This article contains spoilers for the first five episodes of Netflix’s Squid Game: The Challenge.
Longtime Survivor fans may have recognized a familiar face competing on Squid Game: The Challenge. And that’s because a former castaway received a second attempt at winning a seven-figure check on a reality competition show.
Based on the beloved South Korean scripted drama-thriller Squid Game, Netflix took a stab at bringing the twisted competition to life, and the opening five episodes of Squid Game: The Challenge dropped on November 22.
In the first batch of episodes, we watched Jessica “Figgy” Figueroa face off against hundreds of other contestants while donning the famous green tracksuit. Figgy, also known as player No. 033 on the show, is a one-time Survivor hopeful as well.
She appeared on perhaps the best season of CBS’s flagship series — Millienials vs. Gen X — as a 23-year-old bartender from Nashville, Tennessee. Season 33 was filmed and later aired in 2016, and it was shot in the Mamanuca Islands in Fiji.
She wore an orange buff as part of the “Vanua” (or “Millennials”) at the start of the game, and her 10-person tribe battled against the older group, “Takali” (or “Gen X). Figgy’s Millennial tribe produced several fan favorites in the Survivor community, including Michaela Bradshaw, Jay Starrett, Zeke Smith, and season 33’s eventual winner, Adam Klein.
Figgy quickly grouped up with the likes of Jay, Michelle Schubert, and Taylor Stocker — the sort of “cool kids” of the bunch. But, Figgy only survived one Tribal Council she attended. The original Millenial tribe unanimously voted out Mari Takahashi at the season’s second voting ceremony. After winning two more Immunity Challenges, the orange crew was split up in a tribe swap, and Figgy became a member of the original Gen X tribe.
On day 18, Figgy’s five-person tribe lost the Immunity Challenge. Takali was made up of three Millenials, Figgy, Taylor, and Adam, as well as two Gen X’s, Ken McNickle and Jessica Lewis. The Figgy, Taylor, and Adam hatched a plan to eliminate Ken. But, Adam jumped to the other side at Tribal Council, and Figgy was taken out three votes to two. All in all, she was the sixth player voted out of Survivor: Millenials vs. Gen X, and she missed out on the Jury.
And unfortunately for Figgy, her experience on Squid Game: The Challenge ended prematurely as well. The 30-year-old passed the first two games. In “Red Light, Green Light,” we didn’t spend any time with Figgy, but she successfully crossed the finish line within five minutes. And in “Dalgona,” she had to carve a circle out of a cookie without breaking it — which she did.
Figgy linked up with the mother-son duo, LeAnn and Trey Plutnicki (No. 302 and 301), and she promised Trey she’d look after his mom should he meet an untimely exit. Well, it was Figgy who had her game extinguished during the next challenge.
In “Warship,” Figgy stood in a vessel that was sunk by the opposing team, instantly eliminating her from Squid Game: The Challenge. We watched Trey eagerly await her return in the dormitory, but Figgy’s screen time was over.
