Heroes

Heroes (aka Girl Heroes/Heroines/etc.) is a 2011 KTV variety show that focuses on 12 female celebrities coming together to hold some type of quasi popularity contest while providing maximum viewer entertainment along the way.

SPOILERS AHEAD!

This is not a "spoilable" show. Like Family Outing, Running Man, and the like, it's just a straightforward weekly Korean variety show. Here's the premise: 12 female cast members unite to compete in various competitions and tasks in order to ultimately decide who is the most popular among them at the end of this show's 40 episode run time. The cast range in age from late teen girls to middle aged women, and, they represent a wide ranging mix of personalities with varying abilities and credentials. Each cast member is an actress, singer, dancer, model, comedian, entertainer, etc. Collectively, they're a pretty talented bunch of ladies in differing stages of their careers.

While together, the girls/women are given an overview about what might occur and what is expected of them during a given episode. They are then sent off to "perform" within the context of that episode while the crew films them and the events that occur around the clock. What the stars are asked to do varies from week to week; sometimes, it's just silly nonsense/fun & games, and other times, its charity efforts, song & dance performances, grueling work, heartfelt family reunions, etc. The show bounces around in so many directions during its run time that it's a bit hard to determine what the general theme of this show is actually supposed to be (other than just providing weekly variety/entertainment, and it excels at that). It has some rough edges and seems subject to changes based on the opinions of the viewing public on a week to week basis. Nevertheless, the final result (IMO) is a wonderful show that I enjoyed immensely.

This show has a number of things going for it:

1. The 12 Female Leads: they are all AWESOME!...there is not a single cast member I truly disliked, and, they all clearly put in some considerable effort to make this show work. They all bring something to the table and have their images and reputations to uphold, however, no one is above being made a fool of, or teased, or embarrassed (which they frequently are). They all seem perfectly willing to just roll with whatever is thrown at them, and they seemed to get along very well with each other throughout. Although many of the cast members are not without their conniving moments, it's real easy to just root for all of them to succeed as this show progresses.

2. The MCs & Production Team: The people that handle these aspects of this show (and other shows like them) are highly experienced and they all do a fantastic job in general. The 2 male MCs should not be overlooked either; they are both somewhat famous in their own right, and are particularly well heeled in this genre. They work hand in hand with the 12 female cast members in every aspect, while also facilitating the show's progress within the framework of what the production & direction team wants to accomplish. Then, the crack editors and post production teams polish up the footage, add music and screen comments, and, Voila!

3. The Guest Stars: As is the case with most any Korean variety show, guest stars show up in droves to help out while also promoting themselves. Need a popular male/boy band to come wake up the female stars one day and take them out on dates?...OK!; Need your label juniors & seniors or friends to show up to help support your team &/or charity dinner?...NP!; Need some girl bands to entertain the male troops, some mega famous people to interview, etc?...SURE!. This type of cross promotion within the Korean entertainment industry is very effective in serving the greater good of the Hallyu world, and it clearly benefits everyone involved on a number of levels.

4. Public Interaction: Whoever originally thought of the idea to take these shows out of the studio and on the road to interact with the general public should be given a lifetime entertainment achievement award of some kind. This particular aspect lends itself to a considerable amount of hilarious moments, and, it also results in a very appealing sense that Korean stars are actually "of the people" as opposed to being "above the people".

5. The Unnie/Dongseang Relationship: Basically, the young respect and learn from the elders, while the elders look out for and teach the young. This is an expected way of life in Korea that's not just specific to Korea's entertainment industry. Therefore, while each individual star of this show is striving to be the most popular and get as much camera time for themselves as possible, they all endeavor to not lose sight of this cultural relationship they share with one another as best as possible (even if they actually hate each other in real life, which they clearly don't). What this all amounts to is a huge collective of "sisters" bonding and working together, more so than working against one another.

On the down side, this is an ambitious and flawed project that appears it might fly apart at the seams at any moment. It's sometimes scatter shot and gets bogged downed on several occasions. And, perhaps the biggest show attribute is also its greatest detriment (i.e. the popularity contest); while this does provide for a great deal of positioning and hilarity among the cast members throughout, I ultimately did not care, or even want to know, who was most/least popular in the end. This is a show that is clearly much more about the journey than the destination.

Bottom Line: Despite some warts & rough patches, this is a very entertaining show overall. Frequently hysterical & occasionally heartwarming, and when on its game, there aren't many other KTV variety shows that can match it. I absolutely loved it!...8.5 out of 10 stars!...Very Well Recommended!

When I became hooked with Korean variety show, I came across this show where all the casts except for the two MCs are girls. Rarely in such setting would I find this interesting because girls especially k-pop idols are pretty limited in what they can or cannot show on broadcast. If you're familiar with k-pop idols, you know that they have to adhere to certain policies to protect their image, which in return would put the humor on monotone.

But luckily Heroes done a great job at casting these girls who have different and somewhat distinct personalities. Though they struggle at first to fit in, they eventually become close friends. In a way, it's almost like watching LOST; you threw a bunch of people with different stories and personalities and see how they survive.

The show ground is to battle the girls on popularity ranking while also making effort to promote these celebrities to the crowd.

Every week, 12 girls will be divided into two teams; the popular team and the not-so popular team. The placement was based on votes cast by netizen/citizen of So. Korea. At first, it's kind of worrying to see these girls have to face the truth about how they appear to public but on the upside, they have the way of making their way up if they know where they are now. And thus, they are given missions to complete.

It's such a fun time watching them learning something new, depend on each other and making memories.

Overall, it was truly a remarkable experience watching this show. Such a pity that it only lasted 40 episodes.