What is Physical 100? Everything to know about 'real-life Squid Game'

You would be forgiven for thinking that the newest South Korean sensation Physical: 100 is a spinoff of Squid Game. It is, in fact, totally unrelated to survival drama series (though, a reality spinoff of Squid Game called Squid Game: The Challenge is really in development). Physical: 100, which premiered on January 23 and had 9 episodes in its first season, shares both similarities with Squid Game, and yet is quite different from the original show.

Here's everything to know:

What is the concept behind Physical: 100?

If you remember, Squid Game revolved around a group of 456 financially struggling people who had been invited to participate in a mysterious survival game with a grand cash prize of 45.6 billion won (about $40 million). The participants soon found themselves trapped on an isolated island, where they were forced to play children's games with deadly consequences. Each game becomes progressively more dangerous and difficult, and those who lose are eliminated from the game in a brutal (and fatal) manner. Physical: 100 is both quite different and similar to Squid Game.

How are Physical: 100 and Squid Game similar (and not)?

Apart from the fact that they are both South Korean and have proved to be extremely popular, the challenges they pose for their contestants are quite similar. Physical: 100 is a non-fiction series and thus, thankfully, does not have people competing to gain lots of money by risking their life. It has competitions that make the losers fall to their "deaths". The deaths, of course, are not really death as they just fall on a padded floor.

Unlike Squid Game, the contestants in Physical: 100 are quite well-off and actually in top physical shape. And there are 100 of them, not 456 like Squid Game. They compete to get the top honour and yes, a cash reward. The reality show tests strength, balance, agility, endurance, strong willpower, and strategy of the contestants. Oh, and also teamwork as there are both team and individual challenges.

Physical: 100 boasts excellent production design as seen in the elaborately designed challenges.

The official synopsis ofPhysical: 100 reads, "One hundred contestants in top physical shape compete in a series of grueling challenges to claim the honor - and cash reward - as the last one standing."

Is Physical: 100's success just another evidence of the so-called Korean Wave?

Absolutely. For those who are unaware, the Korean Wave refers tothe global spread and popularity of South Korean culture, particularly in the fields of music, television dramas, and movies. The term "Korean Wave" was first used in the mid-1990s to describe the popularity of Korean pop culture in China and later in other Asian countries. But it has since expanded to other parts of the world, including Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. This continued withK-pop music and Korean dramas (or K-dramas), contributing billions of dollars to the country's GDP as well as the rise of Korean cinema on the international stage. It has also helped to promote South Korean tourism and boosted the country's soft power and global influence.

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