Of all the KPop/KVariety stuff the thing I am the biggest fan of and have never given up watching is Weekly Idol. We just received news that it is effectively ending as the hosts are departing and the show format is changing.
https://www.soompi.com/2018/02/22/jung-hyung-don-defconn-leave-weekly-idol/
In the very beginning they thought it would just be a six episode show. They didn’t have guests and just used cheap CG to insert idols. Then they got guests. Then they somehow kept going for 7+ years to episode 345+.
In many ways the show reminds me a lot of ESPN’s PTI, which I originally intended for GeekNights to be based on. You have a really inexpensive setup, two great hosts, and most of all they have this homebrew feeling. You get the idea that a really close group of people make the show and they let the audience feel like a part of their little family with characters, traditions, relationships, and inside jokes.
The real magic of the show is just that it is so playful. They get a guest on the show and then they just have fun. Unlike other shows that treat idols with kid gloves, they will gently rib on them, depending on how well they know them. Yet, they will also treat them well, feeding them delicious food, surprise calling their bosses on the phone, or dunking their manager in cold water. They don’t care if they have a huge celebrity guest like BIGBANG or a group you’ve never heard of, they treat them all equally. They smashed IU over the head with a rubber hammer. They’ll give prizes to the staff when the idols fail to win them. They go where no other show dares.
What made this all possible are the hosts Jung Hyung Don and Defconn (DoniConi). Hyung Don is a pretty significant Korean celebrity/comedian hosting and appearing on may TV shows, including Infinite Challenge, the #1 show in Korea. He took a hiatus from work (including weekly idol) for about 1 year due to mental health issues, but he’s back now. That also marked the end of his time at Infninite Challenge, but he returned to Weekly Idol. He’s just such a loveable goof. I’m just happy any time I see him on TV.
Defconn is a really interesting guy. He looks like a big scary monster. He’s huge. He’s always wearing sunglasses even indoors, because his eyes are really hilariously tiny compared to his face. He’s also a great rapper. But despite his appearance and profession, he’s a big teddy bear. Just a really nice and friendly guy. On top of all that, he’s a huge nerd. He went to Twitch Con. There are some videos of him hanging with famous American streamers who didn’t know him. I saw him talking about the history of hip-hop and he brought his Asuka (evangelion) statue with him because that’s his waifu. He also is a member of the popular variety show 1 Night 2 Days, and has recently started his own YouTube Channel talking about everything from sneakers to food to video games (all in Korean tho).
I’m going to really miss the big white set of Weekly Idol. I’ll be saving an hour of my time ever week, but I’ll still be sad. How will I get to know new idol groups? How will we get to see new groups perform the random play dance or 2x speed dance? GFriend has a tradition of always appearing on the show for every comeback, what will they do now? I think this is really going to diminish a lot of my interest in KPop/KVariety as a whole, which is something I’ve been spending less and less time on recently anyway.
I’m really gonna miss this show. I don’t think anyone can really replace the hosts. The production team is also leaving.
If you watch one episode, watch this one with IU from all those years ago. It really shows the kind of heart and reality this show brought to an otherwise sterile idol culture.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EX12V6v7kzM