Hani joins Baek's popular cooking show
Promotional poster for “The Three Kings of Baek Jong-won” Courtesy of SBS
By Kim Jae-heun
Idol singer Hani of girl band EXID will join the popular cooking show “The Three Kings of Baek Jong-won” as a host, as the series begins its new season Saturday.
The show has been hosted by three men ― restaurateur Baek Jong-won and comedians Lee Hwee-jae and Kim Jun-hyun, who are in their mid-30s to 50s. Hani, who is in her mid-20s, promises to reflect the opinions of the younger generation and women as the show invites chefs to compete in the studio.
“I don’t think there is a better job than this,” Hani said during the press meeting at SBS headquarters in Mok-dong, Seoul, Thursday. “I am thankful that I get to taste food made by top chefs on this show. I will express the view on behalf of the young generation and women.”
The singer is a well-known gourmand who has appeared in several television cooking series, including JTBC’s “Please Take Care of My Refrigerator.”
Producer Ahn Jae-chul agreed that the show needed a person to give a woman’s opinion about the food. Ahn said Hani’s bright personality and her love of eating made him choose her as the show’s fourth host.
The cooking show’s timeslot has moved from 11 p.m. Friday to 6:10 p.m. Saturday to revive the popularity of SBS’s weekend entertainment shows. But challenges remain. MBC’s “Infinite Challenge” has been topping the ratings for the past 11 years.
According to Nielson Korea, last Saturday, Infinite Challenge’s 17.4 percent of the audience maintained its No. 1 position ahead of “Immortal Songs” (12 percent) and “The Three Kings of Baek Jong-won” (8 percent).
“I am glad that our show’s air time has changed from almost midnight to early evening ― dinner time,” Baek said. “It was somewhat damaging to air a cooking show late at night for people who were fasting. I wouldn’t think I am competing with other popular TV shows airing at the same time. I am not a celebrity but a cook. I will only focus on introducing delicious food and how to eat it well.”
Baek rose to stardom after appearing on television cooking shows like “House Cook Master Baek” on tvN and “My Little Television” on MBC. The cook’s reality cooking show on SBS premiered last August and quickly topped other television programs airing at the same time.