New Journey to the West
| New Journey to the West | |
|---|---|
 Official poster for Season 8 | |
| Hangul | 신서유기 |
| Genre | Variety show Travel documentary |
| Written by | Lee Woo-jung Choi Jae-young |
| Directed by |
|
| Starring | |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of seasons | 8 |
| No. of episodes | 64 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Production locations | |
| Running time | 5-10 minutes each video, 5 videos every release on Friday at 10 a.m. (KST) (Season 1) 80–90 minutes per episode (Season 1-8) |
| Original release | |
| Network | tvNgo broadcast via Naver TVCast (Season 1~2) tvN (Season 1–8) |
| Release | 8 April 2016 – 18 December 2020 |
| Korean name | |
| Hangul | 신서유기 |
|---|---|
| Hanja | 新西遊記 |
| Revised Romanization | Sinseoyugi |
| McCune–Reischauer | Sinsŏyugi |
New Journey to the West (Korean: 신서유기) is a South Korean travel-reality show that airs on tvN. This program started broadcasting on September 4, 2015 and has currently aired for 8 Seasons.
New Journey to the West's cast members are Kang Ho-dong, Lee Soo-geun, Eun Ji-won, Ahn Jae-hyun, Cho Kyu-hyun, Song Min-ho, and Pyo Ji-hoon. Inspired by the famous Chinese novel Journey to the West, in each season every cast member was dressed as a certain character and traveled to places on a mission to find mystical dragon balls. They must complete a task in order to receive dragon balls. If the members successfully gather seven dragon balls, their wishes would be granted. Over the years, this program has gained popularity and garnered high viewer ratings with its fresh ideas, fluid storyline, varying roles, and fun costumes.
History
[edit]New Journey to the West was first announced on 16 July 2015, with Na Young-seok as the chief director. The show's initial concept came from one of the original member, Lee Seung-gi, which was to travel with the other cast members and film all their activities. It was originally broadcast online via Naver TVCast and was the first project from “tvN Go,” a digital-content brand from cable channel tvN.
The show's first season reunites the former 2 Days & 1 Night Season 1 members Lee Seung-gi, Kang Ho-dong, Eun Ji-won and Lee Soo-geun. The four members each take one of the characters from the classic 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West as they go on a 5-days and 4 night backpacking trip through Xi'an, China, to play various games. The show was a success with over 42 million views on Naver TV Cast and 10 million views on Chinese portal site QQ.[1]
After gaining positive response on the first season, the second season of the show was filmed in Chengdu, which included a new cast member Ahn Jae-hyun (replacing Lee Seung-gi who left for military conscription). Aside from airing on online platforms, the show was aired on cable channel tvN.[2] It garnered over 100 million views in China.[3] The third season of the show, added boy band members Kyuhyun (Super Junior) and Mino (Winner), filmed in Guilin.[4][5] The fourth season of the show was filmed in Vietnam.[6] The fifth season was filmed in Hong Kong with a new member P.O (Block B), replacing Kyuhyun who could not participate due to his mandatory military service. Then, it is continuously followed with the sixth season that was filmed in Hokkaido. The show returns for the seventh season in October 2019, with a returning Cho Kyu-hyun and was set in South Korea. However, Ahn Jae-hyun did not participate in the seventh and eighth season due to his personal family issue.
Series overview
[edit]| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | Broadcast Time (KST) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | Network | ||||
| 1 | 23 | 4 September 2015 | 2 October 2015 | Naver TVCast | Friday 10:00 AM | |
| 2 | 8 April 2016 | 15 April 2016 | tvN | Friday 9:45 PM | ||
| 2 | 9 | 19 April 2016 | 14 June 2016 | Naver TVCast | Tuesday 10:00 AM | |
| 9 | 22 April 2016 | 17 June 2016 | tvN | Friday 9:45 PM | ||
| 2.5 | 7 | 5 January 2017 | 6 January 2017 | Naver TVCast | Thursday & Friday 10:00 AM | |
| 3 | 10 | 8 January 2017 | 12 March 2017 | tvN | Sunday 9:20 PM | |
| 4 | 11 | 13 June 2017 | 2 August 2017 | Tuesday 9:30 PM | ||
| 5 & 6 | 10 | 30 September 2018 | 2 December 2018 | Sunday 10:40 PM | ||
| 7 | 11 | 25 October 2019 | 3 January 2020 | Friday 9:10 PM | ||
| 8 | 11 | 9 October 2020 | 18 December 2020 | Friday 9:10 PM | ||
Cast
[edit]| Members | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | Season 2 | Season 3 | Season 4 | Season 5 | Season 6 | ||||
| Xi'an | Chengdu | Lijiang | Guilin | Xiamen | Hanoi, Hai Phong |
Sa Pa | Hong Kong | Hokkaido | |
| Kang Ho-dong | Zhu Bajie | Sun Wukong | Zhu Bajie | Sun Wukong | Zhu Bajie | Sun Wukong | Kaonashi (No-Face) |
Watermelon | |
| Lee Soo-geun | Sun Wukong | Monk Xuan Zhang | Sha Wujing | Master Roshi | Sha Wujing | Piccolo | Krillin | Chucky | Pear |
| Eun Ji-won （Sechs Kies） |
Sha Wujing | Sun Wukong | Monk Xuan Zhang | Bulma | Monk Xuan Zhang | Sun Wukong | Sha Wujing | Grim Reaper (Death Angel) |
Farmer |
| Kyuhyun （Super Junior） |
— | Sun Wukong | Zhu Bajie | Sha Wujing | Zhu Bajie | — | |||
| Song Mino （Winner） |
— | Sha Wujing | Bulma | Krillin | Piccolo | Virgin Female Ghost |
Grape | ||
| P.O （Block B） |
— | Dracula | Sprouts | ||||||
| Ahn Jae-hyun | — | Sha Wujing | Zhu Bajie | Monk Xuan Zhang | Master Roshi | Monk Xuan Zhang | Chinese Zombie | Peach | |
| Lee Seung-gi | Monk Xuan Zhang | — | |||||||
| Members | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 7 | Season 8 | ||||||
| Homecoming | Retro Special | Global Special | Cinema Special | Tale of Hengbu | Dragon King | ||
| Kang Ho-dong | Shin Myohan | Park Jin-young | Panda King | Choi Ik-hyun | Heungbu's son | Rock bream | |
| Lee Soo-geun | Knee-drop Guru | Lee Jung-hyun | Sugeuras | Na'vi | Gourd | Hijiki | |
| Eun Ji-won （Sechs Kies） |
Gandalf | Rain | Santa Claus | Elliott | Swallow | Dragon King | |
| Kyuhyun （Super Junior） |
Genie | Kang Joon-sang[a] | Statue of Liberty | Joker | Nolbu's wife | Black sea bream | |
| Song Mino （Winner） |
Radish Guru | Red Devil | Cleopatra | Jack Sparrow | Heungbu | Terrapin | |
| P.O （Block B） |
Cabbage Guru | Song Eun-chae[b] | Pharaoh | Olaf | Nolbu | Red sea bream | |
| Ahn Jae-hyun | — | ||||||
Story plot
[edit]Season 1
[edit]In Season 1, Lee Seung Gi plays Tang Sanzang (a Buddhist monk in the novel) who leads and worries constantly about the monsters hyungs (his co-cast members) who don't listen to him. Lee Soo Geun plays Sun Wukong a monkey character with the greatest sin, Eun Ji Won plays Sha Wujing (a celestial being) who is either immature or genius villain, and Kang Ho Dong plays Zhu Bajie (a pig character) with low brain power but great strength and appetite. Together, they take a journey to the west (Xi'an, China) while completing various missions to find seven dragon balls which can grant wishes for those who collect them.
Na Young Suk PD expressed, “The four are too familiar with each other, and they know what each other is thinking just from looking at each other's eyes. Everyone had a great and fun time during the 5 days four nights trip. We are working hard on the post-production at the moment, so that the viewers can experience the fun that we all had.”[7] Prior to the start of Season 2, tvN rebroadcast the online version of Season 1 to the TV by compiling it to two episodes on 8 and 15 April 2016.
Season 2 to 4
[edit]In Season 2 to 4, the show followed the similar concept as Season 1 as they travelled with new characters and new cast members to several parts of China and Vietnam to find the seven dragon balls.
In Season 2, Kang Ho-dong, Eun Ji-won and Lee Soo-geun with Ahn Jae-hyun (replacing Lee Seung-gi) travel to China (Chengdu and Lijiang). Each member takes on one of the characters as in Season 1 and played various games. The season started on 22 April and ended on 17 June 2016. Simultaneously, the show was also broadcast online via Naver TVCast between 19 April and 14 June 2016.
Season 2.5 consists of two new members (Mino and Kyuhyun) for familiarizing with the current members from Season 2.
In Season 3, Kang Ho-dong, Eun Ji-won, Lee Soo-geun, Ahn Jae-hyun, Mino and Kyuhyun travel to China (Guilin and Xiamen). New characters (Master Roshi and Bulma) were also introduced. The season started on 8 January and ended on 12 March 2017.
In Season 4, the show continued with the same members from Season 3 as the whole group takes a journey to Vietnam. The season started on 13 June and ended on 22 August 2017. With the new theme of "The apocalypse of Hell",[8] each member has his new character: Kang Ho-dong plays Zhu Bajie; Lee Soo-geun plays Piccolo; Eun Ji-won plays Sun Wukong; Ahn Jae-hyun plays monk Xuan Zhang; Kyuhyun plays Sha Wujing; and since Min-ho loses the Ping-pong competition and shaves his hair, he plays the character of Krillin. In Gangshi Game, members complete all the tasks in time, Mino accurately selects the gift buttons (luxury cars) after spinning 15 turns around. Instead of giving expensive cars, Na Young-suk PD promises to give them dragon balls and other rewards. Min-ho also receives a new nickname as Song Garak (Song finger).[9] In this Season, members successfully collect all seven dragon balls and receive their rewards from the production team. Na Young-suk PD promises to put "Kang's Kitchen" and "Youth Over Flowers" into schedule.[10]
Season 5, 6 and 6.5
[edit]In Season 5 and 6, new sets of characters and themes (Ghost Special and Season of Harvest) were introduced as the cast members traveled to Hong Kong and Hokkaido. As Kyuhyun started his military conscription, P.O joined in as a replacement and guest member.
In Season 5, they make a journey to Hong Kong (China) with a new theme of "Ghost Special or Horror Special".[11] In Season 6, members travelled to Hokkaido (Japan) with a new theme of "Geobong Geobong Geobong (Kyoho grape)". Then in Season 6.5, members return to Seoul (South Korea). They spend time together in a house and play different games to win the rewards. The season started on 30 September and ended on 2 December 2018. At the end of the show, the production team announced that "Kang's Kitchen 2" would return soon.
| Theme | Plot |
|---|---|
| Ghost Special | Each member has his new character: Kang Ho-dong plays Kaonashi (No-Face); Lee Soo-geun plays Chucky; Eun Ji-won plays Grim Reaper (Death Angel); Ahn Jae-hyun plays Chinese Zombie; Song Min-ho plays Virgin Female Ghost; and P.O plays as Dracula.[12][13] In the final mission, members did not receive the dragon balls as Lee Soo-geun and Song Min-ho failed fast changing of clothing challenge in a given time. Na Young-suk PD suddenly announces that Season 5 is over and Season 6 starts. |
| Season of Harvest | Each member dresses up as a fruit: Kang Ho-dong plays watermelon; Lee Soo-geun plays pear; Eun Ji-won plays farmer; Ahn Jae-hyun plays peach; Song Min-ho plays grape; and P.O plays sprout.[14] In this Season, members pair up as teams to play games. In the game, Lee Soo-geun becomes the "Golden Hand" since he picks out 2 super rewards out of 3 in a hundred options.[15] |
Season 7
[edit]In Season 7, Kang Ho-dong, Lee Soo-geun, Eun Ji-won, Song Mino, P.O, and a returning Cho Kyu-hyun travel around South Korea. The season started on 25 October 2019 and ended on 3 January 2020. In this season, the show was filmed in South Korea with the theme "Homecoming" and Na PD got the concept from the Spider-Man: Homecoming.
| Theme | Plot |
|---|---|
| Homecoming | The dragon balls have fallen into Mount Gyeryong of South Korea and each member will become a spiritual guru. The members played "Signal Quiz" as the character selection game. Kang Ho-dong plays Shin Myohan; Lee Soo-geun plays Knee-drop Guru; Eun Ji-won plays Gandalf; Cho Kyuhyun plays Genie of the Lamp; Song Mino plays Radish Guru and P.O plays as Cabbage Guru.[16] |
| Retro Special | The members played "Go Back Jump" as the character selection game. Kang Ho-dong plays Park Jin-young; Lee Soo-geun plays Lee Jung-hyun; Eun Ji-won plays Rain; Cho Kyuhyun plays Bae Yong-joon; Song Mino plays Red Devil and P.O plays as Im Soo-jung.[17] |
| Innocence Special | The Innocence Special was initially not able to be accomplished as the members won the Great Release of Dragon Balls games and ended the filming earlier. After Na PD revealed that the production team has previously agreed with the sponsor to have the members to appear on a costume parade in Yong-in for Halloween, the members agreed after Na PD provided a sumptuous breakfast for the members. Kang Ho-dong plays Papa Smurf; Lee Soo-geun plays Smurfette; Eun Ji-won plays Grouchy Smurf; Cho Kyuhyun plays Brainy Smurf; Song Mino plays Hefty Smurf and P.O plays as Vanity Smurf.[18] |
| Global Special | The members played "Classical Music Quiz" as the character selection game. Kang Ho-dong plays Panda; Lee Soo-geun plays Sugeuras; Eun Ji-won plays Santa Claus; Cho Kyuhyun plays Statue of Liberty; Song Mino plays Cleopatra and P.O plays as Pharaoh.[18] |
| Cinema Special | The members played "Guess the Movie" quiz as the character selection game. Kang Ho-dong plays Choi Ik-hyun; Lee Soo-geun plays Na'vi; Eun Ji-won plays Elliott; Cho Kyuhyun plays Joker; Song Mino plays Jack Sparrow and P.O plays Olaf.[19] |
Season 8
[edit]In Season 8, current members from Season 7 returned. The theme is based on Korean traditional fairytale and is being filmed in South Korea. The season started on 9 October 2020 (Hangeul Day)[20] and ended on 18 December 2020.
| Theme | Plot |
|---|---|
| Tale of Hengbu | The members played "Boom Boom game" as the character selection game for Tale of Hengbu, Kang Ho-dong plays Heungbu's son; Lee Soo-geun plays the gourd; Eun Ji-won plays the swallow; Cho Kyuhyun plays Nolbu's wife; Song Min-no plays Heungbu and P.O plays Nolbu.[20] |
| Dragon King and his friends | The members had an election on who will be the Dragon King and the elected Dragon King will decide on the remaining characters. Kang Ho-dong plays Rock bream; Lee Soo-geun plays the Hijiki; Eun Ji-won plays the Dragon King; Cho Kyuhyun plays Black sea bream; Song Min-no plays Terrapin and P.O plays Red sea bream.[21] |
Production
[edit]Season 1
[edit]This show reunites four former cast members of the golden age of KBS '2 Days & 1 Night' in Season 1. On 16 July 2015, tvN announced that Na Young Seok PD will show a new form of variety program in fall through internet contents called 'New Journey to The West'. The production crew stated, "We invested [in the show] as a new format that will broadcast on the internet instead of TV. Right now, we are considering recruiting Lee Soo Geun, and Eun Ji Won in addition to Kang Ho Dong and Lee Seung Gi. There will be no more additions after four members are confirmed."[22]
A CJ E&M official told Sports Chosun on 23 July 2015, ‘New Journey to the West’ is holding the first meeting of the members.[23] On 5 August, a source involved in broadcasting said that Lee Seung Gi, Kang Ho Dong, Lee Soo Geun, Eun Ji Won, and Na Young Suk leave for China on 6 August to begin filming. Which later revealed that they heading to Xi'an, a city in China, for 5 days filming.[24]
tvN announced on 18 August 2015 that "New Journey to the West" will be released exclusively through PC and mobile Naver TVCast in early September.[25] It marked this show as the first South Korean variety show created by a TV network, tvN, to be broadcast exclusively online.[26]
New Journey to the West production crew and members make their first official appearance through a press conference held at 63 Convention Center on the afternoon of 1 September 2015.[27] The press conference go live on Tuesday at 2 p.m. on Naver and V app at the same time.[28]
The show also streamed exclusively on Tencent's QQ.com in China, simultaneously with its run on South Korean portal website Naver. Seo Jang-Ho, the head of international sales and acquisitions at CJ E&M, said, "We are excited to introduce New Journey to the West to Chinese viewers through Tencent, one of the largest online platforms in the country. As the show is CJ E&M's highly anticipated digital content of the year, we hope for its successful reception in China.”[29]
In the show press conference, Director Na said that there was no step-by-step casting process. "It all just happened very naturally when Lee Seung-gi mentioned going on a trip with the old members over a casual dinner," Na explained. “We then talked about filming it, but because it would lack completeness as a TV show, we decided to use the Internet platform.”[30] Na stated that they wanted to make a program that is new in every ways, including genre and format. Providing busy businessmen and students with short break in the midst of their hectic daily routines. The concept about five new clips at once time release, with each clip to be about ten minutes long, make those who can't afford the time to watch all of the clips in order can just randomly pick whatever looks good for them.[31]
Episodes
[edit]Season 1
[edit]| Role | Member |
|---|---|
| Zhu Bajie | Kang Hodong |
| Monk Xuan Zhang | Lee Seunggi |
| Sun Wukong | Lee Soogeun |
| Sha Wujin | Eun Jiwon |
| Release Date | Episode | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 4 September 2015 | 1 | The Beginning of a Legend |
| 2 | Find the Monkey King, the greatest sinner | |
| 3 | New Journey to the West Game Instruction Manual | |
| 4 | Good Things to Know Before the Race | |
| 5 | Finally China! Monk Tang Sanzang Race - Part 1 | |
| 11 September 2015 | 6 | The winner is Lee Seung Gi anyway! Monk Tang Sanzang Race - Part 2 |
| 7 | Ho Dong does it too, part 1! Kang Ho Dong's first ever errand | |
| 8 | The Birth of Zhu Bajie | |
| 9 | First Dragon Ball Mission! What happened at DeFaChang?! | |
| 10 | Sleeping together after 5 years! Monsters’ First Night | |
| 18 September 2015 | 11 | Xi'an City Wall tour |
| 12 | Exploring The Terracotta Army | |
| 13 | Second Dragon Ball Mission | |
| 14 | A Trembling night with the massager! | |
| 15 | Who's responsible for the missing shoes?! | |
| 22 September 2015 | 11-1 (Special) | Time limit is 30 minutes! Dragon Ball Individual Mission! |
| 25 September 2015 | 16 | Culprit finally revealed! And breakfast at opposite extremes! |
| 17 | Relay Individual Mission! HoDong's desperate struggle with ATM machine! | |
| 18 | Extraordinary Mission! Look for KyungMo PD! | |
| 19 | Guess it right to eat! Who is this person? | |
| 29 September 2015 | Chuseok Special | Home Cooking Monk Lee |
| 2 October 2015 | 20 | Night of Wishes! Crazy guy Eun Ji Won's wish is? |
| 21 | Final Mission! Fate Up to HoDong! | |
| 22 | It's All Over But Let's Still Do One Quiz | |
| Final | Epilogue Made to Not Waste What Was Filmed (End) |
| Release Date | Episode |
|---|---|
| 8 April 2016 | 1 |
| 15 April 2016 | 2 |
Season 2
[edit]Destinations:China (Chengdu and Lijiang)
Episode 1(Highlights):- The new member Ahn jayeon joins the show and they chose the roles. They added the condition for the role Monk Xuan Zhang That he will have to shave his hair Aka Lee soogeun. After reaching china the crew dumps them after some time and told them to find their lodging with no money given. They mess up the ATM card and it gets blocked. And the crew gives them a second chance they win with the help of local fans who hand guides them to their Guest house.
| Role | 1st part Member | 2nd part Member |
|---|---|---|
| Zhu Bajie | Kang Hodong | Ahn Jaehyun |
| Monk Xuan Zhang | Lee Soogeun | Ahn Jaehyun > Eun Jiwon |
| Sun Wukong | Eun Jiwon | Kang Hodong |
| Sha Wujing | Ahn Jaehyun | Lee Soogeun |
| Release Date | Episode |
|---|---|
| 22 April 2016 | 1 |
| 29 April 2016 | 2 |
| 6 May 2016 | 3 |
| 13 May 2016 | 4 |
| 20 May 2016 | 5 |
| 27 May 2016 | 6 |
| 3 June 2016 | 7 |
| 10 June 2016 | 8 |
| 17 June 2016 | 9 |
Season 2.5
[edit]Season 2.5 consisted of 7 episode internet exclusive clips familiarizing the 2 new cast members, Cho Kyuhyun and Song Minho to the show among other things.
It aired on Naver TVCast between 5 and 6 January 2017.
Season 3
[edit]Destinations:China (Guilin and Xiamen)
| Role | 1st part Member | 2nd part Member |
|---|---|---|
| *new* Master Roshi | Lee Soogeun | Ahn Jaehyun |
| *new* Bulma | Eun Jiwon | Song Minho |
| Zhu Bajie | Kang Hodong | Cho Kyuhyun |
| Monk Xuan Zhang | Ahn Jaehyun | Eun Jiwon |
| Sun Wukong | Cho Kyuhyun | Kang Hodong |
| Sha Wujin | Song Minho | Lee Soogeun |
| Release Date | Episode |
|---|---|
| 8 January 2017 | 1 |
| 15 January 2017 | 2 |
| 22 January 2017 | 3 |
| 29 January 2017 | 4 |
| 5 February 2017 | 5 |
| 12 February 2017 | 6 |
| 19 February 2017 | 7 |
| 26 February 2017 | 8 |
| 5 March 2017 | 9 |
| 12 March 2017 | 10 |
Season 4
[edit]Destinations: Vietnam (Hanoi, Cat Ba, Hai Phong and Sa Pa). Theme: Hell's Apocalypse
| Role | 1st part Member | 2nd part member |
|---|---|---|
| *new* Piccolo | Lee Soogeun | Lee Soogeun > Song Minho |
| *new* Krillin | Song Minho | Song Minho > Lee Soogeun |
| Zhu Bajie | Kang Hodong | Cho Kyuhyun |
| Monk Xuan Zhang | Ahn Jaehyun | Ahn Jaehyun |
| Sun Wukong→*new* Goku | Eun Jiwon | Kang Hodong |
| Sha Wujin | Cho Kyuhyun | Eun Jiwon |
| Release Date | Episode | Recap |
|---|---|---|
| 13 June 2017 | 1
|
Arriving in Hanoi, Vietnam. Sun Wukong has evolve to become Goku |
| 20 June 2017 | 2
|
Arrival at the Army Hotel and Dragon Ball Games |
| 27 June 2017 | 3
|
Let's go to Cat Ba Island |
| 4 July 2017 | 4
|
Cat Ba Island: Cone Game and Guess Who Quiz |
| 11 July 2017 | 5
|
The city of water - Hai Phong and The first Worlds' Best Martial Arts Competition |
| 18 July 2017 | 6
|
Part 1 Ending, Dragon Ball Game |
| 25 July 2017 | 7
|
Part 2 Beginning, Murder mystery train to Sa Pa, Vietnam |
| 1 August 2017 | 8
|
Sa Pa: Dinner game and morning mission |
| 8 August 2017 | 9
|
Dormammu, I've come to Bargain Game |
| 15 August 2017 | 10
|
Part 2 Ending, Individual Dragon Ball Game |
| 22 August 2017 | 11
|
Director's Cut |
Season 5, 6 and 6.5
[edit]Destinations: Hong Kong, Hokkaido and South Korea
Theme:
- Season 5 (Ghost Special or Horror Special)
- Season 6 (Season of Harvest)
- Season 6.5 (3 Wise Meals A day)
| Character | Member | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hong Kong (Season 5) | Hokkaido (Season 6) | ||
| *new* Kaonashi | *new* Watermelon | Kang Hodong | Old Boys Team
|
| *new* Chucky | *new* Pear | Lee Soogeun | |
| *new* Grim Reaper | *new* Farmer | Eun Jiwon | |
| *new* Chinese Zombie | *new* Peach | Ahn Jaehyun | Young Boys Team
|
| *new* Virgin Female Ghost | *new* Grape | Song Minho | |
| *new* Dracula | *new* Sprouts | P.O | |
| Release Date | Episode | Recap |
|---|---|---|
| 30 September 2018 | 1 |
Character selection and Ghost Olympiad. Soogeun won HK$300 as he chose not to "reincarnate" after winning the Ghost Olympiad. |
| 7 October 2018 | 2 |
Arrive at Hong Kong (Day 1). Hodong won the first dragon ball for the team. |
| 14 October 2018 | 3 |
Hong Kong (Day 2). Jiwon & Minho won HK$1,000, Hodong & Soogeun won HK$500, Jaehyun & P.O won HK$100 from the music & front seat quiz. They went for a lunch spree with the money they won on the double-decker bus. |
| 21 October 2018 | 4 |
Hong Kong (Day 3 & 4). Kang Hodong won the second dragon ball for the team by correctly guessing 5 different brands of Korean ramen. |
| 28 October 2018 | 5 |
Hong Kong (Day 4). Soogeun and Minho failed in the fast changing of clothing challenge.
End of Season 5. |
| Release Date | Episode | Recap |
| 28 October 2018 | 5 S6 Ep 0 |
Start of Season 6.
|
| 4 November 2018 | 6 S6 Ep 1 |
Hokkaido (Day 1). Soogeun & Jiwon won 11,000円, Minho & P.O won 5,000円, Hodong & Jaehyun got nothing from the "Shout in Silence" game. They used the winning for their Day 2 breakfast. Hokkaido (Day 2). After breakfast, the cast had a movie quiz to get the best driver for the "Amazing Race" on a car. The final destination is at a sports park. |
| 11 November 2018 | 7 S6 Ep 2 |
Hokkaido (Day 2). Minho & P.O came in 1st place with 10 chances, Soogeun & Jiwon came in 2nd place with 5 chances and Hodong & Jaehyun came in last with 1 chance in drawing the big prize at the end of the "Amazing Race". Jiwon won the Iceland trip in the draw. They played the cone game for a single chance to draw a prize in individual format which Soogeun won. He won an Alaska cruise in the draw. The cast played in the "3 on 3 Zombie" with Soogeun, Jaehyun & Minho winning the game. They had the pork belly meal while the rest of the cast are temporary stayed in the loft. The morning mission (Protect the Specialties of the Hokkaido) is to hide and preserve the items given by the production staff. Hokkaido (Day 3). P.O is the only cast that won the morning mission and got to eat a sumptuous breakfast. Hodong, Jiwon & P.O won the abbreviation quiz and got to eat a special ramen lunch. |
| 18 November 2018 | 8 S6 Ep 3 |
Hokkaido (Day 3). The cast had a classical music quiz on the moving bus. Each cast member with the correct answer will alight the bus and return to the restaurant for a king pork rice bowl which will last for 30 minutes. South Korea (Day 1). Soogeun & Jiwon won several prizes in the Great lucky draw games. <Release of Dragon Ball> P.O & Hodong managed to win one dragon ball each but Minho did not manage to, thus ends the great release of dragon ball. Start of Season 6.5 3 Wise Meals A day special. Hodong selected P.O & Jiwon as team members while Soogeun paired up with Jaehyun & Minho. Hodong team arrived first at the final destination and get to eat a sumptuous lunch. |
| 25 November 2018 | 9 S6 Ep 4 |
South Korea (Day 1). <Individual Mission> Each cast was given an individual mission to perform and only Hodong manage to succeed. Hodong won the chance to buy something from the live home shopping channel. <Individual Game> Each cast was to select any TV channel and the one with the most people on the screen wins. Jaehyun won the game and has to leave early in the following morning to go fishing on a boat. <Team Mission> Each cast member had to buy something from the mall to make gimbap without any prior discussion. All the cast managed to buy some ingredients for the dinner. South Korea (Day 2). Jaehyun woke up early and left the apartment with Na PD to go fishing at Anmyeondo Island. Jaehyun did not manage to catch any fish but Na PD caught several webfoot octopus and cuttlefish. Jaehyun ended up buying six blue crabs from the market. <Final Great Release of Dragon Ball> Jiwon, P.O & Minho each won a dragon ball. The season ended after Jaehyun failed "kicking the jegi back and forth" game. |
| 2 December 2018 | 10 S6 Ep 5 |
Director's cut. |
Season 7
[edit]Destinations: South Korea. Theme: Homecoming, Retro Special, Innocence Special, Global Special & Cinema Special
|
|
|
|
|
| Release Date | Episode | Recap |
|---|---|---|
| 25 October 2019 | 1
|
Homecoming Day 1
|
| 1 November 2019 | 2
|
Day 2
|
| 8 November 2019 | 3
|
Retro Special
|
| 15 November 2019 | 4
|
|
| 22 November 2019 | 5
|
|
| 29 November 2019 | 6
|
Innocence Special
|
| 6 December 2019 | 7
|
Global Special
|
| 13 December 2019 | 8
|
|
| 20 December 2019 | 9
|
|
| 27 December 2019 | 10
|
Cinema Special
|
| 3 January 2020 | 11
|
|
Season 8
[edit]Destinations: South Korea. Theme: Once Upon a Time, Retreat for Team Building, Dragon King and his friends (Once Upon a Time in the Sea)
|
|
| Release Date | Episode | Recap |
|---|---|---|
| 9 October 2020 | 1
|
Tale of Hengbu Day 1 (Jirisan)
|
| 16 October 2020 | 2
|
|
Day 2
| ||
| 23 October 2020 | 3
|
|
Day 3
| ||
| 30 October 2020 | 4
|
|
Day 4
| ||
| 6 November 2020 | 5
|
Retreat for Team Building Day 1 (CJ ENM office & Yeongwol)
|
| 13 November 2020 | 6
|
|
Day 2
| ||
| 20 November 2020 | 7
|
|
| Dragon King and his friends Day 1 (Jeju island & Chujado)
| ||
| 27 November 2020 | 8
|
|
Day 2
| ||
| 4 December 2020 | 9
|
Day 3
|
| 11 December 2020 | 10
|
|
| 18 December 2020 | 11
|
|
Reception
[edit]In a survey done prior to the program's airing, 62.5% of the recipients knew about the new program, while 76.9% indicated that they would watch the program.[32] The first trailer of the show which was revealed on 25 August 2015 via Naver TVCast exceeded more than 1 million view in less than 24 hours and became a hot topic among netizen.[33]
The first five episodes, each spanning between five and ten minutes, were uploaded at 10 a.m. Five hours after it release, more than 50,000 people had subscribed to the channel on Naver's video streaming website TVCast, where the show is broadcast. The first episode has been viewed more than 700,000 times, with the five together recording a combined 2 million views. After 12 hours of its release, the five episodes almost hit 5 million views.[34]
It has received positive response from the public. The show's network tvN revealed that the first five episodes, released through Naver TV Cast recorded 6.1 million hits on the first day of its release. If the trailer and the video unveiled in production presentation are also included, the number adds up to 11.5 million views as of the morning of 5 September 2015.[35] In 3 days after its release, the first five episodes hit 8.7 million views and reach 14.4 million views altogether (including views for press conference and trailer clips).[36]
On 8 September 2015, 'New Journey the West' Season 1 has accumulated 15 million views on Naver TV Cast since its release. In the day of the second five episodes release, 11 September, the show already attracted more than 20 million combined views online with its trailer and first episode. It made "New Journey to the West" as the first online broadcast to reach the break-even point with only advertising revenues in South Korea. Executive of CJ E&M stated, “We are likely to reap the profits earlier-than-expected thanks to a surge in viewers. Online broadcast is emerging as a new cash cow with TV ad revenues declining.”[37][38]
It also received good responses in China. On 5 September 2015, 'New Journey to the West' first on QQ video real time chart, and fourth in overall QQ videos site. On 7 September, the first 5 episodes of this show already got more than 10 million views on QQ Video in China. The Second 5 episodes (episode 6-10) which released in following week, got 10 million just 2 days after its release.
Ratings
[edit]- In the ratings below, the highest rating for the show will be in red and the lowest rating for the show will be in blue.
- Note that the show airs on a cable channel (pay TV), which plays part in its slower uptake and relatively small audience share when compared to programs broadcast (FTA) on public networks such as KBS, SBS, MBC or EBS.
| Episode # | Broadcast Date | AGB Ratings (Nationwide) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 January 2017 | 3.618% |
| 2 | 15 January 2017 | 3.538% |
| 3 | 22 January 2017 | 3.619% |
| 4 | 29 January 2017 | 3.071% |
| 5 | 5 February 2017 | 3.529% |
| 6 | 12 February 2017 | 3.132% |
| 7 | 19 February 2017 | 3.540% |
| 8 | 26 February 2017 | 3.706% |
| 9 | 5 March 2017 | 3.355% |
| 10 | 12 March 2017 | 2.839% |
| Episode # | Broadcast Date | AGB Ratings (Nationwide) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 13 June 2017 | 3.299% |
| 2 | 20 June 2017 | 2.766% |
| 3 | 27 June 2017 | 3.534% |
| 4 | 4 July 2017 | 3.762% |
| 5 | 11 July 2017 | 3.244% |
| 6 | 18 July 2017 | 4.329% |
| 7 | 25 July 2017 | 3.474% |
| 8 | 1 August 2017 | 4.423% |
| 9 | 8 August 2017 | 4.624% |
| 10 | 15 August 2017 | 5.119% |
| 11 | 22 August 2017 | 3.921% |
|
New Journey to the West : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
New Journey to the West : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
New Journey to the West : South Korea viewers per episode (millions)
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Awards and nominations
[edit]| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | tvN10 Awards | Best Content Award, Variety | New Journey to the West | Won | [47] |
| Variety Icon | Nominated |
Spin-offs
[edit]| Year | Title | Cast | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Youth Over Flowers: Winner | Kim Jin-woo, Lee Seung-hoon, Mino, Kang Seung-yoon | tvN |
| 2017-2019 | Kang's Kitchen | Kang Ho-dong, Lee Soo-geun, Eun Ji-won, Ahn Jae-hyun, Cho Kyu-hyun, Mino, P.O | |
| 2019 | Three Meals in Iceland | Lee Soo-geun, Eun Ji-won | |
| 2019-2020 | The Ramyeonator | Kang Ho-dong | |
| 2020 | Mapo Hipster | Mino, P.O | |
| Three Meals for Four | Eun Ji-won, Lee Jai-jin, Kim Jae-duck, Jang Su-won | ||
| Lee's Kitchen | Lee Soo-geun | ||
| 2020-2021 | Things That Make Me Groove | Cho Kyu-hyun | |
| 2021 | Don't Look Back | You Hee-yeol, Eun Ji-won, Lee Jai-jin, Kim Jae-duck, Jang Su-won | |
| Spring Camp | Kang Ho-dong, Lee Soo-geun, Eun Ji-won, Ahn Jae-hyun, Cho Kyu-hyun, Mino, P.O | TVING | |
| The Game Caterers | Na Young-seok | tvN | |
| Mino's Pilot | Mino | ||
| The Sports Master Ahn Jae-hyun | Ahn Jae-hyun |
Notes
[edit]- ^ Character played by Bae Yong-joon in Winter Sonata
- ^ Character played by Im Soo-jung in I'm Sorry, I Love You
- ^ a b c The number of viewers was released on Nielsen starting January 2018.
References
[edit]- ^ "'New Journey to the West' becomes online sensation". Kpop Herald. 1 October 2015.
- ^ "Na's 'New Journey' kicks off today". Korea JoongAng Daily. 19 April 2016.
- ^ "tvN's 'New Journey to the West 2' draws 100 mln views in China". The Korea Herald. 11 May 2016.
- ^ "Kyuhyun, Song Min-ho join 'Journey' cast". Korea JoongAng Daily. 20 October 2016.
- ^ "Cast answer questions about 'New Journey to the West 3'". Kpop Herald. 5 January 2017.
- ^ "New Journey to the West stars promote Season 4". Toggle. 14 June 2017. Archived from the original on 13 March 2018.
- ^ "'New Journey To The West' drops first teaser". Kpopfighting. Archived from the original on 25 April 2016. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
- ^ "의 품격? 역대 가장 '막장' 가 온다". OhmyNews (in Korean). 14 June 2017. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 25 January 2019.
- ^ "[TV Watch] 'Seo Seo Ji-gi 4' Songmo Geography → Song Garak, Song Min Ho will kneel down on Na Young Seok". newsen (in Korean). 21 June 2017. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019.
- ^ "Shin Seok Yuki 4' Song Min-ho, 'Song Garak' eventually did "Kang Restaurant, Flower Youth"". munhwanews (in Korean). 19 July 2017. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019.
- ^ "'Shin Sungkyu-gi 5' has returned to the previous level of laughter (ft.P.O)". sportsseoul (in Korean). 1 October 2018. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019.
- ^ "'HOT HOT' Shin Seung Yuki season 5 popular rising". dtoday (in Korean). 4 October 2018. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019.
- ^ "Shin Seo-ji-gi 5', today's first .. Reason for Expected 3 # Kangho-nashi # Pio # Production costs for previous generations [Oh!". osen (in Korean). 30 September 2018. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019.
- ^ "Real adverture Journey to the West 6th story". gyotongn (in Korean). 5 November 2018. Archived from the original on 28 April 2019.
- ^ "[Seongyeong ②] 'Seo Jiu-ji 6' Pio, laugh hard drive of the funny rookie ... New Harvest". osen (in Korean). 3 December 2018. Archived from the original on 27 October 2019.
- ^ "'신서유기 7', 역시 금요일 밤 찢었다... 역대급 분장으로 역대급 웃음! (종합)". CJENM (in Korean). 26 October 2019. Archived from the original on 27 October 2019. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ "'신서유기7' 박진영부터 임수정까지, 레트로 특집 분장 공개". JoongAng (in Korean). 12 November 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- ^ a b "분장 맛집 '신서유기7', 스머프로 변신한 멤버들". JoongAng (in Korean). 6 December 2019. Retrieved 22 December 2019.
- ^ "'신서유기7' 송스패로우→올라표→조커…영화 속 캐릭터로 엔딩". JoongAng (in Korean). 27 December 2019. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
- ^ a b "'신서유기8-옛날옛적에' 대환장 비주멀…캐릭터 예고 공개". sports donga (in Korean). 26 September 2020. Archived from the original on 30 September 2020.
- ^ a b "'신서유기8' 고추 투척 떡볶이 먹방→해산물 분장 추자도 관광 리포팅[어제TV]". Newsen (in Korean). 21 November 2020.
- ^ "Kang Ho Dong & Lee Seung Gi coming up with a new variety program". StarN. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
- ^ "CJ E&M측 "'신서유기' 멤버 오늘 사적인 회동, 촬영은 안해". Sports Chosun (in Korean). Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2015.
- ^ "Kang Ho-dong, Lee Seung-gi to shoot new show in China". KoreanTimes. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
- ^ "'신서유기', 네이버 TV캐스트서 단독 공개…여행+게임쇼 접목 '기대↑'". StarN (in Korean). Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
- ^ "South Korean Variety Show 'New Journey to The West' Off to a Strong Start". koogle.tv. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
- ^ "'신서유기' 팀, 첫 공식석상 확정…1일 제작발표회 개최". OSEN (in Korean). Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2015.
- ^ "[V Report Plus] 'New Journey to the West' to go live on Tuesday". KpopHerald (in Korean). Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2015.
- ^ "'New Journey to the West' to be shown on Chinese portal". KoreaTimes (in Korean). Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
- ^ "Exploring a new frontier in content". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 18 November 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ "Kang Ho Dong & Lee Seung Gi coming up with new variety program 'New Journey To The West'". StarN. Archived from the original on 19 July 2019. Retrieved 3 September 2015.
- ^ "'New Journey To The West' variety program is already drawing much popularity prior to airing". KpopFighting. Archived from the original on 24 December 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2015.
- ^ "'New Journey To The West' reveals official poster featuring the main cast". dkpopnews. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 26 August 2015.
- ^ "'New Journey to the West' off to strong start". Kpopherald. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
- ^ "'New Journey' hits 6.1M viewers". Korea JongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
- ^ "[TV톡톡]'신서유기' 전.성.시.대! 공개 3일만에 870만 뷰…누적 1440만". OSEN (in Korean). Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2015.
- ^ "'New Journey to the West' paves way for Web entertainment". Kpopherald. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 9 September 2015.
- ^ "'New Journey to the West' exceeds 20 million views". KpopHerald. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Nielsen Korea Top 10 List for TV Programs". nielsenkorea (in Korean).
- ^ "AGB Nielsen Ratings Season 1" (in Korean) – via naver.
- ^ "AGB Nielsen Ratings Season 2" (in Korean) – via Daum.
- ^
"AGB Nielsen Ratings Season 3" (in Korean) – via naver.
"Season 3 Ratings" (in Korean) – via Daum. - ^
"AGB Nielsen Ratings Season 4" (in Korean) – via naver.
"Season 4 Ratings" (in Korean) – via Daum. - ^
"Season 5 Ratings" (in Korean) – via Daum.
"AGB Nielsen Ratings Season 5" (in Korean) – via naver.
"AGB Nielsen Ratings Season 6" (in Korean) – via naver.
"Season 6 Ratings" (in Korean) – via Daum. - ^
"AGB Nielsen Ratings Season 7" (in Korean) – via naver.
"Season 7 Ratings" (in Korean) – via Daum. - ^
"AGB Nielsen Ratings Season 8" (in Korean) – via naver.
"Season 8 Ratings" (in Korean) – via Daum. - ^ "2016 tvN10 Awards (Winners List)". KoreanDrama. 9 October 2016. Archived from the original on 1 April 2018. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
External links
[edit]- Official website for Season 1 (in Korean)
- Official website for Season 2 (in Korean)
- Official website for Season 3 (in Korean)
- Official website for Season 4 (in Korean)
- Official website for Season 5 (in Korean)
- Official website for Season 6 (in Korean)
- Official website for Season 7 (in Korean)
- Official website for Season 8 (in Korean)
- South Korean travel television series
- South Korean variety television shows
- Travel web series
- 2015 South Korean television series debuts
- 2015 web series debuts
- 2020s South Korean television series
- Korean-language television shows
- TvN (South Korean TV channel) original programming
- Naver TV original programming