'Whenever Possible' Roars Back, No. 1 in Tuesday's 20-49 Demo from the Premiere

"Whenever Possible" came out swinging in its Season 4 premiere, with Yoo Yeon-seok and Lee Je-hoon ― the '84-born duo ― powering through a three-stage mission and setting a winning tone from the jump.

The SBS ambush-style variety series, which surprises everyday people by dropping into the little gaps of their day with chances to win prizes, returned Tuesday (Dec. 16) and immediately topped its night. According to Nielsen Korea, the show posted a 1.4% rating in the key 20-49 demo, ranking No. 1 across all Tuesday programming. It peaked at 5.1% nationwide and 3.4% in the Seoul capital area, extending the franchise’s hot streak.

Hosts Yoo Jae-suk and Yoo Yeon-seok were joined by guest stars Lee Je-hoon and Pyo Ye-jin as they visited Gyeongbok High School and a specialty electric-guitar shop, turning quick pockets of time into textbook teamwork ― and big laughs.

"We're back after three months ― at this point, we really do pop up whenever possible," the hosts joked in the opening. The energy jumped another notch when Lee and Pyo arrived. With Yoo Yeon-seok and Lee Je-hoon both tied to the hit film "Architecture 101," Yoo Jae-suk playfully prodded, "Je-hoon, you were mad at him back then, right?" Lee fired back in character, "I cried a lot. After you dropped Suzy off, what were you even doing?" The easy, longtime-friends banter set the tone for the day.

First stop: the Gyeongbok High School basketball team, who applied to make one last memory before graduation. The opening "Shooting Challenge" called for a combined three points from the four players to clear Stage 1 ― which Lee Je-hoon nailed with a clean three-pointer on his first try, triggering chants of "Kim Do-gi! Kim Do-gi!" in a nod to his "Taxi Driver" lead. Despite Yoo Jae-suk rallying the squad ― "Let’s make a miracle here!" ― they burned through a bonus coupon and fell short in Stage 2. When strict rules meant even the prizes were off-limits, Lee burst out, channeling his drama persona, "Why not! I’ll pay for it!" sending everyone into hysterics.

In a surprise move, Yoo Jae-suk even suggested waiting in line at a buzzy restaurant ― a first for the show. Any awkwardness vanished as he turned the downtime into quick chats with passersby, flexing his status as Korea’s top host. On the bus ride, Yoo Jae-suk and Yoo Yeon-seok struck up a convo with a nearby rider and cracked, "We clearly look like we’re on the clock, while Je-hoon and Ye-jin look like a couple on a date," drawing more laughs.

Next up was an electric-guitar shop run by a husband-and-wife duo whose opposites-attract dynamic had everyone grinning. Their mission, "Sliding Pick," challenged the team to flick guitar picks with their fingers and land two in the goal zone. Yoo Yeon-seok and Lee Je-hoon ripped through Stages 1 and 2 in just three attempts, sending the store into a frenzy. "They’re on fire right now ― it’s chaos!" Pyo Ye-jin exclaimed. On the sixth try, Lee called his shot ― "Yeon-seok, I’m going in. Let’s make it legendary" ― and Yoo sealed Stage 3 with the closer. "Shout-out to everyone born in ’84!" Yoo cheered as the two celebrated their clutch finish.

With dopamine-spiking missions and A-plus chemistry, Yoo Jae-suk, Yoo Yeon-seok, Lee Je-hoon and Pyo Ye-jin lit the fuse on Season 4 in style.

"Whenever Possible" airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. KST on SBS.

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)