On the September 1 episode of You Quiz on the Block, the legendary girl group Girl’s Generation reunited—finally—after four years since their last activities as eight. Viewers were regaled with new stories as the girls reminisced of their 14 years as the nation’s leading girl group. Now, if you’re looking for other outstanding episodes of the show, here are other personalities that have made Yoo Jaesuk and Jo Seho’s program a must-watch:
1. IU
The Nation’s Sweetheart is definitely a fixture in Korean contemporary pop culture – she’s a singer, she composes some of the songs, has a constant presence in ads and product endorsements, not to mentioned she has also acted on both television and even on film. But one thing she hasn’t done much is giving interviews, so much so that even if she had been involved in a number of scandals and controversies especially in the earlier years of her career, the public is still left wanting more, hoping to know her better.
So, it came as no surprise that her You Quiz on the Block guesting just in April this year to promote her album Lilac eventually became one of the show’s highest-rating episodes. She did not disappoint at all as she revealed quite a lot during the interview, including her struggles with self-hatred that she reflected in the songs she composed. As for her acting career, she admitted feeling a lot of commonalities with her character in the drama My Mister, which a lot of people considered too dark, although many were impressed with her performance.
2. Gong Yoo
When Gong Yoo went to You Quiz on the Block to talk about his film Seobok late last year, people were reminded why he continues to be one of the most well-loved personalities in Korean showbiz. Actually, he started off by claiming that he, as Gong Jichul (his birth name), is just a normal person whose personality doesn’t stand out and whose life is not as extraordinary as Gong Yoo the actor. He adds that this may be the reason that he likes being an actor – because he gets to play more exciting characters who are braver and get to do things that he may not have the courage to act on in real life.
The actor also commented on his co-star Lee Dongwook, who sent a snack and coffee truck to the location where the interview was conducted. He claimed that the Grim Reaper to his Goblin is a smart one who wanted to hit three birds (i.e., endearing himself to Gong Yoo and the two hosts) with one stone by sending the coffee truck. He further commented that his friend is a real fox, referring to Lee Dongwook’s role as gumiho (a mythical nine-tailed fox) in Tale of the Nine-Tailed.
Finally, Jo Seho also played a recording of Gong Yoo reading a Korean translation of Australian poet Erin Hanson’s Not, in relation to the episode’s theme of “How to Live.” If you still weren’t swooning at the man, the poem reading was definitely the final guarantee you will.
3. Ju Jihoon
Kingdom lead actor Ju Jihoon made sure no stone was unturned to make his guest appearance in You Quiz on the Block as memorable as possible. The guest wore a leather jumpsuit to the interview, leaving the two hosts in awe of their guest’s fashion statement, with Jo Seho left commenting, “Just wow.” The Princess Hours star is still somehow getting used to his newfound fame as the face of Netflix’s hit show Kingdom that when he was asked how it feels to be an international star, he answered “I feel bitter.” After everyone in the audience laughed, he corrected himself by saying that he actually meant he feels dazed about the experience of international stardom.
Netflix’s Kingdom is what the actor considers his second wind in his acting career. After experiencing a phenomenal rise to his popularity with his debut performance in Princess Hours, his career immediately took a blow after he was found guilty of drug use in 2009. After enlisting in the military and making moderately successful comebacks, his career experienced a major resurgence with the two Along With the Gods movies, followed by his role in Kingdom.
4. BTS
Of course, this list will not be complete without acknowledging the March 24, 2021 appearance of the world’s biggest musical group, BTS. After all, the show dedicated a full episode to feature the fabulous seven only, not dividing the show with other personalities like it usually does. The group revealed several details of their struggles when they started in the music business as they faced several obstacles, from shoddy treatment when they guested in variety shows to sharing one bedroom and one bathroom for seven people. Jimin even had a long-standing (albeit one-sided) feud with V about who gets to sleep on the upper deck of the bunk bed they shared.
A majority of ARMY may know BTS since DNA or Spring Day eras, but as far back as 2016, the group was still facing a number of challenges despite already slowly gaining an international following. Suga and Jungkook narrated that they were mistreated in variety shows, although they were not sure if those encounters were done in jest or if there was some sort of malice on them. In the 2016 Busan One Asia Festival, their live performance was eventually cut from the TV broadcast. Imagine if a TV station were to do this now? There would be protests in front of the TV station the same day for sure.
Who have been your favorite guests on You Quiz on the Block? We hope the show features more legendary interviews on future episodes.
