Ju Woo-jae Reveals How Jeon Hyun-moo's Advice Led to His Struggles in Variety Shows

Ju Woo-jae opens up about how following Jeon Hyun-moo's advice led to his struggles in the variety show scene.

KBS2's variety show 'Problematic Men in the Rooftop Room' (hereafter 'Problematic Men') is a dopamine-inducing quiz battle where the 'brainy' gather in a rooftop room to tackle bizarre questions amidst the flood of trivial knowledge. The show features Song Eun-yi, Kim Sook, Kim Jong-kook, Hong Jin-kyung, Yang Se-chan, and Ju Woo-jae.

The upcoming episode on Thursday, the 29th, marks the 300th special episode with Jeon Hyun-moo, who won the prestigious grand prize at the '2025 KBS Entertainment Awards,' making a meaningful appearance as a solo talk show guest for the first time in 14 years. During the episode, professional entertainers like Kim Sook, Ju Woo-jae, and Yang Se-chan form a chaotic food chain with the 'predator of variety shows,' Jeon Hyun-moo, providing plenty of laughs.

Kim Sook expresses her pride at Jeon Hyun-moo's visit, saying, "He's someone you can meet easily, but he rarely appears on other people's shows. I had to do some groundwork personally." However, Jeon Hyun-moo quickly disrupts her pride by joking, "Should I just wear a wig and sit in Kim Sook's seat?" causing laughter.

Jeon Hyun-moo, who initially showcased his prowess as a 'variety predator' targeting Kim Sook, suddenly becomes the prey, adding intrigue. Ju Woo-jae shares, "In the early days of my broadcasting career, I did a variety show with Hyun-moo. He advised me to become someone difficult for broadcasters to call upon and not to appear on just anything. I followed his advice and turned down offers, but soon no one called me. I ended up doing just one show that year and took a long break." Ju Woo-jae raises the stakes by revealing, "When I later told Hyun-moo about this, he denied it, saying, 'When did I say that?'" Hong Jin-kyung adds fuel to the fire by commenting, "But Hyun-moo is on TV all the time," turning the set into a sea of laughter.

Yang Se-chan also exposes Jeon Hyun-moo's early days as an MC, saying, "Back then, Hyun-moo was just starting as a main MC. If I, as a panelist, made a slight joke, Hyun-moo would get anxious. He needed to make at least one joke himself to smoothly transition to the next segment," causing Jeon Hyun-moo to blush.

The 300th special episode of 'Problematic Men,' featuring Jeon Hyun-moo's candid stories and the relentless attacks from MCs who have become 'variety hyenas,' is highly anticipated.

'Problematic Men in the Rooftop Room' airs every Thursday at 8:30 PM on KBS 2TV.

Reporter: Kim Se-ah, TenAsia haesmik@tenasia.co.kr