We need to talk about how boring idol varieties/realities are getting

I don't think it's the cancel culture is the problem compani are pressuring idols to keep the perfect persona that they created for them so idols try to be as neutral and less talkative as they can to keep the fantasy alive

They are copy pasta specially the youtube ones

They get together with host and eat sth while drinking alcohol pretending to say controversial things that are not controversial at all

They need to switch it up

We need idols to enter fake marriages and raise fake babies again

look at how fun this was

but Ari chan would get canceled nowadays bc she was a korean food hater LOL

Quote from Lulu_Key

They are copy pasta specially the youtube ones

They get together with host and eat sth while drinking alcohol pretending to say controversial things that are not controversial at all

They need to switch it up

We need idols to enter fake marriages and raise fake babies again

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YESSS FAKA BABIES AND MARRIAGES

Quote from nana18

YESSS FAKA BABIES AND MARRIAGES

those were the good shows

bring them back

It's not only that, it's just not a focus anymore of K-pop companies, variety talent or skills: not as a trait to be valued or counted for their trainees, and also not as a trait or skills to be developed before and after debut.

The reason why variety talents were so much more abundant and stronger among idols from the 2nd (up till early 3rd gen) generation, was because of a necessity: K-pop wasn't really global yet, so for idols to do well they were far more dependent on Koreans and Korean fans being interested in them. Idols needed to be out there, to be seen and acknowledged by the Korean public, which meant attending all kinda variety shows, which were flooded with idols and often had idols as the main stars or the bulk of a show's cast.

Of course, to be remembered and loved by the public, it helped if an idol had a strong variety game going on, which meant that (some) K-pop companies took variety talents into account for their trainees, and after debut a lot of idols managed to train, grow and develop their variety skills by attending many variety shows and the interactions with other variety idols. The result was that idol variety and entertainment operated at a higher level in those years, and was strongly interwoven with many of the most popular Korean variety shows. Koreans - and K-pop fans - loved the chemistry and many interactions that idols of many different groups had with eachother.

Of course, now that K-pop has gone global, K-pop groups don't need the Korean public that much (if at all) anymore to have success, the need to attend Korean variety shows has decreased a lot as well as a result, and the same for the variety skills among idols.

On top of that, there's always a risk to get dragged into a scandal the more you're public and present in variety shows by what you do or say or who you talk with of the opposite gender - so why even take that risk if the potential benefit is marginal at best?

Better to just play it safe, and try to maximize profit by going for the international market.

last time I ever watched such a show was, when NU'EST still existed and Kim Jonghyeon (formerly JR) was cooking some instant ramen on screen while claiming he would be the "agyeo king" by presending how he emberases himself on TV

Quote from Lulu_Key

those were the good shows

bring them back

I remember watching hello baby with SHINee the good old times

Yeah, I don't think 4th gen has any real variety stars so far. Other than maybe Yena.

Like, I haven't seen an idol go viral for their variety skills since the 4th gen started.

I remember they used to go on Law of the Jungle, Real Men, We Got Married, or Return of Superman (the occasional idol still goes on here).

Now, they stick to those YouTube web variety shows, Knowing Brothers, and 1 Day 2 Nights, but they actually don't get that much attention for being funny or charming when going on these shows anymore. Only time they get attention now is if someone on Knowing Brothers says something controversial lol.

I remember Twice had multiple viral moments from variety shows, and Jennie basically blew up from appearing on Running Man.

Quote from bartkun

Honestly you are right

and maybe the best idea would be to create something like

First Date

nad mix things up in a way that they would put 6-8 idols in house together (just for filming)

and film something like Heart Signal

that would be cool to watch

or just drop two strangers on a date

to make it controversial make first couple

Irene and some younger rap star like BE'O or Big Naughty

then someone like Jessi who's outspoken and put there some older unmarried actor

bring back good old days!

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I want a Key variety show where he takes a different idol on a date very episode

He did one with BoA, but he was going out only with BoA

same format but different idols every episode

example

Quote from nana18

I remember watching hello baby with SHINee the good old times

that poor couple rich couple skit was the PEAK of idol variety show

Quote from bartkun

basically you want to see idols drinking and eating together lol

I was thinking more about something like this

which would make us all go oh and ah and 'cute' haha

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not really

They did some fun stuff together too

one date they just went to arcade and played arcade games together

another one they went motor boat writing

fishing

edge walking

they just did different fun things BoA usually never did alone

Quote from keyboardwarrior7

Yeah, I don't think 4th gen has any real variety stars so far. Other than maybe Yena.

There is, and it's her other twins, Yuqi.

But she is more well known in her China tho

Yujin is actually on rising through earth arcade

Quote from icyruios

Fans are cancelling their own BG faves for dancing with female dancers imagine if they got back to the We Got Married era

lesbian marriages?

4th gen: boring lifeless beings

hosts for these shows: made in cloning machine

fans who watch these lackluster shows: demonic

#truths

Because 3rd and 4th gen showed that elite level groups get there mostly through music -> touring -> reputation and revenue

Variety doesn’t really fit in to that model once you’re at a certain size. Sure it’ll help with a comeback but it just doesn’t scale well once you go to a global audience

On the controversy thing: you’re always at risk of controversy even being “good” at variety but not for being good at stage performance. It’s a better investment of your training time