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The Korea Times

By Lee Gyu-lee
Netflix’s hit reality show Physical 100 returned with Season 2, offering another heart-pounding spectacle of physically demanding survival challenges.
The show, which assesses the competitor with the best physique out of 100 participants through a series of demanding challenges, sparked a global sensation after its debut on the platform last year.
The new season has also been popular, landing on top of Netflix’s non-English TV show streaming chart on the week of its release in March.

In season two, cross fitter and YouTuber Amotti, whose real name is Kim Jae-hong, was named the final winner, after beating former rugby player Andre Jin Coquillard in the semi-final round and firefighter-turned-YouTuber Hong Beom-seok in the final.
“As a non-celebrity, it was an honour to work out with Olympic gold medallists whom I’ve admired in my childhood, and celebrities. I feel fortunate to be here and am in good spirits,” says Amotti.
“When I entered the hall filled with competitors’ torso sculptures, I never imagined I could secure first place. I simply participated each day with the mindset of giving my best effort and seeing how far I could go.
“Until a few days ago, winning didn’t feel real. However, when I watched the last episode, it finally sank in.”
The show’s creator and producer, Jang Ho-gi, recalled the pressure he felt with the new season, especially considering the enormous global spotlight the previous one received.

“Because the show got a lot of attention and so many fans, I contemplated a lot whether I should make [season two] in a way that’s familiar to them or to completely start anew,” he said.
“If I make it entirely new, [the previous season’s] viewers might dislike it, but if I make it too similar, some might also not like it. So I tried to strike a balance by using some familiar elements while also making efforts to introduce something new.”
One of the highlights of the show was Hong, who was eliminated in the first round in season one, but managed to challenge himself once again, ultimately rising to become a semi-finalist this season.
The producer said initially, he did not plan to invite competitors from the previous season to participate in the show again.
“We didn’t plan to call back season one’s participants, because there were so many applicants already, but there were a lot of requests for Hong to return,” Jang said.












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“I also hoped to show his performance, as he is a remarkable individual. And in terms of the show’s entertainment, it would be nice to have his own narrative unfold. As a result, he made it to the finals.”
Hong said it was a difficult decision for him to join the show again, but he has no regrets.
“I seriously debated [whether to join season two]. In season one, they sent me home without mercy after losing. The same situation could be repeated in season two, and if that happens, I felt it would be mentally too taxing for me,” he said.
“However, if I didn’t participate, I felt I might regret it deeply forever.
“Thanks to the opportunity to be on season two, I made such unforgettable memories.”
‘You must do CrossFit’: Netflix show ‘Physical 100’ winner Woo Jin-yong
Coquillard, who played for the South Korean rugby team at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, said he joined the show to promote the sport in Korea, adding that he wasn’t sure he would survive to be one of the top finalists.
“Getting called [to join] three years after retiring felt like destiny. I had an opportunity to challenge myself again and I’m happy to be among the top three. As I searched for solutions to each mission that I faced, I just kept on having faith in myself,” he said.
“I entered the competition with the intention of promoting rugby, so I felt a lot of pressure to perform well. As a third-year rugby coach, I’ve been grappling with various thoughts, and this experience will greatly contribute to enhancing my leadership skills.”
The second season ends with a clip hinting at the show’s third season.
Jang, the producer, noted that although it hasn’t been finalised yet, they are discussing the possibility of creating a new season with a different format. He shared that the new season might include competitors from Asian regions to broaden its international reach.
“Since I first developed the show, we talked about expanding it on a country-by-country basis. So I do have in mind that I want to introduce completely new formats and content with participants from other countries, demonstrating a completely new structure,” he said.
“Also, there are participants from season one and two who the viewers are interested in seeing again. So I’m also open to exploring the idea of bringing them back to show a different side of them.”
Read the full story at The Korea Times.


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TV shows and streaming video

Physical 100 creator teases new format for season 3 of Netflix survival show as he and finalists reflect on season 2

Contestants from Season 2 of Physical 100 on Netflix. Photo: Instagram/@amottivation

A promotional poster for Physical 100 Season 2. Photo: Netflix

Contestants from the second season of Physical 100 on Netflix: Photo; Instagram/@amottivation

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Han Hyo-joo as the head of a company selling artificially cultured meat in a still from dystopian science-fiction series Blood Free, one of the best Korean dramas launching in April. Look out, too, for Parasyte: The Grey, Goodbye Earth and Chief Detective 1958, among others. Photo: Disney+.

A still from Goodbye Earth. Photo: Netflix.

Star of Netflix’s Physical 100 Song Ah-reum shows Hongkongers that mothers can succeed in bodybuilding

Song Ah-reum was invited by PUMP Personal Training to coach Hong Kong bodybuilders. Photo: Chester Lam

Song was inspired to try bikini after attending her husband’s bodybuilding competition. Photo: Chester Lam

Song coached local women in posing, walking and preparing for bikini competitions. Photo: Edmond So

Song Ah-reum qualifies for 2023 Bikini Olympia after winning 2023 IFBB Pro Taiwan. Photo: PUMP Personal Training

Song Ah-reum and husband Kim Kang-min reached the top 20 in Netflix’s ‘Physical 100.’ Photo: Netflix

Netflix K-culture hit Physical: 100 wins audiences with ‘wholesome’ yet brutal contests

South Korean car dealer Jo Jin-hyeong, a contestant on the new Netflix show “Physical: 100”, poses during an interview in Seoul. Photo: AFP

Contestants from the Netflix reality competition series “Physical: 100” attend a fan event in Seoul earlier this month. Photo: AFP

South Korean car dealer Jo Jin-hyeong won one of the most brutal contests on “Physical: 100”. Photo: AFP

Jang Eun-sil, a wrestler and one of 23 women contestants on “Physical: 100”, said she found the mixed-gender format “original and fresh”. Photo: AFP

From BTS to Physical: 100 and Squid Game, translation is central to huge shifts in global cultural consumption

Fans wait for contestants from Physical: 100. Photo: AFP

BTS performs at the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration in New York on December 31, 2019. Photo: AP

Contestants of Netflix reality competition series Physical: 100 attend a fan event in Seoul on February 18, 2023. Photo: AFP

Lifestyle

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

Netflix reality show’s creator looks ahead to season 3, says: ‘I want to introduce completely new formats and content with participants from other countries’
Season 2 winner Amotti says, ‘I never imagined I could secure first place’; runner-up Hong Beom-seok feared being ‘sent home without mercy’ like in season 1


As Netflix reality show Physical 100 season 2 wraps, final winner Amotti says ‘Winning didn’t feel real’, while its creator talks ‘completely new formats’ and international dimension to season 3.


Korea Times

South Korea

Netflix