A nursing student identified publicly only as Ben became the first eligible participant to find IShowSpeed during a livestreamed scavenger hunt in New York City on October 28, 2026. His prize was $250,000.
The event was the finale of Dr. Squatch and IShowSpeed’s nine-week SPEEDRUN: Million Dollar Mission, a promotional campaign built around real-world searches, social challenges and a total prize pool of $1 million.
- $250,000Grand prize
- Just over 1 hourReported time to find Speed
- 5Costumed clue characters
- $1 millionTotal campaign prize pool
Source: Dr. Squatch, Complex, AOL and Win.gg, October 2026
How Ben found IShowSpeed
The hunt was scheduled to take place from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern. IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Watkins Jr., hid at a secret location while viewers followed a livestream and watched digits from his GPS coordinates appear over time.
Organizers also placed five costumed Dr. Squatch characters around New York City. Each carried extra coordinate information that could help participants narrow down the hiding place faster, according to Complex’s preview of the event.
Ben reached the location in a little over an hour, according to post-event reports from AOL and Win.gg.
Another participant reportedly arrived moments later. Win.gg reported that the second person confirmed Ben had reached the location first.
A prank, then the real prize
When Ben arrived, IShowSpeed briefly told him the contest had been a prank. The streamer then revealed that Ben had won and presented him with an oversized $250,000 check as confetti fell.
“You just won $250,000! Congratulations, bro! You found me,” IShowSpeed said in footage quoted by AOL.
Reports identify the winner as a nursing student named Ben, but his last name, school and other personal details have not been publicly confirmed. Some coverage also said that he had about $2,000 in his bank account and had stepped away from exam preparation to join the hunt. Those details appear to come from the livestream and follow-up entertainment coverage rather than an independent profile of Ben.
What is firmly established is that he was the first eligible participant to reach IShowSpeed and was publicly awarded the campaign’s $250,000 grand prize.
The finale of a nine-week campaign
The New York hunt did not begin as a one-day giveaway. Dr. Squatch announced SPEEDRUN: Million Dollar Mission on August 31, 2026, describing it as a nine-week campaign spanning 25 challenges in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
The campaign offered several paths to prizes. Participants could search for briefcases containing gold-colored bars of Dr. Squatch soap redeemable for cash, complete weekly social media missions or try to obtain one of 25 scratchers worth $10,000 each.
In its official campaign announcement, the company said the promotion would conclude with a final hunt worth $250,000. The campaign ran from August 31 through October 31 and did not require a purchase to participate.
- August 31, 2026Million Dollar Mission announcedDr. Squatch and IShowSpeed unveil a nine-week campaign with 25 challenges and $1 million in total prizes.
- October 28, 2026New York City finale beginsFans follow livestreamed GPS digits and clues carried by five costumed characters.
- Just over an hour laterBen reaches the hiding place firstThe nursing student is confirmed as the first eligible participant and receives the $250,000 prize.
- October 31, 2026Campaign period closes
Why the moment spread so quickly
The finale combined the suspense of a citywide search with the immediacy of a livestream. Viewers could watch clues arrive in real time while people on the ground raced to interpret them.
Ben’s win gave the campaign a clear human ending. A viewer who decided to join the hunt became part of the broadcast and left holding its largest single prize.
The available reporting does not establish what Ben plans to do with the money, and no fuller public profile of him has emerged. For now, the verified story is simple: he followed the clues, reached the right place first and turned an afternoon scavenger hunt into a $250,000 win.