‘Squid Game: The Challenge’: Mother-Son Duo on the Joy & Heartbreak of Playing Together

[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Squid Game: The Challenge, Episodes 1-9.]

When it comes to the 456 players who entered Squid Game: The Challenge‘s competition, it was clear from the beginning that mother-son duo Leann Wilcox and Trey Plutnicki would be fan-favorites.

The problem with fan favorites though? There’s always the chance they’ll be eliminated. Such was the case for Leann and Trey, who made it over halfway through the competition together, until they were presented with the game of marbles.

Initially disguised as a picnic treat, the pair teamed up for their little smorgasbord, only to discover a pouch of marbles at the bottom. They, along with the remaining players, were escorted to a separate space to play a round of the game. Whoever won, or was determined to be the winner, would remain in the competition, while the other would be eliminated.

(Credit: Pete Dadds/Netflix)

Each played a fair game, heartbroken over the realization that both of them weren’t going to make it out of this game. Ultimately, Trey went on to win but didn’t remain in the game much longer, losing out on the glass bridge challenge.

“Oh, it was an experience that will likely not be duplicated,” Leann tells TV Insider of her shared experience with Trey on the game. “It would be really great to do something like this again, but just to see him on the field, to play, that was an experience that so few people ever get,” she gushes. “It was a great experience.”

Unlike his mother, Trey got to experience the game solo, which proved challenging as well. “What was interesting is that once my mom left, it really opened my eyes that I had such an advantage having her in the game because she was talking to one half the dorm, I was talking to the other half. I was gaining relationships and points with people that I had never spoken to before, and all of a sudden I’m alone,” Trey recalls.

(Credit: Pete Dadds/Netflix)

It was like a wakeup call of sorts, as he says it was like, “Where’s my person? Everybody has a person. There are 31 people left, and I haven’t made a strong enough relationship aside from my mom to make it further. So I would say it was difficult.”

While he says it was difficult, Leanne notes, “It might’ve been a relief to you, too, just to not have to worry a little bit.”

“But I’m still the guy,” Trey says. “I’m still like the kid, so there’s still that stigma. It’s complicated.”

When it came to that fateful game of marbles, Leanne says, “I immediately felt like this whole gray, stormy cloud over me, and I just knew this was going to be very sad for both of us. It didn’t matter who was going to win, it was going to be a difficult thing to have to deal with.”

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Trey felt similar in some ways, but different in others. “It was a happy [and] sad, for me. It was almost like a day of mourning, like a funeral that’s also a party,” he says.

“‘I’m like, thank God she’s finally dead,'” Leann mocks jokingly. But Trey doesn’t let that be the final word. “No, not that,” he explains. “Not that. If I had lost, I would’ve been just as happy, especially with how my mom acted in the first five episodes, it would’ve been so cool to see her continue on. So I would’ve been happy no matter what.”

“I agree it would’ve been,” Leann concurs.

Alas, we’ll never know for sure which one from this duo would have won the game, but they certainly won over the audience. Catch their run on the reality competition show now on Netflix, and let us know your favorite moment with the mother-son pair in the comments section, below.

Squid Game: The Challenge, Streaming now, Netflix