MBC announcer-turned Kim Dae-ho relied on trust rather than verification and personally sought out "must-visit" restaurants. From mukbang YouTuber Tzuyang, who has 7 years of experience and 12 million subscribers, to An Jae-hyun and Jonathan, who succeeded in bulking up, a new mukbang variety show was announced.
The press conference for the new variety show "Where it might go," co-produced by ENA, NXT and Comedy TV, was held at 11 a.m. on the 19th at the Standford Hotel Seoul grand ballroom in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Kim Dae-ho, An Jae-hyun, Tzuyang and Jonathan attended the press conference and asked for anticipation and interest in the program.
"Where it might go" differentiates itself from other mukbang programs that enjoy food along a planned route by being an impromptu restaurant relay in which a restaurant owner recommends their life-changing restaurant and the destination is decided. Instead of hot spots that hit social media or restaurants flooded with ads, it visits pure 100% owners' life restaurants, offering a different experience from before, from hidden gems known only to insiders to the comforting tastes of hometowns.
Among them, the fact that they go anywhere to visit life restaurants picked by owners from across the country regardless of distance will add to the excitement of the impromptu trip. Remarkably, in just six days of filming they recorded about 21 hours of travel time and about 1,500km of travel distance, creating an unprecedented record that raises expectations for the true scale of the restaurant epic they will create.
The eldest brother of "Where it might go," Kim Dae-ho, said, "It's not an ordinary restaurant; we visit restaurant owners' life restaurants and the places they recommended," and added, "We go immediately after receiving recommendations, independently of acquaintances or sponsorships, and do on-site scouting. Because the destination is decided by on-site movements, please watch for the fun of a long day of travel."
Kim Dae-ho said about verifying recommended restaurants, "We do our own verification. Honestly, we don't know in detail whether they truly aren't acquaintances, but we ask 'why do you think that's your life restaurant?' We mainly listen to reasons like why they go there often and the memories they have," and explained, "We don't pull out family registry copies, but we ask owners to recommend the restaurant they still remember, the place they think of most recently and the one with a story. We go trusting them."
Mukbang star Tzuyang raised interest by forming the gender-transcending "Mattyuz 4 brothers" with Kim Dae-ho, An Jae-hyun and Jonathan. The solid lineup of former announcer Kim Dae-ho, An Jae-hyun, who conquered variety shows with his clumsy pretty-boy image, million-view mukbang creator Tzuyang, and Jonathan, who rose as an MZ icon with innate variety talent, is expected to produce a delightful chemistry.
Tzuyang said about appearing in a fixed variety show for the first time in seven years of personal broadcasting, "I was focusing on YouTube activities, but the PD contacted me," and explained, "I went to meet and greet because I felt sorry, and they spoke very comfortably. They made me feel no pressure, so I decided to appear right away. They also mentioned the need for outside activities, so I was swayed."
Tzuyang added, "People around me told me, 'You should appear since you'll be with good people,' so I appeared and it's very nice and they treat me well. I feel like I'm socializing."
However, Tzuyang, famous as a big eater, said she oddly eats less on the set of "Where it might go" and ends up hungry. Tzuyang said, "Visiting restaurants is my job even normally," and added, "Since we scout directly, I already knew there would be many difficult cases. I worried whether scouting would go well during filming too. The travel time was long so I was very hungry. The filming day is the day I eat the least."
In contrast, An Jae-hyun and Jonathan, known for eating less, were surprised by Tzuyang's extraordinary eating; An Jae-hyun said, "You have to starve the day before (filming). Only then are you similar to Tzuyang. There's a black hole inside Tzuyang," drawing laughter.
Jonathan agreed, saying, "The best is the best," and added, "Tzuyang eats comfortably more than we do, but the quantity is different. There are times when we say we are full, but Tzuyang never does. She keeps looking at the menu after eating. I learned humility."
From eldest brother Kim Dae-ho to An Jae-hyun, Tzuyang and Jonathan, they are expected to release synergy optimized for "Where it might go," showing instinctive mukbang authenticity that transcends age and gender in front of food, and brother-like back-and-forth banter that will unfold in unexpected situations. Earlier Jonathan said, "We keep talking together even during waiting times. It feels almost like a restaurant stock investment club," foreshadowing their close-knit chemistry. Curiosity grows about the chemistry of Kim Dae-ho, An Jae-hyun, Tzuyang and Jonathan reborn as the "Mattyuz 4 brothers."
"Where it might go" is an unplanned restaurant tour with no restaurant map or planned course, offering the charm of real variety that could not be seen in existing mukbang variety shows.
Kim Dae-ho hinted at the real atmosphere on the set of "Where it might go," saying, "You will feel the restaurant scouting process is rawer than you think," and added, "When we actually scout, the cast members get off first and try, and after succeeding the production team joins. It doesn't always go as smoothly as you'd like."
Kim Dae-ho also mentioned the difference between "Where it might go" and MBN and Channel S's mukbang variety show "Jun Hyun-moo plan." Kim Dae-ho said, "How many truly new programs are there in the world? They're all more or less similar," but added, "'Jun Hyun-moo plan' works well because Jun Hyun-moo is there. For us, scouting doesn't go as well as expected."
Kim Dae-ho continued, "We devised various methods to overcome those hardships and experience life restaurants. When you watch the show, there are parts where you can feel, 'They really go to such lengths to scout.' That's the fun that differentiates this from other programs," and asked for anticipation.
On the hardships of scouting restaurants, An Jae-hyun said, "I appeal sincerely. If I say, 'We came after a 2 hour 30 minute drive; if we can't eat here we don't know where we'll go,' they may be wary at first but then feel sympathy," revealing his scouting know-how, and Tzuyang said, "After meeting restaurant owners for seven years and broadcasting, I tend to analyze them. I think I can gauge owners' tendencies."
"Where it might go" premieres on the 21st at 7:50 p.m.
[Photo] Provided by ENA for "Where it might go."
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