Introducing 1 Night 2 Days

The syntax of this show’s title is a little odd for English speakers as we would normally say “2 days 1 night”. 1 night 2 days is the literal English translation of one of my absolute favourite Korean shows ever! Like, EVER! So pay attention. 

I had originally considered myself a die-hard fan until I saw what it is die-hard fans do and relative to them, I can only be considered a passive admirer. I don’t scream when I see them, I don’t write fan letters and give them gifts or make them awesome things. That’s cool man, just not my style. My affinity to the culture is not because of this show but simply because my life-long bestfriend who I’ve known since I was 10 is Korean. It was only through this show that I understood her culture more… cuz she’s useless at explaining her culture.

One of my favourite activities while spending time at her house is eating, of course. Korean food is just the shiz yo’, and 1 night 2 days is a show entirely about our utmost desire for food! And how could I forget the bromance? I always look forward for some bromancin’ from an oddball collection of grown men.

Authentic Korean food offered in 1 night 2 days;
so appetizing, hungry members won't think twice about betraying each other

1 night 2 days has been such a successful entertainment show that when it reached an unprecedented end in 2012, a season 2 was created using the same formula only with a different cast. Season 2 had also become very successful and maintained the number 1 spot in the ratings thus retaining season 1's former place. I haven’t started on season 2 yet, but I’ll get there later for sure!

Introducing 1 night 2 days

So what is it?

This show takes 6 famous Korean celebrities outside of Seoul (oh noes!) to experience the outdoors for a whole 2 days and 1 night. The crux of the show is all about food. The directors use the incentive of food to have these big shot celebrities basically doing whatever they want them to do! (Dance, monkey, dance). For the whole 2 days and 1 night these celebrities are without food and cash. They can’t buy food or comfort. So that leaves them hungry and homeless in that duration of time. Fear not, there is still hope!

Left to right: creating a set of poses in the dark under a time limit; headless chicken wrestling; fighting over a challenge; posing in the dark.

The structure of this show is based on games, challenges, travel and endurance. If the celebrities complete their activities, they are rewarded the things we take for granted – food and somewhere to sleep! Food on this show look amazing, and totally worth winning. Usually the reason why they travel outside of Seoul is to experience authentic and exotic fresh food all over the country. If they fail to complete their tasks, they are punished! As if missing out on food and somewhere to sleep was bad enough. I just love how sadistic the directors get! I guess they needed sadistic directors to handle a cast of misfits.

However, 1 night 2 days is not without its criticisms. Some people have speculated that the celebrities actually do get given food behind the cameras, after all, who would dare starve some of Korea’s finest celebs? (Well, the directors of 1 night 2 days of course!) These speculations were proved otherwise when a series of episodes featuring guest celebs took part in the show and later confirming to the media that yes, the poor cast really do starve.

Kim Jong Min reciting some gibberish; Eun Ji Won sneaking food during their first Winter Training Camp; deprived Lee Su-Geun

So let’s meet this unfortunate cast of loveable misfits:

Introducing season 1 cast

Kang Hodong – the leader and eldest of the pack. A former ssireum Olympic Champion turned Korea’s best MC. With a fierce demeanour, he is our resident bully and picking on the other boys is his favourite pass time. Also an expert negotiator.

Kim C – stick thin Kim C is serious, quiet and intelligent; a member of alternative rock band, Hot Potato, and a former baseball player. Despite his inability to make jokes, his hair and fashion sense easily makes him the go to reference for jokes.

Proudly undressed Lee Su Geun

Lee Su Geun – famous comedian who proudly sports a huge potbelly – probably the only celebrity who would strip his shirt off for free. He is an athlete that lacks brains. This country bumpkin is our resident uncle who farts as often as he breathes. 

Eun Ji Won – member of famous ‘90s idol group, Sechs Kies, now a solo rapper and CEO of GYM Entertainment. He is a self-professed genius with an I.Q. of 160. Though his intelligence is nothing as claimed, he possesses lethal strategic skills that have often left the directors outsmarted and stunned.

MC Mong – a famous solo rapper popular among college students. His strengths lie in his fashion sense, dancing skills, and his identity as the prodigy cook of 1 night 2 days. Among this list of strengths is also his unmistakable ability to throw a huge tantrum.

Lee Seung Gi – the triple threat: MC, Actor and Singer. Being handsome, charming, athletic and book-smart easily makes him a favourite to women of all ages. Regrettably, this prince possesses no sense of direction, can’t cook to save his life, and is an occasional airhead.

Other cast

Kim Jong Min – member of 90’s pop idol group, Koyote. He has the amazing ability of speaking gibberish. Usually considered as the weakest link, women across Korea find him endearing for his disposition of being someone who needs to be taken care of.

Uhm Tae Woong – one of Korea’s best actors. Although he portrays countless heroic roles, he is the complete opposite of athletic and intelligent. Probably the only thing he has an abundance of is heart and smiles. Also one hell of a debater.

Sang Geun – a giant fluff-ball of a dog. This Great Pyrenees is the 1 night 2 days mascot only retiring midway due to old age. In his quiet seclusion as spectator, he may just be the biggest bully of them all.

Sang Geun with 1n2d cast

1. The Opening

The beginning of the show is a chance for our cast to greet or thank the show’s viewers. Most of the time our cast use it as a forum for complaints against the directors who just seem to do their job too well tormenting them each week. At other times the directors skip all introductions and simply throw them into the 1 night 2 days circus.

High profile actor, Uhm Tae Woong, spontaneously abducted during his 1 night 2 days initiation episode

Getting chucked unconventionally into the show is the best way these boys adapt. For example, when Uhm Tae-Woong first joined the cast, this movie star who so highly stood above the rest was brought down to the ground when he debuted only with his underwear on. He was literally escorted outside of his home, un-groomed and barefaced for the whole nation to see. Members like Ji Won have long learned to scoff at any effort to look good on this show that sometimes he would arrive only 5 mins after waking.

To sustain themselves for the day the members earn their travelling and eating expenses from the directors. They go through rigorous activities that include spinning the wheel, or have six members skipping together on a rope. In as early as 3 or 4 in the morning, the directors give them heavy duty brain work such as word and number games which no sane person is ever capable of succeeding. Their embarrassment is merely for our enjoyment.

Spinning wheel; skipping for money; strangely free breakfast; resisting being sent to the work at the field

At other times the directors give them money and food for free, only to realise it too good to be true. For whatever value they receive is about a good measurement of how much work they’ll need to do in return. For example, Lee Su-Geun once borrowed about $200+ from the director which meant he had to collect 20,000 ark shells with a value of 1 cent each. A free breakfast can only mean a tougher day.

The opening is also an opportunity to split the guys into groups, either in pairs, in threes, in solos, in the fan’s dream teams or in uneven proportions of groupings. For example, the theme for the day had once been ‘A family of four’ and two unlucky celebrities, Su-Geun and Seung-Gi, with zero dollars, had to earn their cash by impromptu radio appearances and cleaning duties. Prince Lee Seung Gi holding a broom and cleaning after celebrities in a well known music show caused quite a stir much to his embarrassment. He would turn to the camera every so often explaining how he's usually dressed in glamour when he's at that show and how embarrassing it was for him to be looked at strangely by his colleagues. In another example, unknowingly choosing a different breakfast from the rest can result in a 1 vs. 4 division. That’s when Seung-Gi learned that eating noodles instead of porridge can be dangerous.

An impromptu radio appearance; Seung-Gi on a one man against all mission; travelling by convertible in winter; complaining about their small transportation

Not only do they have to win money but also transport. This could mean travelling in a convertible …in the dead of winter, breathing through small cracks in a hot van with a broken air conditioner in the heat of summer, packing 6 grown men into a mini toy van, or travelling to an island on small boats only to be tossed around by rough waves. Seasickness is murder. Before departure, bags are checked for smuggled money or food – and people like MC Mong always seem to find his way around that.

2. Earning Lunch

If during the opening the cast is not given money this usually means they have to earn their lunch through quizzes, busking for money from fans, playing charades or buying food in less than 3 minutes in order to eat. Quizzes are probably the most terrifying to do as it reveals that Korea’s best MC is a national academic disgrace. We still love you, Hodong! Director: “What’s the capital of Egypt?” Su-Geun: “Pyramids”.

Doing the grocery; Jong Min getting in trouble for spending too much money; members doing a rest stop quiz; members trying to finish food

Special episodes usually have the cast collecting or harvesting their food from the fields or ocean. At other times they are given a set amount of money to buy necessities themselves. This means pots and pans go missing from the Seung-Gi and Mong household, much to their mother’s dismay. One time Hodong sent Ji Won and Jong Min out to do the grocery while the rest wait in the car. Shopping under a budget is unheard of in the celebrity world and when found they spent almost all the money (leaving only $2 for gas money) Hodong made sure they got their asses whipped.

Our sly directors would sometimes offer up any amount of money the cast may desire. Greedy, they asked for $2000 failing to realise that the objective was to eat that amount before leaving the rest stop. And when you’re at a rest stop with food amounting to $2 average and the most expensive being $5 – they were completely immobilised. Even if they DID manage to spend all that money they still had to eat all that food.

Hodong cleaning cars; MC Mong giving announcement at the University; students running to watch; their impromptu concert

In one of my favourite episodes the cast were split into two groups. One group had been humbly earning their money by working at gas stations and busking at rest stops. The other group decided to earn their money by busking at a University. They hoped to earn about $50-$100. Their only mistake was asking the student body if they could make a public announcement over the speakers. Literally 1 minute after the announcement, lecture theatres had emptied and fanatic students are seen bolting across campus to see what was growing into something like a concert. Panicked, our group had only 3 items to perform and were desperately trying to call the other team for back-up. I thought that was a huge testament to how ignorant they are about their enormous popularity!

Hitch hiking Tae Woong; Leaving behind guest member, Jang Woohyuk; Seung-Gi meeting fans in a bus

It’s not happily ever after when the cast succeeds earning lunch, oh no. Most often, this is the point of the story where a lot of strange events happen and things get a little twisted. Twice, while distracted with their food, the cast had failed to realised their crew had snuck away for a little holiday leaving them with just a letter, cameras and maps. The horror they felt! The show must go on, but I don’t know if this camera is on?! At other times the cast turn their backs on each other and leave members behind in order to save some money, resulting in hitching rides from strangers or using public transport – much to the public’s pleasure.

3. Basecamp

Members resting; members inventing a hitting game over scissors-paper-rock; toe Olympics; diving into a can

After a long day of adventure, races and being left behind, the base camp is where they wait to be reunited. While waiting, the cast (and crew!) take a little rest, nap or gossip about who’s hookin’ up with who in the managers and stylists circle. Sometimes they are actually forced to take a nap… on the sidewalk under the public's noses and where the neighbourhood dogs roam. On a lazy day the directors leave the game planning for dinner and sleeping arrangements to the cast, and we basically end up with ridiculous games like finger and toe Olympics, or diving into rolling trash cans.

Obliviously enjoying the director's generosity; Seung-Gi losing a challenge and eating more watermelon; Jong Min feeling the pressure of resisting to go to the bathroom

In a generous occasion, our directors gave our cast watermelon and berry juice to reward them after a long day of toiling the land. Only after the cast had their fill were they told that the first team with the person who leaves for the toilet will have to sleep outside that night. Lured with food once again! 

Our frustrated cast can sometimes get riled up for the abusive treatment they get. They figured, if they have to earn dinner and indoor sleeping rights then the crew also has to earn their rights. The crew tells them they have jobs to fulfil so they can’t possibly be deprived of their luxury in which case the cast also argued they are working people too. Good point. So when we have a crew of 80 failing challenges, we have them sleeping outside or begging the cast to share their food, or even begging them not to throw all 80 of them in the freezing ocean.

Cast vs Crew; The large group of Camera Men; the Crew sleeping outside under an improvised tarpaulin due to rain; the cast enjoying a moment of games

The simplest challenges tend to be the cruellest. For example, out of 6 cups 3 has coffee while the other 3 has fish sauce. If the challenger manages to drink all the fish sauce that earns them indoor sleeping rights whereas those who chose coffee are automatically rewarded the privilege of sleeping indoors. Sometimes the cast are not so easily treated; they have to make their own shelter which may mean sleeping in boxes during winter, sleeping at unfortunate places, bathing in the cold, washing 80 people’s dishes with freezing cold water, or simply trying to use their concentration at 3 in the morning playing Jenga.

Top: Kim C waking too early after a cold winter's night sleeping outdoors in a box; setting up beside the sea; Seung-Gi punished and made to take a cold bath in winter; Ji Won ROFL; Bottom: Tae Woong being a clean totally-metro man; Hodong pretending to take a camera where the boys are showering; Tae Woong doing the dishes; the members doing a quiz

4. Breakfast Missions

The second day means home-time for our celebrities, but not without the last challenge of winning breakfast. Morning missions tend to be quite simple, but made very difficult in the fact that our cast are abruptly awoken only after 3-4 hours of sleep. This could mean racing up a mountain where only 3 servings of breakfast is served, or completing a marathon with food stationed in pit stops along the way – the only catch is that what they pick up to drink or eat may not be what they had expected.

In the dead of winter, earning breakfast may mean taking a dip into ice cold water or finding hidden flags which holds the ticket for breakfast. Sometimes, it all depends on luck such as choosing between two vans – where one will take them to some extravagant breakfast while the other has naught. At generous times, some of the boys eat a whole serving each while the others can only watch, or eat rice and seaweed.

In more difficult challenges, some celebs are left to do overtime work – meaning hiking up a mountain trying to make a show out of it, location hunting with the staff for the next show, or performing in a national singing contest much to their embarrassment. Whatever it is, the directors will make sure to have them suffer to the point that it’s sadistically gratifying.

Members sleeping comfortably; taking a dip in the ice for breakfast; only half the members are eating; throwing a member into the freezing ocean

So that’s 1 night 2 days in a nutshell. Now go watch! Hurry!

It may be too late to catch up on season 1, but not for season 2!


Peaces :)