[Exclusive]MBC PD Kim Myeong-yeop: "Most Excellent Mountain' receives many positive comments, likened to 'The Second Mudang'; will extend up to 12 episodes with titles changing each time, such as 'Most Excellent Mountain Castle,' 'Most Excellent Mountain Blind Date,' 'Most Excellent Mountain All-Hands Battle,' 'Most Excellent Mountain School Trip,' and 'Most Excellent Mountain Wedding.'" [Interview ①]

*This content was translated by AI.

PD Kim Myeong-yeop announced that 'Most Excellent Mountain' will feature different titles and formats for each episode, including 'Most Excellent Mountain Castle,' 'Most Excellent Mountain Blind Date,' 'Most Excellent Mountain All-Hands Battle,' 'Most Excellent Mountain School Trip,' and 'Most Excellent Mountain Wedding,' extending up to 12 episodes.

PD Kim Myeong-yeop recently spoke directly to StarNews about the MBC variety program 'Most Excellent Mountain.'

'Most Excellent Mountain' is Korea's first survival mountain variety show featuring intense competition toward the summit through various missions set in the mountains. The production team behind 'Radio Star' and 'Around the World with Kim' has come together. The cast includes Yoo Se-yoon, who was nominated for the male Choi U-su-sang (수상) award at the '2025 MBC Entertainment Awards,' along with fellow nominees Jang Dong-min, Boom, and Yang Se-hyung, and 'catfish' Heo Kyeong-hwan as a member.

'Most Excellent Mountain' was originally scheduled for five episodes. It began broadcasting on May 3 and completed its pilot run by May 31. With a sensitive production team and cast, the show secured a 'golden LINE-up' and competed against KBS 2TV's '2 Days & 1 Night' and SBS's 'Running Man,' both long-running Sunday 6 p.m. prime-time variety shows.

'Most Excellent Mountain' initially struggled with word-of-mouth within its short run, drawing disappointing viewership ratings of 1–2%. However, it gathered a dedicated fanbase on YouTube and other platforms, leading to a confirmed seven-episode extension. The show will continue from its sixth episode on the 28th through its twelfth episode on August 9.

'Most Excellent Mountain' featured members climbing mountains of varying difficulty levels, from familiar Achasan to Yongmabong, Mangwusan, Daedunsan, the rugged Geumgangsan, and the Jirisan Baemudong course. At mountain midpoints, surprise appearances by Chef Kouji, Imokase, and pastry chef Hwang Ji-oh created unique scenes where members enjoyed dream meals. Most notably, the cast—Yoo Se-yoon, Jang Dong-min, Boom, Yang Se-hyung, and Heo Kyeong-hwan—formed a 'caviar combination' never before seen in the variety industry, delivering chemistry that exceeded expectations.

'Most Excellent Mountain' stands out as a rare variety show with a format that breaks away from clichés, drawing even greater anticipation for its extended episodes.

-PD, please give us a brief self-introduction.

▶I directed 'Radio Star' from 2021 to 2025, for over four years, and this time I am presenting my first production, 'Most Excellent Mountain.'

-What are your thoughts after completing the pilot run of 'Most Excellent Mountain' through five episodes?

▶We showed everything we could with the unfamiliar subject of mountains. I believe we did everything possible. While we couldn't be free from viewers' reactions and ratings, I feel we did it without regrets.

-What was MBC's internal evaluation of 'Most Excellent Mountain'?

▶It was originally planned to end after five episodes. Since spring is typically a difficult period for viewership, they decided to extend it with that in mind. I had planned my vacation assuming the show would end at five episodes, but around the time the fifth episode aired, I received a call from above. I climbed mountains 15 times in one month, enduring hardship, and the programming department praised our program highly. It wasn't an easy timeslot, but I am grateful for the opportunity and will strive to make the show well. Viewers left so many comments that it felt like, 'Is this level of response even possible?' In this extended run, we aim to capture higher ratings. We will strive to beat 'Running Man' and '2 Days & 1 Night' at least once. Both programs are personally my idols, and competing against them is an honor.

-Loyal viewers of 'Most Excellent Mountain' have expressed positive reactions such as, "The second 'Infinite Challenge' has appeared," "Friday 'I Live Alone,' Saturday 'What Do You Do?' Sunday 'Most Excellent Mountain'—MBC variety's golden age has arrived," "It's fun because it's pure comedians and MCs," and "The cast combination is excellent."

▶There were more people leaving positive comments than I expected. Reading the comments, I felt, "We are on the right track."

-After completing five episodes, how did the cast members react?

▶The members weren't overly concerned about ratings. They contacted me weekly, reassuring me, "You know ratings don't matter." They were satisfied, and I felt I just needed to do well. However, they expressed reluctance to climb mountains in the extended episodes. (Laughs)

-Were the surprise guests like Im Woo-il, culinary expert Kouji, Imokase, Hwang Ji-oh, and announcer Park So-young, along with food ingredients and game equipment, transported manually or by helicopter?

▶The guests also hiked themselves, and the production team invested significant effort to carry equipment manually. We conducted many site surveys to plan these routes. It was an honor to host such distinguished figures, including Chef Kouji. Seeing hikers share even things like hongeo samhap (fermented skate) while climbing inspired us to provide food for the members, so we primarily invited chefs as guests.

-For the newly produced episodes 6–12 of 'Most Excellent Mountain,' what formats and content do you plan to showcase? How do you intend to differentiate from competitive variety shows like '2 Days & 1 Night' and 'Running Man'?

▶Titles such as 'Most Excellent Mountain,' 'Most Excellent Mountain Castle,' 'Most Excellent Mountain Blind Date,' 'Most Excellent Mountain All-Hands Battle,' 'Most Excellent Mountain School Trip,' and 'Most Excellent Mountain Wedding' will change each episode, showcasing diverse formats. We aim to create entertaining scenarios wherever the members go, whether mountains or seas. '2 Days & 1 Night' has a solid fixed viewership and excels at luck-based games. We wanted to develop our own unique games. 'Running Man' is the pinnacle of variety; its games and missions feature excellent buildup and great cast chemistry. We intend to differentiate ourselves from 'Running Man' by presenting raw, unrefined chemistry and tone.

-To be continued in Interview ②

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*This content was translated by AI.