Who Is Squid Game: The Challenge Winner? The Season 1 Champion Is Crowned
The stakes have never been higher. If you’re watching the new Netflix reality TV show inspired by Squid Game, you’re likely wondering: Who is the Squid Game The Challenge winner? Keep reading to learn which players are one step closer to taking home the multi-million dollar prize.
Netflix’s new reality competition, Squid Game: The Challenge, puts 456 participants against each other in a bid to secure the streamer’s biggest reality TV cash reward ever: $4.56 million. It’s a recreation of the 2021 South Korean hit, Squid Game, where 456 financially struggling individuals enter a dangerous competition to win a massive prize of 45.6 billion won (equivalent to 38.7 million US dollars).
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The Challenge has reproduced some of the most iconic elements from the viral survival drama, from the recognizable green tracksuits to the childlike games. In the first few episodes, they played a game of Red Light, Green Light, where they had to get from one side of the room to another without being spotted by a giant doll. To remain motionless during the game, participants employed a range of tactics such as placing their hands in their pockets, crawling on the ground and even squatting.
The contestants also had to cut shapes out of a honeycomb cookie without breaking the cookie shape. While the task appears simple, it’s actually incredibly difficult, as only a needle is given to cut out the shapes from the delicate candy. We also saw them play human warships (like battleships) to sink the opposite team’s human battleships.
Unlike the 2021 series which leads to the death of participants upon losing a game, the real-life adaptation spares contestants from any fatal consequences. So, who is the Squid Game The Challenge winner? See which participants are still in the competition below.
Who is the Squid Game The Challenge winner?
Who is the Squid Game The Challenge winner? Mai is the winner of Squid Game: The Challenge. In an epic battle of rock-paper-scissors, Mai outwitted the remaining two finalists Phill and Sam. “I am so happy because this is my childhood game,” said Mai in a confessional. She added of her strategy, “Playing against an adult male, they tend to draw towards rock and scissors because it symbolizes to them the power within them. Rock is solid and it’s strong, and scissors has the power to cut, and it’s also strong.”
In a final battle between her and Phill, she won and unlocked the key to the safe. “I don’t know whether to cry or to cheer. I don’t know what to do,” she told Phill in the moment.
In a confessional interview, she said, “Today just validates that anything is possible. Even when [you] feel down and afraid, you have to pick yourself up, be a strong person and focus. Whatever you fear is, fight it with everything you got, and you can accomplish anything. And I’ve proven that tonight. I am the winner.”
Which players are left in Squid Game The Challenge?
Which players are left in Squid Game The Challenge? At the end of episode 9, only 3 players remain in Squid Game: The Challenge, and the prize fund currently sits at $3.8 million.
Among the players that vyed for the cash prize in the second episode drop were former professional basketball player TJ Stukes (Player 183), Amanda (Player 019) and Jinwoo (Player 30) as well as mother and son duo Leann and Trey (Players 302 and 301). To make it easier to keep track of your favorites, check out Netflix’s full list of eliminated players and those still on the show.
In the next challenge, participants will engage in a game of Marbles, similar to the one depicted in the series (without being life-threatening, of course). Each contestant will receive a bag containing 10 marbles and must strategize to acquire the 10 marbles of their fellow player through any game of their choosing within a 30-minute time frame.
In the end, the enormous cash prize cannot be split among contestants, so there will be only one winner.
Who are the Squid Game: The Challenge finalists?
Who are the Squid Game: The Challenge finalists? There are three finalists after The Circle of Trust game. The finalists include Mai (Player 287), Sam (Player 016), and Phill (Player 451).
In a TikTok posted by Phill at the Squid Game: The Challenge Premiere, many fans noticed Mai’s attire and speculated who won. “I think Mai looks RICH” one top comment read. Other people noticed that a contestant called Phill “champion.” “Did anyone else hear someone call him a champion at the end????,” another comment read. Either way, we’ll get to know the real winner by the finale.
Mai is a 55-year-old immigration adjudicator who came to the United States as a refugee when she was just 8 years old. She joined the Navy and became a single mom, and she now has a granddaughter that she is very close with. Earlier in the series, she created an alliance with player 286 Chad and she also formed a group with players Figgy (Player 033), Brownie (Player 258), and Cookie (Player 285), with whom they deemed themselves as “The Snack Pack”. She eliminated Roland in the “Circle of Trust” game and became one of the final three players. According to Netflix, Mai dreams of purchasing a home to spend her retirement in and donating to causes she cares about.
Phill is a 27-year-old quadball gold medalist and a scuba diver instructor from Hawaii. He had alliances with Jackie (player 393) and fellow finalist Sam. When it was all down in the Circle of Trust game, he had to betray friend Hallie (player 355). “If I suddenly become a millionaire, I wouldn’t keep most of the money,” he says. “I’ve personally been helped a lot throughout my entire life by family and friends and I’ve never really been able to reciprocate.”
Sam is a 37-year-old artist from Florida who “grew up a little gay boy in a very religious family,” and in turn, “is pretty confident in my ability to hold my cards close to my chest.” He has alliances with Ashley (Player 278), and Siobhan (Player 023). If he wins the grand prize, he aims to get a large art studio for his work, help his husband with his film projects, help rescue and protect animals, and to invest wisely.
Squid Game: The Challenge episodes 1-9 are available to watch on Netflix. The finale airs on December 6, 2023.
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