Variety in a Nutshell—2018 Entertainment Awards
Looking back at 2018, it’s been quite a year full of fun, especially in the entertainment industry.
With the new year rolling in, the three major Korean broadcasting networks held their respective annual entertainment awards. Let’s reflect back on the past year and take a look at all the entertainers recognized for their hard work!
2018 KBS Entertainment Awards
A lot of programs aired by KBS were loved by the public this past year. From The Return of Superman to Happy Together and Gag Concert, let’s admit, the television network provided the audience with a rollercoaster of emotions.
Out of the numerous awards, the rookie award holds a significant meaning to the winner for it is exclusively presented once throughout a celebrity’s whole career. Starting off with the rookie winner of the comedy category, comedians Kim Nina and Lee Seunghwan were rewarded for their effort in bringing everlasting laughter to the viewers of Gag Concert. Eric Nam and Lee Hanee took home the variety show rookie awards as part of the cast for their respective programs, Samcheong-dong Grandmother and Secrets of Wildlife. The lovely MC pair in charge of Music Bank, Kei and Choi Wonmyeong, won the rookie awards in the talk show category.
DJs have also been working to deliver messages and news behind the microphone. The radio DJ rookie award went to Yangpa for her contribution to Music Garden and AKMU’s Lee Soohyun for hosting Volume Up, while Jang Hangjun and Kim Jinsu from Mr. Radio jointly received the entertainment DJ award. Additionally, Park Eunyoung won the “DJ of the Year” award in return for her amazing hosting skills in FM March.
Taking a step back, The Return of Superman seems to have risen more in popularity this year, catching the attention of viewers with the children’s cuteness. As a result, the popularity award this year went to the children from The Return of Superman; the adorable children definitely warmed the hearts of viewers!
The “Hot Issue Variety Program” awards were presented for the outstanding performances of the following figures: Bae Jungnam in Where on Earth, Bong Taegyu on The Return of Superman, DIA’s Jung Chaeyeon in To.Jenny, and MAMAMOO’s Hwasa on Hyena on the Keyboard.
The long-awaited “Best Couple” award was given to two different pairs: Baek Okja and Kim Eonjoong from Mr. House Husband 2 and a male-male couple, Kim Junho and Kim Jongmin from 1 Night 2 Days.
Choi Yangrak and Paeng Hyunsook from Mr. House Husband 2, Yoon Siyoon from 1 Night 2 Days, and Kim Taejin from Entertainment Weekly won the “Best Entertainer” award while Hello Encounter received the “Best Teamwork” award. The producer award was given to Shin Hyunjoon, the MC of Entertainment Weekly.
The “Excellence Award” in the comedy area was presented to Park Sora and Song Jungeun from Gag Concert, while the “Talk and Show Excellence Award” was given to Sung Sikyung from Battle Trip and Jo Seho from Happy Together. The “Variety Excellence Award” made its way to Ko Jiyong from The Return of Superman and Kim Seunghyun from Mr. Household Husband 2.
Shin Bongsun and Kwon Jaekwan received the “Comedy Top Excellence Award” for their performance in Gag Concert as Kim Sook from Battle Trip and Moon Heejun from Immortal Song won the “Talk and Show Top Excellence Award.” The “Variety Top Excellence Award” went to Sam Hammington from The Return of Superman and Defconn from 1 Night 2 Days; the 1 Night 2 Days team received the honor of receiving the “Viewer’s Choice Best Program” Award once again.
With many more winners in diverse categories, the most anticipated Daesang award went to Lee Youngja, host of Hello Encounter and the only female candidate for the grand prize.
2018 SBS Entertainment Awards
The SBS award show consisted of amazing entertainers as well. Let’s take a look at the entertainers who won the honor of the awards.
The “New Star Award,” or “Rookie Award,” went to Lee Sangyoon from Master in the House and Kang Kyunghun from Flaming Youth. A fairly new award called the “Mobile Icon” honor was awarded to Jea and Cheetah from Strong My Way.
The “Best Couple” award went to Kim Jongkook and Hong Jinyoung, a widely known pair for their chemistry on shows like Running Man and My Ugly Duckling. Seungri, who has participated in various programs throughout the year, received the “Scene Stealer” award.
The “Best MCs” of the year were Kim Sook from Same Bed, Different Dreams 2 and Kim Sungjoo in Alley Restaurant. “Best Entertainers” were Koo Bonseung from Flaming Youth and Lim Wonhee, who built a distinct character through My Ugly Duckling. The “Best Challenger” award went to actress Jeon Hyebin, who experienced the severities of global warming through Law of the Jungle.
Running Man received the “Best Teamwork” award, and the show’s beloved member Lee Kwangsoo won the popularity award. Kim Jongkook, also a part of the show, received the “Producer Award” for his memorable performance. Carrying on the series of awards given to the cast of My Ugly Duckling, the program also won the “Program of the Year,” which brought joy to the team.
The “Excellence Awards” for Variety went to BTOB’s Yook Sungjae from Master in the House and Jo Boah from Alley Restaurant. “Talk and Show Award of Excellence” was given to Lee Sangmin from My Ugly Duckling and So Yihyun; the actress won the “Best Family” award along with her husband In Kyojin, which got the actor into tears once again. Running Man’s Jeon Somin won the “Top Excellence Variety Award” along with Yang Sehyung, who won the “Top Excellence Award for Talk and Show” for Master in the House.
The Daesang for the SBS Entertainment Awards show in 2018 made its way to Lee Seunggi for his appearance in Master in the House. The well-rounded entertainer paved his way back into the industry after completing his military term, making his presence clearer than ever in the entertainment field.
2018 MBC Entertainment Awards
The 2018 MBC Entertainment Awards was one of my personal favorite end-of-the-year variety award shows. The variety show, I Live Alone, was undeniably one of the most popular shows on MBC this year, which gave it the honor of winning “Variety Program of the Year.”
The “Rookie Award for Variety” went to MAMAMOO’s Hwasa, Wanna One’s Kang Daniel, and GAMST. The “New Star for Music and Talk” was revealed to be gugudan’s Mina, the host of Music Core and SEVENTEEN’s Seungkwan, who appeared in Unexpected Q. HIGHLIGHT’s Yang Yoseob, Ahn Youngmi, and Choi Wook received the rookie award in the radio category.
“Best Teamwork” went to Hungry Husband while the “Best MC” award was given to Kim Sungjoo for his skills as a host in The Masked Singer. Real Men 300 received the “Producer Award,” and Welcome, First Time in Korea? was given the “Special Award.”
The series of “Best Entertainer Awards” was given to the celebrities who filled our days with fun—Yuri and Shin Dongwook won “Best Entertainers” for Sitcom, Lee Sangmin received the “Best Entertainer Award” for the Music and Talk category, and for the Variety category, Sunghoon and Yoo Byungjae took the honor.
Kim Jaehwa, Kian 84, and Park Sungkwang received the “Excellence in Variety” while Kim Sohyun and Cha Taehyun got the “Excellence in Music and Talk,” and the “Excellence in Radio” was presented to Kim Jedong and Jung Sunhee.
The Manager team was definitely in for luck this awards show! Park Sungkwang received the “Best Couple” award with his manager Lim Song as Song Sungho (Lee Youngja’s manager), Kang Hyunsuk (Lee Seungyoon’s manager), Yoo Kyusun (Yoo Byungjae’s manager), and Lim Song were given the “Popularity Award.”
“Top Excellence in Variety” was given to Song Eunyi, Han Hyejin, Lee Sieon, and Cha Inpyo while Yoon Jongshin won the “Top Excellence in Music and Talk.” Kim Shinyoung received the “Top Excellence in Radio.”
The grand prize candidates, Lee Youngja, Kim Gura, Park Narae, and Jun Hyunmoo all received the “Entertainer of the Year” award. In the end, the grand prize went to Lee Youngja. Her great performance on The Manager set the trend in Korea, especially in food. Aside from her meokbang skills, the comedian’s traits as a considerate and understanding person appealed to the public, allowing her to rise to the top.
Behind the scenes, many screenwriters, producers, and staff joined in to craft the most meaningful and entertaining shows for the public. Let’s take a moment to thank every single staff out there who took the time and effort to present us with the best quality shows. Without your input, the entertainment industry would not have been shaped the way it is today. Kudos to everyone who got through the year, and we hope for only the best this new year!
Congratulations to all the winners, and we will look forward to the laughter you will bring this year!