With approximately 4.7 billion cumulative views, tvN‘s ‘You Quiz on the Block’ is getting sassy.

‘You Quiz on the Block’ (abbreviated as ‘You Quiz’) is a program where the big self Yoo Jae-suk, the baby self Jo Se-ho, and the jagi-nim (‘You Quiz’s unique way of describing the cast) dive into the lives of the cast and have honest talks. It has maintained solid popularity for 7 years since its first broadcast in 2018. Experts from various fields, little-known professionals, and popular figures from various fields appear and naturally tell their stories. The series of visits by stars that are rarely seen in existing entertainment programs is also an unmissable attraction. Recently, stars such as G-Dragon, the icon of our times, Go Hyun-jung, who is rarely seen on variety shows, Hyun Bin, who appeared on a talk show for the first time in 13 years, Lee Min-ho, who appeared on his first talk show, and Song Hye-kyo, who appeared on a talk show for the first time in 23 years, have become the center of attention with deep stories that they have not shown on other programs.

The unique charm of ‘You Quiz’ that even stars visit without hesitation is the role of Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho. The combination of Yoo Jae-suk, who controls the overall flow of the talk and leads ‘You Quiz’ in a solid manner, and Jo Se-ho, who livens up the atmosphere with his signature witty questions, has become a solid force that supports ‘You Quiz’. The reason stars appear on ‘You Quiz’ with courage and are able to freely tell stories they could not before is thanks to the comfortable atmosphere that can only be found on the ‘You Quiz’ filming set. The production team explained that the differentiated atmosphere of ‘You Quiz’ created by the activities of veteran MC Yoo Jae-suk and licorice Jo Se-ho is the reason why it continues to be a popular talk show.


● Behind the comfortable talk, there were Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho! Even the stars‘ enthusiastic reviews

According to the production team, you can often find reviews from the stars. The stars unanimously said that they were able to enjoy the talk show comfortably thanks to Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho, even though it was an unfamiliar talk show after a long time. After appearing on ‘You Quiz’, Go Hyun-jung created a buzz by mentioning the production team’s deep consideration on her SNS and leaving a message of gratitude toward Yoo Jae-suk and Jo Se-ho. In a recent interview, Hyun Bin mentioned the two MCs who led him, saying, “I thought that my fans and those who were curious about my story would like it,” and Lee Je-hoon also said on his SNS, “Thank you for inviting Big Honey, Baby Honey, and all of you. I‘m also grateful to all of you who watched. He personally ‘ShoutOut’ (mentioned or cheered) ‘You Quiz’, saying, ”You Quiz is the best.“


There were quite a few stars who showed their affection by personally posting live broadcast comments after the recording of ‘You Quiz’. From G-Dragon to Lee Jung-jae, who posted videos of themselves watching the show live on their SNS, many stars have voluntarily transformed into promotional fairies, allowing us to get a glimpse of their affection for ‘You Quiz’. Actor Cha Seung-won was also reported to have left a text message to the production staff after the broadcast, saying, “It’s rewarding that the ratings are good,” saying that he enjoyed the show. Meanwhile, actor Choi Min-sik is known to have participated in the production staff‘s after-party after appearing on ‘You Quiz’, drawing attention.

Stars who haven’t appeared on a talk show for a long time can‘t help but be cautious about sharing their stories. Kim Woo-bin, who revealed his story of overcoming his illness on ‘You Quiz’, said in an interview, “I was a little worried because my every word on ‘You Quiz’ could hurt or hurt someone.”I was careful, but many people viewed it favorably, and I was so grateful that they said they gained strength thanks to it.” He also revealed the behind-the-scenes story of his appearance on ‘You Quiz’. Song Hye-kyo, who recently won the sympathy of viewers by revealing the story of Song Hye-kyo as a woman, actress, and human being for the first time on a broadcast, is said to have sent a heartwarming message to the writer of ‘You Quiz’ on SNS after the broadcast, saying, “Your mother liked it a lot too”.


● Casting after appearing on ‘You Quiz’? Viewership ratings and buzz are also a win-win effect

The meeting of ‘You Quiz’ and stars can lead to an unexpected ‘win-win effect”. Kim So-yeon became a hot topic when she mentioned ‘You Quiz’ as the reason she was cast in the drama ‘Quiet Sales’. Kim So-yeon said that she was cast because her appearance in ‘You Quiz’ resembled the character in the work. Jin Ki-joo also got cast in ‘Uncle Sam-sik’ after appearing in ‘You Quiz’, and Byun Yo-han, who appeared with her in ‘Uncle Sam-sik’, revealed this behind-the-scenes story.


‘You Quiz’ can also deliver warmth as unexpected connections and good stories are told. Kim Ok-ran, the director of ‘Love Food Truck’, who has provided warm meals for the past 20 years, was revealed to be actress Gong Hyo-jin’s mother, which also became a hot topic. After appearing on ‘You Quiz’ in January of last year, Gong Hyo-jin reappeared as a guest on the episode featuring her mother, Chairman Kim Ok-ran. Actress Yeom Jung-ah visited the Namhae bakery featured on ‘You Quiz’ and participated in the good deed by making shikhye herself, and the episode gained more meaning when it was aired on ‘Sister‘s Farm Delivery’.

The win-win effect that shined through ‘You Quiz’ is also leading to viewership ratings and buzz. All 49 episodes of ‘You Quiz’ from episodes 226 to 274 that aired in 2024 ranked first in the same time slot, including cable and comprehensive programming, based on target and household viewership ratings. The recently aired Song Hye-kyo episode broke its own record for 2049 target viewership ratings (nationwide/metropolitan area) among all ‘You Quiz’ broadcast in 2024, taking first place. (Nielsen Korea, based on paid platforms) In addition, videos related to ‘You Quiz’ have achieved approximately 4.7 billion cumulative views on YouTube.

It is also overwhelming in terms of topicality. Looking at the topicality index announced by Good Data Corporation Fundex by week, ‘You Quiz on the Block’ has been ranked in the TOP 10 in the non-drama category for 47 weeks, and has ranked 1st place 4 times. In addition, the cast of ‘You Quiz’ has been named in the TOP 10 in the non-drama cast topicality category a total of 53 times, and 17 of them have taken 1st place, being analyzed as the single program with the most 1st place in topicality among non-drama casts. (As of January to December 2024) Here, Jang Won-young of IVE, who appeared last week, rose to the top of the topicality list, kick-starting the unrivaled topicality of ‘You Quiz’ in 2025 as well.

Hong Se-young, Donga.com Reporter projecthong@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.