin (And hopefully I'll never have to say that again. ). This is seriously messed up, even for a game like this.
I mean, set up challenges where death is the likelier outcome by far? Well, it is a Death Game, the contestants knew what they signed up for.
Players backstabbing each other? Part of the challenge.
Give a player loose conditions that make death inevitable?
Yeah, no. Might as well shoot the poor guy and be done with it.