'1 Night 2 Days' may work its magic again. Attention is focused on whether the ability to turn a 'raw stone' into a 'gem' will shine once more.
KBS2's flagship entertainment program '1 Night 2 Days season 4' is facing a major change. While the show continued as a five-member program leaving the spot of Cho Sae-ho, who was embroiled in controversy, vacant, the youngest member Yoo Seon-ho is leaving. A switch to a four-member format was expected, but '1 Night 2 Days' made a bold move.
The bold move by '1 Night 2 Days' is Lee Ki Taek. The reason this casting is a bold move is that the show bet on an actor who seemed far from variety shows. Although the individual seems distant from variety activities, expectations are high because '1 Night 2 Days' has proven the success stories of rookie entertainers from acting backgrounds.
'1 Night 2 Days' has historically recruited actors who seemed far from variety shows and won great love by drawing out their human side. Especially by season 4, actors from acting backgrounds played a vital role in energizing the program.
The first person who comes to mind is Kim Seon-ho. With the soft charm unique to a variety novice, he stood at the center of popularity, called 'yepo' (variety novice), and helped stabilize season 4. Considering that '1 Night 2 Days' launched a new season amid controversy and was led by its first female PD, it is easy to guess what impact Kim Seon-ho's activity had on the program.
Na In-woo, who joined after Kim Seon-ho's departure, disarmed viewers with a clumsy side that contrasted with his tall physique, known as the 'In-woo princess' character. The last member, Yoo Seon-ho, also displayed the model rookie youngest member by using the boldness and quirkiness of Millennials and Gen Z as his weapon and showing unmatched chemistry with the older members. Looking further back, it is not hard to find moments when the 'raw stones' '1 Night 2 Days' brought in—such as Lee Seung Gi, Kim Seungwoo, Yoo Hai Jin, Um Tae-woong, and Kim Joo-hyuk—shone as 'gems'.
What they have in common is that, as familiar actors to the public, they broke the stereotyped image of actors and, in the extreme conditions of the wild, fell apart without restraint and approached viewers with friendliness.
Lee Ki Taek, who will continue the glamorous 'actor line' lineage, is a prepared rookie with the overwhelming proportions of a former model and solid fundamentals proven through dramas such as The Practical Guide to Love. Inside '1 Night 2 Days' he is a thoroughly veiled new face, but his unfinished variety sense is expected to produce the purest laughter simply from the bewilderment of a rookie actor facing the harsh luck-of-the-draw of the wild against seasoned variety professionals whose characters are already fixed.
Lee Ki Taek is expected to create his own unique rhythm among Kim Jongmin's craftiness, Moon Seyoon's deftness, and the wit of Lee Jun and DinDin. In particular, it will be an important point to watch how the concentration he developed through acting produces synergy in urgent variety situations and how the actor-line chemistry with senior actor Lee Jun will form.
How Lee Ki Taek will add his own color to the success path walked by previous rookie entertainers from acting backgrounds and whether his joining will trigger a 'catfish effect' in a long-running program that could become stagnant are drawing attention.
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