Top Three Programs of the Year: End of a Decade

From shocking celebrity scandals to massive corporate misconduct, 2019 has been a year full of ups and downs. The Korean entertainment industry, although profoundly affected by the incidents that occurred throughout the year, concluded the decade in a meaningful way. Presenting viewers with a panorama of joyous memories in the midst of numerous somber affairs, the three major Korean television broadcasting stations’ programs of the year yielded the audience to end the year on a happier note.

Baek Jongwon’s Alley Restaurant

At the 2019 SBS Entertainment Awards, the television broadcasting network presented its honorable “Program of the Year” award to Baek Jongwon’s Alley Restaurant. Despite being nominated along with strong competing programs such as My Ugly Duckling, Runningman, and Master in the House, the show achieved this excellence in programming, clearly indicating its status as one of the most loved shows in Korea. 

Since January 2018, entertainer Kim Seongjoo, actress Jo Boah, and Baek Jongwon, the star chef himself, have been responsible for fans’ Wednesday nights. Each week, the program shows the cast visiting alley restaurants all over the country; Baek Jongwon, a well-rounded chef, entertainer, and businessman, shares his opinion on the food served by the specific restaurant. Providing the owners with his own solutions to their problems through constructive criticism, recipe modifications, and giving a free promotional opportunity to appeal to the public on broadcast, the chef pours out his most genuine advice. 

Through the program, the production team aimed to bring the hidden, and mostly unknown, alley restaurants back to life and help out restaurant owners with their business. With actress Jung Insun performing as a trustworthy cast member after Jo Boah’s departure from the show, Baek Jongwon’s Alley Restaurant started off mediocre. However, the program consistently gained popularity throughout the years, leading to a steady increase in viewer rating. The show’s reputation continued to grow as the audience complimented the cast’s sincerity and especially Baek Jongwon’s efforts in supporting even more prosperity in the food industry. As a result, the program ended up receiving the honor of the “Program of the Year” award, signifying the impact it has left on the viewers as well as the physical restaurants after the airing.

I Live Alone

The “Variety Program of the Year” award was presented to I Live Alone once again at the 2019 MBC Entertainment Awards show. 

The show’s reality aspect seems to be a continuous feature that appeals to viewers, making it one of the country’s must-see variety hits. Showing the life of celebrities at work as well as in their most natural forms at home or having fun, I Live Alone continues to convey the idea that celebrities are human, an obvious fact that often times goes unnoticed.

The cast, consisting of MAMAMOO’s Hwasa, Henry, actor Sunghoon, actor Lee Sieon, cartoonist Kian84, comedienne Park Narae, and newly joined celebrity fashion stylist Han Hyeyeon, was flooded with joy at the night of the show, receiving eight awards in all from individual categories as well as team categories.

The members’ genuine congratulations message was presented to Daesang winner Park Narae, also known as I Live Alone’s main hostess, as she proved her efforts in presenting the public with joy to come true with her final trophy. Marking her historical accomplishments from the “Rookie Award for Music/Talk Show” in 2015, “Excellence Award for Variety” in 2016, “Top Excellence Award for Variety” in 2017, “Best Entertainer Award” in 2018, and finally the “Daesang” in 2019, she made the ceremony night unforgettable to both her loved ones and her fellow I Live Alone family.

(Check out this article dedicated to the reality show if you want to find out more about MBC’s “Variety Program of the Year!”)

The Return of Superman

Breaking 1 Night 2 Days’ streak of receiving this award, the dads of The Return of Superman received the “Viewer’s Choice Best Program” award presented at the 2019 KBS Entertainment Awards. 

Highlighting the lives of celebrity dads looking after their children, the reality depicts the clumsy side of the fathers who turn into professionals after getting accustomed to babysitting. The program shows the difficult reality of working parents balancing their jobs with child care, but also plants motivation and hope in working parents all over the world to power through their lives, creating a window in which viewers feel compassion for the celebrity dads on screen.

Many of the superman families from the show appeared at the award ceremony, shaking the hearts of stars, audience members, and viewers alike. Moon Heejun, comedian Sam Hammington, announcer Do Kyungwan, and singer Hong Kyungmin all arrived at the ceremony with their children. Moon Heejun had daughters Jamjam, or Heeyul, who showed up on stage in her father's arms while Sam Hammington's lovely sons William and Bentley walked alongside their dad, effortlessly showing off their sweet smiles at the photo zone. Do Kyungwan's younger daughter Hayoung was also in attendance while his charming son Yeonwoo collaborated with William to prepare a special performance, cheering on their dads so that they could receive each of their nominated awards with the children's support. Hong Kyungmin and his cute daughter Rawon also achieved the honor of receiving the grand program award with their fellow castmates! Soccer player Park Jooho appeared on stage alone as his beautiful children Naeun and Geonhoo were unfortunately not present at the ceremony itself; however, the athlete communicated his excitement for his soon-to-be-born child, receiving congratulations from many stars and fans present at the site. 

Overall, the entertainment award shows were definitely a good wrap-up of the variety of entertainment shows that have provided the public with many good laughs as well as words of comfort. Congratulations to the three shows, all of their cast members, and production teams that have worked hard to receive the program honor at Korea’s major entertainment shows!