“We always learn something” – Physical: Asia Team Philippines’ Ray Querubin reflects after their Totem Challenge loss to Korea and Australia

Ray Jefferson Querubin, a three-time Philippines’ Strongest Man titleholder, reflected on Team Philippines’ performance in the Totem Challenge of Netflix’s Physical: Asia, following their loss to Team Korea and Team Australia.

On his Instagram post on November 9, 2025, Querubin shared a video of moments from the challenge and wrote,

"In every game of life, we may lose some, but we always learn something! A proud moment with my teammate and team leader, @justin_coveney".

The athlete highlighted in his statement that even in defeat, lessons were gained.

Querubin’s remarks address the question in the title by acknowledging learning as the outcome of the competition, despite the team’s result.

Ray Querubin reflects on Team Philippines’ Totem Challenge defeat on Physical: Asia

Performance in the Shipwreck Transportation challenge

In an interview with ABS-CBN on November 8, 2025, Querubin addressed his performance during the Shipwreck Transportation Challenge, where Team Philippines narrowly avoided elimination.

Querubin, a former Philippine weightlifting team member, explained that his prior training focused on building strength, which led to fatigue during the challenge.

He said that he could not blame the team and that he was the biggest guy, and admitted that he gassed out early due to the demands of the challenge, highlighting "early" as the key point.

During the challenge, participants carried either 50 kg crates or 20 kg sacks from a shipwreck to the cargo hold of their base within 20 minutes.

Querubin managed to lift one 50 kg crate up a flight of stairs before receiving assistance from MMA fighter Mark "Mugen" Striegl for the second crate.

He described the difficulty of navigating the incline, water, and sand, saying, translated from Tagalog to English,

"The weight is only 50 kilograms. The weight is light. What makes it really hard is the obstacle. The uphill, the sand, and the water. Yes, the climb. It was very steep. That is not easy."

Querubin confirmed that he became winded during the task, stating that he was "tired" and had run out of breath.

Strategy and team coordination

Querubin acknowledged that strategy and communication affected the outcome. He noted that Team Mongolia used a two-person method to lift the crates, which proved effective. In the same interview, he said, translated from Tagalog to English,

"My mistake there is I could not adjust or communicate. We have to change our strategy because I saw on the other side that two people lift, which is effective. But in competition, it is different. You only want to finish it."

Querubin clarified that he was not ill or injured during the competition. He explained that he had checked his vitals before going to Korea and that the challenge was not what he had trained for.

Team Philippines transported 1,290 kg compared to Mongolia's 2,000 kg, placing last.

Boxing champion Manny Pacquiao, the team's captain, said the team was "out-sized" and stressed that no one should be blamed, noting they did their best despite the loss.

Totem Challenge and online response

Querubin participated in the Totem Challenge alongside Justin Coveney. In this Hercules hold challenge, he was the first eliminated. Addressing criticism online, Querubin said, translated from Tagalog to English,

"Yes, I accept that. I do not deny the comments, the online discussion. I feel bad as well. I was supposed to be there helping my team but I already reached my limit as early as possible."

He added, expressing how "sorry" he is to Philippine viewers for the outcome and noting that the team did everything they could.

Querubin also clarified that he did not apply to join the show. Netflix's research team contacted him in August–September 2024. 

Stay tuned for more updates.