KOR
Immediately after its premiere on June 23, Mountain Bachelor Hero ranked fourth overall on Netflix's "Today's Top Series in South Korea" and claimed the No. 1 spot in the variety show category. Prior to this, its TV ratings also proved its popularity, recording a household rating of 5% and a peak-minute rating of 6.5% (based on Nielsen Korea in the metropolitan area). Furthermore, it secured the No. 1 spot among Tuesday variety shows with a 1.3% rating in the target 20-49 demographic, a key indicator of buzzworthiness. The show also proved its potential for a massive jackpot in the digital market, with its pre-release teaser video surpassing 1 million views before the broadcast and ranking No. 1 in Naver TV clip views.
Unveiled on June 23, Mountain Bachelor Hero captures the natural daily lives of host LIM YOUNGWOONG and his close friends under the motto of an "unplanned, pollution-free life" where they escape complex civilization and enjoy the mountains by instinct. Transforming into the host of the mountain house, LIM YOUNGWOONG welcomed his close friends—comedian Heo Kyung-hwan, actor Hyun Bong-sik, and singer ZO ZAZZ—to spend an unfiltered day together.
On this day's broadcast, LIM YOUNGWOONG's adorable pet dog, "Siwol," made an appearance and played the role of the perfect mascot. Seeing this, Heo Kyung-hwan drew laughter by showing a cute wariness toward Siwol, saying, "A rival for my screen time has appeared." Meanwhile, actor Hyun Bong-sik, known for his intense visuals, brought big laughs by revealing an unexpectedly delicate charm—having a sun allergy, contrary to his tough appearance. Stepping down briefly from his glamorous "Hero" persona on stage, LIM YOUNGWOONG exuded the unpretentious and down-to-earth charm of "human LIM YOUNGWOONG" amidst his harmless chemistry with his friends.
In particular, the deep conversation portrayed at the end of the broadcast left a heavy resonance with viewers. Sitting across from ZO ZAZZ in front of a campfire, LIM YOUNGWOONG calmly opened up about his long-held musical concerns, saying, "To be honest, although fans love my songs, I don't think of myself as a singer with a hit song of my own." He then honestly confessed, "I was vaguely curious about how you felt, hyung. I wanted to hear it from you and feel that emotion," raising anticipation for the next episode.
Amidst a flood of provocative, dopamine-inducing variety shows, their comfortable chemistry blending with nature is being praised for showcasing the true essence of a differentiated "healing variety show." The pollution-free charm of Mountain Bachelor Hero airs every Tuesday at 9:00 PM KST.
Reporter Kang Sun-ae sakang@sbs.co.kr
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.