New skating show has stars slipping
Comedian Kim Byung-man, left, and singer Son Dambi, prepare for the new reality show “Kiss and Cry,” which premiered Sunday on SBS, at a rink in Ilsan, Goyang, northwest of Seoul. [YONHAP]
Kim Yu-na’s participation on the judging panel of television’s newest reality competition show “Kiss & Cry” generated a great deal of pre-show buzz before its premiere on Sunday night but it already looks as though the show may already be slipping as it tries to compete in the already crowded field of reality TV programs.
With a cast of celebrities that includes singers Son Dambi and IU, comedian Kim Byung -man and the skating phenomenon, expectations for the show were high. Yet many of the selected stars never skated before and the two months they had to practice seemed too short to prepare them for the pressure of the kiss and cry area.
First to perform was Korean actress Lee Ah Hyun and her daughter, which in itself drew a lot of applause. But she performed simple maneuvers and failed to elicit any positive feedback from the judges.
“Personally, it was hard. For the past two months, nothing has stressed me out more than preparing for this performance. I just wanted to show my daughter I had the strength to do something different,” Lee said, her eyes filling with tears.
Next up was Crystal of F(x), who performed a tango on ice. With an ex-boxer father and an ex-gymnast mother, Crystal showed off her natural athleticism; her spiral was well received by Kim Yu-na and the other judges.
Crystal was followed by Korean national speed skatering team member Lee Kyu Hyuk, who received positive feedback from the judges. With his b-boy moves and a few spins and jumps, TVXQ’s U-Know Yunho received a round of applause from the audience and managed to receive the best score of the night - 35.3.
But the rest of the stars, including IU, Seo Jisuk and Son Dambi, did not live up to even minimum expectations.
IU, who said that she possesses no athletic genes, received positive feedback for a vocal performance of her debut song, “Good Day,” but her skating performance didn’t win her any new fans. The one positive comment she received was from Judge Ko Sung Hee, of the International Skating Union, who said, “I loved listening to you sing.”
The rest of the night went downhill, skating-wise. Seo Jisuk injected some humor into the show by dancing to “Sexy Night” and Son Dambi showed a new side of herself in her rendition of “Black Swan,” but did not have much to show in terms of skating technique.
The highlight of “Kiss & Cry” is likely to be watching the celebrity contestants improve over time but it will be difficult for them to display great skill in such a short time.
Netizens criticized the show, including one person who said, “This is just a slew of performances,” and another who wrote, “The show should have more things going for it, aside from Kim Yu-na.”
By Son Ae-seong [estyle@joongang.co.kr]
한글 관련 기사 [OSEN]
`김연아의 키스앤크라이` 첫방, 간판 예능으로 성공할까
SBS `일요일이 좋다, 김연아의 키스앤크라이`가 첫 방송을 시작했다.
22일 방송된 `김연아의 키스앤크라이` 첫 방송에서는 김병만, 유노윤호, 아이유, 손담비, 서지석, 이규혁, 박준금, 크리스탈, 이아현, 진지희 등 스타 10인이 세 달간 구슬땀을 흘리며 연습한 피겨 스케이팅을 선보이는 시간을 가졌다.
심사위원이자 MC로 모습을 드러낸 김연아 역시 밝은 얼굴로 시청자들에게 인사했다.
`키스앤크라이`는 피겨퀸 김연아가 자신의 이름을 걸고 처음으로 버라이어티에 도전하는 것이고 10인의 스타가 자신의 분야가 아닌 피겨스케이팅이라는 새로운 분야에 도전하는 모습을 볼 수 있다는 흥미로운 관람 포인트가 있는 프로그램이다.
여러모로 흥미거리가 가득한 이 프로그램이 시청률을 잡으며 일요일의 간판 예능 프로그램이 될 수 있을지는 커다른 관심사다.
일단 첫 방송에서는 스타 출연자들이 최선을 다해 준비한 무대로 흥미를 더했다. 친근한 스타들이 선보이는 피겨 스케이팅을 안방에서 볼 수 있다는 점은 더 없이 신선했고 김연아를 비롯한 김장훈 등의 심사평도 흥미를 더했다.
또 지금은 다소 미흡한 듯한 출연자들의 실력이 성장하는 모습을 보는 것도 프로그램의 또다른 재미가 될 것으로 기대된다.
하지만 이런 흥미로운 점이 시청률로 이어질 수 있을지는 미지수다. 동시간대 방송되는 MBC `우리들의 일밤-나는 가수다`가 뜨거운 인기와 화제를 모으고 있고 시간대는 다르지만 일부가 겹치는 KBS `해피선데이-1박 2일`의 인기 공세 또한 `키스앤크라이`가 시선을 잡는데 어려운 점으로 작용할 것이 분명하다.
이제 막 시작을 알린 `김연아의 키스앤크라이`가 어려운 상황 속에서도 시청자들의 사랑을 받는 프로그램으로 자리 잡을 수 있을지 귀추가 주목된다.
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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