Unnie's Direct from the Farm 3 hits No. 1 in viewership ratings

tvN's 'Unnie's Direct from the Farm 3' has proven the competitiveness of seasonal variety shows by recording the No. 1 viewership rating in its time slot despite a massive cast overhaul. While only Yum Jung Ah remained from the original members, the new cast's natural chemistry is establishing itself as a major draw for the program.

In the fifth episode of 'Unnie's Direct from the Farm 3' broadcast on the 27th, Yum Jung Ah, along with Kim Sun-young, Kang You-seok, and Roh Yoon-seo, were shown continuing their life in local production areas, traveling between Taean and Seosan with guest Cho Jung-seok.

The broadcast took first place in its time slot for both national and metropolitan area household viewership ratings, including cable and general programming channels. It also ranked No. 1 in the target viewership rating for men and women aged 20–49, the primary audience for tvN, maintaining a stable trend in both buzz and viewership.

The biggest change in Season 3 is the cast. While Season 2, which ended last July, featured Yum Jung Ah, Park Jun Myeon, Lim Ji-yeon, and Lee Jae-Wook, only Yum Jung Ah remains for Season 3. With Kim Sun-young, Kang You-seok, and Roh Yoon-seo joining the cast, the existing relationships and character dynamics have essentially started from a blank slate.

In seasonal variety shows, changing the fixed cast is a double-edged sword. While losing the familiar relationships of existing viewers can shake a program's identity, a new combination of people can create narratives and relationships not seen in previous seasons. 'Unnie's Direct from the Farm 3' chose the latter, and so far, it is yielding positive results.

In this episode, new energy was added with the arrival of guest Cho Jung-seok. The four members prepared a meal by cooking themselves, with Yum Jung Ah in charge of clam Jjamppong, while Cho Jung-seok handled Tangsuyuk and Chili Squid (Gochu Japchae). After cooking together and sitting around the table, the cast created a natural atmosphere by even forming an impromptu band after the meal.

Kang You-seok expressed his admiration for Cho, saying, "He is a person born with wit and always makes those around him laugh." The meeting between the senior and junior actors went beyond a simple guest appearance, leading to scenes that formed new relationships among the cast members.

The following day, the stage moved to Seosan. The cast set out to harvest garlic, and an impromptu competition even broke out between the production team and the cast. Representing the group, Roh Yoon-seo secured a victory by digging up 32 cloves of garlic in one minute, surpassing the production team. After checking the record, Roh expressed her own surprise, saying, "I dug them like a crazy person.""

Cho also displayed his characteristic playfulness in the garlic field. He boosted the mood by performing an impromptu breakdance during the work, and the cast worked together to harvest nine 10kg bags of garlic. When Cho departed, Kim Sun-young left a warm moment of interaction between the actors by saying, "Let's definitely meet again in a project someday.""

The 'family' concept created by the new members was another highlight of the broadcast. The four took their first family photo under the theme 'Back to the 6090.' Yum Jung Ah, Kim Sun-young, Kang You-seok, and Roh Yoon-seo transformed into styles from different eras, with Roh, a fine arts major, personally taking charge of the members' styling.

In variety shows, the relationships between performers are a key device that creates the program's narrative beyond simple friendship. The subtle tension and intimacy created by the four individuals, who have different age groups and careers, living and working together are acting as a new driving force for Season 3.

However, it was not just peaceful life in the local area. A sudden commotion occurred when Kim Sun-young discovered a snake in a room while preparing dinner. As Kim ran outside in surprise, Kang You-seok stepped forward to personally subdue the snake, and this unexpected incident served as the episode's ending.

Instead of continuing the relationships of the existing cast, Season 3 chose a method of building a new 'family' centered around Yum Jung Ah. It is a strategy aimed at both continuity and variation by placing familiar figures and unfamiliar combinations simultaneously.

Despite the burden of a large-scale member replacement, the fact that 'Unnie's Direct from the Farm 3' continues to lead the viewership rating in its time slot shows that the new combination has settled in to some extent. Now, the key lies in whether they can move beyond the initial freshness to build strong relationships among the new members and develop them into long-term competitiveness.