Actor Heo Sung-tae used his experience from large corporations to take first place in the surprise pressure interview for the "인사모(인기 없는 사람들의 모임)". Following comedian Heo Kyung-hwan and former member Jung Jun-ha, the '인.사.모' project members are driving Hangout With Yoo.
On the Hangout With Yoo episode that aired on the 13th on MBC, the "인사모(인기 없는 사람들의 모임)" members took on a mission that tested their ability to improvise and were shown preparing fan-meeting reciprocal gifts. Along with the members' charms, laughter erupted.
The key metric gauging the channel competitiveness and topicality of that broadcast, the 2049 rating, recorded 2.0%. It rose from last week, continuing its streak as the No. 1 Saturday variety show. The peak minute rating was 4.8% in the Seoul metropolitan area, according to Nielsen Korea.
Coincidentally, Hangout With Yoo has recently been posting ratings in the high 2% to high 3% range nationwide, according to Nielsen Korea. Compared with the previous project "80's Seoul Gayoje" which recorded as high as 6.6%, it is now threatened with nearly half its former numbers. Moreover, this comes just after actor Lee Yi-kyung, who had been a fixed member, exposed that he was embarrassed by 19-plus personal life rumors and claimed he left the show at the production team's urging, drawing attention.
However, the '인사모' project is underway and its members are active. In particular, Heo Kyung-hwan has drawn so much interest that he is being mentioned as a possible new fixed member. In addition, Jung Jun-ha ranked first in a popularity vote among the '인사모' members. Following him, Heo Sung-tae and other '인사모' members are coming into the spotlight.
Thrown into an interview scenario as a mission to win over the couch producers' hearts, the '인사모' members showed a variety of coping skills. Tookut confidently said in response to the interviewers' provocative questions, "I didn't just join the (Epik High) team. I pride myself on having played one-third of the role." He then named BTS V as a competitor, later facing a crisis when he could not name all the BTS members but persistently overcame it. Haha, when criticized for an answer, showed quick thinking by turning on the interviewers and drew attention by naming Yu Jae-seok as the mountain to climb.
Heo Sung-tae leveraged his experience entering large corporations to earn first place in the interview evaluation. Heo Sung-tae, who worked in company control rooms at L company and D company and in overseas marketing teams, appealed to the question "sell yourself" by saying, "My TOEIC score 20 years ago was 820, and I am fluent in Russian. I actually marketed LCD TVs to Russia and Eastern Europe." He then showcased unexpected charm by fluently demonstrating his Russian when suddenly asked. Hansang-jin was full of enthusiasm but spoke incoherently, earning the nickname "Janghwang-jin," and when his answer was cut off by time over, he joked, "Is he (Heo Sung-tae) like that because he was on Squid Game Season?" showing insecurity and creating laughter.
Kim Kwang-kyu and Choi Hong-man started the interview sinking into a mire, unable to state their motivations because they did not know the meaning of "commerce." Kim Kwang-kyu tried to showcase the stamina from his background as a special forces martial arts instructor, but insignificant kicks and two loud outbursts ended with choking coughs that quieted the room. In the English interview he showed a strangely appealing charm by mixing in Korean, a style he called "Kwanglish." Choi Hong-man repeatedly answered the self-introduction question only with "Hello. I'm new employee Choi Hong-man," refusing to introduce anything beyond his name and amusing the interviewers.
Jung Jun-ha, who took second place in the popularity vote, underwent a solo interview. Starting the interview slouched, Jung Jun-ha staged a scene where he was scolded in the interview room, sending everyone into peals of laughter. But when asked about the balloon show that elevated him to No. 1, he smugly said, "I did my best, received good evaluations and was recognized." He then gossiped about Kim Kwang-kyu and Hansang-jin, saying, "There are people who came out without sincerity, whatever happens happens," which provoked laughter.
Next, the '인사모' members prepared 100 heads of kimchi themselves as an unusual reciprocal gift to give fans. While making kimchi, the members chose candidates for the Christmas carols they would sing as a group song. EXO's "First Snow", Mr.2's "White Winter", IU's "Merry Christmas in Advance", 7 Princesses' "Love Song", and Brown Eyed Girls & SG Wannabe's "Must Have Love" were mentioned, and Jung Jun-ha, who can perform all songs with vocal nasal power, naturally rose to prominence as the main vocal. Yu Jae-seok worried, "You didn't really set up 300 seats and still have empty seats, did you? I'm afraid there might be leftover kimchi," raising interest in whether the kimchi made with the '인사모' members' sincerity would all be delivered to fans.
Ideas for solo stages to showcase each member's individual charm also emerged. Haha egged on Choi Hong-man, saying, "Confess to your crush that day," and Choi Hong-man, captivated, sang Jung Jae-wook's "Gamanhi Nuneul Gamgo"—the song his crush liked. Yu Jae-seok and Joo Woo-jae suggested to Kim Kwang-kyu, "You need to show a new side," and a ballad stage was proposed with Sung Si-kyung's "Every Moment of You" recommended. Yu Jae-seok suggested to Heo Sung-tae, who has legendary dance clips, "Sung-tae, will you do GD?" and the GD and Karina collaboration stage "TOO BAD," which became a hot topic, was put on the candidate list. Haha also proposed a collaboration idea with Chae-rina. Heo Sung-tae was left pondering how to prepare his stage, raising curiosity about what solo stages the '인사모' members would prepare.
Meanwhile, the preview for the next broadcast showed the '인사모' members giving a taste of their solo stages one week before the fan meeting scheduled for the 18th. The outlandish stages promised laughter and heightened anticipation. Hangout With Yoo airs every Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
[photo] OSEN DB, provided by MBC.
[OSEN]