Singer-actor Jang Keun-suk participates in the Netflix influencer survival show "The Influencer." Courtesy of Netflix By Park Jin-hai Following the global success of Korean survival shows like “Physical: 100,” “Siren: Survive the Island,” and “The Devil’s Plan,” Netflix introduced its latest entry into the genre, "The Influencer," Tuesday. This new show expands the survival reality format by focusing on influencers, who have gained fame through social media and leverage their online presence to promote lifestyles and products.
In the seven-episode survival show, 77 Korean influencers, with a combined following of 120 million across platforms like YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, and AfreecaTV, compete to earn the title of "top influencer." Producer Lee Jae-seok said during a press conference at Community House Masil in central Seoul that this is Korea's first survival show featuring influencers who enjoy immense popularity and fandom akin to TV personalities and entertainers. He promised that the show would offer viewers a form of entertainment they probably did not anticipate.
"The Korean influencer market is worth 400 billion won and is growing rapidly every year," Lee said. "Korean influencers are highly specialized in various fields and we thought it would be interesting to bring them all together. It will be a show like no other, with influencers as the main characters.
" The cast of influencers ranges from first-generation, renowned creators to MZ TikTokers with a massive global fanbase, including singer-actor Jang Keun-suk, makeup artist and beauty YouTuber Risabae (2.2 million followers), travel YouTuber Pani Bottle (2.3 million followers), game YouTuber The Great Library (1.
5 million followers), home training YouTuber Shim Eu-ddeum (1.7 million followers), TikToker Sia Jiwoo (27.3 million followers), drag artist G.
van (1.1 million followers) and cosplay YouTuber MyBoo (360,000 followers). Producers of the Netflix influencer survival show, "The Influencer," Lee Jae-seok, left and Son Soo-jeong, pose prior to a press conference for the show at Community House Masil in central Seoul, Tuesday.
Courtesy of Netflix The participants face various missions focused on their presence, impact, and buzzworthiness to demonstrate their influence. As they compete for the top spot, viewers are eager to see the unique strategies each influencer will use to win over the public. With the hottest influencers in Korea coming together, Lee says the diverse strategic battles will be a key highlight of the show.
"While the winner and the outcome are important, our program is closer to a contest. The process, strategies, know-how, and the excitement of uncovering their true selves are all integral parts of the experience. It can be enjoyed regardless of spoilers," he said, commenting on the spoiler controversy regarding contestant Oking, who claimed to have won the competition prematurely.
According to Lee, the producer, singer-actor Jang left the most intense impression among contestants. "With a long acting career and the nickname 'Prince of Asia,' Jang could be considered a pioneer of influencers dating back to the Cyworld era. Yet, he's going all out in every round, as if he's gone crazy.
His strategies and know-how are incredible," Lee explained, referencing the once-popular Korean microblogging platform Cyworld, which dominated the early 2000s. Co-producer Son Soo-jeong said that the appeal of influencers is the direct connection they have with their audiences. "They're people who communicate with followers on the front lines, who are always ready to receive feedback and become more approachable, making us want to try it ourselves," she said.
"Korean influencers are incredibly hard-working. These influencers are always on top of current events and trends, so they create content that's even better than TV shows, making it super engaging. While working with them, I felt like I was working with 77 producers.
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