‘Physical 100’ Finale: Was the Tug-of-War Challenge an Unfair Disadvantage to Min-cheol?
The Netflix competition series, Physical 100 announced its winner after a nail-biting set of challenges. One of the finalists what mountain rescuer Min-cheol, an underdog and fan favorite. Throughout the series, he won every challenge and secured a spot in the finale. But as the five finalists fought to win Physical 100, the first challenge almost guaranteed a disadvantage to Min-cheol.
[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Physical 100 finale.]
Min-cheol entered the ‘Physical 100’ finale after winning the Wings of Icarus challenge
When the unscripted series began, the contestants had to be ranked in a pre-elimination challenge. Fans watched as the contestants had to hold on for their dear lives to see who could withstand the longest. To everyone’s surprise, Min-cheol was the winner and would continue to win every challenge. But the spotlight was not on him as often as fans had hoped, and he became an underdog with a high chance of winning.
The contestants of Physical 100 took on the pre-finale challenges inspired by Greek mythology. Unsurprisingly, Min-cheol asked to take on the Wings of Icarus challenge. With his profession as a mountain rescuer and ice climber, it was a done deal. He was the top competitor to beat and successfully won.
Min-cheol, Jin-hyeong, Hae-min, Park Jin-yong, and Woo Jin-yong moved on to the Physical 100 finale. With Yun Sung-bin no longer in the running, Min-cheol was voted by fans as a fan favorite to win. But the first challenge proved to be a considerable disadvantage to Min-cheol.
The five finalists took part in a five-way tug-of-war match. Competitors had to use brute strength to reach the key on their pedestal. They needed to free themselves from their restraint. The last person to do so would be eliminated. During the Physical 100 finale, Min-cheol was eliminated, not for lack of trying. But fans may feel he had a high percentage of losing from the get-go.
Min-cheol had to go up against Strongman Jin-hyeong during the ‘Physical 100’ finale
There is no denying that Min-cheol has an impressive physique and upper body strength. As he once said, his muscles were made saving lives, not in the gym. Even the other competitors explained his muscles her “practical.” But when it came to the first finale elimination challenge, Min-cheol was at a loss.
The challenge was meant to test their strength, with muscle strength being a main component. But in hindsight, Min-cheol was set up for failure. Looking at his other competitors, Min-cheol thought, “I have the smallest frame, but my goal is to come first.” But looking at the dynamics and placement of the contestants for the challenge, did Min-cheol stand a chance?
Directly across from Min-cheol for the Physical 100 finale challenge was none other than Jin-hyeong. Also going up against him was luge athlete Park Jin-yong. Both men are much bigger than Min-cheol and have more brute strength than the mountain climber.
A fan on Twitter commented, “What really got me was he was directly opposite of the strongman aka THE HEAVIEST AND STRONGEST OF THEM ALL. Of course he had the least chance to win.” After Jin-hyeong, Hae-min, and Park Jin-yong unlocked their padlocks, Min-chae was up against Woo Jin-yong. As Jin-yong secured his key, his lack of pulling allowed Min-cheol to reach his key. But he was seconds too late.
Min-cheol had a higher chance of winning the other challenges
Hearing Min-cheol’s words after losing the Physical 100 finale challenge was gut-wrenching. “I felt so upset and regretful. It was a mix of so many emotions. It felt worse than losing an ice-climbing competition,” said Min-cheol. Jin-hyeong also knew the mountain climber would be disadvantaged when the game was announced.
“This was not Min-cheol’s game. So, I thought he would be at a disadvantage, and I was right. And that made me feel bad for him,” he explained. The other contestants watching the challenge also empathized with him. Considering the following challenges, Min-cheol would have had a higher success rate.
The tile-flip challenge required speed and endurance. As Jin-hyeong lacked in that department, Min-cheol could have moved on one more round if it was the first challenge. He is lighter on his feet than his competitors. The triangle shuttle run would have also been an advantage to Min-cheol during the Physical 100 finale.
One fan on Twitter commented, “It should have been him. He would have been superior in all the rest of the challenges. Why was Mr. Car Dealer and Cyclist side by side sheesh.” In hindsight, if the shuttle run and tile-flip challenge had occurred first, Min-cheol would have gone farther in the competition.
