From 2% Ratings to Global Ambitions: Why ‘Survival King’ is Back for Season 2!

The production team behind ‘Survival King’ has finally revealed why they decided to launch Season 2!

A press conference for TV Chosun’s new variety show ‘Survival King 2’ was held on the morning of the 20th at the TV Chosun Gasan-dong Studio in Geumcheon-gu, Seoul. CP Lee Seung-hoon and PD Yoon Jong-ho attended, along with Kim Jong-kook, Kim Byung-man, Yuk Jun-seo, and THE BOYZ Younghoon.

‘Survival King 2’ is the sequel to TV Chosun’s first jungle survival show, ‘Survival King’. Returning after two years, the show has scaled up into a global version. Elite survival experts from four Asian countries will tackle extreme survival missions across jungles, deserts, and cities to determine the strongest survival team in Asia.

Despite the efforts of stars like Lee Seung-gi, Choo Sung-hoon, Kim Byung-man, and Park Tae-hwan, Season 1 (aired in 2024) suffered a bit of a blow with ratings starting at 3.5% and ending at 2.0% (according to Nielsen Korea). Its overall buzz was also considered somewhat disappointing.

However, PD Yoon Jong-ho explained the decision for Season 2, saying, “Internally, we felt the buzz and reaction to ‘Survival King’ were actually quite good. It even reached number 2 in the Netflix TV series rankings, so we decided to proceed with Season 2 based on that positive global response. We’ve also addressed the shortcomings of Season 1. Since the first season focused mainly on Korean celebrities, the competitive drive didn’t reach its absolute limit. This time, they are clashing for their honor, which I believe will be a positive factor for Season 2.”

CP Lee agreed, adding, “The reaction overseas during Season 1 was great. We received many requests for a second season, and since our original plan was to start in Korea for Season 1 and go global for Season 2, we launched it. We’ve also incorporated the know-how gained from the first season.”

Meanwhile, ‘Survival King 2’ premieres tonight, the 20th, at 10 PM.