There’s just something so absolutely titillating about reality competition series. Even before the Netflix era, competition shows have always been captivating, to say the least. The fashion folk will remember Project Runway and the never-ending seasons of America’s Next Top Model; home cooks will recall Master Chef; and those searching for something a little more raw can’t forget the days of Survivor.
So it’s no surprise that when Netflix released Physical: 100 in early 2023, it took the world by storm. Audiences from all over the globe couldn’t peel their eyes off the screen, watching as elite athletes from a dizzying array of sports battled it out to be crowned as the “fittest in South Korea”. Fast forward about two years, the streaming giant and production house has just unveiled the announcement for Physical: Asia, the follow-up to the first gruelling season.
For Physical: Asia, the playing field has expanded to include athletes from eight different countries. While the original season did feature a select few non-Korean athletes in its lineup, majority of the competitors cast hailed from South Korea. This time, the competition has been openly advertised as a battle between nations. The elites sportspeople are not just fighting for the sake of their own reputation and image but also to defend their respective country’s pride. Team Korea features the winner of Physical: 100 CrossFit athlete Amotti, alongside Yun Sung-bin and Kim Dong-hyun.
While much remains to be unveiled about the specific countries involved, the trailer shows that there will definitely be teams from South Korea and Japan, but we also caught glimpses of Filipino pro-fighter Manny Pacquiao, so we know that Southeast Asia is getting its foot in the door.
Compared to the first season, the 2025 series sees a smaller group of athletes right from the get-go. Rather than the previous 100, the pool has been cut by more than 50 per cent, leaving just 48 athletes fighting it out for the title of “Fittest in Asia”.
Fans of the series are already looking forward to the competition grounds, with some even trying to predict the games that were hinted at through the trailer. One thing we’re hoping to see more of are games that don’t rely on just pure muscle but rounds that showcase the athletes’s stamina, strategies and relative strength.
Physical: Asia is set to premiere on 28 October on Netflix.
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