There is a new kid in the Korean variety block and its name is “Where on Earth?” which premiered on June 1, 2018.
A show about survival by exploring places where most wouldn’t dream of taking a vacation. From the direction of famous PD Yoo Ho Jin (I Night 2 Days), I can see how this show is venturing into a new territory of putting four men in an inhabited place and allowing them to find their way out. In a sense, it feels Western in terms of shows like “Naked and Afraid,” only they are not naked, but definitely afraid and they can bring their food and water on their journey. It begs the questions, can a novice with no experience as an explorer or survivalist venture into the unknown? We are to find out through four Korean men who are in the entertainment industries.
Episode 1 recap
Jo Se ho (Comedian), Ji Jin Hee (Actor), BaeJung Nam (Model and Actor) and Cha Tae Hyun (Actor). An unlikely cast with different variety show experiences (first timers to seasoned), these four men will face the test of being “trapped” in the Arabian deserts for three days and four nights with no veteran explorer to guide them. They will rely on each other, a map, a compass and their morale to get out of the desert on time before it becomes a critical exploration.
Pre-exploration
Once the cast are fully acquainted, PD Yoo gets right into the details of what the show is about. Since Tae hyun has worked with him in the previous show, he is familiar with the crew, Se ho was informed about the show and he accepted even though PD Yoo was nonchalant about his invite. Hehe! Jung nam was cajoled into the show, same as Tae hyun and Jin hee don’t have much variety presence, so he volunteers. Since Jin hee turned 40, his dream is to try something new and this is a new experience outside of acting for him. Also, he loves to travel and is adventurous why not. I love how Tae hyun makes light of the fact that the rest of the cast are now involuntarily part of Jin hee’s dream that needs to be fulfilled. Haha!
PD Yoo explains that the purpose of exploring the Arabian desert is to get out of the desert simply by walking. No worries, I mean, it is not like the second largest desert in the world with an area of 2,300 km with extreme hot and dry climate is going to be an obstacle; all they have to do is just walk. Sounds easy!! I mean the desert has been explored by people in the past and till date people still explore the desert by car but still end up missing. So, they don’t have to worry. Haha! Like Tae hyun says, PD Yoo is doing nothing to reassure their building anxiety.
Explorer Nam Young Ho
Anyways, they will explore a small portion of the desert called the “Empty Quarter,” (Rub’ al Khali desert in Arabic) which is the largest continuous sand desert in the Southern third of the Arabian Peninsula, on foot. Since they are rookie explorer, PD Yoo is kind enough to provide them with a guide, a Korean explorer whose favorite place and thing to do is walk in the desert. YUP! You heard right! Explorer Nam Young ho is this petite gent who is eager to show the cast the ropes of exploration in a horrid setting. The men are at ease as Mr. Nam states:
- Do not allow yourself to get dehydrated
- You will need to have to overcome your fears as the desert is vast and open, so you will tend to feel claustrophobic due to the big land as you might think that there is no way out.
- You’ll lose weight (this makes Se ho giddy, hehe!)
- Probability of getting stung by a scorpion is low, (but I don’t know about snakes because they love hot climate)
Jin hee cannot contain his excitement as the men will be walking 40 km out of 2,300 km, meaning they get to explore a tiny portion of the desert as they will end their journey by the Arabian sea (which is part of Indian Ocean). Even though, it is 40 km, it is still not going to be easy, if the terrain, climate and the heat reflecting from the sand is taken into account in their 3 days 4 night journey which is the safety period for them to get out of the desert, but that shouldn’t be a problem for explorer Nam who brags that he can get out in one day.
PD YOO Trolls
If you are familiar with PD Yoo’s variety style, you know that he likes to make his cast grovel. Apparently, explorer Nam won’t be accompanying the gents as they are on their own left with a map, compass and their mental state. Which makes sense if the essence of the show is to show how to survive.
Team Captain
Without explorer Nam, the cast are to choose a leader, someone who is firm on decision making and who is ready to hold the lives of the cast accountable. I find it funny as Tae hyun states that he’s never heard of a variety show where the crew members are excited to talk about the death of cast members. Haha! As already suspected, Jin hee is team captain and he assigns other responsibilities to other members. Food: Jung nam; Health: Se ho; Information: Tae hyun.
Episode 1 Part 2 next
Globe Setter 
Pingback: Where on Earth? Episode 1 – Aigooyobo