Physically: Asia Review – Some of these powerful runners look like barrels wrapped in muscle and hair | television

IIf there’s one problem with Physical 100, the Korean game show that features top-tier athletes rolling boulders, pulling mine carts, and undoing giant ropes in an attempt to find the perfect physique, it’s probably the lack of swagger.

For some people, the delightful, surprising friendship between the contestants was part of the show’s appeal: a breath of sweat-tinged fresh air amid the faux honesty and harsh criticism of other reality shows. For others, who grew up on The Real Housewives and boxing, it wasn’t dramatic enough.

You should say that this is not a problem with Physical: Asia. This time, it’s a team competition featuring competitors from eight countries (including, for some reason, Australia) and from the start, things look a lot more dramatic.

In previous seasons, the stars of the show were the likes of UFC fighter Dong Hyun Kim and judo champion Yoshihiro “Sexiyama” Akiyama. This time, eight-weight boxing legend Manny Pacquiao is undoubtedly the marquee name – half the athletes look genuinely stunned to be in his presence – but it is Team Oz that makes the biggest impact. “We’re going to leave number one, that’s the only way this is going to end,” team captain Robert “The Reaper” Whittaker announces via voiceover, as his team screams, roars and makes its way onto the arena, sprinting to raise number five for all the other competitors. Moments later, the handstand competition begins, where all the CrossFitters and Parkour are easily bested by the lanky Cirque du Soleil performer, who, you fear, may be having his finest moment in the competition.

The two team leaders are asked to give a speech: Japan and Korea talk about the inspiration they draw from the people and spirit of their country, Mongolia (who gets the occasional hawk screech sound effect when she appears on screen) points out that they are descendants of Genghis Khan, and the Australians simply promise to run through anyone who gets in their way.

After about 10 minutes, things got much worse for the aerobatic. The first round is a battle to keep most of the team on one of the many sumo ring-sized podiums and things soon feel quite unfair. The heaviest man in the competition, 175kg contender Eddie Williams, weighs three times as much as some of the competition, and anyone who has never wrestled someone else seems to be at a disadvantage. “I hate contact sports,” one retired rower mutters, watching the various judo champions and sambo athletes strategize about how best to throw him off a high platform. You probably should have watched the first two seasons before signing the contract, my friend.

However, this kind of cross-cultural sporting exchange is a big part of the fun. “The hopping, restless Aussie boy, what’s his deal?” wonders the Turkish oil wrestler who – and I hope he takes this as a compliment – looks like a barrel wrapped in muscle and hair. “Oh, he’s a parkour guy,” said freestyle wrestler Yasmin Adar Yigit, shortly before she successfully fought off three big men at once. A young judo champion grabs an oversized wrestler and declares his technique a bit unprofessional, a baseball player puts up a surprising amount of resistance against an Australian rugby prop, and an Olympic gold medalist bobsleigh racer attempts to throw a swimmer down a hill.

The team element works very well and there are moments of strategic evasion that fit the reality TV format perfectly – it’s all nice and clean and set on compromise, isn’t it? Lark, miraculously, everyone comes out of the first challenge without suffering any injury. Next up: hauling sandbags across an enormous shipwreck.

This kind of somewhat repetitive fitness material is perfect for Netflix: the perfect thing to help you get in some sprints on the treadmill first thing in the morning (parts of this review and so on are written), but also great nonsense that’s only half-meaningful to watch at the end of a long day. Oddly enough, the challenges become more relatable when they are simpler: when everyone is moving around with 50-kilogram boxes, it seems almost easy, but when you watch sculpted physical specimens running between cones for half an hour (a classic from the first season), you feel how outclassed you are.

There are already US and Italian versions of the physical franchise in the works: hopefully a UK version featuring Tom Daley and Luke Littler isn’t far away. If you’re having trouble making up the numbers, hit me up on Netflix: I can’t do a backflip or a Jessica Ennis Hill sprint, but I will talk loudly to Eddie Hall until he throws me down the hill.