*Warning this contains spoilers for Squid Game: The Challenge.
Mai was not overjoyed when she realised she had won the $4.56 million (£3.61 million) prize in Squid Game: The Challenge.
The 55-year-old from Virginia, US, defeated 455 other participants in a series of tough physical and physiological tasks and spent 16 days hunkered down in a rudimentary dormitory to win the Netflix reality programme.
She stated she didn’t feel pure delight when she beat Phill in the final game – rock, paper, scissors with a twist – and instead focused about previous contestants, the majority of whom were mercilessly removed.
‘The moment that I won, it was all of the mixed feelings,’ the immigration adjudicator recalled. ‘To be the number one player out of 456 players, it was very emotional but there were a lot of friends lost.’
Mai has been somewhat haunted by the players since leaving Squid Game, admitting in the immediate aftermath she would frequently have eerie dreams about unidentifiable players.
She revealed: ‘When I finished the game, I had dreams about the players because that’s what affects your emotions, rather than the game itself. You worry about what people think. You worry about who you eliminate. I dreamt a lot about the players.’
Mai stated that she dreamed largely of her close buddy Chad, alias player 286, whom she hasn’t seen since his removal but intends to reconnect with, and then ‘random faces’ of people she didn’t recognise.
She continued: ‘It lasted for a few weeks but it was sleep deprivation. So my husband and I took a week-long break and I just slept and slept and slept.’
While she relished the opportunity to decompress after the intensity of Squid Game, Mai said she hasn’t been able to celebrate her win just yet.
The reason why she has been popping off the champagne is that she hasn’t received the cash to keep the outcome of the show a secret and was sworn to a strict NDA.
Mai wasn’t even allowed to tell her daughters, friends, or other loved ones – except for one person, her husband – she was a millionaire until today.She simply told them she had been eliminated if they asked.
What was their reaction when they discovered the truth? ‘My daughters just texted me. I haven’t talked to them yet but I will probably see them at the weekend. But they’re happy for me and very proud,’ she said.
While it was difficult to keep her accomplishment from her friends and family, Mai claimed she has been living a ‘regular’ life and ‘lying low’ for the past 12 months and has no plans to alter that anytime soon.
Rather of spending the money on flashy cars or a house, Mai intends to donate it to projects that benefit the environment, animals, and the disadvantaged.
While it was difficult to keep her accomplishment from her friends and family, Mai claimed she has been living a ‘regular’ life and ‘lying low’ for the past 12 months and has no plans to alter that anytime soon.
Rather of spending the money on flashy cars or a house, Mai intends to donate it to projects that benefit the environment, animals, and the disadvantaged.
Mai, though, insisted she had no regrets over her tactics. ‘I don’t think I have any regrets over my decisions in the game at all. In the moment I felt I had to do what I had to do to, to move forward with the game,’ she added.
Some have criticised the last episode for being anti-climatic, and the games for not allowing Mai to unleash her cunning tactics.
Mai said she ‘understands their point of view’ but revealed playing the final game was in fact ‘stressful.’
‘But it was fun at the same time,’ she continued. ‘I’m glad that they did the last game that they did because it was a fun kids’ game.
‘I’m sorry that some viewers didn’t like it. But it was good for us just to relax just for a bit.’
She was overjoyed. Phill, who she described as having ‘excellent energy,’ was her final opponent, and she revealed what occurred when the programme ended.
‘Phill and I passed each other in the hallway after the game and Phill was sent home right away, while I stayed in a hotel for a few nights to decompress.
‘I had wanted to sit down and just have dinner with him outside of the show, but that wasn’t possible as he was flying back to America.
‘We didn’t stay in touch for a year and just recently when Squid Game debuted on November 22, that’s when we started connecting.’
What about more Mai on TV? Unfortunately, more concerts are doubtful for her followers.
She said: ‘I don’t think TV is for me now that I have seen behind the scenes.
‘I like [being out of the limelight], just running my charity.’
Squid Game: The Challenge is available to stream on Netflix.
