Chinese Variety Shows

Watched for Dylan Wang (Wang He Di) and Shen Yue after having seen Meteor Garden 2018

The main premise is that a group of people attempt to run a hotel. I watched this quite a while ago and didn't complete it (and have no intention to). It was a good show, sweet and interesting. There were quite a few references to the first season which I was not familiar with. There was also a heavy cp pushed by the editors between some of the cast to create "drama", which is fine as long as you don't take it too seriously. 

Watched for: Zhou Shen, Xiao Zhan and Xiao Gui (Wang LinKai)

Senior singers in the industry and new artists pair up to create music for each episode. This is a good show. I highly enjoyed the bond between the singers being built as the episodes go by as well as seeing the senior singers go out of their comfort zone. Almost all the pieces were iconic!

Watched for: Lay, Jackson and Wang Yibo

A competition where street dancers from all over the world compete. They join a team under one of the four captains to show their abilities in choreography, team work and battles. 

Watched for: 

Idol Producer Cast: Bi Wenjun, Zhu Zhengting, Justin, Dong Yanlei, Jeffrey and Xiao Gui.

The Dachang boys attempt to run a restaurant in Australia, with questionable English and cooking skills. This was pure golden entertainment and I have rewatched it multiple times. 

Watched for: Tao and Zhu Zhengting

This was far more educational then I had thought it was going to be and it really opened my eyes to the issues surrounding human treatment of the environment.

Watched for: Justin and Cheng Xiao

It's basically celebrities playing paintball. 

Watched for: Cai Xukun and the various reunions with Dachang boys.

This is quite a classic show in the way it is produced and set. But, of course, it is still entertaining. I especially loved the dynamics built with the introduction of new members to the group. 

Watched for: Yang Yang, Dylan Wang (Wang He Di), Justin

Two groups of celebrities, the Seniors (over 35) and the Juniors (18-35) compete against each other through a massive game of hide and seek. It's  an interesting watch seeing how they gradually get to know one another and understand the differences between today's generation and the previous generation. 

Watched for: Justin

It basically follows the lives of people from different generations. I only watched Justin's cuts but I learnt alot about the struggle of being an idol - having no place to call your own home and having to balance being a celebrity and being an 18 year old.

Watched for: Justin and Deng Lun

Celebrities trying to complete escape rooms and testing their intelligence. The cast worked well together and their dynamic made me laugh. 

I am a bit sad that the past season has not been translated (my Chinese is not good enough to understand without subs for this type of show) so I couldn't truly be wowed when some events tied back to the first season. 

Watched for: Fan Chengcheng

They run a clothes shop both online and physical, attempting to reach a target amount of money by the end of the show. 

I personally have no real interest in fashion, but it was interesting seeing their minds work to run a shop and to achieve sales. 

Watched for: Fan Chengcheng and Guo Qilin

Men are tasked to do the housework in their home. It's comprised of a family team, a couple team and a roommate team. Each episode explores their improvement of doing the housework in their home. It's funny to see the dynamics within each home. Although I started watching this for the roommate team my favourites ended up being the family teams. 

Watched for: NEXT (Nex7) and Yang Di

C-pop group NEXT and Yang Di visit different seniors in the music industry and live with them for a few days to learn and experience their lives. I initially watched this for NEXT content, however it was particularly insightful on the impact of Seniors in the industry and also I learnt more about the dynamic between the members. How Justin is still a kid, Quanzhe is more mature than he looks, Chengcheng is busy all the time, Zeren is outgoing, Xinchun is actually really funny, Wenjun just needs that extra push to be himself and Zhengting is sometimes overwhelmed by being the eldest and the leader. 

Watched for: NINE PERCENT (Wang Ziyi, Xiao Gui, Fan Chengcheng, Zhu Zhengting, You Zhangjing)

The group as well as After Journey and Fei Qi Ming travel around New Zealand in a tiny caravan. I cried a lot more in this show than I thought I would. I saw how everyone in the end truly relied on each other through their journey and if one person left it would throw them off completely. 

Watched for: Fan Chengcheng, Zhou  Shen and Yang Di 

The cast explore various cities and play games. The chemistry between the group is really good and actually makes you feel like they are a family.

Watched for: Justin and Deng Lun

Another archetype show, in which there is the main cast and they play various games throughout the episode.  This show was a lot more educational than I previously assumed and did make me feel very grateful for the workers out there.

Tao, Yang Zi and Yang Di

A game of detectives vs undercovers. Each episode is based on a popular IP drama, even bringing in some of the actual actors that were in the original. This had comedy, puzzles and intelligence it was enjoyable to a high grade.

Watched for: Zhu Zhengting, Song Yuqi and Zhang Jike

It's a dating show, where a group of strangers live together, whilst still maintaining their everyday jobs if able to, in hopes to find love. These interactions are then observed by some celebrities who make predictions on who will end up together.  

One thing I loved about this show is that it is realistic. All the contestants know that there is a chance that they will not find love, and so they will make the most of their time in the house together. Whether that be as friends or maybe more. I liked how we could see their interactions with each other without drama, and actually see as they discuss what they would do after their stay.  

Watched for: You Zhangjing and Wang Sulong

The first season of Mr Housework. Once again, I fell for the family team. There is just something about how endearing the family team is each time that makes me love them so much.  

This is the first variety show I have watched in total for a while and what a bundle of joy this was. It was so beautiful to watch the brothers' and sisters' growth as the show progressed. The show follows four sets of siblings as the older brother looks after their young sister, it shows how the two must rely on one another without their parents.

My one regret is that I didn't watch season 1 before this season, so I couldn't feel the same attachment that the observers felt to Wang Ruihan and Xin'er.