The beloved Korean pop songs of the 1990s made a dazzling comeback on MBC’s Hangout with Yoo, filling living rooms with deep nostalgia and plenty of laughs.
On the episode that aired on the 10th, Yoo Jae-suk, Haha, Heo Kyung-hwan and Joo Woo-jae joined forces as judges and writers for the first blind preliminary listening session of the ’95 Seoul Song Festival.
The contestants borrowed the titles of films and TV series that defined the 1990s — including Chungking Express, Sleepless in Seattle, Léon and The Terminator — as their nicknames and delivered polished performances. When hit songs by Shin Seung-hun and Kim Hyun-sik began playing, Yoo Jae-suk grew wistful, saying, “These are the songs I listened to day and night while working at a pub during my struggling days.”
“From Yang Sang-kook and Hwang Jae-gyun’s hilarious eliminations to the hold round”... The unpredictable second preliminary round
Amid a steady stream of talented performers advancing on the strength of their distinctive voices and singing ability, unexpected contestants appeared and turned the set into a sea of laughter. Comedian Yang Sang-kook was exposed when he could not hide his regional accent, while former baseball player Hwang Jae-gyun stuck to a painstakingly earnest choir-style tone. Both left their mark before being eliminated.
Meanwhile, Love in Your Arms, The Shawshank Redemption and Dongjak, Stop received hold decisions and will get another chance to survive in a fiercely contested face-to-face hold round.
The next chapter of MBC’s Hangout with Yoo, featuring a full-scale second preliminary round and a retro music festival, will air Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
