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Premiered on October 28, Physical: Asia is the international offshoot of South Korea’s hit survival program Physical: 100. The spin-off features 48 contenders from eight nations, pitting them against each other in intense strength and strategy battles. The participating regions are South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Mongolia, Türkiye, Indonesia, Australia, and the Philippines.Team Australia fields six competitors: Eddie Williams, Eloni Vunakece, Dominic Di Tommaso, Alexandra Milne, Robert Whittaker, and Katelin Van Zyl. The roster joins the other national teams in head-to-head challenges that score individual output and national standing. Below is everything you need to know about this team. Robert John Whittaker in Physical: Asia Robert John Whittaker (Image via Instagram/@eddiejowilliams)Robert John Whittaker, widely called “The Reaper,” is an Australian mixed-combat athlete competing in the UFC’s middleweight class. Born in Auckland and raised in Sydney, he carries Māori, Samoan, and European roots. On 21 October, he held the No. 9 slot in the division’s official list.Team Australia's captain in Physical: Asia first stepped into professional MMA in 2009. Whittaker featured in the first season of The Ultimate Fighter: The Smashes and clinched the welterweight bracket there. The 34-year-old secured the interim middleweight strap at UFC 213. After Georges St-Pierre surrendered the middleweight crown in 2017, Whittaker moved up to full champion status. This marked the first time an Australian captured a UFC title.Instagram: robwhittakermmaEddie Williams in Physical: AsiaEddie Williams (Image via Instagram/@eddiejowilliams)Eddie Williams is a two-time Australia’s Strongest Man and a professional strongman. Before joining Physical: Asia, he won his first national title in Melbourne in 2017 at age 27. He retained that crown the following year, too. Williams has competed abroad, appearing in the Arnold Pro World Series and at Giants Live events. Off the lifting platform, he has performed as a wedding singer, taken acting gigs, and modeled for Australian plus-size label Johnny Bigg. The 35-year-old is also a full-time youth support worker for children with autism.Instagram: @eddiejowilliamsEloni Vunakece in Physical: AsiaEloni Vunakece (Image via Instagram/@eddiejowilliams)Eloni Vunakece is a former Fiji international prop who played in the NRL for the Sydney Roosters and in France for Toulouse Olympique. Born in Sydney to a Fijian father and an Australian mother, the 38-year-old came up through Holy Cross Rhinos and Leichhardt Wanderers before signing with the Balmain Ryde-Eastwood Tigers.Vunakece announced his retirement in September 2018 after a run of repeated concussions. After leaving the game, he worked for his local council as a garbage collector, pursued modelling and acting, and moved into TV obstacle competition, appearing on Australian Ninja Warrior (seasons 3, 4, and 5).As reported by Stuff, he has publicly pledged to donate his brain to concussion research via the Australian Sports Brain Bank. Vunakece later joined the cast of The Celebrity Apprentice Australia (season 6).Instagram: @elonivunakeceDominic Di Tommaso in Physical: AsiaDominic Di Tommaso (Image via Instagram/@eddiejowilliams)Dominic Di Tommaso, also known as Domtomato, is a Sydney-born Australian freerunner. He is a world-recognised name in parkour and freerunning. Tommaso competes regularly at Red Bull Art of Motion. He is a member of the elite Team Farang, alongside Jason Paul and Pasha Petkuns, too. Beginning freerunning in 2007, Tommaso turned that pursuit into a full-time career. Before freerunning, he trained in ballet and figure skating. Early on, the now 33-year-old also worked full-time as a garbage collector. Training with Crew 42, Tommaso first met Team Farang in 2011 and officially joined them in 2016. Instagram: @domtomatoKatelin Van Zyl in Physical: AsiaKatelin Van Zyl (Image via Instagram/@eddiejowilliams)Katelin Van Zyl is an Australian CrossFit athlete, gym co-owner, and mother. She is a former Hockeyroo who switched sports after a career-ending jaw injury. Her hockey career began in her teens with the Australian women’s national team. Those injuries prompted her to change her athletic focus.She discovered CrossFit in 2013 and moved from casual training to a professional path. Now, the 33-year-old is a partner in two CrossFit gyms. She competed in the CrossFit Open three times. On her third try, she placed 30th nationally. In 2019, she finished second in Australia’s CrossFit Open, behind two-time champion Tia-Clair Toomey. The same year, she also entered the Open six months after giving birth. Instagram: @katelin_vanzylAlexandra Milne in Physical: AsiaAlexandra Milne (Image via Instagram/@eddiejowilliams)Alexandra Milne is a fitness coach with Filipino and Australian heritage. She grew up in North Queensland, spent her childhood moving across different places, and now lives in Adelaide, South Australia. Milne was active from a young age.She played netball, danced, ran track, joined a competitive cheerleading team, and trained at the gym during school. At 17, she relocated to Melbourne for university. During that period, she faced personal health and fitness challenges. That struggle pushed her toward strength training. Today, she focuses on helping women build power and self-belief through weight-based training.Instagram: @alexandramilne_Watch Team Australia’s performance in Physical: Asia, available to stream on Netflix.
