Romantic sparks in the 3rd season “Upgrade” of “The Zone”

While the urgency of the challenges in the second season of the reality adventure series “The Zone: Survival Mission” was not really affected by the pandemic restrictions in place during the filming of the eight episodes in 2022-23, cast members Kwon Yu-ri (aka Girls’ Generation’s Yuri), comedian Yu Jae-seok and actor Lee Kwang-soo were nonetheless impacted by the show’s limited “mobility” and reach.

In Season 3, now streaming on Disney+, Yuri and Jae-seok are joined by two new recruits – former UDT (Underwater Demolition Team) soldier Dex (“Singles Inferno”) and Kim Dong-hyun, the first Korean to fight in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) – who add muscle power to help the “Agents of Humanity” handle physically demanding tasks.

In the eight-episode series, Yuri and the boys are thrown into survival simulations by an AI (artificial intelligence) machine, where they must complete and survive tasks in four hours. Notable missions from the last season included recreating children’s games on a wobbly rope bridge, escaping a zombie-infested water park, or playing a game of golf on a rapidly sinking island in the middle of the ocean!

Conceived by the inventive minds behind “Running Man” and “Busted,” the series features exciting challenges designed to reflect the relevant problems plaguing people in the post-pandemic era – like escaping 100 AI-controlled androids that all look like Jae-seok (Episode 1) or paying off huge loans on a rapidly collapsing paper house (Episode 2). In Episode 5, Yuri, Dex, Dong-hyun and Jae-seok must survive a dodgeball game in the middle of a snowstorm.

Some of the quartet’s best friends will also appear on the missions, including Cha Tae-hyun (“My Sassy Girl”), Key of Shinee, Agent H (head of Dex’s agency) and MMA fighter Jung Da-woon.

At the press conference held a day before the show’s three-episode premiere on August 7, producer Cho Hyo-jin said they really wanted to focus on fresh and original concepts that not only exceed viewers’ imaginations but also provide challenges that awaken people’s empathy.

He explained: “It’s a ‘modernized’ season. When we say empathy, we mean incorporating social issues like artificial intelligence or tricky mortgage issues that make buying a home increasingly complicated. This also allows viewers to build a relationship with what they see on screen.”

“This time, we have two new members in the group whose presence allows us to do something we couldn’t do in previous seasons when Yuri did all the heavy lifting. With Dex and Dong-hyun, we were able to make the missions more difficult… because we wanted more adventures for the ‘Agents of Humanity.'”

“Grounded”

Co-producer Kim Dong-jin further explained that they wanted the missions to look and feel more grounded.

He said, “For example, when the cast entered an abandoned resort, the crew members were hiding, so it felt like Jae-seok and his team were all alone on set. That was our intention. Jae-seok is easily scared, so we expected his reaction.

“But Dex was a surprise – he was very scared too (laughs)! So this particular shoot actually exceeded our expectations and was a lot of fun to watch.

“In the last few episodes, we’ve been using Bitcoin (to make the show more current). But this time, we want to blur the line between what’s real and what’s not real. We want to connect that to money that we can actually use in real life.”

“There’s 200 million Korean won at stake – that’s the grand prize. But they’ll have to find out how much of it they can take home. There will be a lot of great people performing in the finale too.”

When asked what makes the new season different from previous ones, Jae-seok replied, “Even though the segments of the show are different, it’s mainly Dong-hyun and Dex (and our interactions with them) that really make the show stand out.”

“But I have to admit that the first episode really threw me off track. It made me think… because I was surrounded by 100 robots that looked like me!”

Yuri chimed in: “The new agents are in a league of their own… and in a different weight class. The missions have really become more challenging because they’ve become much more difficult. But I’ve really enjoyed having the new guys around me.”

Dong-hyun took his hint and started teasing Yuri about how sparks seemed to fly between her and Dex on set and on screen.

Dong-hyun joked with a wink, “She (Yuri) kept calling Dex (for help)… about 100 times (laughs)!”

After this light-hearted banter, Dong-hyun revealed how excited he was to be joining the adventure series. He explained, “I am an avid fan of the series, and so is my family. I was convinced that I was suited to these difficult and physically demanding tasks, but surprisingly, I found it very difficult to complete each and every mission!

“I thought I was ready. That’s how hard they were. Since we were shooting in the winter, it was pretty difficult to get things done. And a snowstorm and the cold weather made them even more difficult.

“The producers really upped the ante. There are physical fights too, and you know, I’m a fighter and Dex was a soldier, so you’d think we could take on 100 Jae-seok robots. But these are physically capable beings that are just as muscular (as we are)!

“Doer spirit”

“I still enjoyed the missions a lot. I may not have been particularly good at some of them, but I always went into them with enthusiasm – I loved the challenges! So if I’m asked to do it again, I’ll be the first one there.”

Dex himself admitted that the tasks on the show were easier said than done. “I watched season 2 and thought to myself, ‘Hmm, this looks really easy. Are they just putting on an act?’ But once I was on set, I realized how wrong I was. In fact, I had to put my heart and soul into it to keep going!”

While Dex and Dong-hyun all have muscles, Yuri said she has had her share of shining moments as well.

“Dong-hyun and Dex may be big guys, but don’t let their looks fool you – they’re also big wimps on the inside! And they’re really scared of ghosts (laughs)! I’m scared of ghosts myself, but they freaked out just as much. I just tried to stay calm.”

In response to Yuri’s revelation, Dong-hyun said, “Even though I was unconscious a few times, I don’t think Yuri is truly afraid of ghosts. But when she’s with Dex, she acts like she is (laughs)!”

After playfully beating Dong-hyun, Yuri admitted, “I didn’t expect the chemistry between these guys to be so good. But that’s just how it goes. And I’m pretty surprised that Dex was always there for me in the crucial moments! He would appear out of nowhere and help me or hold me in his arms. I’m so grateful for that.”

“Oh, I’m sure you were waiting for Dex to show up,” Dong-hyun teased, laughing.

Yuri looked at him and replied, “No, you would all just run away, and Dex was the only one who came to my aid!”

On the subject of romance, Dex said: “That wasn’t my intention. But somehow it felt like I was actually filming another season of ‘Singles Inferno’ (laughs). We just had this great chemistry on set.”