'Physical: 100' Unedited Finale Episode Revealed As Producers Deny Final Battle Was Rigged

Netflix's "Physical: 100" producers denied that the final battle was manipulated amid allegations that the results were fabricated in favor of winner Woo Jin Yong.

During a press conference at the MBC Golden House Hall in Sangam-dong, Seoul, Thursday, the survival game show's producers released the unedited footage of the final challenge between Woo and Jung Hae Min before the press, AllKpop reported.

The producers clarified that "the production team stopped [the finals] first because of noise" and that they also apologized several times that day, saying, "We apologize to the viewers, the cast members and the two contestants."

After the "Physical: 100" finale aired, viewers alleged that the showrunners manipulated the final results. Several South Korean media outlets also reported that the first runner-up, Jung, claimed that the last round was stopped by his rival due to equipment issues several times, despite the production team determining that nothing was wrong.

Days later, Jung released an official statement regarding the manipulation controversy and seemingly confirmed most of the allegations, saying that Woo and the production team did interrupt the battle because of the recurring equipment noise.

The producers finally addressed the controversy by releasing the original video, showing that the game went on for 10 minutes before the wheels began making a noise and sparked safety concerns. Both wheels of the contestants made an overwhelming noise, which made it harder to use the footage.

"We decided to continue with the round to prevent the flow of the game from being disrupted. But then we stopped the game because the continuous noise seemed very serious, and it was difficult to use the footage. The noise kept getting louder during the competition," producer Jang Ho Ki said, according to AllKpop.

He added, "If the pulley shaft was destroyed and the wheel became loose and rolled out, there was a great risk of injury. So we didn't just stop the game without reason or to affect the outcome."

Jang also admitted that the game was stopped for the second time after about 26 seconds, explaining that it was because of the knotting on the pulley on Woo's side. They showed another video with a close-up angle of the pulley on the wheel barrel.

"We explained the unexpected situation to both contestants, and we received agreement from both. We asked if they would like to do the competition again a few days later, but they wanted to continue on the same day," the producer added.

"The allegations that the production team manipulated the results unfairly to make a specific contestant a winner and to make the competition more dramatic is false," he continued.

"Physical: 100," which aired on Netflix earlier this year, became an instant hit on the streamer as one of the most-watched non-English-language shows across the globe. It featured several physically fit individuals competing for a KRW 300 million (approximately $245,000) grand prize.

Woo emerged as the winner in the final episode, which aired on Feb. 21 on the streaming platform.