Squid Game: The Challenge winner revealed after intense showdown
The winner of Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge has been revealed after the reality show saw 456 people compete for a huge cash prize. Warning: This article contains spoilers for the final of the show.
Inspired by the Korean dystopian show Squid Game, competitors had to take part in memorable challenges from the series. At $4.56m (£3.66m), the winner’s prize is thought to be the biggest cash prize in the history of reality TV.
The challenges included in the series included Green Light, Red Light where players had to run to cross a line while a huge doll of a girl sings – when the singing stops, they must too or risk being “killed”. In the initial series, characters would be shot, however in the spin-off reality version, radio-controlled exploding dye was used to eliminate the losers.
The final episode saw finalists Sam Wells (Player 016), Mai Whelan (Player 287) and Phill Cain (Player 451) compete for the top prize. In the end, the victor was decided by a game of rock, paper, scissors.
The 55-year-old winner, Mai, born in Vietnam and a veteran of the US Navy, emerged victorious. Mai, with two daughters and a granddaughter, admitted, “I was like: ‘Oh my God, this is my expertise'”. Although she insists her victory was chance, Phill, her competitor admits that “She read me like a book”.
Meditation was a key part of getting through the grueling challenges for Mai. “It helped me relax and kept my mind focused for the day,” she adds.
The reality show, which was filmed in Bedford, has been renewed for a second series by Netflix, but the first is facing legal claims from some participants who want compensation for injuries they say they suffered on the show. The claims include hypothermia and nerve damage.
For anyone thinking of signing up for the next series, the finalists emphasize the importance of building relationships. “Trust that kindness and compassion will really carry you forward,” says Phill. “Trust your friends and just have fun with it,” says Sam.
So, as the winner celebrates victory and the show’s future hangs in the balance, the intense showdown of Squid Game: The Challenge has come to an end, leaving audiences on the edge of their seats.