Physical Asia Episode 11 Recap: Korea sets benchmark time as Castle Conquest pushes all teams to the limit

Episode 11 of Physical: Asia, titled “Impenetrable Fortress,” kicked off with Quest Five, Castle Conquest, which was an elimination round.

It required teams to transport a 2.2-tonne cart through a multi-stage battlefield before raising a massive wooden drawbridge to complete the mission.

The episode followed Korea, Mongolia, and Japan as they each took on the hour-long challenge under identical rules.

The slowest team was supposed to face elimination unless more than one team failed to complete the quest within an hour, in which case the ranking was determined by the time their cart’s front wheels crossed the finish line.

Physical: Asia — Korea, Mongolia, and Japan face Castle Conquest under one-hour pressure

Before the challenge began, the Master outlined the requirements:

“Since the bridge is too short, you must utilize the support beams scattered around the arena in order to transport your cart.”

He added that teams must open the castle gate using a battering ram, drag their cart past the finish line, and then fully raise the drawbridge to complete the quest.

The team with the slowest completion time was to be eliminated from Physical: Asia.

Team Korea attempted Castle Conquest first

Team Korea entered the arena with a strategy based on task division.

Captain Dong-hyun led from the front, assigning Seung-yeon to free-climb the castle wall and lower the bridge.

With rope climbing experience on her side, Seung-yeon noted that the ascent was manageable.

As she worked overhead, the rest of the team removed obstacles around the cart, and began dragging the 2.2-tonne load across the sand.

The uphill climb proved challenging because of the sandy terrain.

Even after emptying sandbags from the cart to reduce its weight, the team’s feet sank into the sand.

Korea then unloaded the 50-kilogram wooden crates, to which Min-jae admitted "the process was discouraging."

Five minutes into the challenge, Korea managed to push the cart up the hill, reloaded the items, and assembled the bridge using support beams.

Seung-yeon and Eun-sil transported the battering ram to the castle entrance, breaking through the gate after multiple attempts.

Once inside, Korea faced an alignment issue: the cart was angled incorrectly to enter the castle. With time running, they corrected the angle before pushing it forward.

The final stretch of sand stalled the cart. Dong-hyun cleared sand from beneath the wheels, allowing the team to move the cart over the finish line.

The last step was raising the 880-kg drawbridge. Korea realized they must pull from a distance to create enough leverage.

When they repositioned, the bridge finally lifted and locked into place.

Korea completed the entire Castle Conquest in 17 minutes and 53 seconds, establishing the benchmark for the remaining teams.

The group had acknowledged it as their most physically demanding quest so far on Physical: Asia.

Team Mongolia tackled the fortress second

Mongolia entered the arena trying to decipher the setup.

The whistle blew, Orgil immediately started unloading the cargo while others clear obstacles, and Ochir climbed the castle to drop the bridge.

After lowering the bridge, Mongolia moved the cargo uphill, reloaded the cart, and pushed it towards the castle.

They initially forgot to break the castle door, and took their time to retrieve the battering ram to crack it open.

Mongolia then faced similar wheel-sticking issues as Korea.

Using four people to free the wheels, they moved the cart across the finish line 35 seconds faster than Korea, but they still needed to complete the drawbridge lift to finish the quest.

The team struggled with the heavy 880-kg bridge until Orgil devised a technique: wrapping the rope around the battering ram and using combined body weight to generate force.

The method worked, and Mongolia successfully raised the bridge and completed Castle Conquest.

Team Japan attempted the quest last

Japan entered the arena with a methodical approach.

Nonoka climbed the wall to lower the bridge while Hashimoto and Watanabe cleared the obstacles.

The team moved cargo up the hill using two assembly lines.

After carrying the battering ram to the door, Japan failed to break it open initially.

They decided to push the cart up the hill first, but the cart stalled midway. After a struggle, they finally advanced to the castle.

Unable to break the door quickly with the ram, Japan attempted a new tactic: ramming the cart into the gate to force it open.

The door eventually cracked open, but the process took them significantly longer than Korea and Mongolia.

Japan then loaded the cart and pushed it towards the finish line, repeating the same wheel-stuck scenario all teams faced.

They completed the cart push and then moved to raise the drawbridge. As they began pulling the ropes, the camera cuts.

Physical: Asia - The Fifth Quest ended with a cliffhanger

All three teams gathered in a room lined with their torsos. The Master declared, 

“The fifth quest has ended and only two teams have survived.”

Korea had finished first, surprising the other teams with their sub-18-minute time. The Master continued:

“The team that will join Korea and advance to the final quest…”

The camera cut here, ending Episode 11 of Physical: Asia on a cliffhanger.

Stay tuned for more updates