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Variety Roulette: Shinhwa Broadcast

Another Variety Roulette! This time, we check in with the A-dols on Shinhwa Broadcast. Who knew that six men in their thirties would be the perfect formula for laugh out loud entertainment? So without further ado…

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Shinhwa – “Perfect Man” [ Download ]

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EPISODE 33. Broadcast on October 28, 2012.

We’ve talked about A-dols (ajusshi idols) here at Dramabeans before and I caught this show when it premiered back in March. I found it absolutely hilarious and meant to keep up, but did a “I’ll-catch-it-next-week”… for about 6 months and here we are.

From the little I know, the show initially started out with zany games and missions, and brought on some guests. Today, they’ll be exploring the phenomenon of the hit mobile game, AniPang. Basically, you can think of it as Bejeweled but with cute little animals instead. It’s cute aka Korea will love it.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s introduce our cast listed by age: leader Eric Mun (33), Lee Min-woo (33), Kim Dong-wan (32), Shin Hye-sung (32), Jun Jin (32), and maknae Andy (31).

I wonder if Andy feels weird being a maknae now that he’s in his thirties…

Something must be said about a group that has stayed together through thick and thin for the past 14 years. It’s something you don’t see very often in the K-pop world and their dynamics show that yes, they do know each other’s quirks and mannerisms to the teensiest detail.

We open in a conference room where Eric comments that it’s been over six months since they started filming. Gosh, don’t make me feel bad about not tuning in more often.

So what better time is there than now to present a semi-annual performance report on their variety skills? He whips it open… and then assigns Hye-sung to read it aloud. Ha. Are you too lazy to read your own report?

Hye-sung starts with his own progress, a slow steady incline, and Jun Jin quips, “At this rate, he’ll hit 100 in 15 years!”

Min-woo’s line looks like a rollercoaster and his highlights include an episode where he shared his secret to induce… farting? This is a prime example of “ruining” that pretty-boy idol image for the sake of variety.

It looks like Jun Jin’s got all the one-liners today as he comments again on his straight line on the chart, “Does that mean it doesn’t matter if I’m here or not?”

How much do I love that the reasons for Eric’s jumps in popularity are all episodes that involve him cross-dressing as a woman?

I’ve noticed he’s got this paradox of a 4D personality where he’s both willing to go that extra mile for variety and also dead serious about it which turns into joke fodder for the other boys.

Undeterred, he introduces today’s episode as a “Covert Tutoring” session with this super serious expression on his face. He then leads his group through the secret entrance… which is a doggie door.

Hye-sung: “…There’s a door [right next to you].” Ssh! Remember this is a covert operation!

They all crawl through (’cause hey, you gotta follow the leader) to a studio audience. I love how this actually throws them off for a second and Eric smooths out his jacket. An animation pops on screen (Hye-sung: “Hey, that’s Eric [I drew]!”) who identifies himself as Leader.

Leader explains that they’ll be learning tips from a master on today’s theme. They’ll be given time to practice before an ultimate showdown where one of them will be declared the best pupil (aejaeja). Jun Jin gets confused at the term and asks: “Is it like Eric’s pupil [jaeja]?” HA.

A hint on today’s theme: “We’ve neglected one another, but thanks to you I heard about it.” They throw out random answers, “I love school!” “Post office!” “Shinhwa Broadcast!” until Hye-sung figures it out, “AniPang!”

The above seems to be from a collection of poems by author Ha Sang-wook who’s garnered some attention on the web. The fact that there’s a poem about a hit mobile game cracks me up.

They seem excited to learn some tips and tricks about the game and Min-woo jokes that he ‘quit’ AniPang. Gah, that game really is strangely addicting.

So we meet today’s ‘masters’ who are two young ladies whose top scores are over 720,000 and 660,000 respectively. Damn, that’s high. Why am I not surprised that there are official tournaments in Korea for this game? It’s like if there was a tournament for Angry Birds. And first prize gets you $1,000? *packs bags*

The boys comment on the game’s enormous popularity and I’m inclined to believe that statistic that there are 20 million people playing in Korea (Though there’s the likelihood that one person could have more than one device.)

Dong-wan’s story cracks me up: He saw a patient in the hospital, smoking and playing AniPang. His added sound effects pretty much has me in a fit of laughter.

Then they talk about how even their parents are in on the rage. Hye-sung: “My dad sends me a text [to brag] whenever he levels up!”

They go through a round of sharing their average scores and it’s Andy who comes out on top with his best score at over 520,000. Today’s Dong-wan’s first time playing and Eric shares that his worst score hangs around 8,000, which gets a big laugh from the audience.

Ah, and then Min-woo shares that he likes playing while doing his business and Dong-wan retorts: “Do we have to hear you talk about your Number Twos?” HA.

All this talk may sound confusing if you’re unfamiliar with the game but don’t worry; Dong-wan’s just as confused with all the jargon. But it is cute how he tries to get in on the conversation anyway.

Hye-sung complains that he sends ‘hearts’ (think of ‘lives’ in a game) to the other members all the time but he doesn’t get much of a return. He shuts Eric down when he says otherwise: “You’re not even on the scoreboard!”

Omg, and then you actually paid money for hearts, Hye-sung?! You couldn’t just wait the 8 minutes for them to reload? Just goes to show how addicting this game can be.

Eric shares that one time, he sent hearts to everyone he knew and sent one to actor Park Geun-hyung by accident. Dong-wan: “Did you get a response?” Eric: *shakes head*

It’s time to test their AniPang skills and Andy wasn’t kidding when he said he was good – he crushes Hye-sung. The masters acknowledge Andy’s skills and when Hye-sung fishes for a compliment, Master No. 2 is like, “…Is [60,000] your average?”

Aw, Dong-wan really is a noob when it comes to this game and as his fingers hover over the screen, hesitant, it’s more frustrating for Eric who’s watching next to him. It’s more like a battle against himself while Min-woo yells at his screen, “Give me a hint!”

When we look at the scoreboard, it’s Andy and Min-woo who claim first and second with lonely Dong-wan in last place. No wonder your nickname is Dong-gu-mong. (‘gu-mong’ means hole, but it doesn’t translate well in English… ’cause yunno.)

Now the masters share their first hint: Don’t watch the animals as they blast. Master No. 1 cites that they’ll shave off time that way and the boys marvel as they watch her demonstrate her tips in action.

Eric tests it out and he’s all, “I’ll blast it from the left and then look to the right and I won’t look!” But… he totally looks anyway. Hehe.

Then Jun Jin hilariously opens his eyes wider until they’re bulging out of their sockets in order to see the screen better.

Andy say what? You can get a high score by not looking at the screen? So they stack him up against newbie Dong-wan to see if he’s for real. But what’s hilarious is that they both exit out of the game unknowingly and Min-woo cries, “What are you doing Dong-wan?! You’re looking at the screen!”

Omg, and his blind-at-random method actually works and he creams Dong-wan. Impressive.

The masters reveal their second hint: an internal rhythm of three beats. They combine that with their first hint to look at the entire scope of the screen and soon, they’re dancing, “Bang, two, three! Bang, two, three!”

After another demonstration, it’s the boys’ turn to try it out. Hye-sung, you are so adorable. He dances the rhythm like a waltz in this singsongy voice, “Choong, Pang, Choong! Pang, Choong, Choong! Choong Pang, Bomb!”

As for their third hint: Compose yourself as you get faster. Jun Jin interrupts in a slightly serious tone that not only will these hints help him in AniPang; they’re like golden nugget life lessons.

They get caught up in the life metaphors until Dong-wan cuts in: “I’ve found that this isn’t the path for my life.” Fighting, Dong-wan!

The masters finally get to show off their skills and the members pour on the compliments as they play. The sound effects sure sound markedly different – a barrage of continuous screams as the animated animals disappear.

They’re understandably nervous but pull off impressive scores anyway. That is, when the boys aren’t adding in their own commentary. Master No. 1 gets so nervous at one point that she stops and says to Jun Jin: “It’s because you keep talking to me!”

She stops mid-game again after Dong-wan sneezes and the boys are like, Why did you have to do that?! Andy: “She had 22 combos!”

The boys get increasingly silent as her score climbs, dumbfounded. Aw, she even beats her own record when they take a break from filming.

Leader reveals the last hint: team play. For this, they bring in some more guests: twin comedians Lee Sang-ho and Lee Sang-min. They explain that communication is the key to success and admit that they’ve got an advantage as twins.

What’s funnier is the answer to Min-woo’s question (“What if you don’t have a bomb to use?”): “You start over!” Then when Andy offers a suggestion to improve their method, Sang-ho just shuts him down.

Min-woo notes that team play can be dangerous if they don’t do well since it can ruin relationships (like when you play Monopoly? Or Risk?) but they’ve both got high individual scores to make up for it. Before they start, Sang-min declares, “This is more nerve-wracking than Gag Concert!”

The boys propose a theory: would similar blood types lead to higher scores? It’s a legitimate question since Korea has blurbs of personality traits attributed to blood types.

Andy (Type O) is hesitant at being paired with Dong-wan (also Type O): “We’re complete opposites!” Dong-wan: “There’s a reason why opposites attract.”

So the Matched goes against the Unmatched Blood Type Team. The Lee Twins bark their commentary, utterly frustrated. Sang-min: “Kim Dong-wan! Play the game!” Sang-ho:”[Use the] bomb!” Suffice it to say, the blood type theory doesn’t work.

Question time for the masters and Eric asks what their favorite animated animal is. Andy notes that he can see all of the colors easily but he can’t put them together, to which Sang-ho responds, “Then you can’t see them!”

Hye-sung asks if they play so much that the game appears in their dreams. The masters admit they do and the Lee Twins add in a few more jokes, “The guys in the army imagine an AniPang bomb!” “I think of another one of us to get a combo!”

Hye-sung sets up another situation: They’ve got less than 10 seconds left, with a low score (for them), and then Andy falls in front of her. Does she save him or go for another 10,000 points?

Without hesitation, she answers: “Get the 10,000 points.” Fangirl or not, a girl’s got a game to play!

He sets up a similar elaborate situation for the other master and gets so caught up in the tragic details that Min-woo interrupts: “What kind of example are you coming up with?!”

She chooses to save Oppa and Hye-sung clarifies, “So in this situation, Jun Jin lives and Andy dies.”

They get a short break to practice and how cute is Hye-sung trying out his “1,2,3” method? Master No. 1 tutors Dong-wan and asks, “Can’t you see [them]?” Dong-wan: “No.” Hee.

Afterward, they walk back to the set, as if they’re entering the arena for an ultimate battle of the ages, dramatic music notwithstanding.

They’ve even got a gamecaster to supervise their tournament who reminds them that the best pupil will be determined on their degree of improvement, not just a high score.

Eric and Dong-wan face each other in Round 1 and as expected, Dong-wan freezes: “I can’t see anything!” Eric wins it.

It looks like Min-woo was the one who got Hye-sung into the AniPang craze. (an addict fed the addict?) The epicness of the question, ‘Will the pupil best the teacher?’ gets hilariously undercut by the happy music in the game.

The constant commentary of the gamecaster doesn’t help and Min-woo yells, “Ah, you’re so noisy!”

The gamecaster asks Jun Jin who he doesn’t want to lose against the most. Answer: “Myself!” Hahaha.

Andy pretty much dominates by the half minute mark, piling on the combos. It’s no surprise that he wins.

They declare the results and the boys let out a laugh of disbelief when their final score is lower than their initial ones. Jun Jin and Hye-sung are the only ones with markedly improved scores

… and it’s Hye-sung who’s declared the best pupil – his first win on Shinhwa Broadcast.

I… can’t believe I just watched a bunch of grown men playing a mobile game for an hour. His prize: 1000 hearts.

A few days later, the numerous hearts arrive on his phone and Hye-sung brags about his winnings to the other members. You’ve won 1000 hearts… and mine.

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Ahhh!! Yay! Shinhwa Broadcast!! ^^ I became a fan of Shinhwa when their Venus teaser came out, and Shinhwa Broadcast totally solidified my Shinhwa Changjo status. Thank you~~

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Ahh so happy to see ShinBang on Dramabeans. I always thought (since X-man days) that Hyesung was adorable.

The 6 man-children make this show really fun. The couple first episodes were a bit messy but it got better afterwards. I was able to introduce lots of my friends (kpop fans) to the older times because of that show and Shinhwa.

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shinhwa broadcast is awesome...
i've already watched it since first episode and every episode is awesome... :)

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Ah the kings of variety....Ever since my youtube discovery years ago, they've never failed in making me laugh whenever I needed it.

I haven't seen this episode yet, but because of them, I am also an anipang addict.

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Hah! I love surprises. Thank you so much. Heard so much about this but never watched it once. Now I can see why people would like it.
Thank you.

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I love this show so much since shinhwa are my favorite a-dols

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Before there was Super Junior as the variety idols, which is acknowledge by many not just because I am a fan... (to a different extend, Lee Joon, Kwanghee & Jo Kwon and DBSK when they were 5), there was Shinhwa... They are real legends.

Their best was all the crazy X-Man episode they were in.

I didn't manage to catch every episode, like gummi say instead was more of a "I’ll-catch-it-next-week" scenario and I catch it whenever possible.

I guess what makes ShinBang so unique is that they do not have a fix concept. They do different things/themes/competition/concept each time...

Like the episode Super Junior guest was hilarious coz it was a take on the Hallyu fever and they had this whole "travel around the world" theme... and then one episode gear up towards modelling, for the Seoul Fashion Festival if I am not wrong and some episodes they were just going head on with their managers team playing games... all kinda hilarious.

In this fickle minded industry, mad respect towards Shinhwa to be able to stay together for this long :)

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Thanks!

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Gomawo Gummi!!! OMG these guys just keep getting hotter and hotter as time flies by. This was the perfect episode to recap to the masses, since it shows off each member's personalities so well in interacting with an inanimate object. LUB THEM!!

Agreed on the addicting part of Anipang -- been playing for months and I still cannot get over that magical 50,000-point level... I will probably break my thumbs trying!! :P

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I LOVE Shinhwa Broadcast! It never fails to make me laugh. I like that they are older and have been in the industry for so long that they have no problem shedding their image. From watching past videos it seems they have always been like that. I HIGHLY recommend watching this for those who haven't. So Hilarious!

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I have been watching Shinhwa Broadcast on and off since it started.

Sometimes it reminds me of shows I used to watch when I was a child (in my 30's also) and some of those were repeats from the 70's. At times I can see The Goodies how the members act with each other.

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my favourite is eric..love when his 4d ness appear..so hilarious see handsome man act like kids

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Shinhwa! Love these guys! They r always fun to watch. Thx for recapping!

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Thanks for the review. This is definitely one of the best variety shows out there right now but needs to get more attention.

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I just discovered this show last Saturday, but it has quickly become my new favorite show. These guys are hilarious.

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Omg, I never thought I'll see the day Shinhwa Broadcast being featured in Dramabeans! Thanks for the recap~ :D

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"Hye-sung: My dad sends me a text [to brag] whenever he levels up!” ~ I thought it was Junjin's dad Hyeusng refered to, not Hyesung's dad... or I'm missing something? XD

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Shinhwa Broadcast is the reason I ditched Running Man. LOL not completely, but I no longer woke up in Monday morning like a crazy person to search for the raw... Well now since Shinbang has moved to prime time, I'm back to Monday morning routine for this show.

I started watching this thinking "What the hell are those uncles doing here." lmao

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i'm so into this show.
this show keep stealing my time. i watched all their episodes except this one. since it's just aired.
this show is too hilarious.
and shinhwa is the only group that i can't choose one of the member as my bias. i love them all.
even witty dongwan. i love him. sensitive hyesung. i love him too.
my favorite bromance is love-hate relationship beetwen eric and hyesung. and i love seeing everybody love to kiss andy.
shinhwa jjang!

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thank you for featuring Shinbang! <3

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Hope Dramabeans will feature/recap Shinhwa Broadcast more often when you can cause this show is hilarious! :)

Btw, it's set to air on Mnet Japan in December too :D

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OMG I'M SO HAPPY YOU GUYS FEATURED SHINHWA BROADCAST :D

If there's any ep you HAVE to watch, watch the MT episode. I think its episode 15 and a couple more because its laugh out loud hilarious you'll fall off your chair :)

And then feature it in Variety Roulette so we can all laugh again with you :DDD

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aww Gummimochi, my heart was won too! <3

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Hahah thank you! I love these guys. I watched all the episodes featuring SHINee and I kept meaning to go back and watch it again but no time.

Anipang~ lol starting playing over a month ago. Got addicted and reach 150k (with my friends at 200k-300k plus) but after they reset the scores for the maybe fifth time, I gave up. But they finally put out Candypang for iPhone earlier this week. I started playing it and it's even better^^

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ShinBang is the best. Thanks for the recap. <3

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AHAHAH. Dying here.

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Thanks for the recap, gotta love Shinhwa Broadcast. Glad the boys could be featured here! :)

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I don't keep up with it, but this show is awesome whenever I catch an episode. They have great variety sense and make the program very fun and enjoyable.

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ShinBang manse!

This variety show is too awesome for words. I just can't tell how many times I died laughing from all their silly antics. I especially love Hyesung and Eric's interaction. RicSung forever! :D

I also love that ShinBang has different themes every other episode and that they gained great following--enough to extend their show's life (I don't think that's the right word, but I can't think of another word to use; I've read somewhere that SB planned to have only 30eps., but since they did well, they got more).

That aside, I have to say that I'm disappointed with Anipang. Why? Because it's not available in my country! Why? Why do you this to us, Korea?! I want to be in in the Anipang craze, too, but I can't! I can't! *bawl my eyes out*

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AWWW I've been wanting DB to jump on the shinbang train! I have reservations about the new format though... I pretty much agreed with their own assessment last week of their best episodes - I think I preferred the Thieves episode over the sports one though!

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I looooooooove Shinhwa Broadcast. I haven't kept up with it regularly because medical school eats up my time (as it should be LOL), but the the episodes I do get to see never fail to crack me up.

First found out about Shinhwa 6 or 7 years ago when I was getting into DBSK and I was watching all the subbed X-Man and Love Letter episodes I could find. And in each episode, there was at least one or two Shinhwa boys that would crack me up so much, I decided to check them out. Best decision ever. They're the not called Variety Show Kings for nothing. :)

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shinhwa are my favourite forever , they are the true kings of variety , never fail to make me laugh until my stomach hurts , they are 6 big hearted children disguised as grown up men , I totally love these guys , and this show is absolutely hilrious , you will never get bored watching it .....

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Heeeeee, I've got not much value adding comments. Just so glad to see Shinbang here!! =D

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Thanks for recapping. I love shinhwa broadcast. It's one of my favorite variety shows.

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Ahhhh... a pleasant surprise to see Shinhwa Broadcast on DB... Love Min Woo and Hye Sung, love their songs and friendship too!
They are talented, handsome and hilarious, I just simply fall in love with them, all over again..

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yay for the shinhwa broadcast feature! :D i hope db would recap this too.. :D i adore hyesung, such a cool guy!

the suju episode has got to be one of the funniest episodes i've seen on variety shows!

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u made me curious abt the game... so i'm gonna download it n try it out and try my best not to get addicted. keke.

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please keep recapping hehehe ^^

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the original variety idols! this is why i love my "boys" (yes in my heart they're just kids in men's bodies lol)!

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Thanks... Shinhwa's series are truly entertaining, it's full of LOL moments, true stress buster that these ajusshi 'dols will allow themselves to go thru such crazies... worth a lot of laughs, thanks...

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I've been a fan of Shinhwa since I was in elementary school (i'm a college senior right now).

This show pretty much makes me relive my childhood. I loved them growing up and their variety show antics. The variety world in Korea has changed so much in the last ten years, but its great to see their personalities.

They are in their early thirties, but in many ways they still act like 19 year olds. That's why I love them.

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im so happy to see Shinhwa Broadcast being reviewed here in DB......way to go SB....

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Haven't seen this episode yet, but if the recap made me laugh out loud, I have high hopes. I'm glad you got to cover Shinhwa Broadcast! If you keep watching it, does it mean we get to discuss the funny bits?

I think I loved this the most: "It’s like if there was a tournament for Angry Birds. And first prize gets you $1,000? *packs bags*" Now I really want to play Anipang and make money at it. We should make this a goal.

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A must watch episode is when they do a 'hidden camera' on Eric! It's hilarious! I love that they can have fun in their 30s and play practical jokes like that. Shinhwa jjang!

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These men are amazingly funny!!! One of the best shows I have ever watched. Love, love, love Shinhwa. Wish they would officially release this show in North America with full-subs...it is definitely worth the watch.

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Whenever I see Eric, I remember his goofy Indian dance and dressed like a belly dancer with nonstop chest bounce hahahah!!!!~~

(Would it be good if you have a recap also on the episode where Super Junior had guested??? Just asking hehe)

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yay thanks for posting about shinhwa broadcast. It's an amazing show, not because of the ideas/ games/ concepts, but because of the awesome 6 men who host the show. I personally love the "Gym" episode, where minwoo pull out his crazy mimicry of the hong kong action movies and andy started his "zombie andy" character.

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this 6 crazy man makes me crazy :D and of course the leader is the craziest leader in the world. i don't know how he can lead very well for about 14 years now :D

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ShinBang, yay! You need to watch previous episodes. This one was good but there were some real gems.

I think my favourite were the episodes where the PD gave them cameras and told them to film a week of their life, and they were competing to have the most interesting one. Big kids, really.

There were a lot of touching bromance moments too, when they were doing their comeback stage. *tear* I luff them.

Also, the MT and the Gentleman's Dignity episode cracked me up SO bad.

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Finally a review on Shinhwa Broadcast. :D

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