The Soldiers (Korean: 더솔져스) is a South Korean military-themed reality television show. The show seeks to find the "best special forces operator in the world," beginning with selecting the best Korean special forces representatives through a series of missions.[1] Twenty male South Korean reservists who served in various special forces units of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces competed on the show. The cast also includes four former special forces operators from the United Kingdom, Sweden, the United States and South Korea who serve as mentors and later team leaders to the participants.[2]
| The Soldiers | |
|---|---|
_poster.jpg) Promotional poster | |
| Hangul | 더솔져스 |
| Revised Romanization | Deosoljyeoseu |
| McCune–Reischauer | Tŏsolchyŏsŭ |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Park Jae-yong |
| Written by |
|
| Presented by | Kim Sang-joong |
| Music by | Jo Young-joon |
| Country of origin | South Korea |
| Original language | Korean |
| No. of episodes | 10 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
|
| Producers |
|
| Editor | Han Gwang-man |
| Running time | 75 minutes |
| Production company | New Button |
| Original release | |
| Network | SBS TV |
| Release | November 19, 2021 – January 28, 2022 |
The show aired on SBS TV from November 19, 2021, to January 28, 2022, every Friday at 23:10 (KST). Longer, uncut versions of each episode were released the following Wednesday at 18:00 (KST) on the YouTube channel "뉴띵 NDD".
In the first episode, the show was explained as a three-season project:[3]
- Season 1: select the best team of South Korean special forces reservists
- Season 2: compete with national representative teams across Asia-Pacific
- Season 3: find the strongest team across the globe
The survival program has been compared by media and viewers to Steel Troops, which has a similar special forces premise and aired its first season half a year earlier. In response to the comparison, show host Kim Sang-joong said that "[The Soldiers] is more upgraded and entertaining, with more intense missions."[4] Show producer Gi Sang-soo also asserted that The Soldiers is "the first television program of its kind," with its global focus bearing the largest distinction.[4][5]
Cast
editHost and mentors
edit| Role | Name | Nationality | Military background |
|---|---|---|---|
| Host | Kim Sang-joong | South Korea | ROK Marine Corps (Discharged as Byeongjang/Sergeant) |
| Mentor | Jay Morton | United Kingdom | British Army Special Air Service (SAS), 10 years Former cast of SAS: Who Dares Wins |
| Mentor | Johan Reispass | Sweden | Swedish Armed Forces Special Operations Task Group (SOG), 17 years Former cast of Elitstyrkans Hemligheter |
| Mentor | Wilrolan "Wil" Ravelo | United States | US Army Special Forces (Green Berets), 13 years US Marine Corps Force Recon, 4 years |
| Mentor | Lee Chang-jun | South Korea | ROK Army 707th Special Mission Group (Sangsa/Master Sergeant on reserve, 13 years active duty) |
Participants
edit| Name | Unit | Military Branch |
|---|---|---|
| Go In-ho | KDIC (Korean Defense Intelligence Command) |
Republic of Korea Navy |
| Kim Yeong-cheol | ||
| Gong Gi-hwan | UDT 해군특수전전단 | |
| Kim Hyeon-gon | ||
| Park Seong-min | ||
| Kim Ho-jong | SSU (Sea Salvage & Rescue Unit) 해난구조전대 | |
| Park Yo-sep | Marine Corps Special Recon 해병대수색대 | |
| Park Han-gyeol | ||
| Lee Kang-woo | ||
| Chu Bu-yeon | ||
| Kim Yeong-hwan | 707th Special Mission Group 제707특수임무단 |
Republic of Korea Army |
| Hong Guk-seong | ||
| Hong Beom-seok | ||
| Park Se-won | Special Warfare Command 육군특수전사령부 | |
| Park Jang-ho | ||
| Park Hyeok-gyu | ||
| Song Byeong-seok | ||
| Jo Seung-jun | ||
| Hwang Seong-hyun | SDT (Special Duty Team) 군사경찰특임대 | |
| Kim Chang-wan | CCT (Combat Control Team) 공군공정통제사 |
Republic of Korea Air Force |
List of episodes
editIn the ratings below, the highest rating for the season will be in red and the lowest rating for the season will be in blue.
| Episodes | Broadcast Date | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | November 19, 2021 | 2.8% |
| 2 | November 26, 2021 | 2.6% |
| 3 | December 3, 2021 | 2.1% |
| 4 | December 10, 2021 | 2.9% |
| 5 | December 17, 2021 | 2.0% |
| 6 | December 24, 2021 | 2.3% |
| 7 | January 7, 2022[a] | 1.7% |
| 8 | January 14, 2022 | 1.2% |
| 9 | January 21, 2022 | 1.8% |
| 10 | January 28, 2022 | 1.4% |
Mission results
editThe show began with an individual competition, spanning episodes 1 to 3, to assess and rank the 20 participants. At the end of this stage, 4 participants were eliminated. The mentors then collectively ranked the remaining 16 participants prior to selecting their desired team members. However, the top 4 ranked participants were given the right to choose which mentor's team to join instead. From the second half of episode 3, the show then proceeded with the main team competition. In the tables below,
- results in red indicate a penalty given, such as an extra mission or becoming a candidate for elimination.
- results in green indicate either gaining a mission benefit or surviving an elimination round.
- the final champion is indicated in gold.
| Participant | Unit | Individual Competition | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inclined March Race[b] | Assault Course[c] | Tire Tug & Deep Tank | Boxing Battle | Overall Rank | ||
| Go In-ho | UDU | 6th | Group 4: Failed | Won | 15th | |
| Kim Yeong-cheol | UDU | 8th | Group 1: Failed | Eliminated | ||
| Gong Gi-hwan | UDT | 9th | Group 1: 3rd | Group 3: 2nd | 4th | |
| Kim Hyeon-gon | UDT | 7th | Group 3: Failed | Group 4: 2nd | 9th | |
| Park Seong-min | UDT | 12th | Group 2: Failed | Won | 13th | |
| Kim Ho-jong | SSU | 14th | Group 2: 1st | Group 1: 2nd | 7th | |
| Park Yo-sep | MCSR | 17th | Group 2: Failed | Group 3: 4th | Eliminated | |
| Park Han-gyeol | MCSR | 10th | Group 4: 1st | Group 1: 3rd | 5th | |
| Lee Kang-woo | MCSR | 19th | Group 1: Failed | Group 4: 4th | Won | 16th |
| Chu Bu-yeon | MCSR | 15th | Group 3: Failed | Group 4: 1st | 10th | |
| Kim Yeong-hwan | 707 | 4th | Group 4: 4th | Group 4: 3rd | 6th | |
| Hong Guk-seong | 707 | 3rd | Group 3: 1st | Group 1: 4th | Won | 11th |
| Hong Beom-seok | 707 | 1st | Group 1: 1st | Group 1: 1st | 1st | |
| Park Se-won | SWC | 16th | Group 4: 3rd | Group 3: 3rd | 14th | |
| Park Jang-ho | SWC | 13th | Group 4: 2nd | Group 2: 4th | Eliminated | |
| Park Hyeok-gyu | SWC | 20th | Group 3: 2nd | Group 2: 1st | 12th | |
| Song Byeong-seok | SWC | 2nd | Group 2: 2nd | Group 2: 3rd | 3rd | |
| Jo Seung-jun | SWC | 11th | Group 3: 3rd | Group 3: 1st | 8th | |
| Hwang Seong-hyun | SDT | 18th | Group 2: Failed | Eliminated | ||
| Kim Chang-wan | CCT | 5th | Group 1: 2nd | Group 2: 2nd | 2nd | |
| Participant | Unit | Team | Team Competition | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Obstacle Route March | Cave Escape | Mud Car Rescue | Counter-terrorism Rescue | Underwater Retrieval Mission | Battlefield | |||
Lee Chang-jun 
|
Leader | Alpha | 1st | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | Won | |
| Kim Chang-wan | CCT | |||||||
| Kim Ho-jong | SSU | |||||||
| Chu Bu-yeon | MCSR | |||||||
| Hong Beom-seok | 707 | |||||||
Jay Morton 
|
Leader | Bravo | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 2nd | Eliminated | |
| Gong Gi-hwan | UDT | |||||||
| Kim Yeong-hwan | 707 | |||||||
| Kim Hyeon-gon | UDT | |||||||
| Song Byeong-seok | SWC | |||||||
Johan Reispass 
|
Leader | Charlie | 3rd | Won | 2nd | Eliminated | ||
| Go In-ho | HID | |||||||
| Park Se-won | SWC | |||||||
| Park Han-gyeol | MCSR | |||||||
| Jo Seung-jun | SWC | |||||||
Wil Ravelo 
|
Leader | Delta | 4th | Failed | 3rd | Eliminated | ||
| Park Seong-min | UDT | |||||||
| Park Hyeok-gyu | SWC | |||||||
| Lee Kang-woo | MCSR | |||||||
| Hong Guk-seong | 707 | |||||||
Notes
edit- ^ The show did not air a new episode on December 31, 2021 due to the airing of the 2021 SBS Drama Awards.
- ^ Based on their ranking, participants were divided into "higher ranking" (1st to 10th) and "lower ranking" (11th to 20th) bunks for the first night.
- ^ As 8 participants failed to complete the full assault course, a rematch was conducted with a shortened assault course to determine the first 4 elimination candidates.
References
edit- ^ Choi, Ji-yoon (November 19, 2021). "세계서 가장 강한 특수요원은?…김상중의 '더솔져스'" [Who's the strongest special forces operator in the world? ... Kim Sang-joong's 'The Soldiers']. Newsis (in Korean). Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ Kang, Ae-ran (November 19, 2021). "SBS '더솔져스' "글로벌화로 기존 군 예능과 차별화"" [SBS 'The Soldiers': "Differentiated from existing military shows by globalisation"]. Yonhap News (in Korean). Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ [ENG]This is urgent, figure out how to escape | THE SOLDIERS | Ep1. 뉴띵 NDD. November 24, 2021. Retrieved March 22, 2022 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b Park, So-young (November 19, 2021). ""우리가 방송 최초"..'더솔져스', '강철부대'와 비교해 보라는 패기?" ["We are a television first"..'The Soldiers' ambitious comparison to 'Steel Troops'?]. Chosun Media (in Korean). Retrieved March 22, 2022.
- ^ Yoon, Hyo-jeong (November 19, 2021). "'더솔져스' PD "타 군대예능과 차별점? 우리는 글로벌"" ['The Soldiers' producer: "The difference from other military shows? We're global"]. News1 Korea (in Korean). Retrieved March 22, 2022.