'Real Men 2' returns with more reality

Five celebrities, from left, actor Lim Won-hee, Jeong Kyeo-woon, Kim Young-chul, Sam Okyere and Lee Gyu-han, participating in MBC’s entertainment show “The Real Men 2” salute during the press conference at MBC headquarter in Sangam, Seoul, on March 6. / Courtesy of MBC

By Kim Jae-heun

Korea’s major broadcaster MBC started airing the second season of its entertainment program “The Real Men” Sunday, vowing to depict more realistic military life and drill experiences that were lacking in the first season.

The Real Men takes actors, singers and TV personalities to a subordinate unit of the Korean army, and lets them go through military drills for six days. First aired in April 2013, the program earned popularity for providing viewers a chance to experience what barracks life is like.

The program also aired a women’s army series as a special feature during the first season, which became the talk of the town as women don’t have an obligation to do military service and the pretty female entertainers washed off their makeup to join the troops.

The popularity of the female version of the show led "The Real Men" to continue for a second season, inviting new celebrities into army life.

“In season two, we have cast 11 celebrities to create more comical moments during training,“ said Kim Min-jong, the program’s producer. “In the first season, we had all seven members together at the same unit for the full 90-minute running time. I guess audiences quickly became bored with same celebrities going over the same routines over and over again.

The producer determined that the participants adjusting to daily army life too fast made the episodes mundane and contributed to a fall in ratings. “This season, we will divide the cast into different units and air each group separately,” said Kim.

The first episode of the second season was broadcast on Sunday and garnered a rating of 14.1 percent, which is slightly higher than the finale of the previous season.

The new participants have cut their hair to three centimeters long to follow military code.

“I never expected a television reality program to stick to the rules so strictly,” said actor Lim Won-hee, the oldest participant in the show. “All the cast were under control for 24 hours in the barracks just like real soldiers. I served my military service some 20 years ago. Many things have changed since then, but army life has always been hard.”

It is mandatory for all Korean men 19 years and older to serve 21 months in the military unless they suffer a serious illness or injury.

Entertainer Sam Okyere from Ghana, best known for his appearance in JTBC’s “Non-Summit,” volunteered to try the Korean military experience.

“Foreigners don’t have a chance to become a Korean solider. When Australian entertainer Sam Hammington joined the first season, I was quite jealous of him,” Okyere said. “The most unforgettable training was the chemical, biological and radiological hazards. I don’t want to experience it again ever. It was like hell.”