Australia dominates Group A Challenge as Physical: Asia Episode 6 opens with a multi-event format

Australia took early control of Group A in Episode 6 of Physical: Asia, winning two of the four Team Representative Match events and opening a lead that left Korea and the Philippines scrambling to avoid elimination.

Episode 6, titled Insurmountable Wall, staged a four-event test of speed, grip, strength, and endurance (Pillar Vaulting, Stone Totem Endurance, Hanging Endurance, and Sack Toss).

Each event awarded three points for first, two for second, and one for third; the cumulative score after the four games determined which team would be eliminated from the competition.

Physical: Asia — Episode 6, the Team Representative Match

The third quest’s arena is cinematic: a massive tree, hanging fabric, and traditional rope set the stage as Master reveals the Team Representative Match format.

Pillar Vaulting, Stone Totem Endurance, Hanging Endurance, and Sack Toss were listed as the four games to be played among three teams at a time. 

The six remaining teams were divided into two groups, where group one, consisting of Australia, South Korea, and the Philippines, battled first. 

Teams assigned representatives such that every athlete competes in at least one event. 

The rules were straightforward: first place earns three points, second two, third one; ties are broken by placement in the Pillar Vaulting game.

Physical: Asia’s structure here forces teams to balance specialism and coverage across varied disciplines.

Game 1 — Pillar Vaulting

Australia established momentum immediately in Game 1.

The relay-style event required two runners to each complete ten laps by vaulting over a pillar.

Australia sent parkour specialist Dom and endurance runner Katelin; Korea countered with Yun Sung-bin and a teammate, and the Philippines fielded Robyn and Lara.

The race became an endurance duel. As Dom described his rhythm in the arena, he said he used a repeatable sequence,

“Kong, step, step, lazy, around, Kong, step, step, lazy, bell.”

Australia finished first and celebrated with a raucous chant of “Tomato! Tomato!” while Korea, led by Sung-bin, came in second after the Korean team acknowledged the misread of the event as a speed rather than an endurance contest.

Sung-bin summarized the miscalculation bluntly,

“By the end of that first round, it was obvious that we'd made a mistake. My legs were already feeling numb, and we were only halfway through.”

Game 2 — Stone Totem Endurance 

This game tested paired strength: two teammates must support four stone totems (each totem reportedly 135 kg) back-to-back; if any totem falls, that team is out of the event.

Australia again executed effectively, taking first place.

Korea’s pair of Min-jae and Eun-sil fought through position shifts and grip changes; Min-jae noted his struggle with the unfamiliar “hook grip” common to the event.

The Philippines’ pair (Justin and Ray) failed to maintain a stable hold and dropped early, handing Australia a critical three-point gain and leaving Korea and the Philippines to fight for recovery.

As Eun-sil later put it, reflecting on their second-place finish,

“Because of our height and weight differences, we came into this game unbalanced. But despite that obvious challenge, Min-jae was great.”

Game 3 — Hanging Endurance 

This game produced the episode’s single most dramatic, marathon moment.

Contestants from Australia (Alexandra), Korea (Choi Seung-yeon), and the Philippines (Mark Mugen) suspended themselves by rings and straps using two rings for hands and two for feet. The event stretched into hours.

At one point, the Master warned that contestants must release one hand after 30 minutes, and later all had to unlock their feet — a twist that amplified instability.

Choi Seung-yeon’s long stand became a focal point: after more than an hour and through a brutal late-stage foot-uncrossing, she collapsed and wept in the aftermath. 

“I just feel a tremendous amount of guilt,” she said in the confessional.

The Philippines’ Mark ultimately outlasted Alexandra and Seung-yeon, locking in a pivotal win that drew his team level on points with Korea.

Physical: Asia captured the raw endurance toll in close-up confessional lines,

“This game is absolute hell,” Alexandra said during the event.

Game 4 — Sack Toss

The episode closed with Sack Toss, where players pass an increasingly heavier 14-kg (and up) sack over a four-meter hurdle under a shrinking time limit.

Australia’s Eddie dominated early, throwing with apparent ease.

Philippines’ Justin Hernandez and Korea’s Amotti competed under mounting fatigue; the sack’s weight and the shortened windows put a premium on technique and pacing.

Eddie’s early successful tosses, which teammates described as “clockwork,” reinforced Australia’s advantage and left the other teams in do-or-die mode as the match approached its final rounds.

The episode ends with the Sack Toss still in progress and the elimination stakes unresolved at that moment.

Physical: Asia — Standings and stakes

After three events, Australia led the group standings and had secured survival for the time being.

Korea and the Philippines were tied after Mark’s win in Hanging Endurance — both teams sat at five points — and the Sack Toss would decide which team would be at risk of immediate elimination under Physical: Asia’s rules.

The episode’s format — multiple mini-events with cumulative scoring — rewards depth in a team roster as much as standout specialists, and Australia’s early dominance of the multi-event slate put pressure on its Group A rivals going into the Death Match window. 

Stay tuned for more updates.