Warning! The following contains spoilers for the result of Squid Game: The Challenge. Read at your own risk!
Squid Game: The Challenge rolled into its first season's finale for those streaming with Netflix subscriptions, having eliminated a whopping 453 competitors - all of whom were reportedly paid nothing to take part - leaving only one grand champion. It took nine episodes and a lot of lubricated condoms being rubbed on lips, but the competition's last installment whittled it all down to a trio of hopefuls in Mai (287), Sam (016), and Phil (451). The conclusion was awesome, but I am a bit skeptical about how much actual chance and randomness went into securing the $4.56 million prize winner.
As someone who loves reality television (and has the hot take Squid Game: The Challenge is better than the original series), I couldn't help but feel like there was something fishy about the finale. Ultimately, I was thrilled to see Mai win the money, given her inspirational story, but I have to wonder now that it's over if it happened because she lucked out or if production had a hand in it happening.
The Button Game Felt Incredibly Suspicious
Only two contestants could advance to the final game, and as such, the competitors' lavish dinner was ruined by yet another elimination challenge. The contestants were presented with a box that contained three buttons with different shapes. Two contestants would press a button, and either one contestant would press a button that turned red and be eliminated, or both contestants would be safe and the third who didn't press would be eliminated. If the button didn't change color, or turned green, then they were safe.
For those who didn't watch the Squid Game: The Challenge finale, Mai and Sam ultimately chose to press the buttons. When she pressed the triangle button, it flashed for a long while before pausing and then turning off completely, with the "gray" result meaning Mai was safe. Sam then pressed the square button, which turned red after a series of flashing lights, meaning he was eliminated.
The flashing light gave me the type of anxiety that makes watching so fun, akin to watching the game board change on Press Your Luck, but I'm skeptical about how the challenge was executed. Admittedly, the suspicion comes from dealing with so many Christmas lights lately, with many utilizing LED lights that can transition from white to various other colors, with lots of blinking patterns to choose from.
It seems plausible that the producers (or whoever was responsible for the buttons) could have easily altered those particular results just based on who was desired to advance. That's not to say I fully believe trickery happened, but it does seem like a detail that could be easily manipulated if there was a vested interested in having Mai or one of the other finalists win out.
Did The Key Really Unlock The Safe?
While I have my tin foil hat on spinning conspiracy theories, I also wondered if the safe used during the final game of Squid Game: The Challenge was legitimately unlocked with the skeleton keys. To me, it seemed more plausible that the production team crafted a prop safe that utilized a separate piece of tech to open it, as opposed to the crew finding a specific safe that only opens via a single skeleton key.
Perhaps there was a digital lock on the key, and after so many rounds, the safe just unlocked after a certain amount of wins? Again, I'm not saying or believing that's what happened, but it's not hard to imagine someone behind the scenes being able to adjust the outcome.
Ultimately, we may never know the answers to the legitimacy of the competitions, and considering I was rooting for Mai, I'm not even upset at the result. I'm also thrilled that the series is popular enough to already have locked down a return for Season 2, and kind of want to apply to be on it even with the potential lawsuits brewing over injuries. Hey, who doesn't want a "chance" to win $4.56 million?
Squid Game: The Challenge is available to stream on Netflix. I'd rank it among the best shows to binge on Netflix, and am hoping the wait for Season 2 won't be too long.
