Why did Physical: 100 have a rematch for final round? Runner-up Jung Hae Min shares behind-the-scenes details

‘Physical: 100’, the Netflix strength survival show has been at the receiving end of the viewers’ praises as well as the netizens’ woes equally. While it started out with obvious similarities to the hit series ‘Squid Game’ and banked on its recognised cast members, the show’s fame plummeted halfway through. The finale dropped with anticipation but not much excitement continued and it seems there were many reasons for the same.

Physical: 100 final round

As Jo Jin Hyeong, Park Jin Young, Kim Min Cheol, Woo Jin Young, and Jung Hae Min advanced to the final following South Korean skeleton racer Yun Sung Bin losing out in the penultimate round of the show, stakes were raised high for the five finalists. If bets were being placed, most would vote for Jo Jin Hyeong- the crowd favourite, or Kim Min Cheol- the underdog who rose to the top. However, Jung Hae Min and Woo Jin Young became the 2 contenders for taking home the 300 million KRW as the winner. A game of ‘infinite rope pulling’ was designed where the two would face each other and pull a heavy rope wound against a giant spool endlessly until one of them saw the end of it. At last, according to the footage that was aired on Netflix, it was Woo Jin Young who grabbed the tail end and successfully shattered Jung Hae Min’s torso, pronouncing himself the winner.

Allegations of manipulating the finale

Last week, reports of the show being manipulated found themselves doing the rounds. The show’s creators, Netflix and the production team of MBC, were being accused of conducting multiple final rounds and convincing the players to a rematch because of technical issues, which led to Jung Hae Min losing the match and Woo Jin Young clinching the title. Netflix shared a response regarding the rumours saying, “We've confirmed with the production team at MBC that there were no technical issues with the game equipment. We'd also like to confirm Jung Hae Min did not request a rematch." Meanwhile, MBC spoke about the allegations of players being made to participate in 3 final rounds, "We have re-checked and can confirm that the news about the final game being done 3 times is untrue.” They planned to take legal action against any such claims about the show. 

Jung Hae Min clarifying his side

The runner-up of ‘Physical: 100’ was announced to be Jung Hae Min who has since spoken up about the accusations of manipulation being done on the show. The contestant said that in August 2022 when the final round was shot originally, as the rope pulling began there was a lot of difference between himself and winner Woo Jin Young’s performances with Jung Hae Min leading. However, close to the halfway mark Woo Jin Young raised his hand and asked for the game equipment to be examined claiming that his spool was making a lot of noise. As the production team refuted saying there was no issue with the spool and asked to continue playing, Woo Jin Young reportedly stood his ground which made the showrunners decrease the level by oiling the spool. While Jung Hae Min could see himself winning with only little left to pull, the production team asked to stop the game once again and said that the footage shot so far could not be used citing audio issues. At first, Jung Hae Min refused to stop seeing as he was about to win but was reportedly made to take a break. 

Jung Hae Min continued his side of the story saying that the producers asked for a rematch saying that if both contestants agree, they would shorten the rope and restart the game, filming it all over again. According to him, he tried to protest saying that he had already used up all of his strength and not opt for a rematch but seeing as everything had come to a standstill and calling hundreds of people for a shoot on the next day did not seem right to him, he agreed to a rematch. 

After a meal break where Jung Hae Min was reportedly congratulated by fellow participants who looked at the high possibility of his win due to the apparent shortness of his rope, he was told by the production team that the rope was cut as much as he had already pulled. Jung Hae Min is reported to have said that he did not know if the rope was cut at all. People online talked about a fault with his equipment but he did not know if that was the reason or if he had run out of strength, but when he tried to pull after that, the rope wouldn’t budge making him lose.

Jung Hae Min reportedly asked the show’s creators to include the footage of the reason why he was low on energy and they seemed ready to listen to him while convincing him for a rematch, but he was later told that the contestants cannot intervene with the editing part of the show. Ending his side of the story, Jung Hae Min said that he did not want the title or the money, nor did he wish for a rematch, however as an athlete, he found it difficult to accept the editing which did not display the reason for his loss. Furthermore, he has asked for no attacks against Won Jin Young or anyone involved.

Stay updated with the latest Hallyu news on: Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat

ALSO READ: Why is actor Shin Jae Ha looking for his passport after latest Crash Course in Romance broadcast?