Do you know these reality shows from South Korea?

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If you like to watch Korean series but are looking for variety, you've come to the right place. Maybe it's time for you to check out more of the entertainment that Korean television has to offer. Have you ever tried Korean variety or reality shows? We'd be happy to give you some recommendations so you know where to start!

We've already delved deeper into variety shows and introduced you to a few of them, so let's focus on reality shows in this article.

I Live Alone still cut: Park Narae

If you've ever watched reality shows, you can also imagine what they're like in South Korea. They document real, not acted, situations and often feature unknown people, not just celebrities. We either see the daily life of the characters or observe how they face special challenges.

However, many of the well-known and popular Korean reality shows are mostly about celebrities, so our recommendations will only include a few shows with unknown citizens. Nevertheless, we have made an effort to compile a colorful selection for you:

• I Live Alone
• Little Forest
• Law of the Jungle
• Begin Again
• BTS in the Soop
• Dating Shows: Heart Signal & Single’s Inferno

I Live Alone

Our first example is "I Live Alone," also called "Home Alone." The show features the daily lives of celebrities who live alone. What time do they get up, what do they do first thing in the morning, and what does their household look like? Through I Live Alone, viewers learn more about the celebrities, such as that Key from the boy group SHINee maintains a vegetable and herb garden on his balcony or that comedian Park Narae has her own bar at home where she invites her friends.

The show became popular partly because the thousands of singles in Korea who live alone can relate to the celebrities' lifestyle. It has been on the air since 2013 and is still running today, so it still enjoys great popularity!

The show has a fixed cast that is there every episode. Some members have been on the show for years! The oldest member is Kian84, a webtoon cartoonist and writer. Kian84 has been on the show since 2016, which is six years! In total, the cast currently consists of 11 members: Kian48, Park Narae, Hwasa (Mamamoo), Lee Jangwoo, Key (SHINee), Jun Hyunmoo, Code Kunst, Kim Kwangkyu, Lee Jooseung, Cha Seowon & Honey J. However, there are also guests who show a few days from their lives to add variety.

The permanent cast and their guests gather for each episode to watch the footage together and comment on it. Over the years, the members of the show have naturally grown together; their chemistry only makes them more likeable.

There are many clips of the show on Youtube. So you can also just watch clips of certain stars that interest you:

Little Forest

Children who live in big cities don't have any opportunity at all to play in nature and get acquainted with it. This thought led to the development and broadcast of the show "Little Forest" in 2019. It invites five children to a rural area where they can spend two days and one night surrounded by nature and play outdoors. Four celebrities take care of them during this time: Actress Jung Somin, actor and singer Lee Seunggi, comedian Park Narae and actor Lee Seojin.

Jung Somin and Lee Seunggi both have a certificate in child psychology and Lee Seojin, who is not only an actor but also a certified chef, has taken a cooking course in advance so that he can also take care of children professionally. Park Narae has also taken a cooking course to support him.

The children gain new experiences and see chicks hatch, for example! The caregivers are also gaining experience, as it is exhausting but also educational to watch over and entertain young children all day.

Law of the Jungle

The concept of "Law of the Jungle" is simply explained: a group of celebrities, such as actors and K-pop idols, are sent to remote locations around the world to experience what it feels like to live in the wild. In the remote places, the celebrities now have to do everything themselves, just like in the wilderness: Build a shelter and prepare food. In this case, that means they have to find the food first!

In the clip below, for example, the celebrities chase after a small crab because they've barely eaten:

You can imagine how many incredible and funny scenes are created on the show! The only permanent member of the show is comedian Kim Byungman. He is the boss of the group, so to speak, who knows better than the others.

The show was broadcast from 2011 to 2021. Actually, the show always took place abroad, but in 2020 it had to be changed because of the global Corona pandemic. After a break, Law of the Jungle was filmed in Korea for the first time. Even though no more episodes are currently airing, there are more than enough episodes you can catch up on if you haven't seen the show yet!

Begin Again

Korean musicians travel abroad, to places where no one knows them, and perform on the streets. With these street performances, they introduce themselves and have the opportunity to sing in front of a whole new audience and collaborate with the other members of the show.

They mostly sing covers, often of English songs. So even the viewers of the show who already know the singers get to see something new from them for a change. Maybe it's an opportunity for you to discover new stars you didn't know before!

So far, four seasons have aired from 2017 to 2020. The fourth one took place in Korea because of the Corona Pandemic. In this season, the performances are supposed to be a gift for Korean citizens to comfort them in these hard times.

As you can see, you can find many clips on Youtube. They are perfect if you just want to see the performances!

Some of the more popular singers on the show include Suhyun (AKMU), Henry (Super Junior), Taeyeon (Girls Generation), Paul Kim, or Lee Hi. But there are many more!

BTS in the Soop

Of course, there are also reality shows that are fully centered around the popular K-pop idols. Many idols even have one or more reality shows of their own! The global boy group BTS is no exception!

In August 2020, the reality show "BTS In the Soop" aired. The seven members travel to a peaceful, wooded area to enjoy some downtime. There they have a chance to do everything they were too busy to do before, such as indulge in various hobbies. Among other things, they go fishing, play table tennis or boxing; sometimes alone, sometimes in pairs and sometimes all together. So the guys get a well-deserved break and the viewers get to know new sides of them. A second season even followed in 2021!

There are two more spin-offs of the show: "In the Soop SVT ver." revolves around the boy group Seventeen and "In the Soop: Friendcation" around a group of five friends. This consists of V from BTS, actors Park Hyungsik, Park Seojoon and Choi Wooshik, and rapper Peakboy.

Maybe your favorite band has their own reality show, too?