Netflix Sets August Release for Snowy Variety Show Take A Hike!

Netflix is preparing to add another outdoor Korean variety format to its slate with Take A Hike!, a new series that places entertainers with little interest in mountaineering on a demanding winter climb. The show is scheduled to premiere on August 18, 2026, and newly released teaser materials frame the program as both a physical challenge and a character-driven ensemble piece.

The series brings together singer-songwriter Car, the garden, DAY6 member Dowoon, ALLDAY PROJECT’s Tarzzan, and actor Lee Chae Min. Rather than presenting the group as seasoned outdoor adventurers, the premise leans into the opposite idea: four reluctant participants are pushed into their first midwinter expedition up a snow-covered mountain.

That setup gives the show a simple but flexible variety engine. The cast members are not competing in a traditional survival format, nor are they merely touring scenic locations. Instead, the humor and tension appear to come from watching personalities adjust to an environment that demands stamina, patience, and teamwork from people who did not choose hiking as a hobby.

A Cast Built for Contrasts

The teaser poster highlights the group dynamic before the climb even begins. Car, the garden is positioned as the eldest member and carries a solemn expression, while Dowoon is shown with a curious look. Lee Chae Min’s polished screen presence and Tarzzan’s brighter energy add further contrast, giving the show several tones to play with as the journey becomes more difficult.

For K-pop and Korean entertainment viewers, the lineup is one of the main hooks. Dowoon brings an established fan base from DAY6, while Tarzzan represents newer idol energy through ALLDAY PROJECT. Lee Chae Min has built visibility through acting and hosting work, and Car, the garden adds a musician’s understated variety sensibility. The mixture suggests a program less dependent on one star and more focused on how the cast members respond to each other under pressure.

The newly released trailer emphasizes that pressure. It shows the participants reacting with surprise as the climb proves harder than expected, with exhaustion and disbelief becoming part of the comedy. The footage also contrasts those reactions with sweeping views of winter mountains, turning the landscape into more than a backdrop. The beauty of the setting appears designed to intensify the question at the center of the show: why do people hike at all?

Na Young Suk and Park Hyun Yong Return to Outdoor Variety

Take A Hike! is directed by Na Young Suk and Park Hyun Yong, two producers closely associated with Korean variety programming that puts celebrities in unfamiliar, lightly structured situations. Their involvement signals a format built around observation, chemistry, and small unscripted moments rather than heavily staged spectacle.

Producer Park Hyun Yong described South Korea’s winter mountains as both harsh and visually striking, and that contradiction appears central to the program’s appeal. The teaser positions the climb as uncomfortable, even punishing, but also capable of creating moments of awe. The cast’s task is not only to reach a destination, but to process an experience that repeatedly challenges their expectations.

That balance is important for Netflix’s Korean unscripted catalog. Global viewers have shown interest in Korean variety shows that combine familiar celebrity faces with specific local settings, whether through food, travel, games, or everyday labor. A winter mountain expedition gives Take A Hike! a clear visual identity while keeping the emotional stakes accessible: fatigue, friendship, complaints, encouragement, and the satisfaction of continuing anyway.

The title also hints at a self-aware tone. The phrase can sound casual or even dismissive, but the show appears to use it literally and playfully, sending its cast into a situation they might not have volunteered for. That comic friction could help distinguish the series from more polished travel programs, especially if the final episodes preserve the cast’s discomfort alongside the scenery.

Release Date and What Viewers Can Expect

Take A Hike! will be released on Netflix on August 18. Ahead of the premiere, the central question is whether the four entertainers can turn reluctance into momentum as they face the cold, the terrain, and each other’s different coping styles. The teaser suggests that the route will be difficult enough to test them, but not so severe that it overshadows the show’s lighter variety instincts.

For fans of Korean unscripted entertainment, the series offers a compact and easily understood premise with a cast that crosses music, idol, and acting audiences. If the full show follows through on the teaser’s promise, its strongest moments may come not from reaching the summit, but from the small negotiations and reactions that happen on the way up.