Kriti Mehrotra
Since Netflix’s ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ season 2 star Vanessa Clements was always very clear in her strategy of only playing for herself, she was able to make tough decisions and take risks. She was never dismissive or rude to her fellow contestants, but she definitely played a respectfully selfish game with the sole aim of proving her mettle to hopefully walk away with the grand prize. Honestly, while we didn’t believe this was the right gameplay, it worked wonders for Player 017 because even though she didn’t have any strong alliances, she managed to claw her way to the Top 5.
Vanessa Clements Credits Her Father For Her Fierceness and Perseverance
A proud native of Mill River in Prince Edward Island, Canada, Vanessa Clements hails from an indigenous family that has been serving as passionate and professional lobster fishers for generations. According to records, her grandfather, Cecile Clements, earned his first license for a mere 50 cents back in 1960, which was passed down to his son/her uncle, and later sadly sold to a third party. It was reportedly then that her father, Blair Clements, got his own license before setting sail in the harbor alongside his ever-supportive wife, Cindy Clements, every single year to carry on the legacy.
Therefore, Vanessa had been dreaming about following in her ancestors’ footsteps ever since she was a young girl, blissfully unaware that she could be refuted simply for being a girl. The thought admittedly hadn’t even crossed her mind once because she had always heard about how her mother had fished until she was 8 months pregnant before finally taking a break. She was thus left utterly shocked when her own father refused to hire her by claiming she wouldn’t be able to handle it, but she didn’t let it break her dreams or her heart in any manner. She craved her father’s approval, yet her drive to fulfill what she believed was her calling and prove him wrong is what ultimately motivated her to stick to the path.
It wasn’t an easy journey – Vanessa had to pretend to be a man and work on mussel boats just to garner experience before she was allowed by the Native Council to evolve into a lobster fisher. Since then, the now 31-year-old has broken all bounds in this male-dominated field as she is the sole licensed female in her harbor as well as the first female to earn her Fishing Master 4 certification in March 2025. Hence, she currently holds the position just one rank below Captain and has been asked by her father to fish with him across the active seasons – April to June, August, and September. In other words, she is thriving in every sense of the term, for which she credits the man who inadvertently pushed her to be her best: her father.
Vanessa Clements is No Stranger to the World of Reality Competition Shows
While Netflix’s ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ season 2 propelled Vanessa to international fame purely owing to its reach, she had made her reality show debut long before. After all, the 2017 Miss Canada aspirant had actually been a contestant on season 8 of ‘Big Brother Canada,’ where she was arguably a fan favorite with how smartly she was playing the game. Within 25 days, she had not only made strong alliances but also earned the Power of Veto, Skip the Slop vote, and several similar advantages that essentially enabled her to control different aspects of the house. But alas, before anything could come to a head, filming was forced to shut down owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, with the prize fund being transferred to charity.
In a pre-interview for ‘Big Brother Canada,’ Vanessa had stated that her strategy was to “enter the house and have great conversations with four or five people before the first (Head of Household is selected)… Then, if I win, I’ll have the pick of the litter for the season and have a lot of say in how the season plays out. I also want to fool everybody. As a fisherman, I believe people won’t see me as a mastermind manipulator. I want to use that to my advantage, gain trust from the houseguests, and get them on my side.” However, her approach for ‘Squid Game: The Challenge’ was much different because she had realized that while she wanted to play a selfish game, she didn’t want it to be dirty.
Vanessa Clements is a Zealous Travel Enthusiast Too
If Vanessa is ever asked about what she is truly passionate about in life, she will always respond with two things: lobster fishing and traveling. It thus comes as no surprise that whenever she is not embracing the waters and working towards one day acquiring her father’s license, gear, and boat for an estimated $1.5 million, she is exploring the world. Her wanderlust is actually to such an extent that she previously even worked on cruise ships and dabbled as a professional travel agent for Expedia just so she could have more voyage opportunities. In fact, the Prince Edward Island homeowner has been to over 90 countries as of writing, and seems to have no plans of stopping anytime soon.
Vanessa witnessed the beauty of Italy in February 2017, embraced the culture of Denmark in June 2017, and enjoyed the sun of Portugal as well as Massachusetts in August of the same year. Then, she made her way to Hawaii in October 2017, Alaska in November 2017, and several Asian countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam in December 2017. She then crossed off Germany in September 2018, Mexico in January 2019, Chile in March 2023, Argentina in April 2024, as well as US states like Nevada and Arizona in March 2024.
On a more personal level, it’s worth noting that Vanessa has been in a happy, healthy relationship with a man named Mike Bingley since July 2024, and he appears to support all her dreams. Unfortunately, not everything has been sunshine and roses for her because she lost her beloved dog Simba after 12 years in June 2024, and her boyfriend’s family sadly died in a horrific car accident a day before their 1-year anniversary in July 2025. So, it’s undeniable that she is now holding her loved ones – her parents, her elder brother Ryan, and her partner – closer than ever before.
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