Netflix gets Physical in Italy as Korean fitness format expands to Europe

Contestants in Physical 100: Italy range from 22 to 60 years old

The upcoming European version of Netflix reality competition format Physical 100 will be an Italian remake.

Confirmation of Physical 100: Italy comes after C21 reported earlier this month that the global streamer was working on a European version of the Korean format, as well as a US remake.

In the show, 100 contestants face off in gruelling physical trials designed to push their bodies and mental toughness to the limit – until only one remains.

Netflix said the casting process for Physical 100: Italy was “extensive,” with over 1,000 people contacted, 187 Zoom auditions conducted amounting to 130 hours, and 137 in-person callbacks held.

Contestants range in age from 22 to 60. The selected contestants represent a wide array of disciplines, from triathlon to wrestling and American football to skeleton, including sports such as Hyrox and Calcio Storico Fiorentino.

The greenlights of Physical 100: Italy and Physical 100: USA come ahead of the launch of the third season of the original Physical: 100, which is expanding to allow entrants from across Asia.

The editorial curator of Physical 100: Italy is Roberta Briguglia, with Tommaso Marazza as project lead. The writing team includes Lorenzo Campagnari, Valerio Trapasso, Christian Monaco, Federica Riva, Antonio Moreno and Barbara Strambi.

Physical 100: USA, is being produced by A Smith & Co Productions, with Arthur Smith, David Friedman, Anthony Storm and Eli Baldrige serving as executive producers.

Physical: 100 became a sizeable hit for Netflix when it premiered in early 2023, with the show hitting the streamer’s top 10 chart in more than 80 countries. It was also the highest-placed unscripted series in Netflix’s What We Watched report for the first half of 2023, taking 15th position.

Earlier this month, Netflix confirmed that its Japanese survival competition series Final Draft, in which 25 former athletes compete in physical and psychological challenges, will premiere on August 12.