Model Han Hye-jin and singer Hwasa met again. The two, who once showed exceptional chemistry on MBC's I Live Alone, this time went shopping at Namdaemun Market and filmed a mukbang on SBS's My Little Old Boy.
In a recent episode of SBS's My Little Old Boy, a preview video titled "Han Hye-jin × Hwasa, shopping and hearty mukbang at Namdaemun Market" was released. In the video, the two enjoy shopping as they look around the market and taste various foods such as soy-marinated crab and Deokja jjim. When the soy-marinated crab appeared, Hwasa carefully put on plastic gloves and resolutely said, "I'll get started," while Han Hye-jin teased, "Do it roughly. Why are you so obsessive?"
Hwasa responded flatly, "Don't say anything when food is in front of you," revealing her trademark "mukbang goddess" side. Han Hye-jin recalled Hwasa's past gopchang mukbang and joked, "When you ate gopchang, gopchang was sold out across the country, but this time Deokja will dry up." In fact, Hwasa's gopchang mukbang caused such a nationwide trend at the time that it became a major topic.
The familiar chemistry between the two remains pleasant. Hwasa's unrestrained mukbang and Han Hye-jin's realistic reactions while watching are enough to make people laugh. But there is also a sense of disappointment. That's because their appearance is not much different from what they showed on I Live Alone in the past. Only the broadcaster and program name have changed; the familiar cast members strolling through markets, eating and bickering is a scene that has already been used many times.
This is why fatigue and boredom around recently repeated observation-variety formats are growing. For a while, observation shows concentrated on showing celebrities' flashy homes, expensive interiors, cars and consumer lifestyles, earning criticism as "celebrity home bragging programs." SBS's My Little Old Boy also recently faced similar criticism after consecutively revealing actress Han Da-gam's Han River view house and the Pyeongchang-dong residence of actor Lee Heejun and Lee Hye-jung.
Of course, revealing a home itself is not the problem. A cast member's living space can be an important device to understand that person's tastes and life. But if the size and price of the house and the flashy interior are emphasized while the worries and stories of the people living there are blurred, what remains for viewers is distance rather than empathy.
Mukbang is the same. Watching someone eat deliciously remains a strong variety show subject. But when a familiar star eats in a familiar way and surrounding cast members only reference past hit scenes, it does not create a new story. It can feel like a repetition of scenes already seen.
The scenes in which MBC's I Live Alone recently received praise were actually the opposite. In particular, singer DUN caught viewers' attention with his tastes and values, not with the size or price of his house. His reluctance to easily discard old items, his desire to promote the work of intangible cultural heritage artisans, and the process of making lamps with hanji and rattan himself contained a person's life and philosophy. What viewers reacted to there was not simply a humble life. Because there was a clear story and value in that daily life, requests for DUN's reappearance poured in after the broadcast.
Observation shows are not simply a genre that turns on a camera and follows a cast member's day. Producers must consider why they are showing this person's today and what emotions and questions it will leave viewers with. Especially when rebooking a familiar combination of cast members, careful observation is needed to discover new aspects of the person that were not seen before, rather than merely repeating past successful scenes.
The reunion of Han Hye-jin and Hwasa is welcome, and their mukbang is likely to make headlines again. However, it seems difficult for observation shows to maintain competitiveness for long by simply repeating past successful formulas. Observation shows have already entered a red ocean overflowing with similar formats and cast members. What is needed to break free from boredom is a new perspective that makes viewers laugh, empathize and sometimes reflect on their own lives through the cast member's life.
To "observe" is different from merely pointing a camera at a person and from looking into that person's life. To escape repeated fatigue and boredom, observation shows now need careful consideration to make that distinction.
[Photo] "My Little Old Boy"
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