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'Wholesome' South Korean reality TV proves a global hit

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Claire Lee, Agence France-Presse

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="" Physical:="" features="" men="" and="" women="" in="" prime="" physical="" including="" South="" ex-Olympians="" former="" special="" forces="" performing="" absurdly="" difficult="" challenges.="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/tvpatrol/03/01/netflix.jpg"/><figcaption>&quot;Physical: 100&quot; features 100 men and women in prime physical condition, including South Korea&#x27;s ex-Olympians and former special forces soldiers, performing absurdly difficult challenges. <em>Handout</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>SEOUL, South Korea - The challenge is straight from Greek mythology: hold a boulder aloft as long as possible. Korean car dealer Jo Jin-hyeong lasted over two hours, captivating global audiences in a reality show that could signal a new K-culture export success.</p><p>After films such as Oscar-winning &quot;Parasite&quot; and TV series including Golden Globe-bedecked &quot;Squid Game&quot; helped popularise K-content overseas, industry figures have said South Korea&#x27;s high-quality reality shows may be next in line for domination.</p><p>&quot;Physical: 100&quot;, the new Netflix show that gym buff Jo competed in, featured 100 men and women in prime physical condition, including South Korea&#x27;s ex-Olympians and former special forces soldiers, performing absurdly difficult challenges.</p><p>It is the first unscripted series to top the streaming giant&#x27;s non-English chart, building on the popularity of &quot;Singles Inferno&quot;, a Korean dating show that became a sleeper hit worldwide last year.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fc8Qv5l3WrM?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>Part of the charm of such shows is the contestants: Jo, who started hitting the gym as a weedy teenager and has never been a professional athlete, found he could hold his own against some of South Korea&#x27;s strongest people.</p><p>The 41-year-old won one of the show&#x27;s most brutal contests, the Greek myth-inspired &quot;Punishment of Atlas&quot; challenge, where contestants had to lift and hold a boulder that bodybuilder contestant Kim Kang-min estimated was at least 50 kilograms (110 pounds).</p><p>Jo managed two hours and 14 minutes.</p><p>&quot;When I lifted it I thought it was going to end in about 30 minutes,&quot; he told AFP, saying he kept telling himself: &quot;hang in there for just 10 more minutes, then 10 more minutes...&quot;</p><p>He came fourth overall in the show -- an achievement he said was once unthinkable.</p><p>&quot;I started exercising in middle school because I was too puny. I wanted to be stronger,&quot; he said, getting emotional when he thought of his younger self, who he thanked &quot;for not giving up&quot;.</p><div><strong>Wholesome and authentic</strong></div><p>Over the last few years, South Korean content has taken the world by storm, with over 60 percent of Netflix viewers watching a show from the East Asian country in 2022, company data showed.</p><p>Netflix, which spent more than 1 trillion won ($759 million) developing Korean content from 2015 to 2021, said it was expanding its South Korean reality show output this year.</p><p>&quot;Korean nonfiction shows didn&#x27;t travel before Netflix started taking them global,&quot; said Don Kang, the company&#x27;s vice president of Korean content.</p><p>&quot;There are some things we did to make shows more easily understandable to the global audience,&quot; he said, such as simplifying subtitles.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zqEIa7LaorA?enablejsapi=1" width="560"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div><p>Car dealer Jo said he thought the show was proving a hit abroad due to the genuine sense of camaraderie in South Korea&#x27;s sports community.</p><p>&quot;We cheered each other on in every contest, comforted each other when someone lost,&quot; he told AFP.</p><p>The &quot;relative wholesomeness&quot; of South Korean reality shows is a core part of their appeal to foreign audiences, said Regina Kim, an entertainment writer and expert on K-content based in New York City.</p><p>&quot;It&#x27;s like a breath of fresh air for American viewers who might be tired of watching reality stars hook up or fight all the time,&quot; she told AFP.</p><p>&quot;There could definitely be more Korean reality shows that become popular overseas, including in the US,&quot; she said, pointing to successful Korean reality formats that have become global franchises.</p><p>&quot;There are US remakes of Korean reality shows like &#x27;The Masked Singer&#x27; and &#x27;I Can See Your Voice&#x27; that have been super popular here,&quot; she said, referring to the hit South Korean music shows later produced in English by Fox.</p><p><strong>Global fans</strong><br/>&quot;Physical: 100&quot; caused some controversy by pitting contestants of different genders against each other, prompting questions about whether it was fair. Ultimately, the top five contestants were men.</p><p>But Jang Eun-sil, one of 23 women competing in the show, told AFP she found the format &quot;original and fresh&quot;, and that it helped to motivate her throughout the challenges.</p><p>&quot;I just gave my best every moment, so I have no regrets and never thought it was unfair,&quot; said the 32-year-old wrestler, who was widely praised for the leadership she demonstrated on the show.</p><p>Although she didn&#x27;t win, she said competing allowed her to bring her beloved sport to a broader audience.</p><p>&quot;To be honest, wrestling is an unpopular sport in South Korea,&quot; she said, adding it was a &quot;huge honour&quot; that, thanks to her, more South Koreans had become aware that women wrestlers existed.</p><p>She&#x27;s also seen an influx of global fans flooding her social media accounts. &quot;I now plan to add English subtitles (to my YouTube channel),&quot; she said.</p><div><strong>cdl/ceb/dva</strong></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

'Physical: 100' features 100 men and women in prime physical condition, including South Korea's ex-Olympians and former special forces soldiers, performing absurdly difficult challenges.

'Wholesome' South Korean reality TV proves a global hit

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'Wholesome' South Korean reality TV proves a global hit

Claire Lee,

Agence France-Presse

Published Mar 01, 2023 08:34 AM PHT

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Updated Mar 01, 2023 12:07 PM PHT

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