Editing can do wonders at warping time regarding the duration of certain events. During Netflix‘s Physical 100, the fourth quest used Greek mythology to inspire its challenges. Using the story of Atlas, four contestants had to withstand the weight of a boulder. But Physical 100 fans were blown away by how long the Atlas challenge truly lasted.
[WARNING: This article contains spoilers for Physical 100.]
‘Physical 100’ contestants had to hold the weight of the skies like Atlas’s story
The ominous voice stunned the contestants of the Korean unscripted competition series when revealing the fourth quest would be about ancient mythology. All five challenges took a creative spin on notable figures like Prometheus, Sisyphus, and Atlas.
For the Atlas challenge, Physical 100 took the Greek god’s punishment at face value. Per the story, Atlas helped lead a rebellion against Zeus. But he was unsuccessful and was punished for all eternity. He was forced to hold the weight of the sky on his shoulder with no end in sight. He was turned into stone by Perseus, likely using Medusa’s head.
Four contestants took on the challenge, with Physical 100’s Bo Mi-rae being the underdog. She went up against bodybuilder Kim Kang-min, the strongest man Jo Jin-hyeong, and Kim Sik. The contestants were blown away by the sheer size of the boulder they had to carry on their shoulders. While Physical 100 was edited only to show key moments of the Atlas challenge, the real-life duration of the event is jaw-dropping.
The Atlas challenge on ‘Physical 100’ was over an hour long
As Jin-hyeong, Kang-min, Kim Sik, and Bo Mi-rae see who has what it takes to win, the challenge was much longer than anyone expected. Kang-min and Bo Mi-rae were the first two contestants to be eliminated. While Physical 100 made the Atlas challenge seem like mere minutes, it lasted two hours.
One of the contestants asked Kang-min how heavy the boulder was. He replied that it possibly was 50kg, roughly 110 lbs. The boulder’s weight would crumble under anyone, but Kim Sik and Jin-hyeong were holding on strong. When the challenges were announced, all the contestants immediately thought of Jin-hyeong.
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Physical 100 soon revealed the time-lapse had reached the one-hour mark. “I got used to it at one point. When I heard it had been an hour, I was very surprised,” explained Jin-hyeong. Kim Sik even commented it was taking too long. The timer soon passed the one-and-a-half-hour mark. Unknown to fans by the time the Atlas challenge finished, Jin-hyeong revealed it lasted two hours.
The winner of the Atlas challenge in the ‘Physical 100’ was no surprise
The tension was palpable, with only Kim Sik and Jin-hyeong in the running. Jin-hyeong was crowned the Strongest Man and has proven his overall brute strength. But Kim Sik also has a worthwhile career as an athlete and has an impressive body size. But the overbearing weight of the boulder and its position on the shoulders soon started to take effect on the two contestants.
Kim Sik started to waver and ultimately dropped the boulder, leading Jin-hyeong to win. “I saw Kim Sik sway, and that’s when I knew I won. It can’t be described with words. The joy of winning was great, but the joy of having this great match with Sik for two hours was greater,” said Jin-hyeong.
Physical 100 fans were thoroughly impressed by how long the two contestants lasted in the Atlas challenge. Fans on Reddit commented, “I can’t even hold my arms up for 2 hours,” and “This atlas quest is INSANE. I was expecting 1% of what the actual time was.” Another fan was surprised when realizing how the timer was really working. “I thought the 36 was counted in seconds, when I realised how slow the time was ticking I spat out my drink,” said the fan.
There is no denying Physical 100’s Atlas challenge was one of the most brutal the contestants had to endure. The Sisyphus challenge with Physical 100’s Choo Sung-hoon and Olympian Yun Sung-bin was a close second.
