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| Yu Quiz — Yoo Ji-tae / Photo: Courtesy of tvN |
[Sports Today reporter Lim Si-ryeong] tvN will devote an episode of You Quiz on the Block to a \”Box Office Kings\” special.
The 336th episode of tvN’s variety series You Quiz on the Block, airing on the 25th, brings together viral young dancers, Simon Kim — the chef who has put Korean-style barbecue on the global map — longtime nature-show personalities Yoon Taek and Lee Seung-yoon, and Yoo Ji-tae, who reached the 10-million viewer milestone 28 years into his career with the film The Man Who Lives with the King.
Viral kids Jo Seo-ho and 6-year-old Lee Seo-ha, who first captured the nation with their school performance clips, stop by You Quiz. Jo Seo-ho — who charmed viewers years ago with a clip of him pleading to go to daycare even on a holiday — returns as a bona fide dance phenom. Alongside the utterly charming Lee Seo-ha, the two deliver a relentless dance parade. Together, their performance videos have amassed roughly 28 million views. Expect surprising answers, undeniable stage presence that wins over even MC Yoo Jae-suk, and a set left buzzing. Viewers will see their takes on \”Golden\” and \”Rollin’,\” plus a delightfully heartwarming family dance parade that highlights a clear inheritance of dance DNA.
The episode also features CEO Simon Kim, whose Korean-style barbecue has earned a Michelin star for eight straight years. He recounts building an annual business that reached 100 billion KRW (approximately 75 million USD) in New York — a city synonymous with steak — and explains how his restaurant rose to be ranked the top steakhouse in North America. He shares stories of celebrity regulars from Obama to Beckham, Messi and DiCaprio, and the frenzied demand that sells out reservations in 15 seconds. Simon, who moved to New York at 13, reflects on identity struggles as a young immigrant and the racism he encountered. Raised by a foodie father and a chef mother, he discovered the possibilities of Korean cuisine and forged a singular path. He offers a genuine New Yorker’s take on being a New Yorker and reveals the risks and experiments that led to his world-class restaurant’s success.
Yoon Taek and Lee Seung-yoon, who have spent 15 years tracking down people who live off the grid on the show I Am a Natural Person, join Yoo Jae-suk to share raw survival stories from the wild. They open up about the behind-the-scenes reasons they couldn’t appear on You Quiz earlier and show the unbridled excitement of returning to city shoots. Thinking of the show as a healing travel or camping experience, they explain what drew them to participate in the first place and recount turbulent moments from more than 700 episodes. Yoon brings along Dalmong, the dog he met by happenstance during filming, and viewers will get an irresistible close-up of Dalmong on camera.
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Lee Seung-yoon recalls everything from his first shoot alongside a completely unclothed subject to the behind-the-scenes moment that spawned the legendary \”fish-head curry\” meme. He also describes a terrifying incident when a sting from a giant hornet left him unconscious and rushed to the ER. Yoon Taek recounts a debut shoot that felt like a disaster movie, including a moment when hornet larvae were presented as food. They discuss the alarming \”natural person\” menu — raw sika deer liver, frog doenjang soup, insect fried rice and stone-basin stew — and share vivid anecdotes, including how Lee Seung-yoon used rerun fees to buy his parents a house. Their candid reflections on a 15-year run and heartfelt remarks about their fathers add emotional depth to their stories.
The show also sits down with Yoo Ji-tae, who became a 10-million-viewer actor after portraying the sole villain Han Myeong-hoe in The Man Who Lives with the King. He offers a modest take on the milestone and unpacks the film’s run — more than 14 million admissions — which placed it third in Korean box office history by attendance and No. 1 by revenue. Yoo discusses the creation of his distinct villain, the intense preparation behind his imposing presence, and his wife Kim Hyo-jin’s reaction. He speaks candidly about health struggles that followed sudden weight gain — high cholesterol, acute gastritis and colitis. Yoo also shares warm stories about director Jang Hang-jun, and the episode includes a surprise interview with the director himself. Viewers will hear behind-the-scenes details about the confrontation scene with Danjong, in which Yoo says he acted from a sense of duty, and witness his chilling improvisation on set.
Now 28 years into his career, Yoo Ji-tae offers candid reflections on his craft and family. He expresses a deep affection for Korean cinema, revisits a memorable line — \”How can love change?\” — and demonstrates why he’s regarded as a master of realistic romance. As a professor and head of the Department of Media Acting at Konkuk University, he gives meaningful advice to younger actors. He also shares how growing up under a resilient single mother inspired his interest in social welfare, delivering a moving personal account. This episode promises an intimate portrait of Yoo Ji-tae the person, beyond his screen persona.
tvN’s You Quiz on the Block airs every Wednesday at 8:45 p.m. KST.
[Sports Today reporter Lim Si-ryeong ent@stoo.com]
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