‘I haven’t seen a cent of my $4.5million Squid Game prize:’ Winner of hit show tells Netflix to ‘show me the money’ – 10 months after rock, paper, scissors finale was filmed
The winner of Squid Game’s $4.56 million jackpot told The Times that ten months after gruelingly filming the game show, she still hasn’t received a penny of her prize money from Netflix.
Vietnamese immigrant Mai Whelan, 55, captivated fans not only with her dramatic story of escaping communist rule in her homeland after the fall of Saigon, but also with her cunning and ruthlessness in defeating 455 other players.
In a widely panned final, Whelan defeated 27-year-old scuba diving instructor Phil Kane after several rounds of rock, paper, scissors. In the final shot of the entire episode, Mai walks up to an ATM and checks her balance to see $4.56 million waiting for her.
“I feel like Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire. Show me the money!” he said. Time in an interview after the final episode aired, confirming that she was still waiting for her money.
Whelan also told the newspaper that she splurged on a trendy hairstyle, Ralph Lauren dress and Jimmy Choo shoes for a recent Netflix event. “I still have buyer’s remorse, but I think it’s well deserved,” she said.
In another revelation, Whelan said contracts signed by participants prohibited them from transferring winnings to other participants. DailyMail.com has reached out to Netflix for comment on this story.
In a boring finale, the contestants played several rounds of rock, paper, scissors and were given the opportunity to open a safe with a key.
And then there were three of them. In the final, the field of 456 participants was reduced to three.
Phillip Kane, May Whelan and Samuel Wells in fancy dress for the finale
When she gets her money, Whelan says she’ll donate to causes she’s passionate about, including the environment, and will also look at a nursing home away from where she lives in Fairfax, Virginia.
The immigration judge said she has two daughters, ages 36 and 34, and a 9-year-old granddaughter with her husband Jay, a former IBM and Accenture executive who now runs a consulting business with his wife.
Speaking about her victory over Cain, who on the show talked about his life in Hawaii and his desire to no longer live paycheck to paycheck, Mai said it was more about experience than intelligence.
“I don’t think I’m smarter. I’m older than him and have experienced a lot. It’s just knowledge… We played fair. He felt that I deserved to win because I had beaten him many times at rock, paper, scissors!
During the show, Whelan broke down when he talked about escaping Vietnam in 1975, when he was nearly shot by an American soldier on an airfield at the age of eight.
After moving to the US and settling in Pennsylvania, Whelan enlisted in the US Navy at age 19, becoming pregnant at the time.
“I was a virgin; I didn’t know anything. My family cut me off, it was very hard. I didn’t know anything about motherhood. I didn’t have anyone,” she said.
Viewers of The Squid Game: The Challenge have branded the series finale “boring” and “happy” after it was won in a game of rock, paper, scissors.
It was Mai who eventually found the right key to open the safe using the gold credit card.
The winner received a $4.56 million prize after opening the safe using a gold credit card.
In a separate interview, Whelan said her reason for joining the show was to win money and help a cause she believes in.
“It’s good because I would like to express my cause, that’s the main reason I joined the game to help the cause, so now that I’ve won I have a platform to tell the world to help the underprivileged.”
She said she plans to increase her support for the charity Unbound with her winnings.
“Educating children and providing care for the elderly, because when you’re in a poor country, you don’t have the need for health care and the children don’t have an education,” Whelan said.
“I’ll keep some for myself, I’m old and want to retire soon so I want to make sure my husband and I have enough money to retire and also help with the charity.”
Whelan said the key to her success on the show was being determined “no matter what people say about me.”
She said: “…Even though I felt alone, but at the same time I stick to my guns and that’s my character, I want to be honest, I don’t want to compromise with that.
“Their judgments have no power over me but they make me paranoid and sometimes I have expressed this verbally, it can put me at a disadvantage but at the same time if it is my time to be expelled then it is also my time to get excluded, but I have to play smart and just get things done, respect people and don’t hold grudges, but apologize if you do the wrong thing.”
When asked how she was able to figure out her fellow game competitors so well, Ms Whelan explained it was because she took her immigration work “seriously”.
She also said she did not prepare for the game other than watching the TV show again after being accepted into the competition, which she used to “learn and change” her strategy.
The game show spin-off is based on the record-breaking Korean drama, including the same challenges, but without the deadly consequences, as the original, with games such as Red Light, Green Light, Honeycombs and Hopscotch.
New games have also been added, including Warship, a version of the Battleship board game, and Circle of Trust, a version of Heads Up Seven Up.
Spectators were furious that the winner had been left to chance.
There were initially 456 entries, with three competing for the prize in Wednesday’s final.
In the end, only three players remained in the race for the huge prize: Player 016 Sam, Player 287 May and Player 451 Phil.
But fans were left disappointed after the winner of the show was left to chance, with the final result decided by a game of rock, paper, scissors.
Sam came in third place after being eliminated after pressing the button during a gamble at the final three’s dinner.
The winner was determined over several rounds of rock, paper, scissors.
If they won the round, they would gain access to a key, which they could then use to open the safe for a chance to win a prize.
In the end, it was Mai who managed to select the correct key, which opened the safe and revealed the gold credit card.
Viewers rushed to social media to express their disappointment after months of anticipation.
One said: “Honestly… HONESTLY I’ll say it… the ending was lackluster and had a ‘boring’ feel to it but I’m glad May won, justice for everyone who acted stupid when she called out Ashley.
Another added: “ROCK, PAPER, SCISSORS… ARE YOU THINKING OF ME?! Amid some stunning compositions, they decided to end the finale with “Rock, Paper, Scissors.” They definitely wanted Mai to win.”
This happened after Netflix renewed the controversial series for a second season.
Some cast members criticized Netflix for the way they were treated while filming at London’s Wharf Studios.
The attacks primarily focused on the “Red Light, Green Light” challenge, where players must crawl forward without being caught.
But those who took part said the ordeal actually took up to 11 hours to film and condemned the “freezing” conditions, while others claimed they suffered “hypothermia” and “nerve damage”.