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An overlong post about Physical Asia
Dec. 10th, 2025 09:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
caramarieI enjoyed the first two seasons of Physical 100 in a normal way, but Physical Asia I have somehow become obsessed with. Rather than pitting individual athletes (and non-athletes) against each other, Physical Asia features teams from different countries, and the team format was really fun.
Part of this, I will admit, was that I was less frustrated on behalf of the women. Can’t get picked last for a team if you’re in the team the whole way through! More frivolously, crossfitters are less annoying as part of a group. (Yes, I mean Amotti.)
I was somewhat conflicted in who to root for, because as a NZer, I do not want to root for Australia, but I DO want to root for Eddie Williams, a Samoan strongman who is originally from Auckland. He seems like such a sweetheart.
(It is bemusing to have Australia in a show called Physical Asia, but I guess they get included with Asia in a lot of sporting contexts? The comments I’ve seen implying they were mostly white people can fuck off though.)
Who you root for in any particular contest depends on a lot of things. Sometimes it’s Eddie … sometimes it’s the underdog … or if there’s a hot strong lady in the match-up, it’s her (Eunsil and Adiyasuren both get a shout out here). I was eventually most charmed by former baseballer Itoi, who has a very expressive face, as well as being good at basically everything. He and Nonoka had the best worried faces :D
I feel like Minjae won it for Korea in the end, but he would not have done so if people like Eunsil and Yunbin had not been coaching him along the way XD He’s still young …
A thing I enjoy about the show overall is that, despite the framing of it as a search for the ‘perfect physique’, what you get to see is a whole bunch of people with different physiques. Even if in the individual seasons the winner is going to be a tall buff man with excellent cardiovascular fitness that doesn’t mean that that person is the best for any task. My favourite round this season was the one where they have to divide their teams between a bunch of different tasks – so someone has to do hurdles, someone has to do the sandbag toss, etc – because it does show off the different strengths that people have.
It's also interesting where skill can play into things. Like in the pillar pull, which they have as a pair game, Minjae is a lot stronger than Eunsil, but Eunsil is the one who eg knows how to do hook grip and explains it to him. She was so impressive in that game! Or any of the tasks where a bigger stronger person is defeated because their opponent knows wrestling techniques and they don’t. That part can seem a little unfair, given the conceit, but actually not because it is always really satisfying.
I am wondering if I should have been into wrestling this whole time, because I enjoy all the grappling a lot. Possibly in a lascivious fashion. (Honestly, I feel some of the female contestants were having the same thoughts as me based on their reaction shots.)
On that note: the men in this show take off their tops a lot. ‘Was that really necessary?’ Eunsil says when Eloni takes his shirt off for the jumping contest, but she does not look away XD Sometimes the women take their tops off too, but their sports bras are pretty modest.
You can also admire a lot of thighs. Sidebar, but, I have often felt self-conscious about the size of my thighs and it does make me feel better to see the legs on some of these athletes :p Like obviously I am not an athlete or super strong or anything, but idk, when you feel like your body is inherently unsuited to fitness, it’s good to see how the female wrestlers are built!
Anyway I finished watching the show on the weekend and now I am uh getting parasocial I guess. Some links for posterity.
Part of this, I will admit, was that I was less frustrated on behalf of the women. Can’t get picked last for a team if you’re in the team the whole way through! More frivolously, crossfitters are less annoying as part of a group. (Yes, I mean Amotti.)
I was somewhat conflicted in who to root for, because as a NZer, I do not want to root for Australia, but I DO want to root for Eddie Williams, a Samoan strongman who is originally from Auckland. He seems like such a sweetheart.
Ep 9 spoiler
I did still enjoy when Japan knocked Australia out in the battle ropes game though :D(It is bemusing to have Australia in a show called Physical Asia, but I guess they get included with Asia in a lot of sporting contexts? The comments I’ve seen implying they were mostly white people can fuck off though.)
Who you root for in any particular contest depends on a lot of things. Sometimes it’s Eddie … sometimes it’s the underdog … or if there’s a hot strong lady in the match-up, it’s her (Eunsil and Adiyasuren both get a shout out here). I was eventually most charmed by former baseballer Itoi, who has a very expressive face, as well as being good at basically everything. He and Nonoka had the best worried faces :D
Ending spoilers
I would have liked Mongolia to win in the end … they made smart choices and I think they won a lot of people’s hearts, if not the series itself :D Adiyasuren and Enkh-Orgil were both so tough OMG.I feel like Minjae won it for Korea in the end, but he would not have done so if people like Eunsil and Yunbin had not been coaching him along the way XD He’s still young …
A thing I enjoy about the show overall is that, despite the framing of it as a search for the ‘perfect physique’, what you get to see is a whole bunch of people with different physiques. Even if in the individual seasons the winner is going to be a tall buff man with excellent cardiovascular fitness that doesn’t mean that that person is the best for any task. My favourite round this season was the one where they have to divide their teams between a bunch of different tasks – so someone has to do hurdles, someone has to do the sandbag toss, etc – because it does show off the different strengths that people have.
It's also interesting where skill can play into things. Like in the pillar pull, which they have as a pair game, Minjae is a lot stronger than Eunsil, but Eunsil is the one who eg knows how to do hook grip and explains it to him. She was so impressive in that game! Or any of the tasks where a bigger stronger person is defeated because their opponent knows wrestling techniques and they don’t. That part can seem a little unfair, given the conceit, but actually not because it is always really satisfying.
I am wondering if I should have been into wrestling this whole time, because I enjoy all the grappling a lot. Possibly in a lascivious fashion. (Honestly, I feel some of the female contestants were having the same thoughts as me based on their reaction shots.)
On that note: the men in this show take off their tops a lot. ‘Was that really necessary?’ Eunsil says when Eloni takes his shirt off for the jumping contest, but she does not look away XD Sometimes the women take their tops off too, but their sports bras are pretty modest.
You can also admire a lot of thighs. Sidebar, but, I have often felt self-conscious about the size of my thighs and it does make me feel better to see the legs on some of these athletes :p Like obviously I am not an athlete or super strong or anything, but idk, when you feel like your body is inherently unsuited to fitness, it’s good to see how the female wrestlers are built!
Anyway I finished watching the show on the weekend and now I am uh getting parasocial I guess. Some links for posterity.
