'Squid Game: The Challenge's TJ Stukes Likely Looks Familiar For *This* Reason

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Netflix's iconic South Korean TV show, Squid Game, is back, but this time, it's arrived on the streamer in a new reality show format. Squid Game: The Challenge premiered on November 22, dropping its initial batch of five episodes, and pits 456 players against each other as they vie for a $4.56 million prize. Obviously, unlike the original TV show, the competitors aren't killed when they get eliminated during the challenges, but they do get sent home.

Like the OG Squid Game, the real-live players in The Challenge spinoff compete in high-stakes games like "Red Light, Green Light," marbles, and more. Each time someone is eliminated, $10,000 is added to the pot of prize money.

If you've been tuning in, you may recognize one competitor: TJ Stukes, a.k.a. Player 182. Look familiar? Here's everything you need to know about him.

He was a pro basketball player.

TJ's bio explains that he played high school and college basketball at Pittsburg State. He then went on to play professional basketball with the Harlem Wizards in 2009, where he got the nickname "Tomahawk," per local news outlet KHQA.

TJ played in over 1,300 games in seven different countries with the Wizards, and shared that his motto is, "It's a liberating experience to have fun on the basketball court without getting chewed out for smiling!"

Stukes is currently an assistant basketball coach at Northern New Mexico College.

How tall is TJ?

He is a full 6'8", and it shows!

Where is he from?

TJ is originally from the Bronx, New York. He was born in the Bronx and raised in that area and in Mount Vernon, New York, according to an interview published on Medium with Authority Magazine.

What else has he been in?

He has actually appeared in a couple other reality shows, including MTV's Nike Battlegrounds, hosted by LeBron James, and he competed on TBS's The Cube with his wife Samantha. (The couple won $50,000.)

TJ is also an actor, and has multiple movie credits, per IMDb. His Backstage profile says he starred as a background character in Chicago PD and in Blackjack: The Jackie Ryan Story.

He’s married.

TJ is married to basketball coach Samantha Stukes. In June 2023, the couple celebrated their 11th anniversary.

TJ told Authority Magazine that his wife has taught him a lot in their many years together. And he credits her with a lot of his triumphs.

"I’m a New Yorker through and through so being arrogant to some extent is how I survived in all my years growing up. She taught me humility and real gratitude in what I do," he said. "My success is attributed to her all the way because without those two traits, I seriously wouldn’t be here or as successful as I am now," he shared.

How far does he get in Squid Game?

Unfortunately, it's not clear how far TJ gets in the game just yet, since only nine episodes have dropped. But he's clearly a competitor to keep an eye on. I've got my eyes on this athletic guy!

You can catch Squid Game: The Challenge streaming now on Netflix.

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