Physical: Asia Review – Ripper Show That Goes Cooked with the Replay Cuts

Why We Gave This a Go

Me and Jenna just finished binging this over, and honestly? It was a proper good time. We've been on a bit of a reality competition kick lately, and after hearing about Physical: Asia popping off on Netflix, we figured we'd give it a crack. Jenna's usually pretty selective about reality shows, she's not into the manufactured drama bullshit - but this one had us both hooked from episode one.

What got us in was the premise: eight countries, elite athletes, no nonsense. Just pure competition. We ended up watching it over a couple of nights, and even though we both had work the next day, we couldn't help ourselves from going "just one more episode" at midnight. That's always a good sign with a show.

All the teams

The Competition Format That's Actually Tops

Look, the Physical franchise knows what it's doing, yeah? Taking the proven formula from the first two seasons and turning it into an Olympic-style team comp was a smart move. You've got eight countries sending their best athletes - and I mean proper elite legends like Manny Pacquiao, Robert Whittaker, and returning champions like Amotti who absolutely cleaned up in Season 2.

Some really big names .

The challenges are genuinely brutal. We're talking 1,200kg pillar pushes, endurance tests that'll make your muscles hurt just from watching, and strategic team battles that require actual brains alongside brawn. None of that fake reality TV garbage, these are real tests of strength, stamina, and willpower, and if someone believes these are been set up I challenge them to give them a go and see how hard these challenges actually are.

What makes it work is the respect between competitors. There's no manufactured villain drama, no backstabbing, just pure athletic competition. Everyone's there to rep their country and push themselves to the absolute limit. That's refreshing as hell in the reality TV landscape where everything's usually cooked up for drama.

Team Mongolia Absolutely Stole the Show

Right, so let's talk about the real stars of this thing, Team Mongolia. These legends came in as underdogs and absolutely dominated throughout the comp. By the end, they made it all the way to the finals against Korea, and honestly? They deserved just as much respect as the winners.

Jenna and I were both rooting for Mongolia by the halfway mark. There was just something about how they carried themselves - confident but never cocky, strong but still humble. Every episode they'd pull off something that had us going "how the hell did they just do that?"

What made Mongolia so bloody good to watch was the diversity of their squad. You had Orkhonbayar Bayarsaikhan, their captain, who's a champion in bökh (traditional Mongolian wrestling), proper old-school strength that goes back to ancient warriors. Then there's Lkhagva-Ochir Erdene-Ochir, a Cirque du Soleil performer who's literally been designated a national treasure of Mongolia. Watching him on the hanging challenge was mental, bloke just hung there like gravity didn't apply to him. Jenna was absolutely gobsmacked watching that.

The team also had Adiyasuren Amarsaikhan, a heavyweight judoka who competed at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Dulguun Enkhbat who's a two-time FIBA 3x3 Asia Cup champion, plus Enkh-Orgil "The Tormenter" Baatarkhuu (MMA fighter) and Khandsuren Gantogtokh (national volleyball player). Every single one brought something different to the table.

But here's what really made them stand out, their teamwork was absolutely mint. While other teams had individual stars trying to carry, Mongolia operated like a proper unit. They communicated, they strategized, and they backed each other up through every challenge. When rivals underestimated them at the start, Mongolia just quietly went about proving everyone wrong.

The respect they showed to other competitors was top-notch too. No arrogance, no trash talk, just pure sportsmanship. After the finals, even the Mongolian President invited them for dinner on Mongolian Pride Day because of how much honor they brought to their country. That's how much their performance meant, they came second but were treated like champions back home.

Watching them compete in those final challenges against Korea was genuinely edge-of-your-seat stuff. The Wall Pushing Match, the Iron Ball Dragging, they gave Korea everything they could handle. It went to a tiebreaker in the end, and Korea just barely edged them out. But honestly? Mongolia won over everyone watching. We were both gutted when they came up short, but couldn't help but respect the effort.

Everyone Was Genuinely Likeable

This is something that really stands out about Physical: Asia, there wasn't a single team you wanted to fail. Every country brought athletes with incredible stories and genuine humility. Even when the competition got brutal, everyone maintained respect for each other.

Aussie , Aussie, Aussie .

Robert Whittaker leading Team Australia was class the whole way through. Manny Pacquiao (before he had to exit early) was gracious and supportive. Team Japan had proper determination even when facing elimination. The Korean team, while stacked with returning champions, never came across as cocky, they were just incredibly skilled.

Team Korea , with some familiar faces

What you didn't get was that manufactured reality TV villain arc. Nobody was there to play up drama for the cameras. These were all elite athletes who understood what it meant to compete at the highest level, and that mutual respect created a vibe that made you want to cheer for everyone. That's what kept both of us watching—we genuinely cared about how everyone did.

The Good Stuff

The diversity of athletes is mint. You've got CrossFit champions, MMA fighters, Olympic medallists, traditional wrestlers, circus performers, volleyball players. Each country brings different strengths to the table. Watching how different body types and training backgrounds tackle the same challenges adds proper layers to the competition.

Team dynamics are solid too. Seeing how groups strategize, who steps up when the chips are down, and how they back each other through brutal challenges gives you proper investment in the outcomes. The camaraderie feels genuine.

Production value is top-notch. The set is bloody massive (apparently five footy fields worth), the challenges look properly dangerous, and the whole celestial/royal motif they've got going ties into the "search for a new sovereign" theme without being too over the top.

Here's Where It Gets Dodgy Though

The editing. Oh mate, the editing.

If you've watched K-dramas, you know exactly what I'm on about. They've got this habit of showing the same three-second moment from like five different angles, then replaying it, then cutting to reactions, then showing it AGAIN. We get it the first time! Someone made a sick lift or a dramatic move, you don't need to bash us over the head with it.

This was the one thing that had both Jenna and I groaning at the screen. We'd see an intense moment, get hyped, and then have to sit through it three more times from different camera angles. After the fifth episode, we started calling it out before it happened: "Here comes the replay montage again."

It's the Korean variety show style bleeding into the competition format, and it genuinely slows down the pacing. What could be a tight, intense moment gets stretched into this drawn-out sequence that kills the momentum. Calm your farm, editors. We're not goldfish.

Absolutely Spewing About Australia

Proper gutted that Team Australia got knocked out in the death match before making the finals. They had Robert "The Reaper" Whittaker leading the charge and showed real strength throughout, but Mongolia edged them out in the Pillar Push challenge. Would've loved to see them go further and give Korea a proper crack at it, but that's sport for you.

Korea ended up taking the whole thing, which isn't surprising given they had Amotti (who won Physical: 100 Season 2), Kim Dong-hyun (UFC legend), and a stacked roster of returning champions plus fresh talent. Yun Sung-Bin especially was in absolute beast mode throughout, bloke's a machine.

What a beast!

Final Thoughts

Physical: Asia delivers what it promises, elite athletes from eight countries going head-to-head in genuinely impressive physical challenges. The competition is engaging, the athletes are likeable legends, and there's enough variety in challenges to keep you glued to the screen. The team format works a treat, adding strategy and cooperation to the raw physical tests.

Team Mongolia made this show worth watching on their own, their journey from underdogs to finalists, their incredible teamwork, and the respect they showed everyone made them the real MVPs. Even though Korea won, Mongolia walked away with something better: they proved their strength on a global stage and earned respect from everyone watching.

But bloody hell, if they could just ease up on the repetitive editing and dramatic replays, this would be a much tighter, more enjoyable watch. It's not enough to ruin the show completely, but it's definitely noticeable and occasionally frustrating enough to make you yell at the screen.

Solid 7/10. Worth the watch if you're into athletic comps or enjoyed the previous Physical: 100 seasons. Just be prepared to sit through the same moment replayed from multiple angles more times than necessary. Me and Jenna both reckon it's worth your time though, just maybe skip through some of those replay sequences if you're impatient like we were by episode 8.

Big ups to Korea for taking the win, and massive respect to Mongolia for absolutely dominating throughout!