Tuesday, December 22, 2009

1N2D rules Sunday night

1N2D is the King of Sunday night. The variety show hosted by MC Kang Hodong with members Kim C, Lee Su Geun, Eun Ji Won, MC Mong, and Lee Seung Gi has held the #1 spot in ratings for Sunday nights in Korea for the past 16 consecutive weeks. That’s four months straight, it’s average viewer ratings for each week has been over 30%. With falling ratings, numerous legitimacy ’scandals,’ and news of the impending departure of MC Yoo Jae Suk and Park Si Yeon, 1N2D has been able to dominate its biggest competitor SBS’s Family Outing.

1N2D debuted in August 2007, its members travel to different areas of Korea showcasing the areas’ natural beauty and its specialties. Along the way, members compete for money, food, accommodations, etc. by often hilarious and ruthless competitions. Many say that 1N2D has been able to pull away from its competitors because of its willingness to change up its concept. 1N2D’s Best Friends, Viewer’s and Global specials were highly rated and well received by viewers helping to attract a bigger audience.

Viewers also tune in to the show to see the ‘brotherhood’ of the members. You can see the closeness of the members by watching the show. Although they play dirty to win food, money, or sleeping arrangements, they almost always end up sharing – at least the food. I personally think the PD (and even viewers) enjoy seeing the members suffering while trying to complete missions, although it is funny watching the cast trying to outwit the PD. The fact that they often show Seung Gi talking to the camera while taking a shower probably doesn’t hurt with the ratings. I know you all secretly wish the camera will slip, but this isn’t live TV- they’d edit it out.

In the last episode, the cast is in the freezing cold wilderness of Gangwon and the PD makes them compete for building supplies to make a shelter. After failing several games/challenges to win food, Ji Won takes one for the team by volunteering to take off a piece of clothing for every time the team doesn’t get an answer correct for the next game until they won or he was naked. They kept getting answers wrong until Ji Won was down to his drawers wearing a box with his long johns around his ankles to win the food. Unfortunately, they lost the food when they bet it all on the next game and failed.

The rest of the episode was kind of scary because they get caught up in a snowstorm and have to hike out of the mountains. That’s a little much for the sake of entertainment, luckily they all made it back safely. Well, I guess no one can accuse them of being ‘fake.’ I wonder if any of the members were Boy Scouts- those survival skills, or ones learned from military service for the older members, must really come in handy for this show (someone has got to tell them of the wonders of duct tape, you can use it for everything).

For the new year, the show will welcome back the newly-off-of-military-duty former member Kim Jong Min to the fold. That’s got to be a pretty good Christmas present for him- being welcomed back to the #1 variety show in Korea. Check out the latest episode here.

credit : hijinx @ SeoulBeats + as labeled

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