"Physical: 100" winner Woo Jin Yong responds to claims regarding the alleged manipulation at the final match.
The CrossFitter was up against professional cyclist Jung Hae Min. They competed against each other doing the infinite rope challenge.
The survival-reality show featured the last challenge that would determine who would win the cash prize of 300 million KRW (245,000 USD). For the final round, Jung Hae Min and Woo Jin Yong pulled a heavy rope that seemed to be never-ending. It required a lot of strength and stamina since the players have to continuously pull the rope from its coil.
Initially, Jung Hae Min was leading the race but ended up with Woo Jin Yong being declared the "Physical: 100" winner.
Amid the speculations of cheating and manipulating the game, the CrossFitter finally broke his silence and spoke out on what happened in the final round from his point of view.
Woo Jin Yong Responds to Jung Hae Min's Claim
Before Woo Jin Yong's reaction to the issue, showrunner-producer Jang Ho Gi shut down rumors regarding the alleged manipulation. However, his statements prompted Jung Hae Min to speak out on the game results from his perspective.
"I saw the main producer of 'Physical: 100' write on Instagram 'a lie can become well-known, but it cannot be the truth," he said, adding that Woo Jin Yong raised his hand to inform the production team regarding his equipment making a lot of noise.
With this, the professional cyclist said that the producers intervened and lubricated the wheel, and made it easier to pull the rope.
However, the show was interrupted not just once but twice after the production team said that they couldn't use the footage due to the audio issue.
"The producers said that they would cut the rope and will film again if I am okay with it. Woo Jin Yong agreed to it too," he said, as obtained by a media outlet.
Initially, he didn't like the idea and pointed out that he used too much strength to re-do the challenge but he was pressured to re-film it for a rematch.
He ended the interview by saying he didn't want to be number 1, the money nor a rematch but said that it is "hard to accept as an athlete" and made it look like he "lost in vain."
