Netflix took a massive gamble with Physical: 100 Season 2. After the first season became a global juggernaut, the pressure was on to prove the "perfect physique" wasn't just a one-hit wonder. They called it Underground. It was darker, grimier, and felt significantly more claustrophobic than the original set.
People expected the same thing. They were wrong.
The scale of the production changed everything. They moved the set to a massive scale that felt like a dystopian mine. 100 contestants walked into that room, and honestly, some of them looked terrified before the first whistle even blew. You had Olympians standing next to YouTubers and high-school wrestlers. It was chaotic.
The Reality of the Underground Theme
The set design wasn't just for show. Producer Jang Ho-gi clearly wanted to strip away the "gladiator" aesthetic of the first season and replace it with something more primal. In Physical: 100 Season 2, the stakes felt heavier because the environment was intentionally punishing.
Think about the treadmill challenge. In the first season, it was about hanging from bars. This time? Manual treadmills. These aren't the motorized ones you find at Planet Fitness. You have to move the belt yourself. It's grueling. It's a leg-destroyer.
The show invited back Hong Beom-seok. If you remember season one, he was the first-responder favorite who got knocked out early. Bringing him back was a masterstroke in storytelling. It showed that the producers were listening to the fans who felt he deserved a second shot. Watching him sprint on that manual treadmill while everyone else gasped for air was a highlight of the early episodes.
Why the Casting Shifted the Dynamic
The variety of athletes in Physical: 100 Season 2 was broader than before. We saw more professional MMA fighters, like the legendary Kim Dong-hyun (Stun Gun). Having a UFC veteran in the mix changed how the one-on-one deathmatches played out.
It wasn't just about raw strength.
It was about leverage. It was about who could breathe under pressure.
- Andre Jin: The rugby player who brought a level of field awareness that most bodybuilders lacked.
- Amotti: A CrossFitter who basically became the personification of "functional fitness."
- Justin Harvey: An actor, sure, but he had the stamina that put some pro athletes to shame.
The "CrossFit vs. Bodybuilding" debate has been raging for years. This season basically threw gasoline on that fire. When you see a guy with massive, 20-inch biceps struggling to move a heavy cart because his heart rate is at 190 BPM, you realize that "looking strong" and "being fit" are two very different things in the Underground.
The Maze Quest: A Strategic Nightmare
Quest 2 was the maze. This was where the show stopped being just a physical contest and turned into a game of chess. Teams had to haul heavy bags into designated zones. It sounds simple. It wasn't.
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The maze was designed to confuse. You saw teams with huge physical advantages lose because they couldn't communicate. It was messy. People were colliding. There was actual shouting. Unlike the polished edits of some American reality shows, this felt raw.
One of the biggest takeaways from the maze was the importance of leadership. In Physical: 100 Season 2, a team is only as good as the person shouting directions. We saw captains who were great athletes but terrible at delegating. They tried to do everything themselves and burned out in minutes.
Misconceptions About the Finalists
There’s a common misconception that the winner of Physical: 100 Season 2 just had the best luck. That’s nonsense. To get through the minecart challenge, the forest hauling, and the final sets of squats, you need a specific type of mental grit that most people simply don't possess.
Amotti’s journey was particularly insane. He was actually eliminated at one point. Let that sink in. The guy who eventually won the whole thing was technically out of the competition. He was brought back by Kim Dong-hyun during the "resurrection" round.
This sparked a lot of debate online. Was it fair? Some fans thought it cheapened the victory. But if you look at the performance Amotti put in after coming back, it’s hard to argue he didn't earn it. He didn't just win; he dominated.
The Squat Challenge and the Breaking Point
The finale came down to a squat challenge. But again, this is Netflix. They didn't just put weights on a bar. They used huge containers that were filled with coal or sand, increasing the weight incrementally.
Watching the final two—Amotti and Hong Beom-seok—was agonizing.
They were shaking. Their legs were literally giving out. You could see the exact moment when the central nervous system starts to shut down. This is the E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) of the show. It’s not just entertainment; it’s a physiological study in human limits.
Hong Beom-seok’s redemption arc almost reached the finish line. Coming in second is a massive achievement, especially considering he was out in the first round of the previous year. It proved that his training was legitimate and that his first-round exit was a fluke of the matchup.
Lessons from the Underground
What did we actually learn from Physical: 100 Season 2?
First, cardio is king. If you can’t recover between bouts of heavy lifting, you’re done. The "big guys" who didn't do their roadwork were the first to go when the quests moved into the later stages.
Second, versatility beats specialization. The athletes who thrived were the ones who could climb, run, lift, and push.
Third, mental resilience is a physical trait. In the final round, Amotti didn't win because his legs were bigger. He won because he refused to let his brain tell his legs to stop. It sounds like a cliché, but when you’re squatting 250kg after weeks of starvation and exhaustion, clichés are all you have left.
How to Apply the Physical: 100 Mindset
If you're looking to improve your own fitness based on what worked in the show, you have to stop training for aesthetics alone. The contestants who surprised everyone were the ones who focused on:
- Zone 2 Cardio: Building a massive aerobic base so your heart rate drops quickly after a sprint.
- Grip Strength: Almost every challenge, from the bars to the carts, required a death grip.
- Unconventional Lifting: Moving sandbags and pushing carts is different than a barbell bench press. It requires "odd object" stability.
- Agility: The maze proved that being able to change direction while carrying weight is a life-saving skill (or at least a game-winning one).
The show is over, but the debate over the "perfect physique" continues. Physical: 100 Season 2 didn't necessarily give us a definitive answer, but it definitely ruled out a lot of pretenders.
Keep your training varied. Don't skip the treadmill. And maybe, just maybe, work on your squat depth. You never know when you'll be trapped in a metaphorical (or literal) underground mine with 99 other people fighting for a massive pot of cash.
For anyone looking to dive deeper into the specific workout routines of the finalists, searching for Amotti’s CrossFit programming or Hong Beom-seok’s tactical athlete drills is the best place to start. Their training isn't just for show; it’s built for survival.
Next Steps for Fans and Athletes
Check out the official social media profiles of the top 10 contestants. Many of them, like Amotti and Andre Jin, have started posting "behind the scenes" training footage that wasn't aired. This gives a much clearer picture of the volume of work required to compete at this level. If you're serious about testing your own limits, look for local "hyrox" or "Spartan" style competitions that mimic the multi-modal stress seen in the Underground. These events provide a safe, structured way to experience the same physiological red-lining that made the show a global phenomenon.