“Physical: 100” (피지컬: 100)

By Jae-Ha Kim
jaehakim.com
February 18, 2023

“Physical: 100” is riding high on the assumption that this athletic reality series is the real-life version of “Squid Game.” But as everyone knows by now, reality is a concept used to sell unscripted shows that are at least partially scripted to tell a certain story.

The conceit of this nine-episode competition revolves around 100 of the most physically fit people in South Korea (including foreigners) and have them engage in hernia-inducing events to see who reigns as the best. One event requires competitors to hold a 50 kg rock. Another showcases the teamwork needed to pull a 1.5 ton boat across the room. There are obstacle courses and races. But in order to reach each competition, they have to escape elimination — which means alliances will be broken and newly-founded friendships tested.

While there are different events to test the competitors’ abilities, most are strength based, which makes it obvious that the men will have an advantage over the women. Not because they’re better athletes, but because the challenges favor the He-Men with the bulging muscles. And the men know this, which is why none of them want to include women on their teams when they compete as groups. The women are viewed as a deterrent to their winning the ultimate prize of ₩300,000 (roughly $232,000 USD).

Most of the competitors choose opponents they think are weaker than them, although a few standouts select people who they know they have a good chance of losing to, but they want to do their personal best against a prestige athlete. One woman chooses a man. But MMA fighter Park Hyung-geun selects Kim Chun-ri, a female bodybuilder. His theory is that in order to advance, he doesn’t want to expend his energy against a man. His behavior during the battle is absolutely despicable not only to his opponent, but to the stunned women who are warning him about his unsportsmanlike behavior. His not so veiled threats are chilling. At this point, I didn’t care who won the final prize as long as it wasn’t him.

The series starts off slowly, with the first episode introducing all 100 players, who are Olympians, MMA fighters, professional dancers, CrossFit trainers, farmers, prison guards etc. Among the elite includes Jang Eun-sil, a member of the South Korean national women’s wrestling team. (And am I the only one who thinks she resembles figure skating gold medalist Kim Yuna?)

Another fan favorite is Yun Sung-bin, who won a gold medal in the men’s skeleton race at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. He gives off a bruh vibe and is well aware of his status as the man most likely to win this competition, based on his athleticism and indomitable spirit.

Is this series fun to watch? At times, yes, especially the second and third episodes. Is it novel? Not really. Anyone who remembers “American Gladiators” will recognize the cheese factor that drives these programs.

I’ve seen a lot of chatter online that one of the things fans are loving about this show is the good sportsmanship that is attributed to Korean culture. Competitors generally aren’t angry after losing, but are disappointed that they lost. Some have pointed out that this is refreshing.

And while I enjoy good sportsmanship as well, it doesn’t mean that these players aren’t as competitive or as bitchy as Westerners — just that they’re better at not speaking out of turn in public. They actually swear quite a bit in frustration, but it’s not subtitled. If you hear ssi-bal (씨발), they’re basically saying, “Fuck!”

As each person who lost leaves the arena, they have to smash the plaster busts that were custom made for them. I know it’s visually dramatic to watch these athletes take a sledgehammer to their own likeness. And perhaps this act is meant to symbolize something deep, like doing away with the part of them that was too weak to progress further. But what a waste. How nice would it have been if they were allowed to leave the arena with their bust intact, as a memento of this competition?

If there’s a second season of this series, which is highly likely, they might want to consider adding some equalizers, such as drug tests to rule out any candidates who are potentially benefiting from the use of steroids to enhance their performances. And add some gymnastics or acrobatics that may benefit the smaller competitors and knock out some of the less agile muscle-bound men.

They might also want to add some rules to ensure that the athletes are protected against brutality. A referee reprimanded a tall player for hiding a ball where his shorter opponent couldn’t reach it, but didn’t stop a match when an opponent landed perilously on his neck. If brute force can be used, why not a height advantage?

Airdates: The series premiered on January 24, 2023. with two hour-long episodes airing each week on Netflix. The ninth episode and season finale will air on February 21, 2023. Though there has been no confirmation yet, I have no doubt that this series will spawn more seasons in the near future. You may read my longer analyses of this show on Salon.

Spoiler Alert: The MMA fighter Park Hyung-geun won his battle against Kim Chun-ri, but was eliminated from the competition in the boat-pulling challenge. I will be back on February 21 to include the winner of the season finale. I say season, and not series, because I’m sure this show will be renewed.

ETA: And the winner is … Woo Jin-young, the coach for South Korea’s national snowboarding team. He’s also a CrossFit athlete.

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