‘Physical 100’: A-reum and Bo Mi-rae Sacrificed Their Chances of Winning for Their Team
The contestants of Netflix‘s Physical 100 get closer to the finale, but more have to be eliminated before then. After the ship quest, the remaining teams are given details about the fourth quest inspired by Greek mythology. Each team member must take on a challenge and win to avoid elimination. But a close look at A-reum and Bo Mi-rae’s decisions on the Physical 100 pre-finale has fans admiring their selflessness.
[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Physical 100.]
The contestants must go head-to-head in Greek mythology challenges until one is the winner
The ship challenge eliminations had only 20 contestants move on to the fourth quest. But the fourth quest would prove to be one of the most brutal. The ominous voice of the competition series announced only five contestants would move on to the finale. It is a drastic drop from the 20 that made it through. Each team delegates one member to take part in one of the games.
They must make their decisions as a team based on their strengths and chances of winning. While choosing as a team, winning is entirely up to the contestant. The challenges will inevitably result in only one winner. The unscripted Korean series added a fun curveball by creating challenges using Greek mythology.
The selected stories are Atlas, Icarus, Prometheus, Sisyphus, and Ouroborus. Using the punishment they endure, the competition series crafted unique challenges. The Prometheus challenge involves hoisting a boulder over the shoulder to see who can withstand the longest. The story of Icarus inspired a rope climbing challenge.
But as the teams discussed what person would have the most success rate for what challenge, two female contestants surprised fans. Physical 100 fitness celebrity A-reum and boxer Bo Mi-rae displayed their humanity even in the face of elimination.
A-reum and Bo Mi-rae chose challenges they were not confident about on ‘Physical 100’
As the contestants discussed what challenges they would be most confident in, A-reum and Bo Mi-rae surprised fans. The Atlas challenge would require immense strength and was a clear choice for Physical 100 contestant Jo Jin-hyeong. Every other contestant immediately thought the same. Regarding Choo Sung-hoon’s team, Bo Mi-rae honestly said they did not have the manpower to take on the strength challenges.
In an act of selflessness, Bo Mi-rae took the initiative and chose the Atlas challenge. But why? The boxer is undoubtedly strong but knew she could not hold an immense boulder. The rest of her team also lacked enough strength. In hindsight, Bo Mi-rae sacrificed herself, knowing there was a bigger risk of losing.
Regarding A-reum, she too decided out of selflessness on Physical 100 like Bo Mi-rae. The team had A-reum decide first and felt she had a better chance in the Icarus and Prometheus challenge. But once realizing the strength of her team, she made a choice. “I think my teammates have a better chance of coming in first than I do, so I let them take the games they’d be good at,” explained A-reum. She ultimately chose the Icarus challenge.
Fans on Reddit applauded the two contestants. “For real. At first I didn’t understand Bomire’s decision, but her logic was probably ‘I don’t think I can be the winner in any game, and if that’s the case, I’ll sacrifice for my teammate’ and I truly respect that,” said one fan.
Did A-reum and Bo Mi-rae make it to the ‘Physical 100’ finale?
The first challenge was Atlas. Bo Mi-rae had tough competition against Jin-hyeong, Kang-min, and Kim Sik. All three men have enough strength and muscle mass to withstand the weight, but could Bo Mi-rae? Sadly, she found difficulty hoisting the boulder onto her shoulders and was unsuccessful in starting the challenge. In return, she was the first to be eliminated.
When it came to the Icarus challenge, A-reum was unconfident of winning. She went up against Kim Min-cheol, the winner of the first hanging pre-elimination challenge. His experience as a mountain rescuer and ice climber made him a clear favorite. To complicate matters, A-reum admitted to having never climbed a rope before. But she still had grit and determination.
With a lack of experience and technique, A-reum could not climb high enough for the challenge as the rope got longer and longer. She also started to lose strength in her arms, leading to her elimination. “I think it’s because I didn’t have any know-how, my forearms gave out first, so I couldn’t help it,” explained A-reum. But A-reum and Bo Mi-rae’s selflessness toward their team on Physical 100 won them gold in the eyes of fans.
