The Floor Season 4 crowns Ashley Washburn as the winner after a high-stakes finale

The Floor Season 4 crowns Ashley Washburn as the winner after a high-stakes finale, bringing an end to a competition that began with 100 contestants and concluded with one standing on the LED grid.

Washburn, representing Illinois, emerged victorious in the Fox game show hosted by Rob Lowe, winning the $250,000 grand prize after a final best-of-three duel.

The Floor places 100 contestants on a massive illuminated floor, each occupying a square tied to an expert trivia category. Over the course of the season, contestants challenge adjacent players in timed duels, expanding territory with each win while risking elimination with every loss. 

Season 4, themed America Duels, featured two contestants from each U.S. state. Illinois ultimately claimed the title when Washburn outlasted the field.

Season 4 introduced several structural twists that reshaped strategy. In addition to the returning time boost, contestants who won three duels earned the ability to swap categories with another player.

The season brought in the golden square, a prize giving $10,000 more to whoever won that round. While a typical episode awards $20,000 to the contestant with the most duel wins, the Season 4 premiere doubled that figure to $40,000.

The last round left just two players, Ashley Washburn and Josh, both of whom had been side by side on the stage through most of the match.

Their proximity fostered familiarity, but the finale required them to separate through competition. The last duel was a best-of-three showdown, which Washburn won in two rounds by prevailing in “Ancient Greece” and “Sportscasters.”

The Floor Season 4 finale tests strategy, endurance and preparation

Ashley Washburn entered The Floor with “witchcraft” as her original category. In an interview with TV Insider, when asked whether she considered herself an expert, she said, 

“I didn’t think so at the time, really. But actually, after I thought about it, I was like, this actually makes a lot of sense for me.”

She explained that she developed an interest in tarot and related practices during 2020, adding, 

“Naturally, you just kind of go down the rabbit hole.”

Her approach to the game emphasized momentum. Washburn said,

“My only strategy was always going to be to try to get a time boost because I wanted to play aggressively. So my strategy was always changing, because the floor was changing around me really fast.”

She added that while categories shifted constantly, her goal remained consistent: 

“I always wanted to play three in a row.”

Preparation also evolved throughout filming. Before the game began, Washburn focused on fixed categories such as state nicknames and state flowers. Once play started, she adapted nightly. She said,

“I would change what I was going to study based on what I was going into the next day.”

To simulate the experience, she created image-based slideshows to review during downtime in hair and makeup, as well as in the green room.

Late in the season, Washburn held control of the “Ancient Greece” category for an extended stretch. Combined with a time boost, it discouraged challengers. She said,

“I do think the time boost really amped it up. There were a couple of people…who would have played me in Ancient Greece if I didn’t have extra time. So I do think the time boost, ultimately, was my savior, my protector, if you will.”

The America Duels format added a social layer. Washburn acknowledged a sense of state loyalty, saying, 

“There was a sense that you wanted your state to make it.”

While there were no formal alliances, the shared state identity created a sense of familiarity and hesitation that influenced decisions across the floor. The final duel against Josh carried personal weight. Washburn said,

“I really did want it to be me and Josh in the end. If I was going to win, I wanted to win against someone like that.”

Their matchup required competing outside original specialties, but Washburn felt prepared. “I was not nervous about Ancient Greece at all,” she said. For “Sportscasters,” she added, 

“I’d actually spent probably the most time studying that category in the last couple of days.”

Not every category felt survivable. She admitted that she did not want to play Harry Potter and added, 

“There is no amount of studying I could have done to get to the level of someone who has just loved it for so long.”

Following her win, Washburn said the moment had not yet fully landed. “Not at all,” she said when asked if it had sunk in. She shared plans to use part of the prize to treat her family, explaining, 

“I am renting a suite at the hockey game.”

She also confirmed a longer-term goal: 

“I did tell production that if I won, I wanted to go to Greece.”

Reflecting on the experience, Washburn emphasized the importance of confidence. She said,

“There’s nothing better you can do for yourself on this show than believe that you have a chance. If you are not the person who’s going to believe in yourself or back your own chances, you’re already at a disadvantage.”

With The Floor renewed for Season 5, the future format remains unannounced. Season 4, now streaming on Hulu, concludes with Ashley Washburn’s win, standing as the final result of a game shaped by preparation, adaptability and decisive execution.

Stay tuned for more updates.