Hong Jin Ho is my favorite Korean reality game show winner.
Also, he is a legendary Starcraft ZERG player.
I have followed all his programs since he fought the odds to eliminate Kim Gu Ra in The Genius S1. Crime Scene is one of my favorites, and I tried to watch his dumbass version on Running Man.
That said, most of his reality game show endeavors haven't really translated into wins.
HONG JIN-HO'S GAME SHOW VICTORIES
YEAR | SHOW | RANK |
2013 | THE GENIUS S1 | RULES OF THE GAME | 1ST OF 13 |
2013 | THE GENIUS S2 | RULE BREAKER | 7TH OF 13 |
2014 | CRIME SCENE S1 | 3 W | 4 L |
2015 | THE GENIUS S4 | GRAND FINAL | 4TH OF 13 |
2015 | CRIME SCENE S2 | WINNER |
2017 | CRIME SCENE S3 | GUEST |
2023 | THE TIME HOTEL | 2ND OF 10 |
2023 | THE BLOODY GAME S2 | 2ND OF 14 |
The only player to rival him is Jang Dong Min. JDM won The Genius' S3 and S4, and The Society Game S2. In terms of gameplay, Dong Min is superior to Jin Ho because he can lie, be smart, and strategize. Jin Ho can play the game, but only when he's under immense pressure. In Time Hotel, Jin Ho should have won, but he became complacent. The same can be said during his time in The Bloody Game S2.
From the get-go, he let himself be on the brink of elimination. Scripted or non-scripted, he almost lost in the first elimination match. It also didn't help matters that he chose to return as a spy. Not only is his gameplay well known because of his popularity, but we all know that deception isn't his forte. This time, he can't hide on Dex and rely on Xitsuh since he's on the other side. I have only seen the first three episodes as of this writing and it felt like he was also lax during the crime scene illustration game.
In some ways, it's hard for the younger players to go up against the older players, especially if they hold some sort of reputation. Kim Kyung Ran pulled her strings in Episode 3, while Jang Dong Min and Hong Jin Ho finished off the games as their other teammates did all the legwork. Lee Gina almost got the shaft for trusting Kyung Ran and when she avoided elimination, she felt sorry for what she'd been saying to the veteran Genius player. The thing about Kyung Ran is how she plays these survival shows. She went from fiery schemer to regarded elder and in some ways, it's hard to vote out the latter because of how Koreans treat their older coworkers as well as the female gender.
Kyung Ran gets the job done as long as she has a crutch. She will ride that alliance until she can. This is not a bad thing. In Survivor, Amber Brkich used Rob Mariano to win Survivor: All-Stars as the damsel in distress and the lesser evil. While yeah, Rob and Amber got happily married eventually, she used her assets because obviously she can't do it on strength. In The Genius S1, she had Lee Sang Min. In The Genius S4, she had loose alliances with Sang Min, Dong Min, and Jin Ho. Kyung Ran went on to become the best female Genius player. In Bloody Game S3, she gets the lifeline in Chunju Man. This alliance isn't as solid as her previous ones, but it will help her in a game where the real game is placing first on its social part.
Even in a game of backstabbing, it's hard to just go full ham on being an asshole because, at the end of the day, these contestants have other jobs.
Kyung Ran is a television presenter while Dong Min and Jin Ho are comedians. The Dex in Single's Inferno and The Zone differs from his Bloody Game and even Zombiverse version.
But while Dong Min is revered for his intelligence and interactions, all Jin Ho right now is respect. I will always remember him because of this moment, but he needs to get his head straight.
Anyway, I'm in Episode 4 now.