Physical: 100 TV Show Review: Never Count Out The Little Ones

Physical: 100 is a Netflix Korean reality TV show where 100 people in peak physical health compete in individual and team elimination games. Olympic athletes, bodybuilders, and exercise junkies from all over Korea gather to take on challenges that test a wide range of their physical abilities, like speed, power, agility, and most importantly, the mental strength of pushing onwards despite the exhaustion. Mix together interesting contestants, dramatic sets, and cliffhangers that make you scream, and you got yourself a surprisingly effective and fun game show.

The “purpose” of the show is to study the perfect physique and the winner gets over $200k in cash and the honor of having the “perfect body.” What makes it interesting is seeing how our preconceived notions that big muscles = stronger people may not necessarily be true. Interestingly enough, the people you expect to be the most successful might not end up making it to the finale. This goes on to prove that size does not necessarily equate to greatness. I think the challenge that impressed me the most was the rope hanging challenge where the contestants had to climb a rope that gradually kept lowering down. It made me really want to keep rooting for the ice climber/mountain rescue guy until the very end.

Like watching any competitive sporting event, this show is both fun and stressful. People are grappling each other in the mud, rolling boulders uphill, and doing these complex team challenges that can elicit reactions of elation or disappointment. You are introduced to 100 interesting and diverse personalities, but by the time you start wanting to root for someone, they usually get eliminated and you’re forced to place your bets on someone else. Things are constantly changing and moving fast, which keeps it entertaining. When you put a bunch of hyper-competitive, Olympic/national level athletes together in one place, they can’t help but feel that competitive spirit pushing them harder and harder.

But speaking of moving fast, one thing that felt like a big drag was the editing. The editing of this show reminds me of Single’s Inferno, but maybe 2x worse. It repeats scenes over and over to build drama before a big moment, but rather than being effective, it’s so overused that it’s extremely annoying. There’s a point at which you get sick of seeing the same scene repeating itself 3 different times from 3 different angles.

Overall, I think Physical: 100 was such a fun show to watch. As it was releasing on a weekly basis, it was something I was excited for every Tuesday. It’s also a great show to watch when you’re working out because it’s almost like you’re sweating right alongside the contestants, but obviously to a lesser extent LOL. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys a bit of a mindless reality TV, since it’s highly entertaining and motivational.