Fans of Squid Game were looking forward to seeing the Netflix reality show Physical: 100 continue its run. Unfortunately, it looks the series which was just released on the streaming service in January is already facing trouble.
As noted via Yahoo! Finance, the series contains “100 athletes from different disciplines” as they “compete to win $300 million won (roughly $227,806 USD).” The participants come from numerous different backgrounds with many being “professional dancers, gymnasts, rugby players, stuntmen, cross fitters, bodybuilders, and more.”
Unfortunately, it looks like the series is starting to become involved with controversy. Here’s what Yahoo! Finance was able to report, via BBC and The Korea Times, regarding the allegations connected to the hit Netflix reality show:
“As of today, two Physical: 100 contestants have been accused of physical assault, according to the BBC. While the names of the contestants haven’t been revealed to the public, it’s been revealed that one contestant is under investigation by the Seoul Gangnam Police on charges of assault and battery of his girlfriend as of last Thursday, February 23, according to The Korea Times.”
It’s unknown how this might impact the show itself. Though Netflix did already cancel an upcoming press conference for Physical: 100. This announcement was shared with the following statement:
“Netflix and the production team are still grasping the situation after seeing news reports that one of the cast members of ‘Physical 100‘ is involved in a wrongful incident,” the streaming platform said in a release, Friday. “Before we discuss the global success of the show, among others, with the media through the press conference, we felt it is best for us to look into the details of the incident. So we decided to cancel the event.”
It appears that other accusations and charges have been made against two other contestants as well. As such, we’ll have to see what happens to Physical: 100 in the near future. The whole ordeal has been compared to the controversy surrounding Netflix’s Terrace House.
In 2020, Terrace House was suspended after contestant Hana Kimura took her own life. She allegedly chose to commit suicide after cyberbullying attacks were prominently made against her following the release of her season. As such, one can see how Netflix might view the situation with Physical: 100 in a similar light.