If you enjoy watching Korean celebrities leave their glamorous lives behind and struggle through mountains, wilderness and unexpected challenges, Netflix’s new reality series Take a Hike may be exactly the kind of show to add to your watchlist.
The series takes four celebrities who have little or no interest in hiking and sends them into Korea’s snow-covered mountains during winter. Instead of presenting hiking as a peaceful sightseeing trip, the program turns the journey itself into the challenge.
Created by veteran variety producers Na Young-suk and Park Hyun-yong, Take a Hike follows Car, the garden, DAY6 drummer Dowoon, actor Lee Chae-min and singer Tarzzan of AllDay Project as they take on demanding winter treks. Netflix describes them as celebrity hiking newcomers attempting to understand why people willingly go into the mountains.
What makes the concept particularly entertaining is that the cast is not pretending to be a group of experienced adventurers.
They complain. They get tired. They question the point of hiking. And that is precisely what the producers wanted.
At a press conference in Seoul, Na explained that the show was designed around genuine reactions rather than the traditional variety-show formula in which celebrities dramatically overcome a challenge and celebrate at the summit.
For viewers who finish Take a Hike and immediately want another Korean adventure series, there are plenty of options.
Take a Hike
The obvious starting point is Take a Hike itself.
The series puts four reluctant hikers into harsh winter conditions as they attempt to climb snow-covered Korean mountains. The show combines travel, physical endurance and the spontaneous comedy that comes from forcing people with very different personalities to depend on one another.
The unusual casting is part of its appeal. Lee Chae-min brings a more polished actor persona, while Dowoon has comparatively limited variety-show experience. Tarzzan is pushed into a leadership role, while Car, the garden becomes the group’s older but reluctant member.
According to the producers, the goal was to discover new variety personalities rather than simply rely on established comedy stars.
Where to watch: Netflix.
Three Idiots in Kenya
If you want adventure with significantly more chaos, Three Idiots in Kenya takes the concept outside Korea.
The series brings together Lee Soo-geun, Eun Ji-won and Kyuhyun for an unscripted journey through Kenya.
Instead of focusing exclusively on hiking, the program combines travel, games, missions and unpredictable situations. The personalities of the three veteran entertainers become just as important as the locations they visit.
It is a good choice for viewers who enjoy the comedy and group chemistry of Korean variety shows but want a much bigger travel backdrop.
Where to watch: Netflix.
Bros on Foot
Bros on Foot offers another combination of celebrity travel and physical endurance.
Ha Jung-woo, Ju Ji-hoon, Choi Min-ho and Yeo Jin-goo travel through New Zealand’s South Island while completing demanding walking and hiking missions.
But there is an added incentive: the missions help them earn travel vouchers for young people in South Korea.
The result is a show that mixes beautiful scenery with physical challenges and the chemistry of four actors who are accustomed to seeing each other on screen rather than struggling through long outdoor missions together.
Where to watch: Prime Video.
Once in a Lifetime in Kilimanjaro
For viewers who want something considerably more demanding, Once in a Lifetime in Kilimanjaro takes its cast to one of Africa’s most famous mountains.
Yoon Eun-hye, Uee, Son Ho-jun and Hyojung undertake a high-altitude expedition to Mount Kilimanjaro, whose summit reaches 5,895 metres.
The series focuses on preparation, physical exhaustion and teamwork as the cast deals with the realities of a multi-day high-altitude climb.
Unlike a simple celebrity travel program, the expedition puts genuine physical demands on the participants, making it one of the more serious adventure options on the list.
Siren: Survive the Island
If hiking alone isn’t enough, Siren: Survive the Island takes Korean reality television into full survival-competition territory.
The Netflix series brings together 24 women from demanding professions and divides them into six teams, including firefighters, police officers, military personnel, bodyguards, stunt performers and athletes.
Instead of simply trying to reach a mountain summit, contestants compete in tactical challenges involving physical strength, strategy and control of their bases on a remote island.
The result is considerably more competitive and intense than Take a Hike, making it a natural next choice for viewers who prefer survival challenges over travel comedy.
New Journey to the West
For those who enjoy the comedy side of Take a Hike more than the actual hiking, New Journey to the West is another Korean variety classic worth exploring.
The series combines travel with games, costumes, missions and penalties. Cast members travel to different locations while competing in challenges, with failures potentially affecting everything from meals to sleeping arrangements.
Its emphasis on group chemistry and unpredictable penalties helped establish a formula that influenced later Korean travel-variety programs.
Where to watch: WeTV.
Law of the Jungle
For something closer to traditional survival television, Law of the Jungle is a major title to consider.
The long-running Korean series placed celebrities in remote environments where they had to deal with basic survival tasks such as finding food, securing water and building shelter.
Led by comedian Kim Byung-man with rotating casts of actors, singers and other entertainers, the program became known for putting celebrities into environments far removed from their normal lives.
Why Korean adventure reality shows are having a moment
The appeal of these programs goes beyond spectacular scenery.
Korean variety television has increasingly found entertainment in putting familiar celebrities into situations where their polished public images disappear.
That is exactly what makes Take a Hike different.
The stars are not playing fictional characters. They are not competing for a scripted drama ending. They are simply exhausted, cold, uncomfortable and trying to figure out how to get through the next part of the journey.
Korea.net noted that Take a Hike was deliberately built around people who had little interest in hiking, with producers hoping that sharing a difficult experience would help the participants bond.
That approach also explains why the series can appeal to viewers who normally have no interest in hiking.
You do not necessarily have to love mountains to enjoy watching four celebrities ask the very same question many viewers might be asking:
Why would anyone voluntarily do this?
And that may be the secret behind Take a Hike’s appeal.
The bottom line
From snow-covered Korean peaks and New Zealand trails to Mount Kilimanjaro and remote survival islands, Korean reality television has turned adventure into a powerful entertainment formula.
If Take a Hike leaves you wanting more, Siren: Survive the Island is the pick for high-stakes competition, Bros on Foot for travel and celebrity chemistry, Once in a Lifetime in Kilimanjaro for serious mountain adventure, and New Journey to the West for pure variety-show chaos.
The common thread is simple: put celebrities somewhere uncomfortable, take away the usual comforts and let their real personalities emerge.
And sometimes, the funniest part is watching them wonder why they agreed to go in the first place.
WWC ONE MEDIA J.M.D
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