Following the airing of its final episode on February 25, the wildly popular South Korean reality competition Netflix series, Physical: 100, has faced allegations of a rigged finale. Reports note that viewers are now saying that the final quest was manipulated, meaning that Jung Hae Min should have won the ₩300 million KRW (approximately $245,000 USD) grand prize, rather than Woo Jin Young.
Viewers pointed out that in the game of pulling ropes, Woo Jin Yong’s spool of rope appeared to be easier to pull. Woo Jin Young has refused to comment on the issue when questioned by media outlets, while Netflix has released an official statement. “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.”
There are also allegations surfacing that the final quest was playing in three rounds due to technical issues. Claims note that Jung Hae Min was winning the first round, but Woo Jin Young stopped the competition stating an issue with his equipment. After production staff checked the equipment and found no issue, the competition was restarted after lubrication was added and the difficulty level was altered.
The second also saw Jung Hae Min win, but audio issues forced staff to request a rematch. Despite stating that he had no more strength left, production staff proceeded to convince and coerce the contestant to another round with a shortened rope length, ultimately losing in the third round.
An anonymous insider said, “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.” Though MBC, the network behind Physical: 100, has refuted the claims, “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.”
Aside from the allegations surfacing against the finale, several contestants on Physical: 100 are now embroiled in controversy. It has been reported that a former national team athlete who appeared on the show had been accused of assault and another national team athlete was prosecuted for threatening his ex-girlfriend. While former stunt woman Kim Da Young was accused of being a school bully, admitting to her wrongdoings and issuing a formal apology.
A press conference scheduled to be held in Seoul with producer Jang Ho Ki, the production team, and winner Woo Jin Yong was canceled due to the finale allegation and contestant controversy.
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