- Jane Mackenzie
- BBC correspondent in Seoul
Wrestler Jang Eun-sil and her team tow a wooden ship as part of the 100 Physical challenges
“Try once more,” wrestler Jang Eun-sil shouts to her frustrated team members.
The team has to push a 1,500-kilogram wooden ship through the sand up a sloping pier, but the ship won’t move. Jang realizes that her team is theoretically the weakest.
Then the ship, to the sound of her stimulating cries, gradually begins to move. For the next eight minutes, her team painstakingly pushes her up the sidewalk to finish the job. The stunned contestants fall to the ground, sweat drenching their athletic bodies and muscular muscles.
It was my favorite scene from Netflix’s latest hit, “Physical 100”. The program involved 100 of South Korea’s finest athletes, from all backgrounds, to compete for the title of best bodybuilder. Competitors include Olympic athletes, fitness influencers, a firefighter and a prison guard. One of the unique things regarding the program is that men and women compete with each other.
The show is a real-life version of Squid Game – with one difference – and I apologize if I spoil the surprise – that none of the participants die. However, some competitors suffered broken ribs during the shoot.
The Physical 100 tops the Netflix charts, becoming the most-watched program in the non-English language category. It is also the first reality TV show ever to hold that rank, and is currently the third most popular Netflix show in the UK.
Given the dominance of K-pop songs and K-drama, this success might seem expected. But it really isn’t. Reality TV shows, or variety shows as they are called in Korea, have been very popular for decades, but they have never been so successful abroad.
Surprised by the show’s popularity, Netflix quickly gathered 50 of the contestants to meet fans on the riverside in Seoul earlier this month.
“I knew it would be popular, but not to this extent,” says Jo Jin-hyung, a 41-year-old car dealer who managed to become one of the five finalists by carrying a huge 50-kilogram stone on her shoulders for more than two hours. limit”.
“It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done in my life,” she admits. “I lost feeling in my body, and I saw my life like a videotape playing in front of my eyes. I felt like I mightn’t stop, I mightn’t lose.”
image copyright Getty Images
The Physical100 contestants met their fans last week in Seoul
It was the opportunity to compete once morest people like Jo that convinced wrestler Jang Eun-sil to take part. “Men’s competition with women is innovative,” says Jang.
On that day when the competitors met the fans, these stars entertained the audience with backflips, and they also took off their shirts more than once to show off their arm muscles. They certainly know their audience well.
“I watch the show because there are so many attractive people,” says Harry, 25. Her friend Da-hyun adds with a laugh, “Me too, that’s the main reason.” But attraction aside, the two friends are thrilled by the show’s international success.
“Everyone knows Korea now, and that’s great. It’s not just regarding K-pop anymore, the program shows another side of our country.”
The camaraderie among the contestants charmed viewers outside of Korea. At one point, the two contestants who made it to the final round encouraged each other to complete the daunting task of pulling a rope that seemed to have no end.
“I think our foreign fans found such moments beautiful… It’s Korean customs,” Jo says.
Entertainment programs have always been one of the shows that Korean viewers like to watch at home, as they make children, parents, and even grandparents gather around the TV screens. The networks compete fiercely to produce the most unique and entertaining programming, and they come up with new ideas all the time.
This unique genre includes game shows, talent contests, and reality TV shows that depict people’s daily lives. It’s a light-hearted type of programme, with occasional celebrities, and usually a cast of shrewd, opinionated guests. For example, during “My Little Old Boy,” some famous moms comment on their sons’ behaviors.
These programs are aimed exclusively at Korean audiences, and according to award-winning producer Heo Hang, they are usually “too much Korean” — there is a lot of talk, which makes it hard to translate and absorb.
Hugh invited me behind the scenes of his hit show “I Live Alone”, which has been running continuously for 10 years. The show depicts a celebrity who lives alone. The program then invites a panel of well-known personalities to the studio to watch the film. and comment on it.
BBC was invited behind the scenes of another popular Korean reality show, I Live Alone
In this episode, actor Lee Jang-woo spends his day cooking Vietnamese food, while a star panel, including K-pop group SHINee’s K-pop, watches on. Lee unexpectedly takes out the cake the committee saw him make – only to turn out to be stuffed with meat.
I can’t understand why, but this behavior was laughable. The program participants and staff might not control themselves.
Hugh says: “People love our show because they see that the details of the daily lives of celebrities are not very different from the details of their lives. We do not prepare a script or script for the program, everything is natural and improvised.”
In a country where a third of the homes are made up of single people, the program strikes a purely Korean nerve. “I think it’s easy for foreigners to feel that there is a similarity between their lives and ours,” Hugh adds.
Perhaps the program will not achieve success if it is translated, but the ideas can succeed, which will mean that Korean companies will be able to sell those ideas to reproduce them abroad. The Masked Singer, which has been very popular in the United States, is a South Korean export. Its producers have sold the rights to its production to 50 countries.
In the case of 100 Physical, Netflix decided to reverse the situation and invested in the Korean version.
Netflix knows it has an audience hungry to learn more regarding Korea and its customs, as series like “The Squid Game” and “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” have whetted their appetite. Last year, 60 percent of all Netflix subscribers watched a Korean show or series.
Also, on-demand viewing services have an advantage that TV channels cannot compete with. By filming complete programs and series before the start of their broadcast, they can translate or dub episodes in other languages and make them available to viewers in different countries at the same time, which leads to creating an atmosphere of excitement and excitement at the global level.
Yu Ki-hwan, director of improvised content at Netflix Korea, says that Korean reality TV shows are “already starting to form the next big wave of Korean content.”
The South Korean entertainment industry is also watching with excitement. Entertainment networks here once viewed on-demand platforms as competitors. But now she considers them potential partners.
Amazon Prime last week first bought a Korean reality TV show, “Jinny’s Kitchen,” which depicts a group of celebrities trying to open a Korean street food restaurant in Mexico.
image copyright Courtesy Jinny’s Kitchen
“Jenny’s Kitchen” is the first Korean reality TV show to be purchased by Amazon Prime
The show’s creator, Nah Young-suk, is one of South Korea’s most famous TV producers and works with production giant CJ ENM. Nah says he didn’t think the program would have viewers outside of Korea. His goal behind “Jenny’s Kitchen” was to provide the ultimate entertainment program for Korean viewers.
But 100Physial changed his mindset, and overnight he saw opportunities to be seized. It is believed that the secret to attracting foreign viewers is the use of famous personalities. “V” of the famous K-pop group BTS will also participate in “Jennie’s Kitchen”.
“Actually, now I want foreign viewers to like my show,” Nah adds jokingly. “If they don’t find it interesting, then I’ll consider changing the composition. Maybe I’ll have to make it a survival-of-the-fittest show.”
The Korean reality TV industry is striving for global success. In CJ ENM, there are currently 200 producers who trigger their thoughts every day in order to come up with new ideas. And if on-demand platforms buy into these ideas, that will mean more profits, which in turn will translate into bigger and better programmes. At least, that’s what the company promises.
“For the first time, we see that it’s possible,” Nah says. “Korean reality TV shows can be enjoyed by foreign audiences.”