On 'Physical 100,' even the losers still win big

• In Korean Netflix show "Physical 100," athletes compete to prove they have the "most perfect physique."
• While the show obviously crowned a winner, it highlighted many contestants along the way.

On "Physical 100," you couldn't predict the show's winner until its absolute final moments — and that's exactly what makes the South Korean physical competition series a must-watch.

The show, which premiered on Netflix on January 24, finally wrapped its nine-episode run on Tuesday. On it, 100 athletes compete to prove they have the "most perfect physique," with a slate of grueling athletic challenges whittling the pool down to one man. The winner receives 300 million won, about the equivalent of $231,072.

Thirty-seven-year-old crossfitter Woo Jin-yong's victory came as a surprise: despite his tenacity in the season finale, Woo wasn't a standout competitor and received little screen time in early episodes. His dark horse victory, however, is a testament to what makes "Physical 100" so damn good: rather than focusing on the endgame, the show revels in competition, framing losses as personal victories and elevating sportsmanship within the cohort above all else.

'Physical 100' doesn't focus on any single contestant

From the first moments of "Physical 100," it's clear that everyone on the show is some kind of powerhouse. But from the inception of the show's first elimination game, a fight for possession over a ball, it's clear that this is anyone's game regardless of discipline or thigh circumference.

"Physical 100" doesn't feature a host personality and keeps the focus solely on the competitors, and it discerningly highlights the most salient narrative at any given moment. There is, of course, an understandable focus on larger-than-life figures like skeleton gold medalist Yun "Iron Man" Sung-bin and MMA legend Choo Sung-hoon (also known as Yoshihiro Akiyama, or the nickname "Sexyama"). But even early favorites, like UDT reservist and YouTuber Agent H, aren't safe from the chopping block.

But as riveting as it is to see competitors blast through game after game, eliminated contestants cut some of the show's most impressive figures. MMA fighter Shin Dong-guk leaps at the chance to fight Choo, a respected senior in his field, even though it ultimately means getting eliminated from the competition. And when wrestler Jang Eun-sil's looked-down-upon team of women and stragglers are eliminated following the third challenge, they still prove other competitors wrong by completing at all. They finished only two minutes slower than the second-place team, who barely regarded them as a threat.

Jang herself says it best upon elimination: "Despite the unfavorable circumstances, not one of us gave up until the end. And I found that moving."

When the going gets tough in 'Physical 100,' the tough cheer each other on

"Physical 100" never establishes any villainous characters or devolves into petty drama, and that's due in large part to the caliber of its competitors and the tone of the show itself. There's mutual respect and recognition in almost every moment, even when competitors have just eliminated each other or are actively going head-to-head.

The season finale best epitomizes this, with bodybuilder Ma Sun-ho leading the eliminated contestants in cheering so loudly for finalists Woo and Jung Hae-min that they could hear it through the walls of the set. And during that final battle, an infinite rope pull, Woo and Jung push each other on as well, exchanging cheers of "파이팅!" ("Fighting!") as they continue their grueling task.

Ultimately, that spirit is what makes "Physical 100" so enthralling. Despite a contestant pool filled with living legends, muscular tanks, and spitfire athletes, it was always anyone's game. That's something that the contestants — and the show itself — seem to have understood from the get-go.

"I met people I looked up to since I was young, and as an athlete, I got to sweat, compete, have fun, and spend meaningful time in a competition with people that I was honored to be around," Woo said in a final confessional.

"And I even won 300 million won," he continued. "I had a really great time here."

All nine episodes of "Physical 100" are currently streaming on Netflix.