Surprise: The Secret Room (2022)

A Hidden Gem

The unfortunate thing with this show is that the only synopsis that could be found on the internet is very confusing. That's probably because they weren't sure of where they were going to go with the format and were just starting off with pilots. I'm happy that I looked beyond the wonky synopsis and started watching this show. It took about 3 episodes for the show to find it's footing, so be patient with the randomness in the beginning.

This variety show is all storytelling, and great storytelling at that. Once the show worked its format out, it became 2 regular members per team, and 1 rotating person per team. There are 3 rounds where the 2 teams tell surprising stories that fit a theme per round. They invite a guest that is usually a young MZ Generation person from an idol group to judge each round based on which story was more surprising.

I have to say with all the stories I heard there may have been maybe only 2 that weren't surprising at all, but all of them were interesting. There were times when I felt like I already knew the story, but then they drop things that I had never heard of. All of the stories are based on collected information-- nothing is made up. Some are all facts and some include testimonies from people that are up to you to decide on whether you believe. Even if it's a conspiracy theory, it's one that came from an academic professional.

I had no idea I would enjoy such a show. The storytelling between the 3 people on each team is entertaining (at times humorous) and done so well amongst the 3 of them. Mind you, they are all sitting down at a half circle table while telling these stories. They usually have images, footage, and pre-filmed dramatization to go along with it, though. This goes to show that verbal storytelling is such a lost art and doesn't necessarily need a bunch of action.

I would eagerly look forward to this show every week and hope that the next season comes out soon. If you like shows like Crime Scene, Girls High School Mystery Class, or even The Genius, you're probably the type that would like this show.

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