Squid Game: The Challenge viewers slam ‘random’ final game for $4.56m

After whittling down 456 contestants, the final two played a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors

Squid Game: The Challenge came to a dramatic close on Wednesday (6 December) with the final episode seeing a winner crowned.

*Warning – Spoilers ahead for Squid Game: The Challenge, episode 10*

After starting with 456 players, the contestants were whittled down to a final three: Phillip Cain, Mai Whelan and Samuel Wells, who were competing for the jackpot sum of $4.56m (£3.57m) – the biggest cash prize in TV history.

After Sam was eliminated, Mai and Phil progressed to the last challenge. The game saw them play Rock, Paper, Scissors for a chance to win keys that could potentially open a safe with the final sum in.

You can find a recap of the final episode here.

On Twitter/X, viewers joked about the frivolity of playing such a simple game for such an enormous amount of money.

“Playing rock paper scissors to win 4 million dollars. Chile let me sign up for Season 2,” one person wrote.

“Y’all made us wait a week just for the winner of $4.5 MILLION to be determined by a random button push and a game of rock paper scissors?!?! GAGGED,” said another.

“I don't know what i was expecting but rock paper scissors for 4.5 million dollars was... a choice,” a third added.

“Today just validates that anything is possible,” Mai said in a piece to camera after winning the jackpot. “Even when you feel down and afraid, you have to pick yourself up, be a strong person and focus.”

The reality series is adapted from Netflix’s South Korean dystopian drama, which became a viral sensation upon its release in 2021. While contestants in the original series were killed after they were eliminated, the competitors on The Challenge wear an ink packet under their shirt that bursts once they’re eliminated.

Squid Game: The Challenge has been the streaming platform’s leading show for the past fortnight, with 20.5 million views in its first week and 11.4 million in its second.

Episode 10 of ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ (COURTESY OF NETFLIX)

According to Tudum, approximately 81,000 people applied to be on the first season of the show.

On Wednesday (6 December) it was announced that The Challenge has been released for a second season.

Potential contestants can apply for a place on the show at SquidGameCasting.com, with three separate links for US, UK, and “rest of the world-based” participants.

In a statement, a Netflix spokesperson expressed the confidence the company has in creating further iterations of the reality competition.

“There was no red light in our decision to greenlight Season 2 of Squid Game: The Challenge, the most ambitious unscripted show we’ve premiered at Netflix,” said Brandon Riegg, Netflix VP of Nonfiction Series.

“We’re so excited to continue the franchise of Squid Game with our team in Korea, and producers at Studio Lambert and The Garden for this epic competition series.”