Honestly, when tvN first announced a variety show called The Sixth Sense, people were a little confused. Was it a sequel to the M. Night Shyamalan movie? A ghost hunting show? Not even close. It was actually a chaotic, high-energy psychological game hosted by Yoo Jae-suk, the undisputed "Nation's MC" of South Korea. If you haven't seen it, you’re missing out on one of the most expensive and elaborate prank shows ever conceived. The premise is basically this: the cast visits three different places or meets three different people. Two are real. One is a complete "fake" created from scratch by the production team. Everything about the fake—the wallpaper, the menu, the history, even the business owners—is a lie.
The The Sixth Sense series isn't just about the mystery, though. It’s about the chemistry. You’ve got Yoo Jae-suk trying to maintain order while being absolutely steamrolled by four incredibly loud, unfiltered women: Oh Na-ra, Jeon So-min, Jessi, and Mijoo. Later, Lee Sang-yeob joined to be the group's designated punching bag. It’s glorious.
Why We Keep Falling for the Fakes
The production budget for this show must be astronomical. I'm not kidding. In one episode, they literally renovated a residential house to look like a functioning restaurant in just a few days. They aged the walls. They printed fake menus with realistic grease stains. They even hired actors to play the family of the "owner." It’s a masterclass in set design and psychological manipulation.
Most variety shows rely on scripted jokes or physical challenges. The Sixth Sense relies on your own inability to trust your eyes. You’ll watch an episode and think, "There is no way that 50-year-old sourdough starter is fake." Then, the crew reveals they bought a loaf of bread from a local bakery that morning and just threw some flour on the counter. It makes you feel slightly crazy, which is exactly why it’s so addictive.
The Yoo Jae-suk Factor
Yoo Jae-suk is the glue. He has spent decades on shows like Infinite Challenge and Running Man, but he’s rarely been as stressed as he is on the The Sixth Sense series. The "Sisters," as they’re called, don't follow his lead. They talk over him. They talk about things that usually get censored on Korean TV. Jessi, in particular, became a breakout star here because she simply does not care about the "proper" way to behave on a variety show. Her "Come on, Jebie!" (her nickname for Jae-suk) became a catchphrase that defined their sibling-like bickering.
Spotting the Lie: The Psychology of the Game
The show plays with "Confirmation Bias." Once the cast decides a place feels "too perfect," they start looking for flaws. If the "owner" stutters once, the cast screams, "He's an actor!"
But PD Jung Chul-min is smarter than that. He knows how to plant "reverse psychology" clues. Sometimes the most suspicious person is actually the real one. In Season 2, they featured a "Graphic Designer turned Chef" who seemed so pretentious and awkward that everyone voted him a fake. He was real. He was just a shy guy who liked fancy plating. The show teaches you that your intuition is often just a collection of prejudices.
The Most Shocking Reveals
Remember the "100 million won" chicken? Or the restaurant that only served one table a day in a literal basement? These segments work because they tap into real trends in Seoul’s "hidden" dining scene. In South Korea, "Instagrammable" spots are everywhere. The production team uses this. They find a real trend—like "Robot Chefs"—and then create a fake version that looks just plausible enough to exist.
- The production team once built a fake museum.
- They’ve hired dozens of extras to pretend to be a line of waiting customers.
- They’ve even manipulated the smell of a room using industrial scents.
The Evolution Through Season 3
By the time the The Sixth Sense series hit its third season, the stakes were higher, but the formula started to face a challenge: the cast got too good at the game. They started looking for the "seams" in the wallpaper or checking if the fire extinguishers were up to code.
Despite the members’ sharpness, the show maintained its soul through the guest appearances. When actors like Lee Sang-yeob first appeared as guests, the chemistry was so immediate that he was eventually brought on as a fixed member. His role as the "sixth man" who constantly gets ignored or teased provided a perfect balance to the high-energy female cast. It turned the show into a weird, dysfunctional family sitcom that happened to have a guessing game attached.
How to Watch and What to Look For
If you’re diving into the series for the first time, don’t start at the end. Start with Season 1, Episode 1. You need to see the evolution of their relationships.
Pay attention to the "Behind the Scenes" segments at the end of each episode. That’s where the real magic is. Watching the crew spend 48 hours straight painting a wall to look like it has 20 years of water damage is more impressive than the actual game. It gives you a profound respect for the Korean variety show industry's work ethic.
Common Misconceptions
People think it's all scripted. It isn’t. While the locations are obviously prepared, the reactions of the cast are genuinely raw. When they lose—and they lose a lot—the frustration is real because the losers usually have to do something embarrassing or lose a "golden persimmon" prize.
Also, it’s not just a "food show." While a lot of episodes revolve around weird restaurants, they’ve also covered bizarre jobs, unusual collectors, and "supernatural" experts. The variety of topics keeps the The Sixth Sense series from feeling like a repetitive food vlog.
Making the Most of the Series
To truly appreciate the show, you have to play along. Stop the video before the reveal. Look at the background details. Is that a real business license on the wall? Does the "owner" actually know how to use the kitchen equipment?
- Check the details: Look for things that look too new or too themed.
- Listen to Jessi: She often has a "gut feeling" that turns out to be right, even if she can't explain why.
- Watch the eyes: The actors hired to be "fake owners" usually have a specific look when they’re lying—a slight hesitation before answering technical questions.
The The Sixth Sense series eventually went on a hiatus, leaving fans begging for a Season 4. Whether it returns or remains a three-season gem, it changed the landscape of "deduction" variety shows. It proved that you don't need complex rules if you have a great cast and a production team willing to spend thousands of dollars on a lie.
Actionable Steps for Fans
If you've finished the series and need more, check out Running Man episodes directed by Jung Chul-min. He brings that same sense of "psychological warfare" to his other projects. You can also follow the cast members on Instagram; their real-life friendship is one of the few in the industry that feels 100% authentic. Mijoo and Jessi, in particular, often post behind-the-scenes clips that never made it to the broadcast.
Finally, if you’re ever in Seoul, you can actually visit many of the "real" locations featured in the show. Most of them saw a massive surge in popularity after the episodes aired. Just make sure the place you’re visiting wasn't the one torn down by the crew the day after filming.