Physical: da 100 a 1

Wasn't too sure about this but once I started watching I couldn't let it go.

First thing that struck me was the politeness and general culture of the participants, unlike the overly dramatized, gladiatorial American productions with the ever edgy narrator that's capable of turning a kindergarten chess match into a third world war experience.

In this show there is little narration or sports-like commenting, instead the series focuses on the reactions of the fellow participants, which are generally supportive and encouraging in a true show of sportsmanship (a lot of them are actual athletes or former athletes).

While there is real grit and competition there is also a whole lot of sportsmanship, which is extremely refreshing to see.

It will probably appeal more to someone who had done some sort of a dedicated physical workout at least at one point in their lives though as you can appreciate the effort and strain involved in the challenges.

But this is decidedly not one of those American steroid-induced-super-aggressive cage fighting bloodbaths and I'm glad it isn't.

I hope Netflix continues with bringing these kinds of productions from all over the world as I very often find them refreshing, enriching and enjoyable.

This show has me on the edge of my seat rooting for the under dogs and/or women each event. The level of strength and agility some of the men have is awesome to watch. It's interesting how the voiceovers sort of match what you would expect the person to really sound like. My one gripe is that they should identify what the person does or is known for - more often. There were several scenes where only the Korean words were put on the screen so I had no idea which person I was watching because of my bad memory. Hopefully they will let us know who each person is better going forward the way they did in the first couple of episodes as the season goes on. I definitely would watch a season 2 of this.

Well what to say after only being able to see the first two episodes? Well firstly all the contestants are really interesting. Koreans are simply awesome and have a fantastic personality. Such a different variety of people from special forces, male and female models, you have your youtube stars, your body builders, gold medal athletes and the list goes on. Despite the majority of contestants being 99% Korean, there are a few from other countries but they speak fluent Korean. The first challenge was great to watch and showed it wasn't just about strength, you have to use your brain in this competition that's for sure. After witnessing the first 2 episodes it's going to really heat up and ego's are going to get bruised. Looking forward to the next episode!

This has a really different feel to other competitive physical reality series, mostly due to the utmost respect the contestants have for each other, regardless or their strength or ability.

Even when contestants had to make decisions on others perceived "weakness", you could tell that decision didn't come lightly nor did it always rely on stereotypes.

The challenges were an excellent mix of physicality and teamwork, and designed so well that the diverse range of contestants had a fighting chance.

I found myself being quite emotional at times, feeling for these people as they gave everything they had to succeed in the competition. The editing didn't overdo the emotional impact either, it was up the viewer to decide how they felt about it.

The only downside is the constant repetitive and highly distracting replays throughout the episodes, which served no purpose and slowed down the pace of the show.

A truly amazing series that redefines what reality competitions should be.

Most American reality shows have competitors chosen for their Instagram following, or people the producers know will be problematic so that conflict will arise. It is refreshing that a show like this focuses on real athletes, where the competitions are truly challenging and as the title says, physical. I also enjoy the dubbed in English voices, maybe not for the right reasons. I just think they are hilarious, and probably not accurate, but entertaining just the same. If you want a fun drinking game, drink every time someone says, "He's/She's so cool!" I have seen some reviews offering opinions on the kindness of the contestants, which I can't really comment on, since I don't speak Korean, but I think this may be a cultural trope. Who knows if they are friendly or not based on dubbed voices? Anyway, I am giving it an 8, simply because it has not concluded yet and I want to see how it finishes. A fun show.