ICYMI: WATCH: Squid Game: The Challenge Trailer Has 456 Real People Risking It All for $4.56 Million
Netflix's dystopian, point-missing reality show, Squid Game: The Challenge, has just wrapped its first season, and found its $4.56 million dollar winner, who outlasted 455 other contestants (who are not dead) to claim the prize.
That would be #287, Mai Whelan, who won the final game on a Squid Game-shaped court but mainly by playing Rock Paper Scissors, which should indicate how low stakes the competition can feel at times. The 55 year-old is from Virginia, an immigrant from Vietnam and flew under the radar for a long while, rarely the focus of earlier episodes, in order to make the cut to the final two. While some challenges did involve physical strength, it was being smart and observant that helped her win the day, especially during the "Circle of Trust" game.
So, there's the first winner, but she will not be the last. Naturally, Netflix has renewed Squid Game: The Challenge for season 2, as despite all the pushback about the concept, given that the original series was meant to rail against exploitation and greed, a lot of people watched it. It has consistently topped Netflix charts with each new batch of episodes and now this finale. And while it may be more expensive than other Netflix reality shows centered around hot people or cooking, given the sets and game design and prize money, Netflix already has invested in those sets, meaning much of this can be reused to reduce costs, even if they will no doubt have to invent new games.
