This review may contain spoilers
A lot of hiking, Some major whining, and a whole lot of entertainment
Just finished Take A Hike. I don't really have anything new to add. The most difficult hikes were the start and the end. The reality show framed the reason for this production was to answer the question why do people hike. There were some funny responses, but overall they agreed there was an element of challenging oneself.What I liked the most:
1. The four celebrities they got were a good mix. I think they should add a woman to the mix as well. There certainly were a lot of women hiking these same mountains, and I think it would add an extra push to the group.
2. For the most part, the four celebrities were pretty real and genuine. If they were tired, you saw it, if they were mad, you heard the swearing. Shows can make celebrities look perfect, but this show definitely allowed them to show their human side. Because of that, it was much funnier than I thought it would be.
At the end they talked about what the next show would be. I enjoyed this enough, I would definitely watch another one.
Congrats to the all the production crew. Hiking up a mountain while also filming could not have been easy, but they did it perfectly.
After watching 8 episodes:
Overall, this was good. The star is Korea's beautiful mountainous regions. Each area they hiked has its own personality and flavor, so it keeps things interesting. There were definitely reasons these specific celebrities were selected.
Car the Garden - has to be one of South Korea's most loved celebrities; he had fans where ever they went; continually brought the funny to the series and is great to watch. A bit whiny, but it was also funny and entertaining.
Dowoon - another one of Korea's most popular celebrities as a member of the most popular rock/pop bands in the country; he represented the introvert contingency of the group as he was often quiet, but could explode with something funny that sent everyone into laughter; his expressions are priceless, never hiding anything and wears his heart on his sleeve. One of the best hikers in the group.
Lee Chae Min - definitely one of the hottest actors right now, and probably in great demand, it was nice they got him on board. I think he was especially useful in bringing the female viewship to the show. I would say he was the best hiker as he has athleticism and stamina for days and days. A power house on the trails.
Tarzzan - I was not familiar with him, probably because of his young age, but he brought a lot of entertainment to the show and was also very good at hiking.
All in all, I have enjoyed this more than I thought. One of the best scenes was the game when they were betting and kept losing. The producer just kept changing the rules. It was hilarious!! Chae Min gets caught cheating and then lies, and the producer makes him feel so guilty--like he was 5 years old and gets caught stealing candy. It was funny though.
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This review may contain spoilers
A Strong Case Against Hiking
So many variety shows feel like everyone arrived with a group assignment and a pre-decided personality. This one feels refreshingly unplanned. It’s basically four men subjecting themselves to freezing temperatures, physical suffering, and repeated disappointment, then reacting exactly how normal people would: by complaining the entire time.That’s what makes it so good. The chemistry feels completely unmanufactured. Nothing is polished, nothing is overly performative. It’s just raw, unfiltered bro energy and the ongoing question of why hiking exists at all, especially in sub-zero conditions. Honestly, where else are you going to find four guys stuck in a variety show that is genuinely bad at being a variety show? The games barely register. But the four of them are such peas in a pod that I stopped caring about the format entirely.
Car, the Garden, is particularly entertaining because he has the aura of a leader and the actual leadership style of someone being mildly inconvenienced against his will. He whines constantly, contributes to the collective misery, and yet still somehow gives off a real sense of responsibility. Which is also the general vibe of the group: deeply reluctant, visibly exhausted, but quietly very caring.
The one who snores choosing the living room. The fittest one slowing down so nobody gets left behind or outshined. The one willing to drive all those miles in his own car so everyone could travel more comfortably. The youngest inviting the others over for a home-cooked meal. None of it feels staged in that “look how wholesome we are” way. It just feels natural. I also still cannot believe Dowoon screamed “Christian Bale” as his answer for a luxury fashion brand. No notes. Perfect contestant. Terrible at trivia.
What I liked most is that this never tries to sell hiking as some life-changing spiritual experience. If anything, it presents it as cold, tiring, and frequently unnecessary. But watching four reluctant men persist through it with this much sincerity, mutual care, and complete confusion is weirdly charming. I still have no interest in hiking, but I would absolutely pick these four as travel buddies.
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AMAZING SHOW AND AMAZING CAST ❤️✨
I completely fell in love with the group, the synergy they have between the four of them, their charisma, humor, and personality. The show feels very human and natural, the music is fantastic, and the scenery is breathtaking. I can't complain about anything, it's well directed, it's entertaining, they are amazing! From Car the Garden, I can say that he's the one who made me laugh the most; his personality is unique and very real. As for Chae-min, I can only say that everything he does is perfect. As an actor, he's very good, but here he showed a super kind and friendly side without losing his charm. As for Dowoon, I found him super funny and entertaining whenever he spoke. Everything he said seemed so real, and he took good care of everyone with snacks and driving them around. And lastly, Tarzzan, I'm a DayOne and I watched this show because of him, he's my bias and I love him, his personality is charming, I love everything he does, but in the end I fell in love with the whole group!!! I'll end by saying WOW, the producers who were there recording are admirable, climbing those mountains with all the recording and sound equipment?! Amazing!Was this review helpful to you?
Reality
Car the garden, lets start therr bro is absolutely hilarous without even trying hard,bros existence itself is hilarous.lee chae min, bro is like yeah sure i hate hiking but guess what i am young and healthy.
tarzzan young fashionable his presence is a breeze
My most favorite yoon do woon never have i ever seen any of this program
Dude made me fall for him
He ain't main not super funny he is normal guy from busan his accent and the way the dude is just so real.
He knows he ain't like others.
but i think thats why i loved the show they are just men being men. And the handsomeness of diverse characters of men makes it even more better, how each of them goes through the same but is different yet real is admirable.
The episodes i watched where perfetto. Want see more of yoon do woon and car the garden.
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This review may contain spoilers
The number of boardwalks, bridges, railings, and stairs on the hikes up the mountains was mind-boggling. Those were definitely not wilderness hikes. And I was hoping to see more Korean scenery, along with less complaining by Korean men. What disappoints me is that the series seems unlikely to inspire anyone to give hiking a try. Hiking is one of my favorite activities. I love the beauty, the solitude, the fresh air, the stress relief, the chance to get moving and explore new worlds, and much much more. I feel that little of that came through in this series. Instead the four expressed no desire to hike again and only Tarzan, I think, came close to explaining why many people hike. Was this review helpful to you?
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Divertido programa y desafiante tema
Personalmente tengo interés por el senderismo, y he tenido la oportunidad de realizarlo algunas veces, aun así no sé la respuesta exacta a la pregunta que plantea el programa, pero sin duda pienso que vale la pena experimentar el senderismo al menos una vez.Mas que ser un plan divertido, es un plan desafiante, que puede llegar a gustar a ciertas personas.
No me hubiera imaginado antes que habría un programa de este tema y que disfrutaría verlo, pero me resulto muy divertido, la producción fue buena y las cuatro celebridades elegidas lograron tener una química fresca y entretenida, solo conocía a Car, the garden y Chaemin, pero este programa me hizo descubrir a Tarzzan y Dowon. Sin duda quien mas me hizo reír fue Dowon.
Ademas, quiero añadir que me encanto la banda sonora, al terminar el programa busque la playlist debido a que me gusta descubrir canciones o artistas nuevos, así que lo disfrute. También por supuesto escuche canciones de los artistas que protagonizaron el programa ya que no conocía sus canciones.
El programa no nos vende lo ideal de escalar, nos muestra la realidad, la dificultad, momentos divertidos y el compromiso de las personas que se plantean realizar este deporte. Disfrute verlo.
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