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Fans watched some stars and Olympians compete on the Netflix show Physical 100. This also shocked lesser-known competitors. Kim Min-cheol revealed why he felt discouraged in the beginning of the season.

Kim Min-cheol started as number 1 on ‘Physical 100’

The first mission of the season had the contestants hold onto bars as long as they could just by using their arms. Fans watched former UDT instructor Kim Kyeong-baek and Olympic gymnast Yang Hak-seon holding out the longest. In the end, Kim beat the Olympian.

However, he wasn’t number one. Kim Min-cheol took the top spot and got the advantage to pick his opponent first. He picked someone in the upper tier, by everyone’s surprise, national team diver Kim Ji-wook.

The climber figured he was among the strongest people in his weight class. He guessed correctly because he moved forward in the competition.

Kim Min-cheol was discouraged by the ‘Physical 100’ cast

Mountain rescuer Kim Min-cheol for 'Physical 100.'
Mountain rescuer Kim Min-cheol for ‘Physical 100’ | via Netflix

The pre-mission outcome shocked many in the cast, but it made sense that the climber held himself up the longest. However, it did come at a cost.

“After hanging on for a long time, I noticed that my forearms had grown several times. It was so painful and difficult. It took him a month to get feeling back in his hands,” Kim told W Korea. The other contestants had no clue who he was, and that partially weighed on the mountain rescuer.

“At first, I was very discouraged,” he said. “From Olympic medalists to famous people you see on TV. Inwardly, ‘Let’s not be discouraged.’ He calmed himself down by saying, ‘Let’s think we’re in an ice climbing competition.’”

The goal of the show is to find the “perfect body,” but Kim realized there was another aspect to getting success on the show. “When I played the game myself, a really strong person is someone who stays calm in any situation,” he said. “He had a good experience and gained confidence. Next year, I think I can become number one in the world in ice climbing.”

The game certainly took willpower and strategy into consideration. Those who had a plan going into quests and were determined to win saw success.

Kim Kyeong-baek had the same injury from the pre-mission

This isn’t the first time a contestant said the first challenge had long-lasting effects on their body. Kyeong-baek posted a picture of himself during his one-on-one match on Instagram.

“I knew my arm would come back one day,” he captioned the post. “Didn’t know I would be paralyzed for 2 months. Since I couldn’t decide which to choose Headed to the point! Nippert! Happy to be friends of the same age. Never intended to lose. However, I lost. Nothing but a loser.”

Some fans wondered if this meant the former UDT instructor lost because of this injury. But it looks like some managed to move forward with the same loss. Time will tell if the show comes back and if this challenge is changed to avoid such injuries.