I held a K-variety watch party in Mothership’s office & 10/10 would do it again

Before anything, I am a K-junkie.

So, when the idea of organising a K-variety watch party in the office came up, I knew I had to do it.

What better excuse to watch shows in the office than for actual work?

Now, time to get the watch parties going.

Day 1: Possessed Love

The first show I picked, “Possessed Love”, was all about romance.

Let’s be real, there is nothing juicier than watching a bunch of solos flirting in hopes to get a match.

But this is not your average dating show.

The contestants are fortune tellers and they are allowed to read and “sense” each other. Sounds weird, but also interesting.

I sent out a reminder in the company chat and gave my best one-liner pitch – “a bunch of shamans in a dating show”.

No spoilers, but these contestants were made to select their first match without even meeting each other beforehand.

But I’m sure that when they ask for a divine sign, they’re getting it directly from their gods.

@viusingapore His prediction was right from start to finish... this is definitely not your usual dating show! #PossessedLove features fortune tellers predicting their own fates for love! 🔮💛 #fortunetellers #fortunetelling #kvariety #kdatingshow #yooinna ♬ original sound - Viu Singapore

After the episode, I asked my colleagues what they thought of the show.

Aik, who wasn’t very interested at the beginning, said the show is somewhat a “slow burn”.

While it took her a while to familiarise herself with the premise, she said the show picked up and piqued her interest (pun intended).

When I was sharing with one of my colleagues about how the first watch party went, it turns out I was not the only one who was excited for the next episode.

Day 2: Running Man

I left my set-up in the office, and hinted to my colleagues about the next watch party.

After a refreshing new show, I thought it was good to fall back on a classic.

I was fairly certain that everyone in the office had seen at least one episode of “Running Man”, so I landed on that.

As I was getting ready to start the watch party, Yat, one of my video teammates, came up to me and asked me what I would be screening today.

I replied coolly, “Running Man”, not wanting to come off as too eager.

Thankfully, Yat turned out to be a fan of “Running Man” and he settled on the “VIP seats” in the pantry, nestled right next to the projector.

The episode we watched was packed with hilarious banter and a chaotic family skit that had everyone laughing non-stop.

Here’s a snippet that I spotted my colleagues enjoying the most:

Did I mention that I ever binged at least 300 episodes of this show after my O-Levels?

It was nice knowing this show still holds up after all these years.

Day 3: The Game of Queen Bee

After a feel-good show, I switched gears to something more competitive.

The rage for survival reality shows has yet to cease and you can count on the Koreans to reinvent themselves.

Beyond the usual physical challenges, “The Game of Queen Bee” brings you into the world of colonies where “queen bees” have to lead their “workers” to victory.

Still, I was worried that I would be the only one excited and no one was going to turn up.

Boy, was I wrong and the pantry was abuzz.

“Intense” feels somewhat of an understatement for this show but can you imagine being picked off the ground by another person?

That was exactly what Monika Shin, one of the queen bees, experienced during a revenge-match.

@viusingapore If you ever have to fight a wrestler, you might end up being lifted up like #Monika by #JangEunSil in #TheGameofQueenBee. ♬ original sound - Viu Singapore

I whispered to my colleague, Alena, that she should be taking notes for our company retreat since she’s part of the planning committee.

But games-planning was not the only thing that we were discussing, one of the main topics was if we would have done the same as one of the queen bees in the show when she found out one of her workers lied to her.

I could tell we were hooked on “The Game of Queen Bee” because when Viu automatically played the next episode, no one moved away.

I am pretty sure we would have continued watching if not for lunchtime ending.

Day 4: The Return of Superman

Now, I fear my colleagues are starting to get bored with my parties so I brought in some Korean chips for “The Return of Superman”.

For the uninitiated, the Korean reality-variety programme follows the lives of famous Korean celebrities and their kids, featuring candid and unscripted interactions.

Just look at this adorable clip of Eun Woo learning the Jeju dialect from his uncle Baek Ho.

@viusingapore #NUEST #Baekho teaches #Eunwoo local Jeju dialect and brings the family around in #TheReturnofSuperman #kvariety #fyp #foryoupage #whattowatch #kpop #tros ♬ original sound - Viu Singapore

A cute baby and a handsome uncle? Sign me up, anytime.

As it turns out, it was a good thing I came prepared too.

Watching Eun Woo’s family enjoying the signature dishes of Jeju island and touring the food market with Uncle Baek Ho would have been really painful if not for the fact that we were having lunch then too.

Special shout-out to “The Return of Superman” and this episode at Jeju which low-key gave me some travel inspo for my next trip to Korea.

Day 5: Stage Fighter

If you were wondering if I still had colleagues interested by now, you’re not alone.

I was thinking the same until…

Now, I had high expectations for “Stage Fighter” just because my colleague said it was “damn good” and he was “hooked”.

Safe to say, his excitement was well-founded.

Unlike the usual “Street Woman Fighter” and “Street Man Fighter”, which featured mostly hip hop, the three categories of “Stage Fighter” were ballet, contemporary and traditional Korean dance.

My jaw dropped when I was watching them perform aerial stunts and floorwork so effortlessly.

@viusingapore #KimHyeHyun might be short among the contemporary dancers, but his physique and technique were impressive in #StageFighter. ♬ original sound - Viu Singapore

Final thoughts

Five days, five shows, and countless reactions later, I’m convinced I need to make this a regular thing.

Also, shoutout to my colleagues for being such great watch party companions.

These five shows are just the tip of what Viu has to offer just for K-variety shows alone.

Here’s a quick lowdown of more K-variety shows that you can keep an eye out for:

• “Whenever Possible S2”
• “Europe Outside Your Tent - Romantic Italy”
• “Project 7”
• “The Backpacker Chef 2”
• “I Live Alone”
• “2 Days 1 Night”
• “Hangout with Yoo”
• “Mom’s Diary”

If you’re inspired to watch them with your colleagues, here’s some good news for you.

You can catch all of these shows for free on Viu.

Alright, I’m off to arrange another watch party.

This Viu-sponsored article made this writer want to start a K-variety club in this office.

Cover images from Viu and Michelle Chew.