For quite some time, Korea has shown us its love for games and the competition that arises from them, evident in many Korean shows, including Squid Game, for example. The reality show Physical 100 is no exception in providing us with this type of excitement, challenging the strength, speed, and endurance of all kinds its contenstants.
Physical 100 currently has 2 seasons, the first aired on Netflix from January 24 to February 21, 2023, while the second season was released from March 19 to April 2, 2024.
The premise is very simple: regardless of gender, ethnicity, and age, the show's producers have embarked on a quest to find real physical perfection in every discipline. This led to the participation of 100 professionals from various fields: wrestlers, boxers, paramedics, gym trainers, bodybuilders, military personnel, adventure sports enthusiasts, models, stuntmen, olympians, MMA fighters, athletes, and many other more or less known figures to the public decided to put themselves up to be tested.
The reality is structured through challenges both individual and by teams aimed at testing the skills and the endurance of the contestants, eliminating the lowest-ranked at each turn until there is only one left, the winner. To overcome the challenges, a good dose of mental strength as well as physical strength is required, and this is the detail that I appreciated most about the program because even though the games could all be physical, strategy plays a central role in the competition. This means that sometimes it is possible to witness an underdog beating people who appear physically more gifted by pulling out their aces up the sleeve.
Another thing that struck me from the start was the mutual courtesy of the cast, unlike similar shows characterized by dramatized and hyper-competitive behavior. All the participants, winners and losers, were professional with each other, encouraging each other and showing true sportsmanship. The dialogues, even related to secondary issues, make you appreciate the dynamics of the game, convey a sense of unity, and remind the audience how these players are still ordinary people.
Considering all that has been said so far, this is a show no one should miss. Honestly, I wasn't sure about starting it because of the trashy and manipulative reputation of reality shows, but once I started, I watched it all in one go!