TV & Movies

Squid Game: The Challenge viewers slam “rigged” finale

Daisy Phillipson
Still from Squid Game: The Challenge finaleNetflix

While plenty of viewers have been on the edge of their seats for the Squid Game: The Challenge finale, others have come up with a theory, alleging that the final games are “rigged.”

Squid Game: The Challenge reached its epic conclusion tonight, whittling down a whopping 456 players to just one final winner, who takes home $4.56 million – the largest cash prize in reality TV history.

The Netflix series hasn’t been without its controversies, from viewers claiming it missed the point of the original Squid Game to players alleging troubling set conditions on Red Light, Green Light.

While there’s been much anticipation for the last episode, now that it’s arrived, some viewers have grown suspicious. Warning – spoilers ahead for Squid Game: The Challenge finale!

Squid Game: The Challenge viewers slam “rigged” finale

Although many of the games, particularly earlier on in the series, were based on skill – such as Dalgona and Warships – a lot of the tests have been down to chance. This was certainly the case in the finale.

Only two out of three players – Sam (016), Mai (287), and Phill (451) – could make it to the final round and so for the penultimate game, they had to simply pick a button at random. They’re told that one button would go green, meaning whoever presses it can pick another player to go into the final with them, another would go grey, which has no consequences, and one would go red, meaning whoever presses it is eliminated.

Still from Squid Game: The Challenge finaleNetflix

Mai goes first, with her button going grey. Next is Sam, whose button goes red and he’s sent home. With yet another round being down to nothing more but luck, a number of viewers have hit back.

Taking to Reddit, one wrote, “These chance games have to be rigged right? Like we are just suppose to trust Netflix lol,” to which another responded: “Yeah I wish it was a skill based game.”

“Does anyone else think that the buttons were rigged?” asked a third, with a fourth replying: “Definitely! They wouldn’t have let the first one be red because then alll the anticipation is gone and the ‘game’ is over. I also think the key thing was rigged. Obviously they wouldn’t let the very first key open it.. again then it would be over. What a boring weird episode that would have been.”

Adding to the chat, another commenter said: “Absolutely. I knew the first button would be gray/neutral because it makes the next button push more risky. I thought it’d be next be green to create the suspenseful decision moment, but I can also see why it was probably still rigged to be red. The last 2 contestants who made it were obviously a more interesting final face off. I think many things in the show were rigged but maybe I am just a conspiracy theorist about it.”

Still from Squid Game: The Challenge finaleNetflix

Over on X/Twitter, a commenter added: “What’s annoying about Squid Game The Challenge (among many things) is that these people really think they’re getting eliminated by random chance on some challenges. Like nooo baby, producers are def making choices that will get the show more views, it’s literally all capitalism.”

Of course, this is all just speculation – and whatever the case, Mai is going home with $4.56 million. You can read more about her win here.

Squid Game: The Challenge is available to stream on Netflix now. Check out more of our coverage below:

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