She survived the war, fled her country, and decades later became a millionaire thanks to rock, paper, and scissors.

The Squid Game: The Challenge, the Netflix reality show that was a hit in 2021, announced the winner of its jackpot prize a few weeks ago. 4.56 million dollars.

Regard Never Whelana 55 year old Vietnamese woman who carries a complicated past on her shoulders.

The path of Player 287 In reality it wasn’t easy at all. He had to overcome several matches by pushing his mental and physical condition to the maximum, resorting to twisted strategies and subjecting himself to very complex physical tests.

In the last round something similar to the outcome of the famous film Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? happened? (Slum millionaire). Mai and Player 451, Guy Philthey faced off in a remake of the famous Rock, Paper, Scissors and it turns out that was Whelan’s “childhood game”.

“When they play against a grown man, they tend to approach the rock and the scissors because to them they symbolize the power that is within them. The rock is solid and strong, and the scissors have the power to cut, and they are strong too,” explained the winner of the final challenge.

After each spin, the winner had the chance to draw a key from a deck, among which was one that opened a safe with a gold card loaded (symbolically) with the prize. And he chose the winner.

Who is Mai Whelan?

Mai Whelan is an immigration judge for the Department of Homeland Security. She has lived in Fairfax, Virginia, USA, since she was 8 years old, when she arrived as a refugee after the fall of Saigon in 1975.

In the Netflix program she recounted some very difficult experiences from her childhood, such as the day a soldier put a gun to her head and she was saved by her mother.

At age 18, Whelan joined the Navy, where she remained for two decades while raising a daughter as a single mother. Having belonged to the US Army gave him enough skill to win the program.

Today she lives with her husband, her dogs and is devoted to her 12-year-old niece, with whom she has a very close relationship.

After winning the challenge, Whelan said: “Today confirms that anything is possible. Even when you feel down and scared, you have to get up, be a strong person and focus. Whatever you fear, fight it.” you have and can achieve anything. And tonight I proved it. I am the winner. “

The jackpot

The woman received the award only on December 7, when the broadcast of the first season of the reality show ended. Ten months had passed since she had finished recording her participation in the program.

According to what she told Tudum, she spent all that time at home with her husband – the only one who knew she had won -, her dogs and her niece.

After her reality TV experience, she will write a memoir in which she will recount her experiences as a war survivor, immigrant, single mother and winner of a Netflix show.

With the money he said he will renovate his house and do everything he can to try to reverse climate change.

“My heart goes out to people, animals and climate change. If we continue with what we are doing, there will be no future for all the children who are growing up now,” he said.