Adventure, sparks of romance in 3rd season ‘upgrade’ of ‘The Zone’

While the urgency of the challenges in the second season of the reality-adventure series “The Zone: Survival Mission” wasn’t really weighed down by the pandemic restrictions in place during its eight-episode shoot in 2022-’23, cast members Kwon Yu-ri (aka Yuri of Girls’ Generation), comedian Yu Jae-seok and actor Lee Kwang-soo were nevertheless compromised by the show’s limited “mobility” and scope.

For Season 3, which is now streaming on Disney+, Yuri and Jae-seok are joined by two newcomers—former UDT (Underwater Demolition Team) soldier Dex (“Singles Inferno”) and Kim Dong-hyun, the first Korean to fight in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship)—providing more brawn to help the “agents of mankind” accomplish physically daunting tasks.

In the eight-part series, Yuri and the boys are thrust into survival-themed simulations by an AI (artificial intelligence) machine with tasks they have to execute and endure in four hours. Some of the notable missions last season included recreating childhood games on a shaking suspension bridge, escaping a zombie-infested waterpark, or playing a game of golf on a fast-sinking island in the middle of the ocean!

The series, conceptualized by the inventive minds behind “Running Man” and “Busted,” are fielding exciting challenges that are meant to reflect the relevant issues hounding people of the postpandemic era—like escaping 100 AI-operated androids who all look like Jae-seok (Episode 1) or repaying massive loans for a quickly collapsing paper house (Episode 2). In Episode 5, Yuri, Dex, Dong-hyun and Jae-seok must survive a game of dodgeball in the midst of a blizzard.

Some of the quartet’s stellar pals will also be seen taking part in the missions, including Cha Tae-hyun (“My Sassy Girl”), Key of Shinee, Agent H (head of Dex’s agency), and MMA artist Jung Da-woon.

At the press con held a day before the show’s three-episode premiere on Aug. 7, producer Cho Hyo-jin said that they really wanted to focus on fresh and original concepts that don’t merely go beyond viewers’ imagination, but also introduce challenges that bring out people’s empathy.

He explained, “It’s an ‘upgraded’ season. When we say empathy, we mean incorporating social issues like artificial intelligence or tricky mortgage matters that make buying a home increasingly complicated. That way, viewers will also be able to relate to what they’re seeing onscreen.”

“This time, we have two new members joining the group whose presence allows us to do something we weren’t able to do in previous seasons, when Yuri was doing all the heavy lifting. With Dex and Dong-hyun around, we were able to make the missions harder to hurdle … because we wanted more adventure for the ‘agents of mankind.’”

‘More grounded’

Explaining further, coproducer Kim Dong-jin said they wanted the missions to look and feel more grounded.

He said, “Like when the cast walked into an abandoned resort, the crew members were hiding, so it felt like Jae-seok and his team were all alone on the set. That was our intention. Jae-seok tends to get scared easily, so we expected his reaction.

“But Dex was a surprise—he also got very scared (laughs)! So that particular shoot actually went beyond our expectations, and it is a lot of fun to watch.

“As for the final episodes, we’re incorporating the use of bitcoin [to make the show more current]. But this time around, we want to blur the line between what’s real and what’s not. We want to connect that to money that we can actually use in real life.

“What’s at stake is 200 million Korean won—that’s the grand prize. But you will have to find out how much of that amount they’ll be able to take home. There will also be a lot of amazing people appearing in the finale.”

Asked what sets the new season apart from the previous ones, Jae-seok replied, “While the segments of the show are different, having Dong-hyun and Dex [and seeing our interactions with them] really set it apart.

“But I must admit that the first episode really threw me off. It was food for thought for me … because I was surrounded by 100 robots that look like me!”

Yuri chimed in, “The new agents are in a league all their own … and from a different weight class. The missions really leveled up because they got a lot more difficult. But I truly enjoyed having the new guys around.”

Taking his cue, Dong-hyun started teasing Yuri about the sparks that seem to fly between her and Dex, on set and onscreen.

Dong-hyun winkingly quipped, “She (Yuri) kept calling Dex [for help] … like 100 times (laughs)!”

After that light banter, Dong-hyun revealed how thrilled he was to join the adventure series. He explained, “I’m an avid fan of the show, and so is my family. I was convinced I was cut out for those difficult and physically draining tasks, but surprisingly, I had a very difficult time hurdling each and every one of the missions!

“I thought I was ready. That was how tough they were. Since we filmed during winter, it was pretty tough to get things done. And they were made extra challenging by a snowstorm and the cold weather.

“The producers really took things up a notch. There’s physical combat here as well, and you know, I’m a fighter and Dex was a soldier, so you’d think we could take on 100 Jae-seok robots. But these are physically abled beings who are just as bulked up [as we are]!

‘Can-do spirit’

“Still, I loved taking on the missions. I may not have excelled at some of them, but I always went about them with a can-do spirit—I loved the challenges! So, if I’m asked to do this again, I will be the first one there.”

For his part, Dex admitted that the tasks in the show look easier said than done. “I watched Season 2 and I was like, ‘Hmm, this looks really easy. Are they just trying to put on an act?’ But when I was already on set, I realized how wrong I was. In fact, I had to use all of my heart and soul to hang in there!”

While Dex and Dong-hyun have all the muscles, Yuri said she had her fair share of shining moments herself.

“Dong-hyun and Dex may be big guys, but don’t be fooled by their appearance—they’re also huge softies inside! And they’re very scared of ghosts (laughs)! I’m scared of ghosts myself, but they freaked out just as much. I just tried to keep myself calm.”

Reacting to Yuri’s disclosure, Dong-hyun said, “Although I may have blacked out a couple of times, I think Yuri isn’t really scared of ghosts. But when she’s with Dex, she fakes it (laughs)!”

After hitting Dong-hyun playfully, Yuri admitted, “I did not expect to have great chemistry with these guys. But that’s just how things flow naturally. And I’m quite surprised that Dex was always there for me in the most crucial moments! He would appear from out of nowhere and help me or hold me in his arms. So I’m so thankful for that.”

“Oh, I’m sure you waited until Dex would appear,” Dong-hyun teased, laughing.

Yuri looked at him and answered, “No, all of you would just run away, while Dex was the only one who came to my rescue!”

Addressing the “romantic issue,” Dex asserted, “I did not intend that. But it kind of felt like I was really shooting another season of ‘Singles Inferno’ (laughs). We just had all that chemistry going on set.”