For those who know me, know that I’m a fan of Korean variety shows. There is a certain amount of charm in its unpolished, sometimes tacky silliness that keeps me watching. I was won over, and believe me when I say, that I’m a critic’s critic and seriously had my doubts on the quality of the programming. It’s ridiculous, it’s stupid and very absurd, but I have to say that I haven’t stopped laughing since I started watching – it’s surprisingly hilarious.
I have many favorites but the one I would like to share with you is called Jong Shin Tong Il 정신통일 (English Translation: Burst Mental Concentration). On the net it’s referred to as Jiwhaza (kinda like Bonzai!).
The premise is rather simple – they pit two teams made up of celebrities (singers, actors, comedians) against each other in a series of live action brain teasers. You may have seen the clips floating around YouTube of an Asian game show that has Styrofoam cut-outs where the participants have to fit themselves through or else they get swept into a pool of water. – That’s Jong Shin Tong Il.
The episode I want all to see is the Horror Special 2 Parter where they play the game called Tiger’s Cave. This requires one participant from each team to accomplish a series of challenges whilst still paying attention to their surroundings to be able to answer the question posed at the end. In the Horror Special, they find themselves outdoors in the dead of night with various creepy Asian horror elements. For the celebrity participants – they’re terrified, but for the audience, it’s hilarity at its best.
*Note – all is English-subtitled. If you want to continue watching, copy and paste the URL into your browser and you’ll find the clips that follow in sequence. There are 16 clips in total for the entire Horror Special. Be prepared to waste about 2.5 hours of your time.
Happy Monday Everyone!
