She was charismatic and the camera followed her as she took the brunt of demanding challenges and rallied her teammates when defeat crept near.Ĭhoo Sung-Hoon is a former Judo fighter and current MMA fighter, who’s highly respected among the other contestants. There’s Jang Eun-sil, a South Korean member of the national wrestling team who had to play against her underdog status as she won a competition made up of a team of players the other leaders didn’t want. ![]() The Netflix reality series had its favorites. By the midpoint there were three competitors who could be considered “main characters” for a barrage of reasons, be it their inherent charisma or star quality, the way in which they led their teams, the focus the camera paid them, or just the conditioned belief of who warrants leading status. There’s an urge to define players as certain archetypes while watching this stupidly addictive reality competition series. Here, he gets to be the champion and, I guess, that too is part of the magnetism of Physical: 100. That said, the winner, in a narrative-structured story, would’ve been a supporting character at best. And the way in which the series defined the rules of each challenge meant we never questioned the fairness of a certain fight. Was the feat of pulling on that rope until it reached its end impressive? Absolutely. If any moment was a let down it was, pardon me, the winner. We might’ve actually yelled at the screen once or twice, playing commentators on the team’s progress, armed with utilitarian suggestions that we thought best - as if we’d bestow them upon these God-sculpted athletes while we sipped wine and chomped chips. We gasped and hid our heads in our shirts as our favorites lost graciously and determined to become stronger. Physical: 100 delivered the level of high-stakes drama and tension most typically found in narrative series. ![]() An Olympic gymnast goes up against a stunt double and it’s thrilling to watch two similar-in-stature contestants square off in such opposing manners. From bodybuilders to gymnasts, dancers, cheerleaders, and MMA fighters, there’s a range of demographics shown across the sphere of fitness. One of the most immediate delights is that while each contestant is in undeniably great shape, this isn’t a show where each and every member is built the same. Over the course of nine episodes, the series follows one hundred contestants in top physical shape as they compete in a series of demanding physical challenges to be the last one standing and win the cash reward. ![]() It’s oddly nice and that niceness never undercuts the tension built in competition. It isn’t just ripped athletes performing astonishing feats it’s also those same ripped athletes oohing and ahhing and complimenting their competitors on their physiques. A competition broken into challenges to find the strongest person in South Korea, this is a series about might and muscle and still, there’s a level of mutual interest that draws people in the very first episode. Netflix’s recent reality series, Physical: 100, whose finale aired this past Tuesday, is nothing like the aforementioned shows beyond being in the same medium. From Singles Inferno to The Great Pottery Throwdown, there’s a thread - hardly visible - that links them in engaging interest due to ok, sure, pretty people being pretty and talented people being wildly talented, but also an element of friendliness, respect, and engagement. If and when a reality series becomes appealing (to me) there’s always a level of earnestness or politeness involved. Spoilers Below for Season One of Physical: 100
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