From left, Choi Woo-shik, Jung Yu-mi and Park Seo-jun walk through heavy snow in Daegu while looking for a place to stay in tvN’s “Unplanned Trip: Limited Edition.” Courtesy of tvN
No advance planning, no phones, and just enough money to get by — just celebritiesleft clueless about where they are headed, where they will sleep and how they will travel the next day. The rules make traveling painfully difficult, but they also allow genuine experiences to come through on screen.
Choi Woo-shik pleads with the production crew for help after failing to pack underwear for his impromptu trip in tvN’s “Unplanned Trip: Limited Edition.” Courtesy of tvN
“Unplanned Trip: Limited Edition” is producer Na Yung-suk’s latest return to the unscripted comedy format, almost a decade after the original “Unplanned Trip” series set in Peru, Laos, Iceland and Africa between 2014 and 2016.
The show premiered on May 3 on tvN, opening with the series’ long-standing tradition of “kidnapping” celebrities. Jung Yu-mi, Park Seo-jun and Choi Woo-shik, while livestreaming on YouTube, are suddenly forced into an impromptu domestic trip and a set of rules: Their phones are confiscated, each person receives a daily budget of 100,000 won ($67) and they must travel to a different city every day.
Throughout the trip, the celebrities face one unforeseen event after another. After spending half their daily budget, the three take the train to Daegu, only to find themselves struggling through the heaviest snowfall in 25 years, their clothes soaked as they wander the streets looking for a place to spend the night.
The seemingly dire moments deliver unexpected bursts of laughter., such as when Choi desperately searches for new underwear at a convenience store with only 4,000 won left in their purse.
The trip is not all suffering, either. Moments like stumbling on a "pungmul" farmer's band playing traditional instruments in an alley and the warmth of an old neighborhood restaurant all soften the exhaustion of unplanned travel and bring a sense of enjoyment and adventure.
Yoo Jae-suk, right, and Jee Seok-jin search for a restaurant serving schnitzel in the web variety show “Punghyanggo 2,” released on YouTube earlier this year. Captured from YouTube channel DdeunDdeun
It's not the only series to use the format. Earlier this year, the YouTube variety show “Punghyanggo 2” became a hit by sending cast members on a trip with no reservations and no fixed plan. Its first episode drew 11 million views.
Source: Korea Times News
