"Choi Woosoo-san" has gathered MBC's sons to try to catch SBS and KBS's flagship long-running variety shows Running Man and 2 Days & 1 Night.
MBC held a press conference for the new variety show Choi Woosoo-san (山) on the afternoon of the 28th at the Golden Mouse Hall in its Sangam-dong headquarters in Mapo-gu, Seoul. Comedians You Se Yoon, Jang Dong-min, Heo Kyunghwan, Yang Se-hyung and broadcaster Boom attended the event and, together with PDs Kim Myeong-yeop, Kim Ik-hwan and Seo Ye-na, talked about the program under the hosting of Park So-young MBC announcer.
Choi Woosoo-san is the country's first mountain variety show set in the mountains where participants complete missions, compete fiercely toward the summit and vie for acorns. The program was sparked by the buzz around last year's MBC Entertainment Awards male top excellence award nominees in a scene that differed by only one character from the program title. Led by winner You Se Yoon, the climbing variety is expected to bring together competitors Jang Dong-min, Yang Se-hyung and Boom, followed by Heo Kyunghwan, who recently rose as a must-see figure in MBC entertainment.
PD Kim Myeong-yeop introduced the program, saying, "You can see it as a variety show that unfolds on the mountain. Although it is a climbing variety, climbing is just an excuse," and added, "It will be a variety show that contains a lot of our five cast members' chemistry, chaotic talk, games and various elements."
The cast were MBC's sons who, in addition to Choi Woosoo-san, have conquered MBC's flagship variety programs, including Radio Star, Home for Us! and recently ended First Place and Hangout With Yoo.
Among them, You Se Yoon said proudly, "After winning the top excellence award last year, I appear as the first winner on Choi Woosoo-san," while Jang Dong-min chimed in, "I'm facing various things on Choi Woosoo-san. The games are fun, and I think there are many parts I can do well. I will work hard."
Heo Kyunghwan boasted, "I'm the most normal character on Choi Woosoo-san," and said, "These days press conferences are rarely held, but I could tell how much MBC is supporting this. I thought Santa was the program and came, but I realized it wasn't. I hope you chew on each part carefully."
Yang Se-hyung said, "I'm 42 and the youngest. These are older brothers I'm personally close with, and I thought it would be good to do a variety show together once, so I hope Choi Woosoo-san will be the occasion for us to reunite."
Boom joked, "I narrowly missed the top excellence award and came in second," and added, "After climbing the mountain I realized I liked mountains and fell completely for their charm. As the visual member, I'll try to show various sides of myself," raising expectations.
Among them, outdoor variety is not new for You Se Yoon and Jang Dong-min. In particular, they have presented many outdoor shows that showcase hardship, such as the Dokbak Tour series, which have sparked laughter.
In response, Jang Dong-min said, "I've done a lot of those kinds of things. If other programs focused on 'hardship,' this Choi Woosoo-san makes you always feel that 'joy comes after hardship.' When you reach the summit after hardship, you feel many things. Not only the cast but also the production team is working hard. Laughing and having fun is basic. Within that, we'll show many moments that make you think, 'Was there such a place in Korea?' I think the fact that something remains with you is what makes it distinctive. Please make sure to watch the live broadcast."
You Se Yoon added, "It doesn't feel that strenuous yet. The difference is that for mountain variety you might imagine a restrained reality show with low tension, but contrary to the scenery, we act very mischievously among ourselves. We tease and attack each other a lot, so we don't resemble the mountain. The mountain is solemn, but we are not calm inside it. I think that contrast is the fun point."
Heo Kyunghwan was the only member among Choi Woosoo-san's cast who was not a candidate for last year's MBC entertainment top excellence award, but this year he is mentioned as the strongest candidate for an award. Regarding this, PD Kim Myeong-yeop said, "I've invited him about four times since I did Radio Star. You could call it buying at a low price. Recently his charm and stamina are unmatched, so we couldn't not recruit him," explaining the reason for casting.
Heo Kyunghwan also emphasized, "I wasn't a member among the top excellence award candidates. I won the three-network excellence awards. I came because I wanted to start the top excellence award streak at MBC. They say entertainers ruin themselves when they grow up, but I try to watch my words everywhere and here everything collapsed. I felt revived through that battle. I'm happy to be reunited like this."
Regarding why he chose Heo Kyunghwan instead of Haha, who was a candidate at the 'loser' incident, PD Kim Myeong-yeop said, "Haha hyung also really wanted to do it, but he was appearing on Running Man at the same time, so he couldn't join. Still, why Heo Kyunghwan? If you watch Taegyeilju, there is a Dex-like role. If you nitpick, our program's Dex is Heo Kyunghwan," and added confidently, "I can't dare evaluate this year's top excellence award, but Heo Kyunghwan hyung could aim beyond the top excellence award to the grand prize."
The PD's ambition was considerable. Attending the press conference wearing hiking clothes, You Se Yoon said, "Our subtitle is 'the reason Yu Jae-seok is needed' — there's always no one to hold the center. That's the fun point," and Jang Dong-min chimed in, "Our PD Myeong-yeop is playing the role of Yu Jae-seok." Boom added, "The PD has his own cue cards," and PD Kim Myeong-yeop said, "Because there was no one to take the MC role, I ended up hosting a lot," eliciting laughter.
Heo Kyunghwan said, "If our Choi Woosoo-san becomes a regular and goes until Dec., we should be able to win an award. If it becomes a regular, one of us will definitely win the top excellence award, and I think it might be me. Five episodes are guaranteed. We are treating the press conference as the sixth episode," and vowed about regular scheduling. He also emphatically compared it with strong same-time competitors such as Running Man and 2 Days & 1 Night, saying, "Still, Choi Woosoo-san."
Unlike competitors such as Running Man and 2 Days & 1 Night, which feature actors, singers and various cast members, Choi Woosoo-san assembles fixed members made up only of professional entertainers to differentiate its comedy. PD Kim Myeong-yeop said, "Having done Radio Star for a long time, I've met hundreds of entertainers including actors and singers, but if the goal of a variety show is to win, those who can digest it well are comedians and variety entertainers. There are many recent variety shows, but viewers seem to like shows they can watch mindlessly and laugh at. I wanted to create that kind of variety show. That's how we formed the cast," he said proudly.
Above all, he emphasized, "I'm sorry for saying the chemistry is good only in words, but since the five of them have never gathered, I wondered why we hadn't come together sooner — it's fun for us and for them too. These five usually appear everywhere, so matching schedules was really hard. I don't think this combination will come together again."
Yang Se-hyung, whose younger brother Yang Se-chan appears on Running Man, said, "Basically my brother and I are satisfied seeing people laugh and be happy. We are grateful to be able to broadcast now, so when I have many opportunities I want my brother to work hard, and when my brother has many opportunities I want to surpass him — there has always been a friendly rivalry. For more variety shows to bring more laughter, there must be competition among many entertainers. When more programs are funny rather than one program dominating, laughter can be delivered and the path for variety will brighten. I don't know about a declaration of war, but Se-chan, hyung is hyung," he said to raise expectations. But he also joked, "My mother will probably watch 2 Days & 1 Night."
So are there target figures for Choi Woosoo-san to become a regular? PD Kim Myeong-yeop revealed, "Recently Running Man and 2 Days & 1 Night have been getting 2% in the 20-49 rating. Our goal is to surpass that, and I think we must pass it to become regulars," and You Se Yoon pledged, "If our 20-54 rating exceeds 2%, I'll enter the valley with a gibbon expression," making a promise. Whether he will carry out that pledge remains to be seen.
PD Kim Myeong-yeop concluded, "The most important point when making this program was what would be fun from the viewers' perspective. Thinking of myself as a viewer, it's most fun to see entertainers suffer on TV. We go up to Cheonwangbong of Jirisan. It's a variety show that contains sincerity, extreme hardship and laughter, so please enjoy it."
Choi Woosoo-san will premiere on Sunday, May 3, at 6 p.m.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Jo Eun-jung.
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