Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Panic season 1!
The winner of the competition at the center of Panic season 1 may have been predictable, but the circumstances surrounding the character’s win was a bit of a surprise. To follow the Texas town’s tradition, several graduating seniors took part in a game that tested their greatest fears, either physical or mental. Each player had their own reason for playing, but many competed for the grand prize: $50,000 that could potentially serve as a ticket to get out of town.
Like the case with Lauren Oliver’s book in which the Amazon show was based, the game of Panic consisted of thrilling challenges. The pre-determined events weren’t created to kill people, but multiple deaths occurred in past games. During season 1’s game, the challenges grew increasingly dangerous by starting with a cliff jump until the final two competitors in the game were forced to go head-to-head in Joust, a game of chicken using cars. Other challenges included stealing an item from inside a madman’s farmhouse, walking across a train bridge blindfolded, and being trapped in a decrepit haunted house that incidentally caught on fire.
Leading up to Joust, Dodge Mason (Mike Faist) and Ray Hall (Ray Nicholson) were the last two players standing. By then, it was revealed Sheriff James Cortez (Enrique Murciano) was manipulating the game for his own personal gain. Wanting Dodge to win for gambling purposes, Cortez convinced the teen to sit out the challenge so he could drive in his place. Ray and Dodge agreed that Cortez needed to be eliminated, but in the meantime, Heather Nill (Olivia Welch) took Ray’s car and competed in his place. Though Heather was knocked out from the game in the previous challenge, she came out as the winner during Joust. But it wasn’t because of Cortez’s crimes or subsequent death.
At the end of Panic season 1’s season finale, Heather received a message explaining how she was rewarded as the winner of the year’s game. She may have been out of the game after leaving her individual challenge to save her little sister Lily, but it was Cortez’s meddling that caused Heather’s disqualification. One could argue entering a tiger cage to save a sibling was more fear-inducing than any challenge in Panic. The judges (or whoever called the shots) must have recognized Heather’s actions, allowing her to legitimately compete in Joust. When the tiger jumped between the cars, Cortez technically swerved before crashing, resulting in Heather being the official winner of the $50,000 cash prize.
Before Joust took place, there was a worry the winner wouldn’t get a prize based on the fact Sarah Miller (Maya Hendricks) stole the winnings. Bishop Moore (Camron Jones) was chosen as the bagman, but he didn’t do a good job keeping the cash safe. To make up for the blunder, Bishop sold his Audi and other valuable belongings to replace the prize money.
Though Heather, Dodge, and Ray had other motivations for playing, including taking down Cortez, the money would have been a nice bonus. The fact that Heather wound up winning gave Bishop another to replace the money since helping a friend financially was more important than carrying out his role as the bagman. While Natalie Williams (Jessica Sula) seemingly convinced the other judge to award Heather the money, the decision could have come from a greater power pulling the real strings. Heather might have been named the winner, but it didn’t look like she was completely done playing the game, hinting at the plot for Panic season 2.
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