After nine episodes of blood, sweat, and tears (especially sooo much sweat), Physical: 100 season 2 has come to an end. The Netflix reality series began with 100 contestants, as Olympic athletes, fitness celebrities, pro bodybuilders, and everyday enthusiasts gathered to determine who was the strongest among them all. At the end of several intense individual and team challenges of brute force, only four finalists remained: Crossfitter Amotti, rugby player Andre Jin, season 1 alum Hong Beom-seok, and South African actor Justin Harvey.
The final battle for season 2's ₩300 million (or about $220,000) wasn't easy, as the finalists had to go through three tough rounds, including holding up their own torso busts for as long as possible and doing an "Infinite Squats" challenge with up to 250 pounds of added weight. Finally, Amotti ended the competition with the win, after beating Hong Beom-seok in a pole pushing challenge.
Amotti had plenty of fans cheering for him during his journey towards victory, garnering an impressive fan base even before he joined the series. Read on to learn more about the winner of Physical: 100 season 2.
He's a CrossFit YouTuber with over 160,000 subscribers.
Amotti (real name Kim Jae-hong) is a 31-year-old YouTuber who mainly posts CrossFit exercise videos and vlogs. He was previously a competitive CrossFitter who ranked 6th among the Republic of Korea, Men's Division, in 2020.
Following an injury, he seems to have retired from competing and turned his attention to his YouTube channel, which currently has 166,000 subscribers. His competitive streak is still going strong; in addition to Physical: 100, he also took part in the bodybuilding competition Show Me Your Body last year.
He returned to working out after ankle surgery.
Ahead of the final match in episode 9, Amotti shared his workout history with his fellow finalists. He says that he started doing CrossFit after he was discharged from his mandatory military service, and he adopted a goal to become a "famous CrossFit athlete." However, he had a health scare when he sustained a serious injury in a car accident.
"I broke my ankle, so I thought I wouldn't be able to work out anymore," he says in the episode. "I can't use my ankle like I used to, but I'm just thankful that I can still work out."
In an April 2 interview with TV Guide's Kat Moon, Amotti elaborated on the accident, recalling that he underwent a 10-hour-long surgery after a car crushed his ankle while he was commuting by scooter to the gym. "At that time, the doctor had told me that I may not be able to walk, let alone work out," he explained.
"I thought I might never walk again, let alone work out, do the thing that I love to do," he said of the injury. "A lot was going through my mind in terms of how am I going to live my life if that were the case going forward. At that time my mother had come to Seoul to look after me for about a month. Watching her take care of me and be there for me, I thought to myself, I cannot collapse here. I'm very proud of what I've done to overcome that time. And to myself back then, I'd like to say thank you for allowing me to be the person I am today."
In his ending speech after being announced as season 2's winner, Amotti spoke on his dedication and shared his respect for his fellow contestants.
"After I decided to participate in Physical: 100, my daily goal was to work hard in every moment and leave no regrets. My determination to work hard and not give up is what led me to achieve this great result. To the other 99 contestants who joined me on this journey, thank you very much."
He's friends with several other stars of Netflix reality TV shows.
Amotti is a social butterfly among the exercise community in Seoul, South Korea. His Instagram is filled with group pics with his workout buddies at the gym Sweat on Seoul—other celebs who frequent Sweat on Seoul include Physical: 100 season 1 contestants Caro (who owns the gym) and Yun Sung-bin, as well as actor Park Hae-jin and YouTuber Louie.
While speaking to TV Guide, Amotti revealed that season 1 semi-finalist and fan favorite Yun actually gave him advice ahead of season 2. "I did chat with Sung-bin about this and he told me that the shooting period is going to be quite long, so make sure to get rest whenever possible. And he also told me don't get hurt, look after yourself."
Since Physical: 100 season 2 was filmed last year, several of Amotti's fellow season 2 cast members have popped up on his social media, and he's also collaborated on YouTube videos with Hong Beom-seok, Kim Jee-hyuk, Kim Min-su, and Kang So-yeon. Another surprising friend he has among Netflix Korea's reality stars? Single's Inferno season 3's Lee Seok-ji.
Unfortunately, fans shouldn't wait for a possible Amotti appearance on the popular dating show. When asked whether he would ever consider joining Single's Inferno, the athlete told TV Guide, "Unfortunately, I'm not single. So Single's Inferno is not going to be something that I can take part in."
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