01x01 - Episode 1

[bunniefuu]

[dramatic music playing]

[Ancient God] There was a time
when heroes fought in the arenas.

Pursuing eternal glory.

These times are back.

FROM ONE HUNDRED TO ONE

The greatest challenge of all time
is about to begin.

[music intensifies]

One hundred athletes,
forged by hard work, training, and sweat,

will compete to prove
who among them is the greatest.

They will face
incredible physical challenges.

Challenges of brute strength…

[man 1] Again!

…agility…

[man 2] Faster, faster! Go, go!

…endurance.

[woman 1] Come on!

[Ancient God] They will battle each other
in no-holds-barred duels.

[man 3] Damn!

[Ancient God] They will have to draw upon
sheer cunning and strategy.

They will discover their physical limits…

[man 3] Go, Fede!

…and fight to overcome them.

[man 4] You can do it!

[dramatic music continues]

[Ancient God] Only the hero who is
the sole victor in all the challenges

can place their bust
on the winner's pedestal

and be crowned champion
of Physical 100: Italy.

[dramatic music continues]

PHYSICAL 100: ITALY

ROUND I

{\an8}THE 100 ATHLETES

["Overture to The Abduction
from the Seraglio" playing]

Amazing! It looks like
a Greek temple for athletes.

I'm Lorenzo Dalle Piagge,

I'm a former American
football national player,

and I'm here to win Physical.

Huh. Nice!

I thought I was smaller than that.

When I saw it, I thought,
"This guy is huge. Wait, that's me. Good."

Not too shabby.

Ah, another competitor.

-Hi! I'm Lorenzo.
-Nice to meet you. I'm Susy.

I'm a judoka.

I played American football.

Yeah, I figured you played.

-Seen your bust?
-Yeah. I'm just over there.

[lively electronic music playing]

This is really cool.

I'm Susy Scutto,
and I'm a judo world champion.

I know that I seem short,

but my coach used to call me
The Atomic Ant.

I know that I have the skill
and the ability to beat my opponents.

I bet I'm the smallest bust here.

Well, there's some impressive ones.

That guy is huge. Lookit.

Yeah. Oh my God.

[dramatic music playing]

Seems like they did this on purpose.

Putting the biggest one's right behind me.
Mine's not even half their size.

{\an8}-[Lorenzo] Hi.
-Hi. Hello.

So you're the first, huh?
Luca, good to meet you.

-Hi, Susy.
-Lorenzo. What's your sport?

It's Hyrox.

Hi, I'm Luis.

Or more formally, Luis Sal.

[Lorenzo] Come in, Luis Sal.

Hi. Lorenzo.

I'm guessing you're a swimmer.

-[Lorenzo] Synchronized swimming.
-I do judo.

Hyrox.

Huh, damn. Hyrox.
I don't do anything much, I just train.

I've scaled down my ambitions a bit.
Still, in my head, I always win.

Luis Sal!

When I first went into the bust room,

that's, well, when I started
to scale back my ambitions.

[dramatic music playing]

[Susy] How long have you been training?

Eight to ten years,
but on and off that whole stretch.

You think he trains?

-Noah.
-Lorenzo, pleasure.

-Suzy, hi.
-[Noah] Hi.

-[Luis] Luis.
-Good to meet you.

-What brings you here?
-Gym training.

I started my journey
to get here by running.

I'm a former obese person.

I ruined my knees
because I weighed 150 kilos

and running wore them down.

Now, I'm about 125-130 kilos,
but I'm solid muscle.

-There's your bust over there.
-[Noah] Here I am.

Wow. Look at his traps. Damn.

No, I won't touch your bust.

Actually, yes, I will. [chuckles] Sorry.

Yeah. Feels the same. Rock-hard.

[lively electronic music playing]

-Now, he's huge.
-So, I see.

Man, he's big. Damn, man.

[Luis] Bodybuilding?

Calisthenics and power lifting.

My gosh, he's big.
He's big and he's strong.

I also hold the world record
for weighted handstand push-ups.

[driving rock music playing]

{\an8}Yup. I'm Filippo Pici.

{\an8}I'm here to win because
I'm the best overall athlete in Italy.

What you see now is the result
of 20 years of hard training.

As part of my workout regime,
I played many sports that helped shape me.

Both in muscle volume and in performance.

I'm strong, I'm agile, flexible,
and have incredible coordination.

I can beat anyone. Bring it on.

{\an8}[music fades]

{\an8}This is awesome.

[dramatic music playing]

-Noah.
-Edoardo.

-Hi, Luis. Good to meet you
-Good to meet you.

-[Luis] So, what do you do?
-I surf.

-I was just about to guess that.
-It's that obvious?

Oh my God.

Hello!

-Oh my God.
-[Susy] Hi.

Her smile came in before she did.

So many busts!

[lively electronic music playing]

[Valentina] I move at an average speed
of 120 to 140 kilometers an hour.

{\an8}I have less than a half second
to figure out what the best trajectory is.

♪ Put me in the ring… ♪

I'm sure I can figure out
the best solutions

to the challenges
I'll face here in no time.

Skeleton is a winter sport,
like bob-sledding.

Except that you travel head first.

I participated in the Olympics in Beijing
in 2022 and also in Milan-Cortina.

But my greatest achievement,
in my opinion, is yet to come.

I'm a firefighter.

Congrats and thank you.

But I'm also an artistic gymnast.

Really? We'd better watch out.

[suspenseful music playing]

Hi.

[upbeat music playing]

-Hello.
-It's an honor.

Is that her?

-Is it her?
-Yes.

No one expected to see
such a great Italian sports legend here.

-It's nice to meet you.
-What's your name again?

-Frederica.
-Okay, right.

Oh my God.

It's one of those times
when I should pinch myself.

-[Luis] Nice to meet you. Luis.
-Nice to meet you too! A pleasure, Luis.

-Good to meet you.
-[Noah] Wonderful to meet you.

It's unbelievable to be in this.

And to compete with people
I used to see on television.

And now I'm here as an equal
to challenge them and to beat them.

Oh. Here it is. Yeah. That's me.

[Luca] Guess that's why they covered it.

{\an8}I'm Federica Pellegrini,

{\an8}Olympic champion and world record holder
of the 200-meter freestyle event.

{\an8}[upbeat music continues]

I'm here at Physical today

to see if I can actually be good
at a different sports challenge.

Look at him!

Damn! He's huge!

What are you supposed to do?

Do you play dead
if you have to fight someone like that?

[lively music playing]

Who invited, Triton?

Cool, huh?

Does he swim? I don't think so.

-Hello, Francesco.
-Erik, nice to meet you.

-Hi. Calisthenics?
-Yes.

-You look bigger in person, I gotta say.
-Excellent! I knew I liked you.

I'm Francesco Casolari,


I'm a former baseball
and bodybuilding champion.

I play baseball, I was in the Olympics.

Impressive.

I'm almost 61 years old
but still in very good shape.

I can still move! Faster than you, I bet.

[dramatic music playing]

[Federica] Holy cow!

{\an8}I'm Andrea Minguzzi,

{\an8}gold medalist at the Beijing Olympics
in Greco-Roman wrestling.

I think that the wrestling skills
that I bring to Physical

will prove to be useful.

Wrestling is a sport that
requires you to think and to think fast.

And right now,
what I'm thinking about is winning.

Please, there's the exit.

How many Olympics
since we last saw each other?

It's a kinda like
going back to the Olympic village,

but we're old now.

Some years have passed.

Oh my…

[Noah] I know this woman! My God!

You're all so hot!

I've never
seen such incredible bodies in my life.

[percussive music playing]

Not even at a… a beefcake fair!

I chose to cover myself,
but under this t-shirt, I'm a beast.

[dramatic music playing]

I don't believe it.

-My goodness, nice.
-Come on, let's say hello.

I'm Sabrina Giungi,

and I'm an Italian Judo champion.

And Emanuele is my baby.

[Emanuele] She took me to my first tatami
when I was 5 years old.

I'm here today to honor her
for everything that she's done for me.

-Hi.
-Your mom's here too?

Hi!

-[Susy] Hi, how are you?
-[Sabrina] 1I'm good, thanks.

[dramatic rock music playing]

{\an8}ACTOR

Look. Alvise.

-[Alvise] Hello. Good morning.
-Hi!

Hi, everyone. Hi.

How are all these men so big?

I'm Alvise Rigo,
I'm 32-year-old actor from Venice

but I sued to be an athlete.

Specifically a professional rugby player.

And sports has always been with me.

There are a so many handsome guys here.

Who knows,
maybe I'll find someone in these hotties.

[Manuel] I'm Manuel Di Bernardo,
I was voted Mr. Italy 2022-2023.

I'm the most handsome,
Italy already knows that.

Now Italy needs to find out
I'm also the strongest.

What? No more women?

[sultry jazz music playing]

Hi everyone, I'm Federica Murgia.

I'm a personal trainer.

Wow, how wonderful this is.
Amazing. A dream come true.

Hello.

Nice to meet you. Hello.

[Francesco] Hello.

There are so many tall,
strong, and muscular men here.

Wow, those muscles.

If I have to compete against them,
who knows what could happen.

I know I don't know.

Federica, I really wanted to meet you.

And we have the same name.

-Really?
-Yes! I'm Federica.

Well, it's nice to meet you.

-Are you in bodybuilding or fitness?
-I do fitness.

I don't compete in categories
that require too much muscle mass.

-I don't wanna lose any of my femininity.
-Of course, of course.

-Hello.
-[Luca] Hi.

[Francesco] Hi, Francesco.

Andrea, artistic gymnastics champion.

[dramatic music playing]

Hello, everyone. Hi.

[Andrea] So what's your field?

[Gabriele] I'm a metalworker.

But when I'm not on the job, I body build.


Wow! Welcome!

-[Andrea] Check out those tattoos!
-[Sofia] Awesome!

-[Luca] Crazy!
-The hairdresser went that way.

I have complete confidence in myself,
but have to get my head out of the clouds,

put my feet back on the ground

and understand that
I'm gonna have to work hard.

[blues music playing]

♪Ooh, yeah… ♪

Hello.

-There she is.
-Who's that?

=Elisabetta Canalis.
-sh*t, really?

Elisabetta! Elisabetta!

-Hi, Elisabetta, nice to meet you.
-How are you?

Good, and you?

Hi, Veronica, nice to meet you.

Oh my God!

Okay, I already know
who will be kicking me out.

[chuckles]

-You're a Sardinian like me.
-[Elisabetta] Oh, really? From where?

I really wanted to meet her,
it was a dream come true.

You don't need any introduction with me.

-[Noah] I have no idea who she is.
-What? You don't know her?

[Noah] No, who is she?

-Am I this one? Maybe over here?
-You're getting warmer.

Is it you?

-[Elisabetta] Yup, it's me.
-[upbeat rap music playing]

Nice to meet you, Martina.

You're on the National team?

I play rugby, yes.

Hi, I'm Jessica, beach volleyball champ.

-Hi, Elisabetta, nice to meet you.
-Federica, Olympic rowing champion.

[Elisabetta] I look at them and I think,
"Why the hell am I here?"

Gianmarco. I'm Mr. Universe 2019.

For sure there won't be
any giveaways from me.

When I compete I give it 100%.

I want my daughter to be proud of her mom
when she watches the show on Netflix,

even if I don't win.

[dramatic music playing]

-Hello, everybody. Hi.
-[Alvise] Hello.

{\an8}I'm Luca Pescollderungg,
Spartan Race world champion.

I've seen you run. You're fast as hell.

I won the ultra-long distance
Spartan Race.

I'm an athlete who never thinks of losing.

I win.

And I'll push myself over the edge
to achieve that goal.

-How come you're barefoot? What do you do?
-I windsurf.

Oh, got it.

[Marco] I've won three
windsurfing world championships.

If the "youngsters" underestimate
"dinosaurs" like me,

they're making a big mistake,

because we'll fight them tooth and nail.

You watch. You'll see.

-[Luca P.] Hello.
-Wow, unbelievable. How are you?

-Hi. Nice to meet you, Andrea. Welcome.
-Gennaro. Pleasure.

I walk into the room

and suddenly my greatest dream
is now a reality.

To be a gladiator.
The gladiator of Naples.

[Noah] Noah. You're awesome.

Yeah, but if we face off in a challenge,
I'll rip you in half.

Now that's awesome.

-Watch out.
-We'll see!

I know you, how are you?

No one, except me,
has ever believed in my capabilities.

Not in sports or in life.

Winning here will be
a real eye-opener for everyone.

Uh-oh. Help.

I'm a butcher, but my sports
are boxing and power lifting.

-Hi. Hello, everyone.
-Hello. Hi, guys.

Look who's here.

Together my partner and I
can really hold our own.

He has a bit more stamina,
whereas I'm a bit stronger, physically.

I'm sure I could win more easily though.

-[Francesco] Look, here's another one.
-[Lorenzo] Good morning.

-Hi.
-Wow.

Hello, everyone. Hi, everyone.

-What do you do?
-Football.

-Awesome.
-And you?

-[Mauro] Hi. Mauro.
-I'm in movement and philosophy.

{\an8}-[Lorenzo] Movement and philosophy?
-Movement and philosophy are the same.

-[Banana] You are very handsome.
-Thank you so much.

-[Banana] Like insanely so. My God.
-Thank you.

[Banana] You look like you
walked right out of a romance novel.

[Luca P.] Hi.

[Elisabetta] No!

-Good morning. Nice to meet you.
-Hello. Hi, guys.

[chuckles] Hi, I actually follow you.
Elisabetta. Hello.

I came with my boyfriend Raffaele.
We work and train together, of course.

Unfortunately, in this competition
he will not only my boyfriend but rival.

Is her really that good in the kitchen?

That's why we're so big and strong.

[Elisabetta] I envy you so much.

[sultry rock music playing]

No. I don't believe it.

I knew I would see you here.
I just knew it.

I'm Mirco Bergamasco,
a former national rugby player.

I played in three World Cups.

[dramatic dance music playing]

[Banana] I can't believe it! Incredible!

Hello, everyone.

All these guys look strong but…

{\an8}-We'll take them down in the fights.
-[Emanuele] Exactly.

[lively funk music playing]

[athletes applauding]

Man, there are so many of you! Damn!

The room and the people in it are huge.

I'm already feeling out the aura in here
and the energy… whoo!

This guy's nuts.

You ready to sweat? Well, you ready?

I got a bit scared by him.
I don't have that kind of energy.

Hey, I'm the one who swims here.

Kidding. Congratulations
on everything you've done.

The room was filled with busts!
One bigger than the next.

Not bad, huh?

Well-chiseled, as it should be.

[blows kiss]

-Anyway, hello to all of you!
-[Federica P.] Hi!

[Alvise] It's a room full of athletes
and you wonder, can I beat them?

You see their size, you see their weight,
and you get a sense of how it might go.

Then you realize
that measurements are just that, numbers.

[dramatic electronic music playing]

-Is he a referee? What do you do?
-Rugby.

Seriously? If you're looking for the exit,
it's over there.

My name is Sebastian,
I'm 34 years old and I'm from Florence.

I play professional rugby in Germany,
also Florentine historical football.

The marks on my face

are the scars left from my last match
against Bianchi Santo Spirito.

I was born in the United States,
in California.

My father is English
and my mother is German.

I grew up in Tuscany, in Florence,
because my father is a winemaker

and, well, what better place in the world
to make wine than Italy?

I graduated in Sports Business Management

and for four years
I've been a high school teacher.

[lively rock music playing]

Florentine historical football
is a historical re-enactment of the game

and a competition between
the four districts of Florence,

where the object
is to score as many goals as possible

and to dominate your opponent
on the field.

This combination of fighting,
aggression and strength

has given me great confidence

in my ability to be a competitor
who excels above my opponents.

{\an8}[athletes cheering and applauding]

-Guys… Guys, can I just say something?
-Hello.

-He's so strong.
-[dramatic electronic music continues]

Every field in sports
is represented here, it's incredible.

All the various facets, personalities,
challenges and motives of sports.

The intentions of it,

the way that everyone presents themselves,
everyone in their own truly unique way.

They're a group of very unique people,
just like in the world.

We're all different.

-This is nice!
-What is this place?

With regard to my sister, uh,
should we have to challenge each other,

I won't go easy on her.

Just as she will
definitely not go easy on me.

-Giulio.
-Nice to meet you, Valentina!

-What do you do?
-I do MMA, what do you do?

-I'm gonna take you down.
-I'll take you down.

{\an8}[dramatic electronic music continues]

{\an8}-Hi, everyone!
-[music fades]

-[Marco] What's your field?
-[Beatrice] Bodybuilding.

[athletes applauding]

[driving rock music playing]

Hello, guys!

Hi, hi.

I'm Gaggi Yatarov.

I'm 30 years old and of Russian descent,
but I've been in Italy for 21 years now.

I'm the Italian calisthenics champion
and the Italian arm wrestling runner-up.

{\an8}OLYMPIC DIVING CHAMPION

Hello!

Here, a new surprise
is always walking through the door.

[Emanuele[ Tania Cagnotto,
the queen of diving.

I'm Tania Cagnotto, world diving champion.

I've been in five Olympic Games

and I'm here today
to challenge myself yet again.

[driving rock music continues]

[dramatic electronic music playing]

{\an8}[Sebastian] What the hell?

[Marco] They're tanks.

I'm the only Italian
who's qualified for Mr. Olympia six times.

Six times in a row from 2020 to 2025

and today I'm here
to face a new challenge.

I'm bigger now, huh?

-[Giulio] Much bigger!
-I think they should make another one.

Don't be scared, everyone!
They're harmless!

[electronic dance music playing]

I'm Elisa Fuliano and I'm 28.
I'm the Italian CrossFit champion.

I started early in life
to show a discipline

and an athletic mindset for sports.

I discovered CrossFit by chance in Turin
and it was love at first sight.

In September of 2021,

I was unfortunately diagnosed
with rheumatoid arthritis,

which is an autoimmune disease
that affects the joints,

{\an8}and in my case it affected my hands
and my wrists and my feet.

The pain from this disease
was excruciating.

I could barely do anything
that I used to do.

The first thing that I was told
is I should forget about sports entirely.

[dramatic music playing]

Well-- And this is just the way that I am.

If you tell me that I can't do something,

I'll do everything and anything
to prove you wrong.

I started to work with a rheumatologist,
and the first thing I made clear was,

"Give me anything
that won't be problematic

or get me disqualified in competitions."

Fingers crossed,
everything is working out just great.

I wanna set an example

and to give hope
to everyone who has this disease

and who, because of it,
may not be able to do what they love.

The strongman hasn't come in yet.

Holy sh*t, Andrea Invernizzi
did the Guinness World Record with me.

-[Susy] Oh, him!
-He's huge.

[dramatic music playing]

A hundred and 60 kilos,
but it's not all muscle.

[Andrea] He's here.

-Let's go!
-[Pietro] And here's our friend!

-[Giampaolo] The Viking!
-[athletes cheering]

Hi, guys. Hi everyone.

We've been waiting for you
to walk through that door!

-Here I am.
-The Viking, yeah!

Luis. I hugged you
every time I saw you on TV.

Luis, it's great to meet you.
You hugged me on TV?

-You can do it now in person, if you want.
-Yeah, can I?

Can I join in? Wait! Oh, he's too big!

-Does it look like me?
-Your neck, maybe…

I don't have a neck anymore.
I'm just a boulder with a head on it.

I'm Andrea Invernizzi
and I'm the strongest man in Italy.

[lively rock music playing]

I'm 39 years old and I'm from Milan.

{\an8}I'm a mechanical engineer by day
and a strongman by night.

{\an8}And on weekends.

I hold three Guinness World Records.

And the heaviest thing that I've pulled
is a 27-ton combine harvester.

I'm here to both prove the Strongman event
is competition that deserves respect,

and just as importantly,
to leave this memory,

this accomplishment of their Dad,
for my children.

I wanna leave something
behind for them when I'm gone,

that is not just my DNA.

I wanna leave something
that I've taught them

or shown them that they can be proud of

and hopefully that they will
carry with them throughout their lives.

[alert sounds]

LAST ATHLETE

-[athletes applauding]
-[dramatic music playing]

[Alvise] There are 99 of us now.

All the athletes have arrived,

and now we more or less know
what each of us excels at.

Then…

He arrives.

[dramatic music continues]

Who's next?

Good God, I knew it!

Jury Chechi, uh, is like a God to me.

[Pietro] It's Jury Chechi, guys. Man…

Guys, I have goosebumps.

[Giovanni] He had goosebumps?
I still have goosebumps.

So much emotion in that room.

I appreciate that
I'm among the chosen 100 even more.

You are so beautiful, dear!

[dramatic music continues]

[crowd cheering]

[Olympic commentator]
Ladies and gentlemen, Jury Chechi.

Do you believe where the f*ck we ended up?

[Jury] Yup, it's me alright.

When I first saw my bust,

I thought it would be taller,
but it was just this small one.

Short and wide, like me.

So are you a contestant
like the rest of us?

-[Andrea I.] Yeah, apparently.
-[Jury] Just wondering.

-[Andrea I.] Nice to meet you.
-Look, you don't scare me.

You don't scare me at all, got it?
Not at all. Don't even think that.

No, no. I wouldn't
think that for a second.

We're friends, got that everyone? Buddies.

All of these CrossFit champions,
bodybuilding champions,

champion of champions, all of it!

I see now that the bar
has been set pretty damn high.

[ominous music playing]

[dramatic percussive music playing]

[music turns ominous]

[Ancient God] Welcome, athletes.

You are now at Physical 100: Italy.

-[lively rock music playing]
-[athletes whooping and cheering]

The voice of the game master
really gave me that thrill,

that racing heartbeat thrill.

That was an immediate cardiac arrest.

[Ancient God] You are
the 100 chosen participants

in an unprecedented competition
of strength and endurance

that will seek out
the perfect human specimen

regardless of sex, age, creed or origin.

[Sofia] We were all petrified.

It was like, "Okay, guys,
now we have to get serious."

[Ancient God] Each of you here today
is a trained warrior, forged by sacrifice,

and who is hungry once more for victory.

However, only one of you will become
the ultimate champion destined for glory.

Who among you will have the honor

of winning the first title
of Physical 100: Italy?

And who will take the prize
of 100,000 euros?

[suspenseful music playing]

Nice. 100,000 euros? Nice.

Winning a prize like that would be
incredibly and undeniably awesome.

[Ancient God] Who among you
will have the best physical body

coupled with a perfect physique?

This incredible competition
is about to begin.

Athletes, put on your uniforms.

I'm read. Now it begins.

-[rap music playing]
-♪ I was dying with a purpose ♪

♪ Reminding me how I am worth it ♪

♪ Know that I live for a service ♪

♪Still getting it myself on this mission ♪

♪ Elevating ♪

♪ Elevating ♪

♪ Elevating… ♪

One minute we were individuals,

the judoka, the fighter,
the runner, the CrossFitter,

and the next dressed in the same uniform,
we were all alike.

But still, the best will win.

♪ Elevating… ♪

[Federica P. Just like in swimming,

you remove your training suit
and you put on your racing suit.

I've always experienced it this way.
It's like an on switch for me.

-[dramatic music playing]
-[Ancient God] Athletes…

The time has come
to begin your first test.

[music turns suspenseful]

By the end of this first test,
20 of you will be immediately eliminated.

Really? Ouch.

I will definitely not be in those 20.

That is not the way I want to go out,
being in the first 20.

[Ancient God] You will now be divided
into two groups of 50 athletes per group.

Your bust in front of you will illuminate
and reveal the fate that awaits you.

[suspenseful music continues]

Let us now meet the first 50 challengers.

[music turns dramatic]

[Banana] My bust lit up. I'm in.

Better sooner than later, right?

[dramatic music continues]

When I saw my bust light up,
I felt, well, a bit exposed.

[Emanuele] All right,
we're going straight onto the b*ttlefield.

And there it is.
Me, of all people, one of the very first.

[Ancient God] The first 50 competitors
have now been chosen.

[suspenseful music playing]

Let the great first challenge begin.

[music turns dramatic]

Prepare yourself.

Something's going on here now.
Something big is about to happen.

I'm ready to go, gladiators don't warm up.

ACT II

THE FIRST CHALLENGE

[ominous music playing]

-[Giampaolo] Come on! Let's do this!
-[Francesco] Let's go!

I'm getting chills.

What is this thing, huh?

What the hell?

[lively electronic dance music playing]

I don't get what it is.

[Pellegrini] I'm a little worried.

I'm trying not to think about it
and to stay super focused.

[Riccardo] I feel
a lot of tension in the room.

[knuckles cracking]

[Giuseppe] Hoping that
it's not an endurance challenge.

[Luis] What if it's legs there
and head resting here,

and you have to stay in that position?

Cool, huh?

[Elisa] I wonder why there are
weight plates above the bars…

But I like a mystery.

-[simulated thunder rumbles]
-[ominous music playing]

[Ancient God] Athletes,

this first challenge will require
both absolute strength and endurance.

It will put every fiber
in your body to the test.

[Rosalba] I'm a fighter,
I don't lack endurance.

[Ancient God] Supporting yourself
with your hands on the bar

and your feet on the parallel beams,

you must stay stretched out and balanced
for as long as you possibly can.

[Raffaele] My skills
are totally different,

so I'm screwed
because this just isn't my thing.

[Francesco] I think this is a challenge
for the lightweights.

The calisthenics and the CrossFit athletes
will definitely do very well.

[Ancient God] Athletes, get into position.

[Alvise] I weigh almost 100 kilos.
This won't be easy.

Especially since rugby
hasn't been kind to my joints.

[Ancient God] You will be presented
with two choices.

Resist… or surrender to the fall.

[ominous music playing]

No!

No way, this is awesome!

[music turns dramatic]

This is something I've never seen before.
Where am I?

[Federica P.] Damn, for the first time
I'm about to hate the water.

I mean, stay away from me!

[Noah] Water and heights
are my greatest fears.

Now I have to overcome them

and prove to myself that
I can stand up to these challenges too.

{\an8}[woman] The 50 athletes will have to
position themselves on the suspended grid

{\an8}using only their hands
and feet for support.

{\an8}If an athlete touches the bar
with any other part of their body,

{\an8}they will be penalized
and they could be eliminated.

{\an8}Additionally, at regular intervals,
laser beams will switch on.

{\an8}A laser beam cannot
touch an athlete's body,

{\an8}or they will be penalized.

[Ancient God] The first ten competitors
who yield to the challenge,

will be permanently eliminated.

-[simulated thunder rumbles]
-[ominous music playing]

[Ithocor] I can't be sent home.

This is the first challenge,
I have to persevere.

[Ancient God] The remaining 40 athletes
will have but one goal,

to hold on for as long as possible.

By doing so,

they will gain a valuable advantage
in the next challenge.

It is now time to commence the challenge.
May fate be with you.

[ominous music continues]

[music turns suspenseful]

{\an8}[Emanuele] This is a mind challenge.

{\an8}And I've challenged my mind
every single day for all of my life.

So I know I can do this.

This requires full-body focus.

The more you keep
the various muscles engaged,

the more they will support each other.

[Edoardo] I'm figuring,

I only need to hold out
for about 20 minutes

because I know the heavier bodies
will fall before long.

[Noah] Don't give up, Noah, don't give up!
You've been through tougher than this.

[woman] This challenge has only just begun

and some of the athletes
are already in trouble.

My legs are shaking.

[Erik] Come on, come on, come on, come on!
Move your hands out more!

[Federica M.] I have to hold out
as long as I can,

until my hands give out
and my body surrenders.

[woman] Even though it is allowed
to make small, rest movements

and to momentarily detach hands
or feet positionings,

it is forbidden to rest
any other parts of the body on the beams.

[suspenseful music playing]

In each of the two rounds
there will be ten eliminations.

At the end of these rounds,

out of 100 athletes only 80 will continue.

f*ck!

[Andrea I.] This challenge is not suitable
for my type of sport or for my physique.

Seeing it, I knew that
this would be a difficult one for me.

My plan is to watch

and count the number of people
who fall into the water.

{\an8}[tense music playing]

[Giulia breathing heavily]

[Andrea M.] One down. Good.

{\an8}Well, I'm disappointed for sure,
but it was very hard. Very hard.

My goal was to pass,
at the very least, the first challenge,

but it went worse than I expected.

[Elisabetta] Water? Pool?
You won't get me that easily.

[lively rock music playing]

[Elisa] I try to figure out which position
is most comfortable for me.

I change my grip as I need to
so I can tire as many muscles as possible

and not rely on the same ones.

Head, head!

Ah, f*ck it.

[scoffs] Damn it, Noah!
I knew it, I knew it!

{\an8}What makes me sad--
What makes me sad and what makes me angry…

is I couldn't do any of the challenges
where I could put my skills into practice.

Especially my strength…

{\an8}and my power.

[dramatic suspenseful music playing]

[Sofia] I do not want to fail.
Hold on, Sofia, hold on.

[Mattia] I do not want the laser on me.
It's maximum concentration time.

[Jobel] Watch out, careful.

Lower your butt.
Good, good, stay like that.

[Erik] It's scary because
you always doubt yourself.

Maybe I'm resting too much

or maybe I raised my pelvis too high
and I'm not lined up anymore.

[Francesco] With the lasers on,
you can't raise your body too high.

I'm strong, but not trained for endurance.

[groans]

[somber music playing]

{\an8}I was the third one out.

{\an8}But for me, at 60 years of age,
it was as if I had won.

{\an8}But the important thing
is I didn't fall first.

[dramatic music playing]

[Jobel] Hold on, guys.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Andrea I.] I see Luis in front of me,
and he looks really stable.

I can also see Sofia,
poor thing, she's about to fall.

By that point,
I couldn't take anymore either.

[poignant music playing]

I will apologize to my family
and to my children,

but I just couldn't
hold myself up anymore.

I am very proud that I was here.

[poignant music continues]

It was incredible to meet so many athletes
from so many different sports.

I got words of encouragement
and respect from everyone.

{\an8}I hope to meet them all again soon.

I did kind of a swing down.

I fell onto my back,
and I know that I splashed water

on some of the guys
still doing the challenge.

It was definitely fun.

[whimsical jazz music playing]

-Damn, he splashed!
-He got me too.

Uh, when he fell, Andrea's 160-kilo body
got my platform wet.

My feet can't grip anymore.
I'm slipping, f*ck.

I start engaging my core,

which because of gripping with my feet
I did not have to do before,

suddenly now I was… [groans]

[Matteo] This is very hard.

I try to stabilize as much as I can but…

-[Luis] Okay.
-[music fades]

[Simone] I hear
very heavy thuds in the water,

so I know it's the bodybuilders
or the powerlifters who are going down.

[dramatic music playing]

My wrists hurt like hell. Holy sh*t!

Watch out for that laser, Simone.

-Have ten fallen yet or, no?
-[Federica M.] No.

{\an8}[Elisabetta] There's seven!

[Riccardo] The minutes, the seconds,
are getting longer and longer.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Elisabetta] Eight.

My body is struggling.

It's impossible to go on and on like this.

My goal at this stage

is simply to count the number of bodies
that fall in the water.

Number 9 is in the water.
Okay, I'll get past the first 10.

[suspenseful music continues]

[heartbeat thudding]

[water splashes]

[poignant music playing]

No, Elisabetta! No!

-[Elisabetta] The pain won out.
-[Raffaele] Well done, everybody.

[Luis] Way to go!

[Mattia] Easy, now.
Come on guys, wait it out!

{\an8}I did not wanna be eliminated
in the first round.

Doing great, guys!

[woman] The 40 remaining athletes cheer,
thinking that they are all now safe,

but that's not necessarily the case.

Watch your butt!

[suspenseful music playing]

[Elisabetta] I was the tenth to fall.

You can stay out of the water,

but not have the right positioning or form
and they'll still kick you out.

[woman] At the end of this challenge,

any athlete who has
committed an infraction will be penalized

and could face elimination.

Congratulations to Riccardo Croci,


[Riccardo] For resistance
and to stabilize,

I shift my weight to my pecs
which are my strongest muscles.

[woman] Everyone's goal
is to hold on for as long as possible

and earn the top spots
in the overall ranking.

To do this,
they each have their own strategy.

To my right, I can see Schinco
doing push-ups. The guy's crazy!

[lively rap music playing]

[Mattia] This is easy!

I still have a ton of energy.
I start to do push-ups, it's a cinch.

{\an8}[Federica P.] Damn,
you're not even out of breath!

{\an8}[Luis] Don't try to be heroes.

{\an8}I've done these games before!

The dancer in front of me…

Well, he's the most laid-back person here.

While for me, every second is a struggle.

[bossa nova music playing]

Hang in there!

I start to feel
for the position of a sun salutation.

I start to arch my back like I do in yoga
and it gives a bit of relief,

but my lower back starts to hurt.

[lilting music playing]

[Luis groaning]

Luis, how you doing?

Not bad, not bad!

Change up your groan! It's always--

At one point I said to myself,
you have to be in shape for the next one…

Enough. It was tough.

[tense music playing]

Honey, I can't take anymore!

You can do it!
It's a walk in the park from here!

{\an8}One positive thing
is I feel that my pecs got a real workout.

{\an8}So I don't have to train my chest tonight.

[lilting music playing]

-I can't take it!
-[Raffaele] You can do it!

Honey!

[Raffaele] Come on,
alternate arms. Hold on!

Ah, damn it!

Once I've changed all my hand holds,
what do I do?

Yeah, what do we do then?

-You start over again.
-[laughs] Got it, thanks!

[Emmanuele] She held on for a long time
and that's fine!

[lilting music continues]

{\an8}I thought of my Ironman training and races
and I held on for as long as I could.

{\an8}I'm happy. I'm good, thank you!

{\an8}YOUTUBER AND INFLUENCER

{\an8}I can't feel my pinkies!

[suspenseful music playing]

[Jobel] Come on, Jo, hold on!
Don't give up!

[Federica P.] Only a few of us left.
I need some strategy now.

I don't wanna be exhausted
by the end of this.

[lively rap music playing]

-[Alvise] Good!
-[Rosalba] Keep at it!

-[Claudio] Well done, Fede!
-Water was calling you, huh?

[Erik] Nice, Fede!

-[Federica P.] Want some?
-It'll cool me off, thanks!

[Federica P.] I'm super happy.

{\an8}When the first ten fell in I said,
"Okay, now I can relax!"

{\an8}But I didn't expect to almost end up
in the top 20, so I'm happy.

[dramatic music playing]

[Alvise] I know that I could give up now,
but I wanna be in the top 10.

[Rosalba] I refuse to give up.
That's not in my nature.

I won't stop until
I can literally feel my hands exploding.

See ya!

[Gennaro] Yes, guys!
Guys, we're in the top 10! Yes!

{\an8}[Raffaele] Good on us!

{\an8}[triumphant music playing]

{\an8}Nice one, guys!

[Alvise] I recognize
all the athletes around me.

{\an8}There's Emanuele Bruno,
a judoka, in front of me.

{\an8}Two great female warriors,
a CrossFit champion,

{\an8}and Rosalba Forciniti,
another great judoka.

{\an8}There's also Migliorini,

{\an8}one of the greater challengers
of this competition, in my opinion.

I'm already in the top 10, which is good.

Okay, guys, I'm gonna take number 10.

Sounds good.

I'm gonna do it.

I'll go after you if you go now.

[lively rock music playing]

Yes!

{\an8}Ten is a nice number.
The important thing is to bring it home.

{\an8}The river's long. Full steam ahead.

Alvise, I'm sorry.
See you at the next challenge.

Let's do it. Let's be nine and eight.

Not too bad, for a butcher.

{\an8}[Gennaro] I think this freezing water
is the most challenging thing here.

{\an8}This is just the beginning
of a long series.

{\an8}The gladiator of Naples won't give up.

Watch me!

♪ Bring the bass in, bring the bass in… ♪

[lively electronic dance music playing]

[Elisa] I see the water below
and it's calling me.

It looks so cool and refreshing.

I'm sweating a lot, it's very tempting.

♪ All right, I like what you got there
Let me show you what I got ♪

♪ Check it out… ♪

{\an8}It was tough but fun.

{\an8}I did it, yeah.

{\an8}How are you doing, bro?

[Raffaele] Bad, real bad.

How far you wanna go?

-Until the very end.
-The end?

It'll be easy.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Raffaele] You know, guys,
these girls… [breaths heavily]

…are teaching us a real lesson here.

[simulated thunder rumbles]

[Ancient God] Athletes…

-One hour has now passed.
-An hour?

No way.

[Ancient God] From this moment forward,

it will be absolutely forbidden
for you to take your hands off the bars.

[dramatic music playing]

Starting to think it's bad
to weigh 85 kilos.

{\an8}No one can take their hands
off the bars anymore,

{\an8}so the pressure now is even stronger.

{\an8}[dramatic music continues]

[alert sounding]

Ah, my hand got cut. Fine.

Bye-bye.

[pensive music playing]

I could maybe have held on
for another few minutes,

but I don't think
that I would've come first.

The girls are very strong.
Lighter than me but very strong.

{\an8}But still, I'm proud to be a bodybuilder
who makes focaccia and weighs 86 kilos.

{\an8}My hand is cut,

{\an8}I need a physiotherapist
and some bandages.

[ethereal music playing]

[Rosalba] There are only three of us left.

I want very much
to reach that ultimate number.

One.

[music turns dramatic]

[Elisa] Rosalba is right next to me,

I can see that she's very calm.

I may have to give up before she does.

[Mattia] My goal is
stay as long as possible

and prove that I am more than capable.

[water splashes]

[heartbeat thumping]

[Rosalba] No!

[poignant music playing]

Man…

{\an8}My wrists are hurting like hell.

{\an8}They hurt!

[suspenseful music playing]

[Elisa] Damn it.

I'm the only woman left now.

My body is shaking,

I have no more feeling
in my fingers or in my muscles.

I don't know how to shift my body weight
so that it doesn't hurt anymore.

It's impossible at this point.

[Mattia] Easy-peasy.

Doing push-ups relaxes me.

So push-ups, relaxed, back in position,
and then straight towards the goal.

When you wanna drop, we'll drop.
I'll wait for you.

[Elisa] I have to hold on,
focus only on myself.

I just have to concentrate
on giving this my absolute best.

[dramatic music playing]

[Mattia] If I'm not first,
I won't be happy.

[Elisa] Winning is all that matters.

My entire body hurts.

My abs…

My legs…

My wrists want to explode.

I've come this far, I can't give up now.

[clock ticking]

How are you doing?

I've had better days.
Come on, be a gentleman.

[Mattia] In challenges,
the strongest wins.

I'll save chivalry
for when we go out for dinner.

Not in the competition.

[tense music playing]

-[heartbeat thumping]
-[clock ticking]

Yeah. I did it.

I had to take my hand off

because the bar was all wet
and my hands were slipping.

[poignant music playing]

I'm not happy.

Because the end result of that
did not turn out well for me.

Elisa is a beast.

[upbeat music playing]

[Elisa] I'm the last one!

It was awesome.

I can't feel my body right now,
but it was incredible.

Honestly, I didn't expect this.
It's just, wow. It was beautiful.

[woman] This challenge is now over.

Ten athletes must leave the competition.

But they do not exactly match up

with the first ten competitors
that fell into the water.

It was discovered that
two serious infractions were committed

at the beginning of the challenge.

Sabrina Giungi rested her knee
on the beam.

And Valentina Vernia
was repeatedly touched by a laser beam,

which also revealed
her incorrect positioning.

Because of these infractions,
both athletes were eliminated.

[Banana] Losing because
I didn't know my butt was too high.

I'll lose sleep over this one for a while.

[dramatic music playing]

Look, I had fun. As his mom,
I hope my son goes on to the very end.

Seeing my mother get disqualified
really hurt because she didn't deserve it.

{\an8}It wasn't supposed to turn out like this,
so now I'll win for my mother.

[woman] Because of this turn of events,

the two athletes who fell
as nine and ten are reinstated.

Elisabetta Canalis and Federica Murgia.

I'm very happy,
because I didn't expect this.

I'm happy because the little
that I did thus far, I did well.

[music fades]

[dramatic ethereal music playing]

[athletes applauding]

[Paolo] Beautiful!

[Luis] It's gorgeous.

Spectacular!

[Edoardo] There's even a hot tub!

[Gennaro] Now this is a breakfast!

Suddenly I'm thinking, "Where am I?"

In a five-star hotel?

I come from a very humble village.

My house doesn't have big,
fancy rooms or furniture.

I came into that place
with those fine red glasses

and everything so nice and tidy,

And I said, "f*ck yes!"

[Federica M.] This is
really my dream space.

I walked in and immediately
had a glass of their slimming infusion.

[whimsical music playing]

Finally, we arrive at our locus amoenus,

our paradise.

And it has some excellent food too,
which I helped myself to.

I have this bad habit
of stealing food for later,

because as long as it's there…
I have to take it.

[upbeat music playing]

To Physical!

Great job, g*ng!

♪ Off we go… ♪

[Elisabetta] Damn!

[upbeat dance music playing]

I couldn't wait. I wanted the water
and to just relax and take a break.

You start with an inside kick first
and then you push,

and then I have to block the other one
because it's never just one blow.

And if you do stop, I may counterattack.

It's good to see such a young girl
who wants to share her knowledge.

[Valentina] Elisabetta is very good.

She moves well
and has phenomenal power in her kicks.

Great job!

I'll tell ya,
Elisabetta's hits hurt. [chuckles]

[Emanuele] Look at the stability!
Good job, good.

I would love to leave here
knowing how to do a muscle up.

[Alvise] Go, Luis!

It seems that everyone here
knows how to do one, except me.

[Valentina] Almost!

We'll see.

[lively electronic dance music playing]

[Mattia] I think the other athletes
underestimate a breakdancer's skill.

They don't see us as a threat.

And that could be
their downfall, for sure.

I thought he'd weigh more,
but I could've held him another half hour.

[Gennaro] Some were doing somersaults,
some were jumping up in the air.

Things that are nice to look at,
but then you have to wonder,

are these useful skills
in this competition?

[Alvise] Nice one!

You can have all the muscles,

but if you don't know how to use them,
the f*ck is the point?

This is a room to train,
not perform a circus act.

[dramatic music playing]

-[Luis] Come on, guys.
-[Mattias] Come on.

[Gabriele] What the hell's this?

[intense metal music playing]

Look at this.

[Jury] At first it looked like
something we could hang from.

Then I saw that the tubes
weren't meant for hanging.

So I guess we'll soon see.

Do we have to walk on the beams?
What do you think?

The beams look too wide to walk on.

You probably put your hands there
and your feet here.

What are the three names
you would choose immediately

if you were captain of a team?

-I would choose Elisa, that's for sure.
-Yeah, for sure.

[Federica P.] Absolutely.

Someone who can hold a plank
for an hour and a half,

I mean, she can do anything.

And she's strong as hell. Period.

Eli, your feet are free,
can you bring me something to drink?

How do you think the second group's doing?

-They have really strong athletes.
-Lots of strong ones.

Strong, yes,

but their disadvantage is weight.

Yes, if you weigh a lot,
it's tough as a challenge.

Guess we'll see how that goes.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Giampaolo] Don't know why,
but I don't like the water.

I don't have a good relationship
with cold water.

I see the water and I immediately think
this can be something really devastating.

I'm super nervous!

[simulated thunder rumbles]

[Ancient God] May fate be with you.

[suspenseful music continues]

[Jury] Something I never expected happens.
My feet slip.

All of a sudden I hear… splash!

[Ancient God] The top-ranked competitors
in the last challenge

will be able to choose their opponent.

I choose you.

Really? He's challenging a woman? Why?

[Elisa] I'll be facing, Elisabetta.

Are there any other Elisabettas here?

I'm f*cked.

[dramatic music playing]

I choose you. You wanted to challenge me,
so I'm gonna return the favor.

Come get me!

I'll take the biggest guy, Hulk.

-Pray I don't catch you.
-[Ivano] Oh God, he got him!

-sh*t!
-[Alvise] Go, Fede!

PHYSICAL 100: ITALY

[dramatic music playing]