‘Physical: 100′ to return as ‘non-scripted drama,’ with bar raised in every sense: producers

“Physical: 100″ is set to return for its second season with a revamped format and elevated standards, its production team said Thursday, drumming up anticipation for one of Netflix’s most popular non-English reality shows.

“What we envisioned when we initially conceived the show was to introduce an entirely new format each season, if possible,” co-director Jang Ho-gi said during a media event held in Seoul prior to the premiere of “Physical: 100 Season 2 – Underground.”

“We’ve retained the essence of the program while revamping its concept and structure. We believe we’ve addressed some of the shortcomings from the previous season,” he said, adding, “Season 2 has undergone a significant evolution in various aspects, including scale, quests and participants.”

The Korean reality competition series challenges 100 physically fit contestants in a series of rigorous quests to determine the ultimate winner, who will earn both honor and a cash prize of 300 million won (US$227,700).

The first season, which aired from Jan. 24 to Feb. 21 last year, quickly became one of Netflix’s most beloved reality series, dominating the global top 10 non-English TV show chart and amassing a total viewing time of 192.63 million hours over six weeks.

The nine-part Season 2 will bring a group of participants of all ages, genders and backgrounds to a vast underground mine for tournament-like competitions. Notably, around 30 percent of the contestants are former and current national sports representatives.

The production team, consisting of approximately 300 staff members, has meticulously planned for the show, Jang said, drafting a set of emergency response manuals to handle any unforeseen events during filming, such as power outages or earthquakes.

Additionally, each contestant is paired with their own mental health counselor to provide support in case they experience stress from the intense competitive environment or the media spotlight.

“Since Season 1, we’ve received a lot of feedback, particularly about the team matches,” Jang said of the setup that some audiences found unfair.

“The show isn’t just about competitions, but it delves into the dynamics of a microcosm of our society where both individual and group interactions unfold,” he said, adding, “We aimed to share the journey itself in finding the ideal human physique through various performance tests.”

“Actually, there is a lot of interesting drama during the team matches.”

Also, Season 2 has introduced a referee system consisting of 10 judges to ensure that each match is conducted fairly.

“I think audiences expect reality and transparency almost on par with live sports streaming from our show,” Jang said.

The second season is scheduled to drop Tuesday.