"Yu Jae-seok camp" brings laughter, emotion and healing to viewers.
On the 19th, a production press conference for the Netflix variety show "Yu Jae-seok camp" was held at JW Marriott Dongdaemun in Jongno-gu, Seoul. The event was attended by PDs Jeong Hyo-min, Lee So-min and Hwang Yun-seo, as well as Yu Jae-seok, Lee Kwangsoo, Byeon Woo-seok and Ji Ye-eun.
"Yu Jae-seok camp" is a group camping variety show in which rookie camp director Yu Jae-seok and unpredictable staff Lee Kwangsoo, Byeon Woo-seok and Ji Ye-eun chatter with, play with and clown around with the guests to complete an escape from everyday life. The irreplaceable Yu Jae-seok temporarily sets aside his smooth hosting to become a somewhat sloppy rookie camp director, and the large-scale communal living camp he runs is expected to deliver special enjoyment amid cheerful laughter. Above all, following the wildly inventive guesthouse variety "Kian's Bizarre B&B," this is Netflix's new "guesthouse variety" presented with PD Jeong Hyo-min's team, generating hot expectations.
Lee So-min said, "In one word, 'Yu Jae-seok camp' is a Yu Jae-seok–style retreat. While filming 'Kian's Bizarre B&B' we talked about expanding guesthouse variety, and a director suggested what if Yu Jae-seok were the owner of a guesthouse, so we pushed it forward," she explained. Hwang Yun-seo said, "The Yu Jae-seok–style camp is the differentiator. If existing guesthouses only provided room and board, 'Yu Jae-seok camp' runs a tightly packed schedule together for two nights and three days. You will see the human side of Yu Jae-seok getting tired in real time as he experiences various games," she added.
From wake-up missions that start as soon as you open your eyes to morning yoga, iron lunchbox quizzes, campfires, talent shows, outdoor experiences and secret-santa-type games, a packed timetable leaves no breathing room and fills "Yu Jae-seok camp." Attention is on what kind of laughter, healing and emotion the camp schedule, filled with various programs around the clock for two nights and three days, will deliver.
Jeong Hyo-min said, "We tried to create a space that could exist in reality yet doesn't. In the space, the four of them solve everything like instructors. I wanted to create a lively and novel space," he said. Lee So-min said, "The place we paid the most attention to was the gym. It serves as an auditorium and a sleeping area, so we focused on practicality and lodging conditions. A special bed was made to satisfy both. Yu Jae-seok paid a lot of attention to the lodging conditions, providing temperature, humidity, scent and individual concepts so that good conditions could be created," she said.
Yu Jae-seok said, "While coordinating opinions on many aspects, I thought safety and health were the most important if a large number of people were to stay for two nights and three days. The production team agreed and paid a lot of attention. I wondered whether such a large space and facilities could be set up in this time, and I was worried when I heard they would restore it afterward. Still, the guests were able to step away from their daily lives and have a different experience," he said.
Yu Jae-seok added, "I wondered what it would be like if we did programs viewers had seen on TV. I prepared many things I had done before, thinking what if we did those inside the camp—fantasy but not fantasy. I host very astonishingly well," he said. Lee Kwangsoo said, "Doing cushion quizzes and iron lunchbox quizzes, which I watched on TV as a child, was moving. I felt like I really became a celebrity," he said.
The chaotic all-day rookie owner Yu Jae-seok; the disciplinary leader Lee Kwangsoo, who is responsible for guests' laughter and order; the sweet, warm and somewhat loose yet charming "bungling general" Byeon Woo-seok, a man of many affections who handles guests' healing; and the youngest but the only experienced guesthouse worker, the "real-friend maker" Ji Ye-eun, who forms deep bonds with guests, lead "Yu Jae-seok camp."
Jeong Hyo-min said, "After doing several lodging variety shows, the format became more free depending on the cast. The camp concept didn't start with choosing Yu Jae-seok; rather, the idea of Yu Jae-seok doing a guesthouse variety led to the expansion into a retreat-style camp. It can be described as a Yu Jae-seok–tailored, retreat-style camp," he explained.
Lee So-min said, "After confirming Yu Jae-seok, when we considered combinations, the first indispensable member was Lee Kwangsoo. Without Lee Kwangsoo, I thought it wouldn't proceed, and although Byeon Woo-seok hasn't done many variety shows and we hadn't seen him much on variety, I thought he'd have a human and honest charm, so we recruited him. Ji Ye-eun is the only experienced hire, but we didn't expect her to be extremely skilled. We recruited her because the fun and energy from ambiguous proficiency would be interesting," she said.
Yu Jae-seok said, "Because my name is on it, there is unavoidable pressure. When I received the offer, while it's important to create fun as a program for a large number of people staying two nights and three days, I wanted them to feel safety, health and enjoyment together. That's how it started," and added, "Managing meals and safety for many people while trying to capture the program's fun in that situation made time fly by. It was hectic, but looking back I feel more anticipation."
Because his name is on the title, the pressure is unavoidable. Yu Jae-seok said, "It's partly personal preference, but attaching my name to the program title is burdensome. If you think of it as a burden it becomes endlessly heavy, but since it's the most straightforward title, I thought it would give viewers comfort and explain itself well. There were no other candidate titles," he said.
Lee Kwangsoo said, "Even before I received the offer, I saw on TV that 'Yu Jae-seok camp' was recruiting guests. I thought it was novel, so I was excited to join. I had about a 10% feeling that they would contact me. I was a bit disappointed thinking recruitment was already finished, but fortunately they offered. I'm grateful and excited about the members I'm working with. I was surprised by how many people there were, and none of us are particularly good at cooking, so I worried most about meals, but we did our best," he said.
Byeon Woo-seok said, "I love watching variety shows and was excited to show a new side for the first time. I waited excitedly to work with Yu Jae-seok, Lee Kwangsoo and Ji Ye-eun and then filmed," adding, "I wanted to give healing to the guests. In preparing that part and wanting them to be comfortable, I worried because everyone's idea of comfort was different."
Ji Ye-eun said, "When I joined I was excited and thrilled, and I had high expectations even before going to camp, and I was able to enjoy it wholeheartedly. I hope people enjoy my comfortable and natural side," and added, "Preparing many dishes was difficult, but I improved while doing it." In particular, Ji Ye-eun said, "'Kian's Bizarre B&B' and 'Yu Jae-seok camp' are really different. Kian84 felt raw and like a training camp, so I learned my limits, whereas 'Yu Jae-seok camp' was so healing that I loved it. If both had season 2 at the same time, I would choose 'Yu Jae-seok camp.'"
The chemistry centered on Yu Jae-seok is formidable. Yu Jae-seok said, "Lee Kwangsoo and Ji Ye-eun have done a lot of variety, and I wondered how Byeon Woo-seok, a variety novice, would be, but everyone was really fun. They liked Lee Kwangsoo a lot while doing their best. He is like a younger brother, and it was the first time someone teased and bothered Lee Kwangsoo like that. Ji Ye-eun also liked Lee Kwangsoo so much that I wondered what it would have been like without him," he said. Byeon Woo-seok said, "I was very nervous doing long-form variety for the first time, but everyone made me feel so comfortable that I was able to relax a bit more," and Ji Ye-eun said, "In reality I had only met Yu Jae-seok before and met Lee Kwangsoo and Byeon Woo-seok for the first time and wondered if we could become close. But just seeing their faces made me smile, so I was happy."
Lee Kwangsoo, the "center of chemistry," said, "Ji Ye-eun said I am her life role model, so I'll show many good sides," and added, "I thought a lot about how Yu Jae-seok is the heart of this camp. Even after recording, he kept talking about the camp and worrying about what might make guests uncomfortable, and seeing that made me feel his sincerity. When we received the first guests, we could also be more sincere."
In particular, Byeon Woo-seok said, "Because Yu Jae-seok led by example, we worked harder and got absorbed. We could all put in effort and follow Yu Jae-seok," he said. Ji Ye-eun said, "On other variety shows we don't stay together continuously, so during these two nights and three days it felt like 'Yu Jae-seok is Yu Jae-seok.' He was truly sincere, and I wondered if Yu Jae-seok was always such a warm person. He's my ideal type in my heart," she said.
The couple Lee Hyori and Lee Sang Soon, who met viewers through "Hyori's guesthouse" and are the "guesthouse originators," appear as superstar part-timers at "Yu Jae-seok camp," offering a variety of sights such as leading morning yoga classes for guests. Jeong Hyo-min said, "It's been about 10 years since 'Hyori's guesthouse,' and they are the people who allowed me to make a living as a PD. We actually tried to invite them for 'Kian's Bizarre B&B,' but it coincided with their move to Seoul and fell through; after announcing recruitment for 'Yu Jae-seok camp' we received contact. They said they would come to set the tone, so we officially made an offer. They came in the middle of the camp like a catfish to liven things up," he said.
Lee Kwangsoo said, "I felt it became a perfect camp. In terms of food, yoga and guitar performances, I feel sorry for the first-season guests, but I think the season-two guests experienced a more perfect camp," he said. Yu Jae-seok said, "When Lee Hyori and Lee Sang Soon joined in season two, I was both pleased and relieved. It felt like parents who had gone on a long trip came back and peace returned. I thank them once again," he said.
The Netflix variety show "Yu Jae-seok camp" will release episodes 1–5 on the 26th, followed by episodes 6–10 on June 2, with the release spanning two weeks.
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