[Sportschosun Kim Soo-hyun] As TV CHOSUN's "Lovers of Joseon" finalized the nine teams advancing to the main round of its 5th anniversary special, "Lovers of Joseon Song Festival," an unexpected love line involving Shim Hye-jin's nephew Shim Jae-won and actress Lee Sang-mi from "Country Diaries" drew attention. A four-way dynamic formed as Shim Hyung-rae also showed interest, and the contestants' varied stages delivered both laughter and emotion.
On the episode of "Lovers of Joseon" that aired on Monday the 6th, the second preliminary round was held for the three-part 5th anniversary special, "Lovers of Joseon Song Festival." To cheer on the "magnetic woman" Lee Sang-mi, the waiting room was visited by Park Young-dong, a younger man said to resemble George Clooney and part of a "love triangle in their 60s" with her, as well as Oh Seung-hoon, a former senior model known as "Oh Ji-heon's father." Each brought snacks and boosted the mood, while Oh Ji-heon drew laughter by joking, "I'm ready to take her as my mother." Shim Hyung-rae, who teamed up with Oh Ji-heon, also showed strong interest in Lee Sang-mi, whom he was meeting for the first time that day, quickly creating a record-level four-way dynamic. Oh Ji-heon filled the waiting room with laughter by wondering, "Will she choose her foster father (Shim Hyung-rae) or her biological father?" Lee Sang-mi then delivered a polished duet stage with Yang Hye-seung, the original singer of "Glorious Single."
Meanwhile, Jo Hye-ryun, dubbed the "Joseon wedding singer," poured her passion into a mix of "To the Eagle," a cheer song her husband made for her, and her hit song "Anakana." Lee Yong-sik, the doting grandfather, and his son-in-law Won-hyuk then took the stage with "Magic Lily," a song they had learned directly from the original singer Nam Jin. When Insooni, who is close enough to Lee Yong-sik to call him "uncle," hesitated to judge, Lee Yong-sik made a bold and outrageous promise, saying, "If I have another granddaughter, I'll name the baby Insooni."
Actor Shim Hye-jin's nephew Shim Jae-won, whom she raised like her own son after his mother passed away, also took the stage and won over the audience. Shim Jae-won delivered the jazz standard "Fly Me to the Moon" with a smooth, tender voice, earning high praise from Insooni, who said, "He even sounds like Frank Sinatra in his younger days." Shim Hye-jin was also present in the audience to support her nephew.
On the other hand, Park Kyung-bae, Insooni's husband, who had drawn attention for his resemblance to Kim Gook-jin, sang "Sea of the Sea" alongside "Song Festival MC" Kim Gook-jin. However, he was eliminated after receiving a harsh verdict from his wife, who said, "I don't want to look forward to the next one." Choi Sung-kook also caused laughter in the waiting room by bluntly saying, "Trying to advance to the main round while performing with Kim Gook-jin is too greedy."
Elsewhere, comedian Kim Tae-won, who chose "Trust in Me," Jung Yi-rang, who selected "The Person Who Keeps Me Alive" and moved the audience with a touching stage alongside a friend who overcame stage 4 colon cancer, and "Lovers of Joseon" producer Yoon Yong-beom, who perfectly performed the difficult song "Love of a Thousand Years," all advanced to the main round by unanimous decision from the judges. In addition, actress Kim Garan and dentist Lee Ji-young's performance of "Older Brother," as well as Hwang Bo-ra, Lee Eun-bi, and Won Jin-seo's reenactment of S.E.S.'s "Dreams Come True" and Oh Nami, Kim Hye-seon, Kim Seung-hye, and Yoon Hyo-dong's reenactment of Fin.K.L's "Forever Love," went head-to-head and brought big laughs.
After much deliberation, the judges decided to send a total of nine teams to the main round. The final qualifiers were Choi Sung-kook's family, Lee Yong-sik and Won-hyuk, Hong Seok-cheon, Shim Jae-won, Jung Yi-rang, Kim Tae-won, and producer Yoon Yong-beom, all unanimously selected, along with Bae Ki-sung and Kim Na-hee. They will now compete for the 10 million won prize. For the special stage, Tae Jin-ah's son Eru sang "Black Glasses" and "Ok Kyung-yi." Tae Jin-ah joined his son midway through the performance, and the two sang "Ok Kyung-yi" together, moving the audience.
TV CHOSUN's hyper-realistic documentary variety show "Lovers of Joseon" airs every Monday at 10 p.m.
shyun@sportschosun.com
