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| A scene from Netflix reality show 'Physical 100' / Courtesy of Netflix |
Netflix reality show "Physical 100" pits 100 contestants against each other to test their physical capabilities with a simple rule: Get physical and be the last one standing for a cash prize of 300 million won ($238,890).
First released on Jan. 24, the show has created huge buzz at home and abroad with its gladiator-style fighting and a setting reminiscent of Netflix series "Squid Game," having entered the platform's Top 10 non-English TV show list in over 30 nations.
It presents a long list of contestants in top shape: Olympic medalists, bodybuilding champions, special forces soldiers, trainers, fitness influencers and other strong people from various fields.
Jang Ho-gi, a producer at local network MBC, attributed the program's popularity to the candid human story and its artistic visuals.
"I wanted to place the show between reality and fantasy. Although it deals with a realistic subject, I wanted to make contestants get confused about whether it's real or not with unrealistic visual elements," he said during a press conference in Seoul on Tuesday.
Jang, who took part in investigative journalism program "PD Notebook" and produced documentaries at MBC, said he first proposed the project to Netflix in 2021 as part of efforts to reach out to the global audience.
"As distinctions between genres have become meaningless, I wanted to try something new," he said.
The producer said the program was inspired by his personal experience of serving his mandatory military service at a special forces unit where he met physically superior people from various fields.
He developed the idea into the survival of the "perfect physique" after seeing the posts of winners of body challenges at a gym where he registered amid COVID-19.
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| Jang Ho-gi, producer of Netflix reality show 'Physical 100,' is seen in this photo provided by the streaming service. Yonhap |
The physical competition tests contestants' capabilities through a series of quests, one-on-one in one episode and in coalition in another. They compete against each other not only with their power and speed but sometimes with cunning strategies, resulting in unexpected outcomes.
One of the dramatic moments is created when losers leave the game as they destroy their plaster torsos with a hammer.
"In 'Squid Game,' losers just die. I thought removing (contestants') name tags and saying good bye wouldn't appeal to audiences," he said. "I wanted to take away their most precious thing, something equivalent to their life, and it was their body ... In the end, all but one were destroyed."
Buoyed by the global success, Jang expressed hope for creating a second season with new contestants and expanding the series into a global version.
"The first season was created in Korea, but I also want to make the program by continent or culture. If I could make a program with global contestants, I want to try it," he said. (Yonhap)
