By Yoon Hee Young, Lee Ki-hyun and Kim Yu-jin
Seoul

Photos = Yoon Hee Young
Video = Korea.net's official YouTube channel

"Friday, Prize Day" host Kim Minji puts on makeup before rehearsal.  

In a studio in the Sinchon-dong neighborhood of Seoul's Seodaemun-gu District, "Friday, Prize Day" host Kim Minji on June 18 had makeup put on to look like a grandmother for that week's episode on folktales. The intent was to mimic the Korean tradition of grandmothers telling old stories to their grandchildren. The program has seen a surging popularity thanks to the host's witty and creative costumes.

"The makeup artist and I discuss and decide the concept of the makeup," she said. "The most memorable costume was a ghost in an episode on Korean superstitions. The makeup was so realistic that the staff said they were reluctant to look at the monitor."

Rehearsal starts after makeup, after which the hosts familiarize themselves with the script.

Hosts and staff of a show do a rehearsal before the program's live airing.

"Tournament-K Hansik" is a competition in which Korean dishes must survive multiple rounds to become the winner.

Classifying Korean food into categories such as kimchi, meat, soups and stews, street food, banchan (side dishes) and noodles, the show crowns a weekly champion in a tournament format from the quarterfinals to the final.

The hosts are Korea.net staff writer Lee Hana and guest Sarah Mack from the U.S.

From the quarterfinal, live comments from international viewers participating in the show decide which items advance to the next round.

The unpredictability of item selection and the emergence of unexpected results are the program's strengths.

"In rehearsal, Sarah and I guess which food will go to the next round. But unexpected items often get the final, which is surprising," Lee said.

"The first episode was about kimchi, and I didn't expect oi sobagi (cucumber kimchi) to be so popular. I expected it to be eliminated in the quarterfinals but it faced baechu (cabbage) kimchi in the final."

"The Korean tteok (rice cake) episode was also impressive," Mack said. "I didn't consider honey-filled tteok a famous type of rice cake, but it turned out far more popular than expected."

The program just marked its eleventh episode and has seen the number of regular viewers increasing.

"I find it nice and feel grateful to see fans like Cassi Cute or PhPanda Forever coming to watch the show every week," Lee said.

The live show starts at 2 p.m. Korean Standard Time after rehearsal. The hosts communicate with viewers through live comments during the livestream.

The hosts must check their scripts, host and read the comments simultaneously, but they are more than up to the task. They seem like professionals with more than 10 years of live hosting experience, but Lee and Kim have been at it for under a year since Korea.net launched live programs in the second half of last year.

Kim said, "Messages of cheer and joy encourage me and make me more energetic during the show."

"Comments like 'It's so nice to learn about Korea this way,' 'I wish Minji could be my guide when I visit Korea' and 'I can see that Korea.net staff and Minji are working really hard' give me a sense of accomplishment." 

Seven to eight production staff including the camera crew, producer and writers are at the studio. They also serve as an audience to raise host morale.

Kim said, "Staff members give big reactions when shooting, which makes me more excited," adding, "They make me forget my loneliness since I have no cohost."

"Tournament-K Hansik" hosts Lee Hana and Sarah Mack take photos for thumbnails of the YouTube video of their show.

Host Kim Minji poses for thumbnails of her show.

Completion of the live show hardly means the work is over. The hosts must shoot trailers for the next episode and photos for thumbnails of the edited videoclips of each show.

The trailer for a show is released on Korea.net's official YouTube channel the week before the episode is shown.

hyyoon@korea.kr