• iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Winner of £3.6 million Squid Game: The Challenge prize says they still haven't received any of the winnings

Home> Entertainment> Netflix

Updated 15:44 8 Dec 2023 GMTPublished 15:42 8 Dec 2023 GMT

Winner of £3.6 million Squid Game: The Challenge prize says they still haven't received any of the winnings

The show crowned its first ever win this week

Claire Reid

Claire Reid

Spoiler alert - this article reveals who won Squid Game: The Challenge so if you’d rather not know this is your warning

The winner of Squid Game: The Challenge says she is still waiting to receive her prize money.

The 10-episode show crowned its first ever winner on 6 December - whittling down 456 players to just one.

Following numerous gruelling challenges - including the much talked about Dalgona - 55-year-old Mai Whelan - Player 297 - faced scuba instructor Phill Cain - Player 451 - in a simple game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. So simple in fact that Cain quipped: "All that Netflix money and they couldn't think of anything better?”

Ultimately, Vietnamese-born Whelan was declared the winner, scooping a staggering $4.56m (£3.66m).

Advert

Speaking after her big win, Whelan 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.

Squid Game: The Challenge crowned its first ever winner this week.
Netflix

"Whatever your fear is, fight it with everything that you've got and you can accomplish anything and it's proven tonight."

But 10 months after the show was filmed, she claims she’s still waiting for the cash.

In an interview with The Times, Whelan said she hadn’t received a ‘cent’ of her winnings just yet.

Advert

She added: “I feel like Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire. Show me the money!”

As for her plans when she does finally get her hands on the cash, Whelan plans on giving some away to charities for ‘the underprivileged, wildlife and climate change’ and is considering a retirement home ‘somewhere’ for her and her husband.

In a recent interview, she explained: It's good because I would like to express my cause, that's the main reason why I joined the game, to help a cause, so now that I win I have a platform to tell the world to help the underprivileged.”

The show has already been renewed for a second season.
Netflix

She added: “I will keep some for myself, I'm old and I want to retire soon, and so I want to make sure that my husband and I have enough to retire and also to help charity work.”

Advert

Opening up about finishing the show back in February, Whelan said she had been very happy to go back to her old life.

"It was a relief to go back to normal life and not worry about getting eliminated. I needed that after two and a half weeks of intense go, go, go, and emotional ups and downs," she said.

"But the person that came into [the competition] is me. I'm still Mai, and she hasn't changed, except that I came out stronger."

LADbible has contacted Netflix for comment.

Featured Image Credit: Netflix

Topics: Netflix, TV and Film

Claire Reid
Claire Reid

Claire is a journalist at LADbible who, after dossing around for a few years, went to Liverpool John Moores University. She graduated with a degree in Journalism and a whole load of debt. When not writing words in exchange for money she is usually at home watching serial killer documentaries surrounded by cats. You can contact Claire at [email protected]

Advert

Advert

Advert

Choose your content:

27 mins ago
an hour ago
2 hours ago
  • 27 mins ago

    John Torode sacked as MasterChef presenter after allegation of him using racist language upheld

    It comes just days after his former co-presenter Gregg Wallace was told he wouldn't be working with the BBC in the future

    Entertainment
  • an hour ago

    Chilling footage shows true reality of Oppenheimer's atomic bomb test as viewers divided over film's accuracy

    The pivotal scene in Christopher Nolan's Oscar-winning biopic divided viewers

    Entertainment
  • an hour ago

    Oasis fans furious after huge fence put up on ‘Gallagher Hill’ blocking viral view of stage

    Now you can't even watch from half the park away

    Entertainment
  • 2 hours ago

    Rizzle Kicks' Jordan Stephens reveals why he purposely got sextorted by online scammers

    The Rizzle Kicks star got purposely 'sextorted' as part of a new documentary

    Entertainment
  • Why Jake and Leanne 'won't have received any of £94,600 prize fund yet' despite winning The Traitors eight months ago
  • Squid Game: The Challenge crowns winner of £3.6m prize
  • MrBeast shared full breakdown of winnings on Beast Games after ‘shocking’ amount $10,000,000 winner takes home
  • Winner of Squid Game: The Challenge finally receives £3.6 million prize more than 10 months after filming show