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The finale of Squid Game: The Challenge was disappointingly anti-climactic, with a short and dull game of Rock, Paper, Scissors determining the winner. Editing made it difficult to invest in the contestants of Squid Game: The Challenge, as fan-favorites were eliminated early on and the focus shifted unpredictably. Squid Game: The Challenge lost the original series' message of capitalism gone awry, diluting the dark themes by turning it into a game show with less at stake.

Squid Game: The Challenge may be casting for another season, but the hit Netflix reality TV series doesn't merit a second season. Based on the Korean drama exposing the cruel underbelly of capitalism, the game show replicated many of the children's games from the original series without the gruesome murder. 456 contestants from around the world competed for a $4.56 million prize and were graciously allowed to leave with their lives when eliminated, a crucial diversion from the Korean drama.

The finale of Squid Game: The Challenge was disappointingly anti-climactic, with a short and dull game of Rock, Paper, Scissors determining the winner. Editing made it difficult to invest in the contestants of Squid Game: The Challenge, as fan-favorites were eliminated early on and the focus shifted unpredictably. Squid Game: The Challenge lost the original series' message of capitalism gone awry, diluting the dark themes by turning it into a game show with less at stake.

Squid Game: The Challenge may be casting for another season, but the hit Netflix reality TV series doesn't merit a second season. Based on the Korean drama exposing the cruel underbelly of capitalism, the game show replicated many of the children's games from the original series without the gruesome murder. 456 contestants from around the world competed for a $4.56 million prize and were graciously allowed to leave with their lives when eliminated, a crucial diversion from the Korean drama.

The first season of Netflix’s new reality competition series, Squid Game: The Challenge, is now complete and the winner has been revealed.

The person who won the massive $4.56 million grand prize revealed in a new interview that they still haven’t received the prize money.

Keep reading to find out more…

Mai Whelan, a 55-year-old woman who is a US Navy veteran, won the prize following a rock, paper, scissors competition in the final game. She beat out 455 other contestants to win the first season of the show!

Filming on the reality show wrapped in February 2023, and now Mai has revealed that she still hasn’t received the money, 10 months later.

She jokingly told The Sunday Times, “I feel like Tom Cruise in Jerry McGuire. Show me the money!”

While many fans have been angry upon hearing this news, it’s actually standard among reality shows and Mai was...

Squid Game winner, Mai Whelan, cannot share her $4.56 million prize with other contestants due to contract restrictions. Mai plans to donate some of her winnings to charities and has only made one extravagant purchase so far. Despite winning, Mai has not yet received her prize money from Netflix, but it is expected to arrive soon after the show's finale.

Squid Game: The Challenge’s first ever winner shared more information about their incredible $4.56 million grand prize, including what they’re surprisingly forbidden from doing with it. After an incredible power struggle, only three players were left standing at the beginning of the Netflix series’ finale episode. Player 016, Sam Lantz, player 451, Phil Cain, and player 287 Mai Whelan were the finalists moving into the last episode, with Phil being eliminated before the final game. With Sam and Mai left in the game, their intense game of Rock, Paper, Scissors ended with Mai...

The winner of Squid Game: The Challenge shares behind-the-scenes details about filming the finale, including having to reshoot a scene. The winner admits she was unsure if she had actually won when she picked the key, but it had to be checked by adjudicators. Mai faced criticism from other players for targeting Ashley, but she stood by her actions and defended her right to play fairly and not eliminate herself.

Squid Game: The Challenge finally crowned its winner in the finale episode, and the player who took home the largest prize in Netflix reality TV history is sharing some behind-the-scenes information about filming the finale. After competing against 455 other players, the winner of Squid Game: The Challenge came down to 3 players at the beginning of the finale episode. With the competition coming between player 287, Mai Whelan, player 016, Sam Lantz, and player 451, Phil Cain. After Phil was eliminated in the beginning...

Mai Whelan emerges as the winner of Squid Game: The Challenge after a dramatic finale, taking home the $4.56 million prize. The final game involves a high-stakes round of rock, paper, scissors, with Mai ultimately unlocking the safe and claiming the victory. Despite the controversy, Squid Game: The Challenge has already been renewed for season 2, and casting for new players is underway.

After 10 episodes spread across two weeks, a winner was finally crowned in Netflix's Squid Game: The Challenge. A reality series spinoff to the ultra-popular South Korean series Squid Game created by Hwang Dong-hyuk, The Challenge featured several games faithful to the series, new twists, and plenty of drama between the 456 players who began with Red Light, Green Light in the first episode.

Boasting the largest prize sum in reality competition history, there was plenty at stake in the Netflix series. Tears were shed as contestants grew close to one another,...

The first season of Netflix’s new reality competition series, Squid Game: The Challenge, has officially ended.

The season finale episode was added to the streamer on Wednesday night (December 6) and now we can talk about the winner.

Heading into the finale, there were three contestants remaining in the game: Sam aka 016, Mai aka 287, and Phill aka 451.

So, who won?

Head inside to see who won and to check out the winner’s plan for the prize money…

Mai Whelan, aka 287 – Winner

During the dinner party for the three finalists, they were given a test that determined the final two. Three buttons were in the middle of the room and they had to decide who would push a button first. One button would light up green, sending that contestant to the finals and allowing that person to pick their opponent. One button would light up gray, having no consequence on that person.

In the final episode of Squid Game: The Challenge, the three finalists swapped their green tracksuits for button-downs and devoured a steak dinner on a triangular-shaped table, much like the dining hall featured in Netflix’s scripted drama Squid Game. Instead of a deadly knife fight, the two final contestants, Player 451 Phill Cain and Player 287 Mai Whelan, played the child’s game Rock, Paper, Scissors to determine the winner of the $4.56 million prize. Whelan, who bragged that the hand game was a personal favorite, was ultimately crowned.

Player 182 Tj Stukes,...

Warning! This article contains spoilers for Squid Game: The Challenge season 1 finale!

One player emerged as the winner of Squid Game: The Challenge, securing the $4.56 million grand prize. The final elimination began with a twisted feast where Phil Cain was eliminated after choosing the wrong button. The ultimate test was a game of Rock, Paper Scissors between Mai and Sam, with Mai ultimately unlocking a safe to claim victory.

Squid Game: The Challenge has been a test of mental endurance, physical strength, and social skill that has soared to new heights with each batch of episodes dropping on Netflix – but who won the game? While the series began with 456 players all hoping to take home the $4.56 million prize, only one could bring home the cash for themselves. After a series of grueling challenges that left only 3 players competing, Squid Game: The Challenge season 1 crowned its winner, awarding the biggest grand...

This article contains Squid Game: The Challenge spoilers through episode 9.

Squid Game: The Challenge has been a controversial endeavor for Netflix but it’s hard to argue that it hasn’t been a successful one.

The reality competition series based on the streamer’s iconic 2021 hit Squid Game brings 456 normal people together to engage in physical, mental, and emotional battles of elimination until there’s only one person left standing. Unlike Squid Game before it, The Challenge ditches most of the capitalistic satire that gave the original proceedings real bite. Like Squid Game, however, The Challenge is also a real hoot.

There’s something inherently engaging about watching every day folks play in high stakes children’s games (whether or not those games could actually kill them like in Squid Game or merely eliminate them like in The Challenge). The series has been a mainstay of Netflix’s Top Ten since it premiered on Nov.

Ashley Tolbert defends her behavior in Squid Game: The Challenge's Glass Bridge game, claiming she played the same way as others. Though portrayed as a villain, Ashley's decision to prioritize herself was a strategic move, not inherently evil. Despite criticism, Ashley's time on the show provided her with personal growth and a deeper understanding of herself.

Squid Game: The Challenge's Ashley Tolbert, player 278, received backlash for the way she handled herself in the Glass Bridge game, but she’s speaking out about her portrayal on the show and the reception of her behavior. During one of the most high-stakes games of Squid Game: The Challenge season 1, Ashley chose to put her game before the rest of the group’s, despite saying she’d be a team player. When Mai Whelan, player 287, called her out for her behavior, she was slammed by her fellow contestants, but the cast’s perception of Mai,...

Ashley, contestant 278, faced criticism and became the villain online after refusing to be a team player in the Glass Bridge challenge on Squid Game: The Challenge. Ashley, 30 years old, is a Civil Rights Investigator for the US Department of Health and Human Services and has a background in graduate research and speaks Chinese. Despite not reaching the top 3, Ashley made it far in the competition and gained influencer status, but was ultimately eliminated before the finale.

Many fan favorites have emerged from Squid Game: The Challenge, but one contestant, Ashley Tolbert (278), garnered some enemies after episodes 6-9 were released on Netflix. After not agreeing to the teamwork strategy in Glass Bridge, only one contestant seemed to notice her refusal to adhere to the team spirit: top 3 Squid Game: The Challenge finalist Mai Whelan. Mai's attempt at getting 278 eliminated after the dice game was unsuccessful, but Ashley received the villain edit...

Sam Lantz (Player 016) has played a quiet but impressive game, rising to the top 3 through luck and good connections. His journey as a gay man has shaped his determination to succeed. Phill Cain (Player 451) emerged as a critical player, using class, strategy, and positivity to motivate himself. Their polyamorous relationship and commitment to ocean conservation add to their intriguing character. Mai Whelan (Player 287) is a fierce and calculating opponent, willing to fight until the end. Her fearless nature and intelligence shine through, but her relationships with Sam and Phill may affect the outcome.

Squid Game: The Challenge, the reality TV game show based on the gritty Korean drama hit, has revealed its top 3 contestants, and it's time to get to know them a little better. While there have been shocking twists and turns throughout, including allegations Squid Game: The Challenge's filming conditions were inhumane, it was impossible to predict...