“Rented in Finland” is a variety show featuring city men Lee Je-hoon, Lee Dong-hwi, Kwak Dong-yeon, and Cha Eunwoo as they live in a rural Finnish village. The four men traveled for a full day to reach Lapland, Finland. The place they stay has no modern shower facilities, water supply, or gas installation. The outdoor toilet uses compost soil to break down waste instead of water.
Scenes where the cast members find themselves in “extreme situations” are familiar in variety shows. The production’s emphasis on how difficult it will be for the participants to adapt to this unfamiliar environment is also something viewers have seen many times before. The expected scenes after their difficult adjustment are ones where they enjoy the beauty of nature and rural life.
It’s hard to shake the feeling that “Rented in Finland” is a mix of elements from various other shows. The self-sufficiency aspect resembles the “Three Meals a Day” series, the gathering of young actors abroad is similar to the “Youth Over Flowers” series, and living in a small foreign town mirrors “Europe Outside Your Tent.” For viewers who have experienced similar shows, “Rented in Finland” doesn’t seem like a fresh, exciting program.
Despite gathering prominent stars like Lee Je-hoon, Lee Dong-hwi, Kwak Dong-yeon, and Cha Eunwoo, the viewer response has been lukewarm. The premiere episode had a 3.3% rating, but what’s more concerning is the low online viewership. The most-viewed video on the NaverTV “Rented in Finland” channel is the teaser, which hasn’t even reached 6,000 views. Many other videos have under 1,000 views. The same goes for YouTube, where related clips have around 4,000 to 8,000 views, indicating low interest.
The most talked-about part of “Rented in Finland” so far is Cha Eunwoo and his family’s visuals. In the first episode, Cha Eunwoo practices cooking in preparation for life in Finland, and viewers were intrigued by the appearance of his mother and younger sibling, who watch him. The video featuring Cha Eunwoo’s family has nearly 500,000 views on YouTube, significantly higher than the other clips.
“Rented in Finland” is a repetitive concept in travel variety, and if its strategy is to offer no differentiation from other shows, it might still be successful. With 10 episodes planned, it remains to be seen if the show will develop its unique flavor in the later episodes.
The post “Rented in Finland” Show Feels Tasteless, Cha Eunwoo’s Visual Is The Only Interesting Part appeared first on KBIZoOm. KBIZoOm – Breaking news about K-pop, K-drama, Anime/Manga and worldwide entertainment KBIZoOm – Breaking news about K-pop, K-drama, Anime/Manga and worldwide entertainment
