Steven Jones Makes Squid Game Finale but Misses $4.56M Prize

Steven Jones has handled pressure on some of the biggest stages in poker, but the final episode of Squid Game: The Challenge was a different kind of test. The 2023 WSOP Main Event runner-up reached the Netflix show’s last day with a chance to win $4,560,000, navigating a season full of political maneuvering and psychological battles. But despite making the Final Three, Jones fell just short of a second life-changing payday.

Before the final challenges began, Jones attempted to steady the room’s mood during a pre-finale dinner.

The first task of the night leaned into deception: contestants passed around a gold coin and a black coin, the latter guaranteeing elimination. 

Jones, labeled Player 183, held one in each hand and invited Trinity Parriman (Player 398) to choose. Jones announced the location of the black coin honestly, but Parriman ignored the warning, later explaining he preferred loyalty to advancement. That decision sent Parriman out of the competition.

The decisive final challenge, a high-stakes version of Red Light, Green Light, was far less forgiving. Contestants could move only while the doll sang. When the sound cut, anyone still in motion was eliminated immediately. Vanessa Clements (017) went out first. Moments later, Jones made a small movement at the wrong time, ending his run in third place, with no payout.

His long-running rival on the show, Dajah Graham (302), acknowledged the moment bluntly:

The final battle came down to Graham and Figuereo, and it was the latter who finished the season as the only contestant to leave with money. Figuereo claimed the entire $4.56M purse, while Graham, Jones, and the remaining finalists all walked away empty-handed.

Jones may not have added another seven-figure score, but his résumé remains formidable: nearly $7.3 million in live earnings, per The Hendon Mob.