'I felt the pressure to do a rematch': Runner-up Jung Hae-min breaks silence on whether Physical: 100 finale was manipulated

While watching reality shows, sometimes we get so immersed that we forget that it's not all 'real'.

Today (Feb 28), Physical: 100 runner-up Jung Hae-min lifted the veil on what went on behind the scenes in the finale challenge in Netflix's popular game show.

This came after allegations that the finale between the cyclist and winner Woo Jin-yong had to be restarted twice: Once when Hae-min was winning and Jin-yong called the production staff to check an issue with his equipment, and another time when there was a technical problem with the audio recording.

"About five production staff members surrounded Jung Hae-min to coerce him to do a rematch," an insider had alleged after the finale was telecast.

Netflix commented about the rumours: "We've confirmed with the production team at MBC that there were no technical issues with the game equipment. We'd also like to confirm Jung Hae-min did not request a rematch."

MBC themselves said: "We've checked again, and we can confirm it's not true that the final game was played three times. The production team is discussing taking legal action against these baseless rumours."

In an interview with South Korean media Ilyo, Hae-min claimed that the allegations about the restarts are true, and that he was not the one to ask for a rematch.

"I think the time has come to reveal my position, as one of the finalists, on what is false and what is true," he said.

Hae-min added that he initially kept quiet about the situation but felt courageous when he "saw the suspicions explode" online.

He wanted to come forward with his side of the story after the producing director of Physical: 100 denied the allegations, writing on Instagram: "A lie can become famous, but it can never become the truth."

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Hae-min said: "When we started the game, there was a big difference [between Jin-yong and me]. The hyungs (older brothers) who were watching on the monitor said that the difference in speed was about three times."

The match had the pair pull a long length of rope each, and the contestant who made it to the end first would be crowned the winner. Initially it seemed that Hae-min was faring better.

"Halfway through, Woo Jin-yong raised his hand. The match was stopped and the production crew claimed a mechanical defect, saying, 'It makes too much noise' and the producers came out," Hae-min said.

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He said that the rope was slackened and lubricated, and the game was resumed.

"The moment finally came when the end was in sight. When the moment of 'now it's really over' came, the production team said they would stop the game," Hae-min said.

He claimed that the crew said the audio was unusable due to an error, and that they would cut the length of rope they were pulling and have a rematch if the players agreed to it, to which Jin-yong agreed while Hae-min was hesitant.

"The production team said, 'You can have more time off, or you can do it tomorrow. We'll listen to everything you want'. However, after arranging the hundreds of people [for filming], they couldn't bear to tell them to come back the next day. In the end, I said I would play again."

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Hae-min claimed that they had a meal break before they did the match for the third time, and during that time the crew were already congratulating him on his sure victory.

"At that time, even if I wanted to refuse, I felt the pressure to do a rematch," he said.

However, when he returned to the game, Hae-min alleged that the rope felt as tight as it was the first time before it was slackened, and he had no strength left to pull it.

Hae-min reiterated that he didn't want to be crowned the winner, get another rematch or the prize money, and that he hoped nobody would attack Jin-yong for winning.

Instead, he wanted the finale, including the game being restarted, to be shown in full.

He added: "What I said to the production team was, 'I hope that the reason I lost, and the situation at the time that led to me being inevitably exhausted, will be released like it played out.'

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"The crew, who had seemed willing to listen to anything before the rematch, suddenly changed their attitude and said, 'Participants cannot be involved in editing'.

"Suddenly I had the thought that I had chosen wrongly in agreeing to the rematch."

He added that he felt disheartened at criticism that he lost the rope pull because cyclists only exercise their lower bodies.

He added: "If the rematch was replayed in some way, and the situations in which I was mentally suffering and exhausted were broadcast, I thought that neither I nor the cyclist community would be criticised."

ALSO READ: Netizens bemoan Physical: 100 winner had little screen time: 'They can do the surprise ending without making him invisible'

drimac@asiaone.com