I waited a week to do this blog, so if you haven't seen the show, then that's on you.
Anyway, in the final quest, Amotti took the last two rounds of the pole-pushing challenge to become the second Physical 100 winner. I was rooting for Hong Beom Seok but after struggling in the first round, it was evident that the cross fitter had the better conditioning to outlast the returning contestant.
I never thought much of Hong Beom Seok during his first Physical 100 appearance. Still, after watching his awesomeness in the third season of The Iron Squad (where Kim Dong Hyun is a panelist,) I thought his physical and mental capabilities would be enough to send his stock to skyrocket.
With that said, it sucks that Beom Seok is the "Hong Jin Ho" of physical reality television shows. I don't know if there are variety shows in Korea with a similar format but he needs to shake off his runner-up tag.
Regarding the quests, I think Season 2 is better than Season 1. Yes, the games are meant for men rather than for women, but the discrepancy isn't as glaring compared to the first season. Sim Yu Ri had an epic match with Hunter Lee while Beom Seok almost got upset by K-pop idol Lee Jang Jun.
Also, there were a lot of stories that were featured. Kim Dong Hyun is the retired fighter with a mission, Hong Beom Seok is the returning contestant out for redemption, and there are countless retired Olympians, gym rats, and every man with a mission to promote their sport and lifestyle. With that said, there are still other stories like the cosplayer whose muscles aren't just for show, becoming the best woman in the series, taking out the underdog tag, and the age-old question of creating the best team available or staying loyal to your squad, apart from the usual David versus Goliath story.
Woo Jin Yong, the eventual Season 1 winner, was picked in the fourth round of the team draft and barely saw screen time in the first half of the series. Yes, crossfitters have an edge regarding the events but unlike Amotti, Woo wasn't as featured, as he was overshadowed by his team leader Choo "Sexyama" Sung Hoon.
I still think the group stages can still be tinkered with. There are still a lot of undeserving contestants who were able to sneak into the latter parts. With that said, I thought the Final Four was spot on. Amotti, Hong, and Andre Jin were featured prominently in the series with Justin Harvey standing out at times, but moreover in the final episodes. I thought his spot could have been for Kim "Thanos" Min Su, Lee Jae Yoon, and rower Kim Jee Hyuk, but in the transport game, Harvey stood out.
Season 3 will round up the best of Asia and hopefully, we can still see a couple of our favorites in action. It might be a stretch, but I want Hidilyn Diaz, Nonito Donaire, and Edward Folayang to represent the Philippines.