Korea's brightest minds converge on university quiz show 'Elite League 2'

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Korea's brightest minds converge on university quiz show 'Elite League 2'

Published: 22 Nov. 2024, 14:43

A still from ″Elite League 2″ [COUPANG PLAY]

Coupang Play’s university quiz show "Elite League 2" has returned with sharper, more intellectual students, offering a preview of the nation’s promising future.

"The participants are in their early 20s, a time when their minds are at their sharpest," said screenwriter Kim Jeong-sun during an interview with reporters held Thursday at a cafe in southern Seoul.

"Watching them compete fills me with optimism about how bright Korea’s future will be."

Having premiered on Nov. 15, “Elite League 2” pits students from Korea’s leading universities, along with Korean students from prestigious American institutions, against each other in intellectually challenging games to determine the smartest university.

The first season of "Elite League" was released last November, earning popularity among university students and quiz show fanatics.

Producer Heo Beom-hoon and writer Kim Jeong-sun of Coupang Play's ″Elite League 2″ [COUPANG PLAY]

The priority was finding the best brains for the show to bring out its full potential, which was no easy task for the producers, according to producer Heo Beom-hoon.

“We conducted preliminary tests to select the top students from each university. Creating the test questions was challenging, as we had to develop them ourselves and frequently revised them to prevent leaks,” said Heo, who directed the first season.

Approximately 1,000 students participated in the recruitment tests, according to Heo.

"We believed the success of the show depended on the participants," Kim said. "That’s why we reviewed their interview videos multiple times and evaluated their past achievements and extracurricular activities."

A still from Coupang Play's ″Elite League 2″ [COUPANG PLAY]

Despite these difficulties, the production team focused on a single goal. “We only focused on finding the smartest students,” Heo said.

“We divided the challenges into three categories — calculation, reasoning and memory — and selected students who excelled in each area. Ultimately, the show’s charm lies in how passionately these participants approach the problems,” Kim said.

Kim previously worked on hit programs for tvN like "The Genius" (2013-2015) and tvN’s "Great Escape" (2018-), both of which featured celebrities finding clues and solving problems. "Elite League 2," however, features only recent college graduates, which Kim believes is the show’s defining characteristic and charm.

“The participants are not celebrities but talented individuals in their 20s with exceptionally sharp minds," Kim said. "Watching them focus intensely and solve problems is fascinating. That is the charm of this show. Even when they lose, they stay late into the night to analyze their mistakes, discuss what they could have done better and even consult rival teams for solutions.”

Participants hail from Korea’s top universities — Seoul National University, Kaist, Postech, Yonsei University and Korea University — and tackle a series of intellectually demanding challenges. The production staff took extra care to design the most brain-teasing missions for the brightest of the group, according to Heo.

MIT team from ″Elite League 2″ [COUPANG PLAY]

“The most time-consuming part of production was creating and and running them through simulations,” Heo said. “We brainstormed ideas, discarded unfit ones, adjusted rules and ran simulations over and over again to ensure there were no flaws. The production crew even split into teams to test and play the games themselves."

The production team also ensured the questions were engaging for viewers. “We included elements like chess and omok [also known as five in a row] to make the challenges relatable,” Kim said.

Certain challenges were upgraded versions of fan favorites from the first season. For example, the “Rock-Paper-Scissors Chess” death match between Korea University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in episode two was an upgraded version of a final-stage challenge from season one.

A still from Coupang Play's ″Elite League 2″ [COUPANG PLAY]

While Harvard made a surprise midseason entry during the last season, students from MIT and Oxford University appeared as new teams for this season. There were concerns about whether Korean students could compete on equal footing with such prestigious institutions.

"After working on both seasons, I realized how incredibly smart Korean students are. Since all the participants are from top-tier institutions, their abilities are very similar," Kim said.

Kim and Heo say "Elite League 2" will resonate with viewers and inspire them.

"Whether viewers studied extensively in the past or not, they will relate to the participants, as it will remind them of their own past academic struggles," Kim said.

“Watching how deeply the participants engage with the challenges motivated me. I think viewers will feel the same inspiration,” Heo added.

“Elite League 2” airs every Friday on Coupang Play.

BY WOO JI-WON [[email protected]]