Do you need a break from the intense yet compelling plots of K-dramas? How about watching some of the top variety and reality TV series in Korea?
With their humorous and engaging topics and well-known Korean celebrities, Korean reality and variety programs provide an enjoyable and hilarious diversion.
Experiences like navigating escape rooms and finding love on a remote island are offered by shows like Great Escape and Single’s Inferno, which are both humorous and exhilarating.Watching Korean reality and variety programs is enjoyable for those who need a break from the many captivating K-dramas available nowadays; there are over fifteen excellent ones. The television series is hugely popular in Korea, and viewers throughout the world can easily see why. Fun themes are included in reality and variety shows, along with well-known Korean actors, celebrities, and K-Pop idols. We’ve got you covered with these picks.
1. NEW JOURNEY TO THE WEST
South Korean travel-reality program New Journey to the West broadcasts on tvN. There have been eight seasons of this show since it debuted on September 4, 2015.
Kang Ho-dong, Lee Soo-geun, Eun Ji-won, Ahn Jae-hyun, Cho Kyu-hyun, Song Min-ho, and Pyo Ji-hoon are the cast members of New Journey to the West. Each season of the show, which took its cues from the well-known Chinese tale Journey to the West, had each member of the ensemble dressing up as a different character and setting out to find mysterious dragon balls. To get the dragon balls, they have to finish a task. The members’ wishes would come true if they were able to collect seven dragon balls. Because of its original concepts, engaging plot, wide range of characters, and entertaining costumes, this show has grown in popularity and attracted high viewership rates throughout time.
2. Knowing Bros
Since its debut in 2015, Knowing Bros has become another mainstay in the Korean reality television industry. The show is set in a classroom with a regular cast and switches to a chat show format when new characters show up. Students from a different school are guests, and the fixed cast members act as members of one school. The conversation show portion of the program ends in the first half, and the second half of the show focuses on more variety components, sending the entire group on missions and providing hurdles to overcome.
3. Single’s Inferno
One of the newest reality TV programs to come out of South Korea is Single’s Inferno, hosted by Kyuhyun, Hanhae, Lee Da-hee, and Hong Jin-young. The show blends themes of romance and survival television after a group of contestants is chosen and sent on an island. It is anticipated that the single participants in the series would discover love. Each episode follows the 12 participants as they gradually come to know one another and are eventually coupled up romantically, with commentary from the hosts.
4. Running Man
For good reason, Running Man has been one of the most exemplary programs of Korean variety and reality television. As a result of their participation in the program, some of the most well-known cast members, including Yoo Jae-suk, became some of the most recognizable faces in South Korea when the series debuted in 2010. The primary structure the show has used is assigning missions and tasks to the core characters, many of which entail some kind of competition. Actors, celebrities, and idols are invited to take part in the celebrations in every episode, adding to the fun and competitive atmosphere.
5. BTS In the SOOP
Boy band BTS is the star of the South Korean reality series BTS In the Soop, which was produced by Big Hit Entertainment and Big Hit Three Sixty. The band takes a vacation from their hectic lives in the city to spend a week together at a secluded forest location where they relax and partake in various hobbies. The eight-episode first season of JTBC debuted on August 19, 2020, on the South Korean pay television network and the online platform Weverse.
As they plan their own schedules ahead of time and spend time engaging in their interests, the members of BTS appreciate the beauty of the SOOP. The seven of them will be spending time together in one location, doing activities like painting and canoeing.