The first season of Physical: 100, a Netflix original, was released in two parts last year, the first on January 24th and the second on February 21st, 2023. The show is based in South Korea with most of its contestants being athletes either from South Korea or other countries. 100 people in tip-top physical shape, 77 men and 23 women, competed in a series of physical challenges for a chance to win 300 million South Korean won—about 226,000 US dollars. Most of the earlier challenges were individual, but as the 9-episode season progressed, more challenges involved teams. The contestants’ endurance, strength, and speed were tested throughout the episodes as they competed in what most people would consider to be very difficult physical tasks. As the episodes went on, the challenges became more grueling and those not capable of completing the tasks were eliminated. When a player was eliminated they would smash their torso made out of clay to symbolize their end in the game. In the ninth and final episode a winner was crowned and won the cash prize.
The second season was just released on March 19th, 2024. As of March 20th, the show is already number 2 on Netflix’s top 10 movies and TV shows, an impressive mark to make after only one day. This exciting and impressive show has 100 new contestants ready to battle it out for another cash prize. This season will be released in three segments, the second coming on March 26th, and the last two episodes coming on April 2nd. Upon viewing the trailer, this season will be pretty similar in style to the first.
With the arrival of the new season I encourage anyone who has not seen the first season to watch it. It combines heart-warming sportsmanship with inspirational determination, and a lot of muscles, of the contestants. The beginning of the first season was pretty fast paced with many people being eliminated in the first few episodes. While the pace does slow down a bit and there are long scenes of individual challenges, it is still exhilarating to watch the contestants’ willpower. I think the pace mirrors the difficulty in completing some of the challenges, as they take a long time and a lot of physical and mental effort. It is also quite impressive to watch because of their physiques and impressive abilities when it comes to strength and athletics. The show keeps you hooked by making you wonder who will win it all and beat the other 99 contestants. If you have not seen Physical: 100 make sure to watch season 1 before starting the new one!
