After weeks of intense competition, “Squid Game: Challenge” just completed the second season and declared the winner.
Reality series inspired by scripted show 'The Squid Game' poses challenges participants surviving the same ordeals they witnessed in the original show. (Of course, players are only pretending to die in real competition.)
At the start of the second season, 456 players went on the road to win the $4.56 million prize. Along the way, they had to outlive each other in a series of high-stakes children's games.
The season two finale started off on a high note for the five finalists – Daja, Perla, Steven, Trinity and Vanessa – as they enjoyed a well-deserved fancy dinner while dressed in their final tuxedos. But the mood quickly changed when a new game began.
In a move no one saw coming, Trinity graciously sacrificed his game to allow the other finalists to continue the competition. Then everything got real. The remaining four contestants had to compete in a game of “Red Light, Green Light” against Yeon Hee, the animatronic doll from the show.
The participants were tasked with running to the finish line, but they were only able to move after Young Hee said “green light.” Vanessa was the first to drop out, followed by Steven.
One of the two remaining people, Daja, was injured while running. This proposal caused a reaction from Young Hee and Daja was eliminated, leaving Perla as the last contestant standing.
Reflecting on the gravity of the moment, Perla voiced over her innermost thoughts and said, “I'm the last woman standing. It's just me and the finish line. I had faith, I had strength and luck. I'm going to win the Squid Game.”
As soon as Perla crossed the finish line, she fell to her knees in joy and said, “Thank you, God.”
In a confessional interview, Perla expressed relief after her victory.
“Now I can finally take care of my family. Now I can breathe. Money won't be an issue and that's just something I've never gotten used to. Honestly, I feel like the luckiest girl in the world right now,” she said.
Afterwards, Perla could be seen visiting her family and celebrating her big victory.
“I always felt strong, but now I'm like, 'I'm strong.' I never doubt myself anymore. Like, if I say I’ll do something, I’ll do it no matter what,” she said in voiceover. “I am a force to be reckoned with.”
Perla reflects on the 'hardest part' of 'The Squid Game'
Perla recalled her time on “Squid Game: The Challenge” in an interview with TODAY.com.
“I think the hardest thing for me was obviously the slides and stairs (in the game), where I didn't let the whole Bronx come out and start verbally preparing people. I did a little bit of that, but not too much,” she said, citing one challenge that proved stressful for the competitors.
During the game, another participant tried to make Perla feel guilty by reminding her that she was playing for her son at home. Perla didn't like the emotional manipulation.
“As an empath, it was very hard because obviously I care that you have a dream and a reason to be here, but I think it's very unfair (to act that way). I have a lot of friends on the show who had kids, and I never threw that in anyone's face. So it was really hard,” she said.
Perla, who competed alongside her brother, said she was “already going crazy” after her brother dropped out.
“I thought, 'This is the last I've heard,'” she said.
Going into the competition, Perla wasn't quite prepared for how intense the challenge would be.
“I knew that the producers play games with you, like mind games in the dorms, and set them up like little traps. But I think in our season they doubled, and then we were constantly saying, “Is this person doing this because of da-da-da-da? Does he have a coin? – she said. “So the mental games they play with you in the dorm were actually even crazier than watching them in the first season.”
What will Perla do with the money?
After Perla witnessed her victory in the competition, every viewer had a question: what is she going to spend her earnings on?
“I will definitely buy my mom a house. It's been her dream since we all moved to America, and getting a house in America is very difficult. So that would be number one,” she said. “And then, you know, get yourself a breast job.”
