Netflix's 'Physical 100: Italy': Meet the Olympic Champions and Celebrities Competing

Netflix's hit Physical: 100 franchise is heading to Italy, bringing together 100 competitors in a test of strength, endurance, agility and mental resilience. Physical 100: Italy, officially titled Physical Italia: Da 100 a 1, will have its premiere on September 11 and is the first country-specific adaptation of the South Korean reality competition.

The original series became a global hit after launching in 2023, bringing together contestants from vastly different sporting backgrounds and putting them through increasingly gruelling physical challenges until only one remained. Its success led to Physical: Asia, which expanded the concept into a battle between national teams across eight countries: South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Mongolia, Turkey, Indonesia, Australia and the Philippines. Netflix has since announced several international versions of the format, including for the US, Mexico and Sweden.

The 100 contestants on the show, both women and men, are known for their physical prowess and come from various sporting disciplines, including Olympians, MMA champions, bodybuilders and CrossFit athletes. Contestants face challenges like the Hanging Challenge and the Death Match Challenge, with the last person walking home with prize money of 300 million Korean won ($210,000). The first two seasons of Physical: 100 were both won by CrossFit athletes: Woo Jin-yong and Amotti.

For the Italian adaptation, the focus returns to individuals. Contestants range in age from 22 to 60, including Olympic champions, professional athletes, fitness specialists and celebrities. Unusual disciplines represented include skeleton racing, triathlon, wrestling, Hyrox, American football and calcio storico fiorentino. Filmed at Lingotto in Turin, here are seven famous faces to know in the cast:

• Federica Pellegrini: A 38-year-old swimmer who has represented Italy at five Olympic Games, becoming Olympic champion in the 200-metre freestyle at Beijing 2008 and winning 11 World Championship medals before retiring in 2021.
• Jury Chechi: A 56-year-old former artistic gymnast who won five consecutive world titles between 1993 and 1997 and gold on the rings at the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.
• Tania Cagnotto: A 41-year-old diver who competed at five Olympic Games, winning a silver medal at Rio 2016 in the synchronised three-metre springboard and bronze in the individual three-metre event.
• Mirco Bergamasco: A 43-year-old former rugby union player with an international career spanning more than a decade, having represented his country at three Rugby World Cups.
• Elisabetta Canalis: A 47-year-old television personality, actress and model who has trained in kickboxing for years and made her competitive debut in 2022.
• Alvise Rigo: A 33-year-old former rugby player who transitioned to entertainment, competing in Italy's version of Dancing with the Stars in 2021.
• Luis Sal: A 29-year-old YouTuber known for comedy videos, music and fitness-related content as a wild card among the decorated athletes.

Physical 100: Italy will be released on Netflix in four batches, starting with the first three episodes on September 11, followed by subsequent releases leading up to the final episode on October 2.