‘Whenever There’s a Gap,’ featuring Yoo Jae-suk, Yoo Yeon-seok, Cha Seung-won, and Gong Myung, kicked off Season 3 with a powerful momentum that broke through tough times, setting a new viewership record for the entire previous season.
The SBS variety show ‘Whenever There’s a Gap,’ which aired on the 6th, is a program that gifts luck during brief moments of free time encountered in daily life, known as ‘Gap Strategy.’ The broadcast recorded a peak viewership of 5.8%, 4.5% in the metropolitan area, 4.1% nationwide, and 1.9% among the 2049 demographic, achieving the highest viewership rating of the entire previous season. (Based on Nielsen Korea)
During the broadcast, Yoo Jae-suk and Yoo Yeon-seok greeted viewers with “We are back at 9 PM,” signaling a new beginning for ‘Whenever There’s a Gap’ after a four-month hiatus. The first guests to elevate the energy were Cha Seung-won and Gong Myung. When Yoo Jae-suk embraced Cha Seung-won, saying, “Seung-won hyung is like my real brother,” Cha Seung-won joked, “Have we really made it to Season 3? Is that even a show?” but quickly added, “I’ve seen it all~,” showcasing his tsundere charm and raising expectations for their chemistry right from the start. Notably, before the show began, Cha Seung-won declared, “I don’t really feel guilty about failing at games~,” creating excitement about whether things would go his way until the end.
The first meeting place with the gap owners was a bakery and pastry magazine. The gap owners revealed their vibrant workplace, perfectly combining work and hobby in a ‘hobby-job harmony,’ providing sweet vicarious satisfaction to everyone. To boost the work vitality of the gap owners, the four of them participated in a ‘Jam Lid Tossing’ game. This season, the bonus coupon dice rolling was changed to be conducted right before the game with each ‘gap owner (applicant),’ promising thrilling fun.
When the coupon dice was thrown in front of him, Cha Seung-won expressed concern, saying, “I’m the one entering the tough times~,” but quickly got off to a great start by winning two coupons. He dominated the atmosphere with an unstoppable momentum, hitting the lids with precision and exclaimed, “Who’s in tough times!” with a triumphant demeanor, bringing laughter.
Even though he failed to get bonus coupons consecutively, he achieved the first stage success with consecutive hits from Yoo Yeon-seok and Yoo Jae-suk on the fourth attempt, and with a cool all-kill by hitting three with one bottle cap on the sixth try, he advanced to the second stage, continuing the momentum to the third stage without a hitch, successfully clearing the thrilling pre-stage right from the first episode. Gong Myung remarked, “So this is the taste of success?” savoring the flavor of victory.
The four of them, filled with the energy of success, took a lunch break. As they entered the restaurant, Cha Seung-won exclaimed, “I feel like I’m going to get alopecia. I’ve thrown so many lids. It’s definitely engaging because there are people who want it,” unable to hide his excitement.
Especially, since Cha Seung-won and Yoo Jae-suk were at their favorite restaurant filled with old memories, they continued a lively conversation. After Cha Seung-won settled the bill, Gong Myung commented, “He’s really tsundere. He asked, ‘What card is that?’ in the morning,” acknowledging Cha Seung-won’s charm while pretending to be indifferent. Seizing the moment, Yoo Yeon-seok quipped, “Jae-suk hyung really hates paying. Isn’t your butt too heavy?” to which Yoo Jae-suk replied playfully, “(If I get up first) it looks rude, since you’re leaving~,” making Yoo Yeon-seok and Gong Myung burst into laughter.
The second gap time with the next gap owner took place at a wedding consulting company. The ‘wedding novices’ Yoo Jae-suk, Yoo Yeon-seok, Cha Seung-won, and Gong Myung were constantly amazed by the new world of wedding preparations for the MZ generation.
Next, the four of them entered the ‘Even Straw Shoes Have Their Match’ game. They each wore one shoe and kicked a shuttlecock to succeed. This time, they won two bonus coupons right from the start, rolling up their pants and bursting with enthusiasm. However, due to the clumsy shuttlecock skills of ‘FC Development’ Yoo Yeon-seok and new member Gong Myung, they failed on the sixth attempt and lost all the coupon rounds. At that moment, Gong Myung suggested the ‘pass it right away’ method, and they quickly achieved success in the first stage, making Yoo Jae-suk exclaim, “Gong Myung is like Zhuge Liang~” in excitement. However, they couldn’t break through the wall of ‘FC Development’ and ended in final failure.
Cha Seung-won expressed his deep regret, saying, “This is really a shame. We did our best,” and repeatedly lamented, “My throat is sore, my throat,” while Yoo Jae-suk remarked, “Hyung clearly said in the opening, ‘I’m someone who doesn’t care about others’ competitions,’ but he was the most passionate,” expressing gratitude to Cha Seung-won and Gong Myung for bringing laughter and luck through tough times.
Thus, Yoo Jae-suk, Yoo Yeon-seok, Cha Seung-won, and Gong Myung filled the first episode of Season 3 of ‘Whenever There’s a Gap’ with concentrated chemistry, unexpected competitive spirit, and perfectly timed comedic moments, proving the true value of the returning laughter.
Meanwhile, ‘Whenever There’s a Gap’ airs every Tuesday at 9 PM on SBS.
[Lee Da-gyeom, Star Today Reporter]
