Watch This: Korean Variety Show The Genius.

With Korea being such a blessing for sports and eSports fans during these trying times, it’s only natural to explore other entertainment options from the country. One of the more prominent types of programs on the airwaves in Korea is the variety show. Variety shows are typically random reality shows that see Korean celebrities doing everything from normal everyday activities to investigating crime scenes. The best variety show for my money aired in 2013 and ran for four glorious seasons and it was aptly named … The Genius.

Imagine a show where 500 IQ moments happen regularly. That, my friends, was the biggest selling point for me when I first was introduced to the series. It’s a show in which contestants play various games which may or may not be beatable with the intention of obtaining garnets. The more garnets you have, the more money you receive if you win the season. There were two games played each episode: The Main Match and Death Match. The Main Match is where everybody would play and try to win garnets and safety, while the Death Match was typically a one-on-one battle to outwit or outplay your opponent to eliminate them from the game.

The Genius excels as a show not only for the interactions between contestants during the games, but also from the number of WTF moments that occur throughout the season. The editing of variety shows tends to be vastly different than American shows, and it shows during The Genius. Teases are frequent but usually epic while providing the viewer exactly the right amount of information before everything gets explained near the completion of each game. If you think you know what’s happening during an episode, I’d advise you take a step back and let the magic unfold, because you’ll be wrong way more often than not. The other part of editing that shines is music selection. When you hear the first 15 seconds of Extreme Ways by Moby you know something is about to GO DOWN. The soundtrack throughout the series covers a variety of genres with a multitude of songs many people will be familiar with already as Korean variety shows use much more freely than American shows.

If shows where outsmarting your opponents and finding ways to solve puzzles and beat party games are in your wheelhouse, then as long as you don’t mind subtitles, The Genius is your show. If you love big “AHA” moments and 500 IQ plays from individuals, The Genius is your show. If you love the perfect execution of well crafted plans, The Genius is for you. So if you’re seeking a variety show about big brain moments sprinkled with social interactions, you should begin watching The Genius immediately.