IShowSpeed set up a simple public challenge with a big payout: lift the cube, take home $10,000. The sign said it. The crowd believed it. And then it was over almost immediately.
The object was a compact metal cube weighing roughly 20 kilograms, around 45 pounds. That isn’t a scary number on paper. The problem was the shape. No handle, no bar, no grooves: just flat, smooth faces that give your fingers nothing to hook onto.
Contestants were expected to grab it with one hand, get it off the ground, and bring it up toward hip and upper-body height. Several people tried and failed, including bigger guys who looked the part.
Then, inside the first five minutes, one young participant stepped up and ended the whole thing.
He clamped the cube with one hand, pulled it clean off its resting spot, then rotated his palm underneath as it rose and dragged the block in toward his torso. No wobble, no drop. Done.
Speed’s reaction was exactly what you would expect. He froze, then started asking anyone nearby whether the attempt should count. After a short back and forth, he and his team accepted the lift, declared the guy the winner, and Speed sprinted over to celebrate with him.
Why 45 pounds felt like 100
A 20kg dumbbell is easy for most people because your fingers wrap around the handle. A 20kg cube is a different animal. You have to squeeze hard enough with your thumb, fingertips, and palm to create enough friction to stop it sliding straight back down. Sweat, hand size, finger length, and the width of the cube all decide whether you get it or not. Grip athletes train this exact skill with smooth weight plates pinched together, and it humbles a lot of strong people.
Some viewers argued that turning the palm under the cube made it easier than a strict pinch lift. Others pointed out that the sign only said “lift the cube,” and there wasn’t a visible rule banning it. Speed’s crew accepted it, so the debate stays online.
