"Aus was never really into strategies": Physical: Asia viewers criticize Australia’s "poor tactics"

Team Australia’s exit from Physical: Asia on Netflix has triggered widespread criticism from viewers and online communities, who say that the country’s elimination was less about a lack of strength and more about a flawed game strategy.

Australia placed 4th overall—after Thailand (8th), Indonesia (7th), the Philippines (6th), and Turkey (5th) were eliminated in earlier rounds.

The show’s format pits eight countries against each other in physical, endurance, and strategic team challenges.

In their final appearance, Australia lost in the 1,200-kg Pillar Push Death Match and were eliminated from the show.

Online reactions were swift on the show’s subreddit. 

“They really made the same mistake Korea did for the hurdles game but Aus was never really into strategies just brute power,” a fan wrote.

"Team Australia clearly made a mistake with their strategy in the rope challenge. If they had just left Eddie, Alex, and Dome in place, they would’ve easily won the 100-lap challenge. Instead, they relied too much on their chances in the rope challenge and became complacent, assuming they would win," one viewer wrote.

"Team Australia was definitely a fresh air … But they don’t seem to be the clever/strategizing types and instead are just hyped up goofballs that wants to get stuff done," another one commented.

“AUSTRALIA was hamstrung by Robert Whitaker's poor tactics,” a viewer reacted.

“Yeah I think they got a little too cocky after winning most of the challenges up to that point. They thought they would dominate and that was a tactical error,” another one commented.

“It's a shame because they really did have the means to just dominate. But just a little bit of forethought could've saved them. If Rob had gone first instead of Eloni I think he could've made up that 60 count difference one his 2nd go,” a viewer wrote.

Physical: Asia and the elimination of Team Australia

On November 18, 2025, Physical: Asia aired the decisive episodes featuring the Quest 4 Death Match, where Team Australia competed against Teams Korea and Mongolia.

Australia selected Dom, Katelin, and Alexandra for that round because the other three team members had already participated in the preceding Battle Rope Relay round and were ineligible.

In that 1,200-kg Pillar Push challenge—100 laps of pushing the heavy pillar—the Australians finished last and were eliminated. Meanwhile, Korea and Mongolia advanced to Quest 5.

Critics identified two main strategic errors: first, Australia used all its strongest athletes in the Battle Rope Round, winning that round (1336 vs Japan’s 1194) but then performing poorly in the second rope round (961) and therefore faced the Death Match elimination round.

Second, the rule that barred the same three athletes from the rope round from competing again meant Australia could not deploy its strongest for the Pillar Push.

Because Australia had used its elite in the rope round, it was left with less optimal participants for the Death Match—a situation many fans pointed to as self-sabotage.

Further commentary highlighted that Australia’s approach lacked nuance for the show’s hybrid format of strength + strategy + endurance. 

From a format perspective, Physical: Asia emphasizes not just physical power but smart allocation of participants, energy conservation, and game-theory style decisions: who to send when, and how to manage risk zones like Death Matches.

While Australia had the physical tools—UFC champion Robert Whittaker as captain, strongmen like Eddie Williams and Eloni Vunakece—the strategic under-enablement became the defining story of their campaign.

In a statement to Physical: Asia cameras after elimination, Australia’s captain said: 

"My team gave everything they had, and I’m proud of them. And I know Australia will be as well."

The comment was courteous, but fans argued pride alone was not sufficient without a strategy suited to the competition’s structure.

Ultimately, Australia’s exit from Physical: Asia holds clear lessons: dominance in raw strength may win early rounds, but in a game built on layered challenges, rotating athletes, and planning for the final pairing rounds, strategy is king.

For a country with strong athletes but what appears to be weaker game-theory coordination, the result was elimination ahead of the finale, despite being widely viewed as one of the most physically formidable teams.

Stay tuned for more updates.