Squid Game: The Challenge viewers are curious about player 182, TJ Stukes, and want to know more about who he is. Based on the South Korean hit Squid Game, the show has the largest cast prize in the history of Netflix reality TV. 456 contestants take Squid Game-inspired challenges and get eliminated throughout the season. The show tests their mental strength, physical endurance, and social strategy. The challenges in the Korean series were a matter of life and death inspired by childhood games played by young kids in Korea. The danger level here is different where a packet of ink splatters a contestant when they lose.
TJ is one of the 456 contestants competing to win $4.56 million dollars in the Netflix reality competition show. TJ was introduced to Squid Game: The Challenge fans in episode 3 titled “War”, which features the game “Warships.” It is a game that was not a part of the Korean drama that inspired the reality TV show. TJ became the captain of one of the teams. He stood out as he instructed his fellow players where to place their ships and how to find the opposite team’s ships to eliminate them.
20 Best Reality TV Shows Right Now
Television is being impacted by the ongoing entertainment industry strikes, leaving many turning to reality TV. What are the best shows right now?
How Old Is TJ Stukes? Is He Married?
TJ’s age wasn’t revealed on Squid Game: The Challenge. However, Gossip Next Door reveals TJ was born in 1984 and is 39 years old as of 2023. As per his interview with Authority Magazine, TJ was born in the Bronx, NY to Denise Brown, “a hood legend in Harlem”, and sanitation worker Timmy Stukes. TJ was raised in the foster care system in both the Bronx and Mount Vernon, New York (via Insider.) TJ attended Independence CC and Pittsburg State University in Kansas. It’s where he met his wife Samantha and bonded over their shared love for basketball. TJ is thankful to his wife for having taught him humility and gratitude.
TJ attributes all his success to her. TJ and Samantha married on June 21, 2012. They have two children together named Amare and Alana Aofia-Stukes. Alana turned 10 years old in August 2023.
Facts About Squid Game: The Challenge’s TJ Stukes’ Basketball Career
TJ is a former pro basketball player. TJ started playing basketball “later than most people go pro.” He grew nine inches to a healthy “6’8” the summer before he turned 17. After college, he became a professional player when he joined the Harlem Wizards in 2009 as TJ “Tomahawk” Stukes. The Wizards is a professional basketball team that tours the US and raises funds for nonprofits and school organizations through fundraising events. TJ played for 20 years before retiring in March 2023. He was part of a record-setting team with 31 consecutive wins.
What Does TJ Stukes Do For A Living?
TJ said he was making a “very good check” week to week after retiring from basketball. TJ revealed he understood the “troubles and the daily worries” about money when he retired. Samantha “humbled” him a lot at the time. TJ confessed they have “money trouble sometimes.” He hopes to be “financially rich” someday soon, but before that happens, TJ wishes to be “morally rich.” Samantha works at Northern New Mexico College as the head coach of the women’s basketball team. He and Samantha also run a gym together in Northeast El Paso, Texas.
Interestingly, Squid Game: The Challenge is not the first reality TV show TJ has been a part of. TJ and Samantha appeared on The Cube in 2021 and won $50,000. They planned on using the money to renovate their gym and fund scholarships for at-risk youngsters using the gym. TJ starred in a Netflix movie called Hustle with Adam Sandler. He played a coach in the movie.
Sources: Gossip Next Door, Authority Magazine, Insider, TJ Stukes/Instagram, TJ Stukes/Instagram
