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From contestants being accused of bullying to alleged cases of domestic abuse, the South Korean Netflix series 'Physical: 100' has had its fair share of scandals.
Still, it seems the show's producers aren't out of the woods yet.
(Major spoiler alert)
The finale aired on Feb. 25 had viewers on the edge of their seats.
Heart-aching moments included mountain rescuer and ice climber Kim Min-cheol losing a five-way tug-of-war by a fraction of a second, as well as strongman Jo Jin-hyeong getting bested at a "Squid Game"-inspired square flip match.
Photo via Netflix Physical: 100
The final showdown between Olympic cyclist Jung Hae-min and CrossFitter Woo Jin-yong involved each man having to pull a thick coil of rope till they reached its end.
Jin-yong emerged victorious amidst scepticism of his win's authenticity.
Viewers pointed out that the 36-year-old's spool of rope appeared easier to pull compared to his competitor's.
The Straits Times reported that that MBC's production team claimed there was no rematch during filming in August 2022.
Netflix also stepped in to defend the crew: "We have confirmed with the production team at MBC that there were no technical issues with either of the game equipment. We would also like to confirm that Jung Hae Min did not request a rematch."
The show's producer Jang Ho-gi also wrote in an Instagram post, "I will definitely protect the last year that we gave all our bodies. A lie can be famous but it can never be the truth. Thank you."
Ho-gi's words prompted Hae-min, who had initially decided to hold his peace, to speak out.
"I was going to accept everything. I even felt physically in pain when I heard about how the other cycling athletes were being criticised online because I had lost. However, due to the global attention that 'Physical: 100' received, even though I felt that things were a little unfair, I thought that if I had kept quiet, then the other participants would not be affected. But then, after I saw that the suspicions were being raised, I gained courage."
“I wanted to talk about what is the truth and what is a lie, from my point of view," he said in an interview with Ilyo Shinmun.
Regarding the rope challenge, Hae-min stated that what was edited to look like a single continuous game was actually three different rounds.
1st round
As the original round progressed, the other contestants watching the showdown said Hae-min was three times faster than Jin-yong.
Around the half-way mark, the CrossFit athlete raised his hand to alert the production team that his spool was too noisy.
The crew agreed to make the game easier by oiling and lubricating the contraptions.
When the match continued, Hae-min recalled that he was about to reach the end of his spool.
Just as he thought to himself, "This is the end," however, the team halted the game on the premise of switching locations.
"I kept pulling on the rope first to end the match. That was when the production team came over and yelled at me to stop the match."
He recounted being told that there was an issue with audio and that the previous footage could not be used.
2nd round
Producers told Hae-min, "As long as you’re okay with (a rematch), we will shorten your rope and start again.”
Although already metaphorically and literally at the end of his rope, the exhausted Hae-min felt pressured to concede to the rematch.
"The production team said it was okay to rest a little or do it the next day. They said they would do everything I asked for. But I couldn’t bear to ask to rematch the next day, and have a few hundred people come back for me. In the end, I said okay to the rematch."
The cyclist remembered thinking, "Am I not allowed to win this?"
Photo via Netflix Physical: 100
3rd round
Hae-min expressed scepticism regarding the fairness of the final round.
"They told me that they would cut the rope as much as I had been in the lead, but I don’t know if they did. The suspicions online claimed that the equipment was faulty. I don’t know if that was the case or if I had no strength left, but the rope wouldn’t budge. I lost."
An anonymous insider told Hypebeast: "Jung Hae Min is very discouraged by what happened on the show. I think Jung Hae-min is not associating with 'Physical: 100' at all after the show because of what happened on set."
MBC continued to defend itself against the allegations.
"We can confirm it's not true the final game was done three times. The production team is discussing taking legal action against these baseless rumors."
Hae-min has urged people not to attack Jin-yong online, who has yet to break his social media silence.
Top image via Netflix Physical: 100