The hosts are Lee Hwijae and Noh Hongchul. Hwijae is an announcer who has worked on television shows like Star Golden Bell. Hongchul is a comedian whose hosted or been a major player on other Korean shows like 1 Night 2 Days, Infinity Challenge, etc. Each heads one of the two teams that are formed according popularity. The rest of the cast consist of 12 ladies from different spectrum of media. Noh Sayeon is the matriarch and as such demands the most respect from all the underlings. I dont know much about her but it seems she was a singer in her younger days. Shin Bongsun is considered to be one of the top female comedians in Korea. I know that she co-hosts Happy Together with Yoo Jae Suk and Park Myungsoo. She is definitely skilled in getting laughs and keeping things moving when things start to drag on the show
Seo Inyoung is a singer formerly with the group Jewelry. The diva of the group, I first became aware of her when she was on the show We Got Married(the show paired celebrities as faux couples and followed them on camera). Yoo Inna's somewhat sprite-ish nature is an endearing quality for this TV actress whose popularity has risen due to her role in the drama High Kick Through The Roof. Nicole is part of the quintet known as Kara. A transplant from California, she still has troubles with the Korean language which make for funny moments. Jiyeon is from the sextet idol group T-ara. The youngest of the group, she has done some acting in television and movies. IU is a solo artist whose recent hits include Marshmallow and .Nagging As far as I know, this is her first variety show. Narsha is a member of quartet Brown Eyed Girls. She is kept very busy nowadays with her work on Invincible Youth and her own radio show aside from her regular work with her group.
Park Gahee is the leader of After School. After School is a group who started out as 5, gained a member, lost a member, gained 3 more and are currently looking for a ninth. Lee Jin was groupmates with Lee Hyori in the former idol group FinKL. Jung Ga-eun is an actress that I know little about. I believe that Hong Sooah is another actress. Her conniving and mischievious antics on the show has brought her to the forefront in my eyes. She has been one of the few cast members that are worthy of the airtime they recieve.
The show is aired once a week as a two parter. The first part has them all arriving at a location to perform a mission. They stay together overnight and are usually awoken the next day for the second part. The teams are divided by popularity polls devised by the staff and crew of the show so the teams change up on a regular basis. The teams often compete for meals or better accomodations. The trials can consist of answering questions, races, showing a talent, or some other task where they can be pitted against each other. I dont understand the Korean language so alot of the hilarity comes from physical situations and easy to understand circumstances. For instance, there was a challenge where each member of the team would compete for extra slices of pork for an ensuing barbecue. The table of pork goodness was too much of a temptation for some of them to handle. Sticky fingers would reach out from behind the crowd to purloin an extra portion for themselves. The slices of pork belly would be secreted under their blouses against their own bellies at times. Some are caught red handed and some still remain undeterred to try again. Hong Sooah on a second attempt, hid a plate behind her back. I erupted in laughter when she was hit in the back with a soccer ball causing some of the pork to disloge from the plate and plastic wrap that kept it in place. From what I gather, the cast seems to be having alot of fun onscreen competing and bonding at the same time. The comaraderie feels genuine amongst the men and women. So far, the casting of these different personalities has meshed to create an enjoyable viewing experience. Some of the cast seem to have faded into the background with little to do or say but the majority have helped to keep the mood light and interesting. I look forward to each Sunday airing.
