tvN ‘You Quiz on the Block’
tvN ‘You Quiz on the Block’ is earning viewers' praise with stories that embody the theme ‘I Know Because I've Tried’.
In episode 321 of ‘You Quiz on the Block’ (directed by Gwak Cheong-A and Heo Gang-Seok; written by Lee Eon-Ju), which aired on the 3rd (Wed), guests included Eom Woo-bin, a special cleaner in his 20s; Professor Yoo Jae-seok, a cardiothoracic surgeon; Park Jong-seok, a psychiatrist who trades stocks; and actor Jung Kyung-ho, who shared cheerful yet candid stories. In particular, their accounts of life and understanding, drawn from their own experiences, offered heartfelt comfort to those who have gone through hard times and sparked warm empathy. That day, both the Seoul metropolitan area and nationwide household ratings, as well as the 2049 ratings targeted by tvN, ranked No. 1 in their time slot across cable and comprehensive programming channels, continuing the show's popularity. (Nielsen Korea, based on paid platforms)
tvN ‘You Quiz on the Block’
Actor Jung Kyung-ho spoke with sincerity about the worries and effort hidden behind professional characters that always seemed perfect. He said that during the filming of the drama ‘I'm Sorry, I Love You’, there was a time when he realized how lacking his acting was, to the point that even getting a single one-shot was difficult. Since then, he has continued the habit of carrying notebooks in which he hand-copied scripts as if they were essential items, steadily building his acting skills, drawing attention. His exceptional love of scripts was influenced not a little by his father, PD Jung Eul-Young, a star drama producer. At home there were more drama scripts than books, and from childhood he grew up imagining acting on his own through those scripts. Although PD Jung initially discouraged him from pursuing the path of an actor because it is tough, he now supports his sonwho has become a starmore than anyone. Jung Kyung-ho also moved viewers by sharing a candid fatherson story, saying that through on-site experience he finally came to understand the busy life of his father, which he had not understood as a child.
Psychiatrist Park Jong-seok, who once lost his entire fortune in stocks, laid bare his experience and drew viewers' empathy. He began with the story of going ‘all in’ with 300 million won using maxed-out leverage after being blinded by the thrill of his first profit, and went on to explain without concealment how stock addiction ultimately led him to lose both his entire assets and even his job. Comparing himself to successful friends, the inferiority complex he had long suppressed burst forth; he even reached a point where he considered an extreme choice. What held him back, however, were the words of a friend. Based on his experience, Dr. Park has since become a specialist in treating stock addiction in Korea, and conveyed his sincere hope that people suffering from stock addiction will not fall into the same danger, saying, “You need to cultivate the mindset that the best blue chip is ‘myself’.” Though it could have been a harrowing story, his frank confession elicited both laughter and empathy.
tvN ‘You Quiz on the Block’
Professor Yoo Jae-seok of cardiothoracic surgery, known as the real-life model for the character Kim Jun-wan in the drama ‘Hospital Playlist’, shared how he came to understand and help patients' loneliness. He drew interest by recalling his 2002 lung resection surgery and the story of sharing a room with a patient whom he suspected had transmitted pulmonary tuberculosis to him at the time. He said that the hardest thing while staying in an isolation ward was ‘loneliness’, and he warmed hearts with a story about arranging ‘someone to talk to’ for patients who had no family, based on his own experience. This episode was actually featured in the drama ‘Hospital Playlist’, leaving a deep impression. Professor Yoo also shared information on myocardial infarction that has recently been in the spotlight; regarding comedian Kim Soo-yong's ‘earlobe crease’, mentioned as one of the warning signs, he drew attention by stating his view that “it is hard to see it as a causal relationship.”
The story of Eom Woo-bin, a special cleaner in his 20s who has handled someone's last momentsfrom trash homes to scenes of lonely deaths, suicides, and natural disastersalso drew attention. He said he started working as a special cleaner because of debt and has received about 1,000 cleaning requests over the past five years, adding that cleaning the homes of peers around his own age who died alone felt particularly heartbreaking. He has worked in conditions where ‘cockroach rain’ fell and endured moments when the stench was overwhelming, but what tormented him even more, he said, was the attitude of people who acted without respect for the deceased. He also shared that he spent his school years as a social recluse and paradoxically felt more at ease in dirty spaces, showing deep understanding of young people living in trash-filled homes. He added that he sees his work not as a ‘specialized job’ but as a ‘special calling’, and that it has changed his outlook on life.
tvN ‘You Quiz on the Block’
Meanwhile, next week's broadcast is raising expectations with a lineup that includes Jeon Won-ju, a venerable entertainer with 62 years of acting and a master of investment; the brothers Lee Yu-Ju·Lee Jun-Myung, who swept first place at the most prestigious competition in the abacus community; Kim Hyun-ju, the granddaughter on her mother's side of an independence activist couple and the publisher of ‘Jessi's Diary’; and comedian Kim Soo-yong, who collapsed from acute myocardial infarction and returned from the brink of death. tvN ‘You Quiz on the Block’ airs every Wednesday at 8:45 p.m.
