(Left to right) Kim Dong-hyun, Kwon Yuri, Yu Jae-seok and Dex at the press conference for 'The Zone: Survival Mission,' August 6, 2024. Photos courtesy of Disney+Variety shows often face the pressure of staying fresh in order to keep audiences engaged. So for its third season, Disney’s “The Zone: Survival Mission” ramped up the excitement by introducing new hosts that allowed for more difficult missions.

“The Zone: Survival Mission,” which debuted in 2022, is a reality show that puts its hosts through their paces with a series of grueling challenges.

“When we say we upgraded the season, we have two new members joining the group so they allowed us to do something we weren’t able to do in the first two seasons,” director Cho Hyo-jin said in a press conference held ahead of the third season’s August 7 premiere.

He was referring to new cast members Kim Dong-hyun, a former MMA fighter-turned-variety star, and reality TV breakout Dex, formerly a soldier.

Jae-seok

YuriThe pair joins returning cast members Yu Jae-seok, one of Korea’s top TV personalities, and Girls’ Generation member Kwon Yuri. Lee Kwang-soo, who was part of the first two seasons, will not return in this third installment.

“There were things that we wanted to try out but we couldn't do it because the previous cast members would not be able to do them... but now that we have two people with extreme physical abilities, we could try all these new challenges,” Hyo-jin said.

Yuri acknowledged the increased difficulty of the missions. “[Dong-hyun and Dex] are really in a different league so the missions leveled up and it became a lot more difficult to just hang in there,” she said.

But even with their physical abilities, Dong-hyun and Dex struggled to overcome the obstacles.

“I had a very difficult time for each and every one of the missions. I thought I was cut out for these draining and difficult tasks. I thought I was ready,” admitted Dong-hyun, who “worked out and trained” for the show.

Dex, who gained popularity after appearing in the dating show “Single’s Inferno,” added: “I watched season two and was like, ‘this looks really easy,’ but I realized I couldn’t say that when I tried it myself. I had to use all of my heart and soul to hang in there.”

‘Single's Inferno’ confirmed for 4th season: Netflix

Directors Cho Hyo-jin (third from the left) and Kim Dong-jin (fourth from the left) join the cast of 'The Zone: Survival Mission.'Hyo-jin said the missions also tackle issues such as artificial intelligence and housing loans. “I believe [these aspects] will allow the viewers to relate,” he said.

The missions include a hundred “clones” of Jae-seok and a frightening episode shot in an abandoned location.

Dex praised the show’s immersive setting, saying, “You don't even have to try, you just step into the location and then you’ll be fully immersed.”

Through the challenges, the cast members also revealed unexpected sides of themselves. Yuri, for instance, said she found Dong-hyun as the “biggest coward” in their group despite his imposing physique.

“I knew that he was scared of ghosts but I didn't believe it until I saw it for myself. I always had expectations for him to do well, being the big guy with all of his muscles, but he tended to have a very soft side inside him,” she said.

Dex

Dong-hyun

Another season?

When questioned about a potential fourth season, Jae-seok tempered expectations, saying, "It’s amazing that we managed to come to season three but season four is a really difficult goal to achieve.”

Jae-seok hopes viewers would continue to support the show for a possible fourth season, even raising the idea of Kwang-soo’s return.

“It’s regrettable that he’s (Kwang-soo) not joining us in season three but I’m sure the creators, other members [of the cast] and viewers also feel that way. But our new faces, Dong-hyun and Dex, were able to show unexpected sides of themselves,” said Jae-seok.

“If we could continue to season four then we could have this cast plus Kwang-soo,” he added. “I therefore hope season three will continue to be loved by viewers so we could invite Kwang-soo back to the group for season four.”

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