Binge-worthy: K-variety series Iron Girls is a celebration of tenacity and sisterhood

Iron Girls

Viu
★★★★★

Iron Girls follows the trials and triumphs of four award-winning South Korean actresses who signed up for the toughest roles of their lives – participants of the 2024 World Triathlon Cup Tongyeong.

Jin Seo-yeon, 41; Uie, 36; Park Ju-hyun, 30; and Seo In-ah, 28, are tasked to complete a 1.5km open water swim, a 40km bicycle race that involves a challenging hill climb, followed by a 10km run.

While the K-drama stars exercise and do sports regularly, they are new to intense workouts and are not prepared for the type of brutal training ahead of them. Moreover, they have only four months to get ready for the international race.

The unscripted variety series chronicles their regimen led by former UFC fighter Kim Dong-hyun (Physical: 100 Season 2 – Underground, 2024) and South Korean triathlete Heo Min-ho, who competed in the men’s triathlon at the 2012 Summer Olympics.

All 11 episodes are streaming on Viu. Here are some reasons to root for the iron-willed women.

1. “An insane project”

The actresses call the race exactly that, which is an apt description as none of them is capable of nailing any one course in the triathlon.

Jin (One The Woman, 2021) may be a fitness enthusiast who hits the gym and does yoga daily, but she has a phobia of swimming due to a childhood near-drowning incident. The swim event is the first segment, and if she cannot clear it, she will not move on to the subsequent races.

Former high-school swimmer Uie (Ghost Doctor, 2022) is equipped with the endurance for long-distance swimming and running. However, she has a huge fear of cycling.

Park (Perfect Family, 2024) loves cycling, but she is a novice at swimming and her fitness level is the poorest among them. Lastly, Seo (Business Proposal, 2022) – who plays futsal and skateboards in her free time – is the most sporty, but the natural-born athlete’s Achilles’ heel is running.

2. Blood, sweat and tears

The women are put through many excruciating sessions, including completing a vertical marathon that sees them climbing up the 123-storey Lotte World Tower, the sixth-tallest skyscraper in the world; swimming across the Han River, known for its strong currents; and cycling up the notoriously steep hill at Sammaksa.

Unlike other polished reality competition shows such as Physical 100 (2023 to 2024), Iron Girls keeps the actresses’ endeavours grounded, with no fancy editing or incredulous missions. The real drama comes from their struggles.

Quite often, they are on the brink of giving up. Uie falls off her bike numerous times, suffering terrible gashes on her knees, legs and elbows. Seo also sustains her fair share of injuries that require rehabilitation. Jin cannot seem to get over her phobia of being underwater, while Park struggles with stamina.

Yet, they persevere, and their tenacity, courage, resilience and mental strength are worth celebrating. You will find yourself cheering for them when they finally get to the finish line.

3. Girl power

The concept of Iron Girls is new in the South Korean variety show genre. It is also refreshing to see a series championing sisterhood.

Unlike the all-female reality survival series Siren: Survive The Island (2023) – in which contestants are either professional athletes, stuntwomen or in professions that require them to be extremely fit as they compete in various games – Iron Girls revels in the bond among the actresses and serves as a training diary, following their progress to becoming an athlete.

The four women with guts of steel go from being strangers to a tight-knit group. Their unwavering support for one another is a key motivating factor in overcoming their physical limitations and completing the gruelling quest.