Seven Korean celebrities compete in real-life Monopoly in Dubai

Seven Korean celebrities — Yoo Yeon-seok, Lee Dong-hwi, Kyuhyun, Jee Seok-jin, Cho Sae-ho, and Joshua and Hoshi of boy band Seventeen — got together to play a game of Monopoly, but this time, they will be competing for real prize money...

From left, Cho Sae-ho, Jee Seok-jin, Lee Seung-gi, Yoo Yeon-seok, Kyuhyun, Joshua and Hoshi of boy band Seventeen pose for a photo during an online press conference for ″Bro & Marble in Dubai″ on Monday. [TVING]

Seven Korean celebrities — Yoo Yeon-seok, Lee Dong-hwi, Kyuhyun, Jee Seok-jin, Cho Sae-ho, and Joshua and Hoshi of boy band Seventeen — got together to play a game of Monopoly, but this time, they will be competing for real prize money.

The new reality show, called “Bro & Marble in Dubai" by Tving, will begin airing on Friday.

"Bro & Marble in Dubai” plays off of the Korean name for Monopoly: Burumarble, also called Blue Marble. The seven men will play a real-life version of the board game at different landmarks in Dubai, with real money. Singer Lee Seung-gi plays the role of the banker.

“'Bro & Marble in Dubai’ is an unpredictable game involving real money,” said Lee Hong-hee, the main producer for the show during an online press conference Monday. “The cast can have a luxurious trip if they win money from the game, and, if not, they will have a very different kind of trip. The endgame winners get to take home the final sum.”

“Bro & Marble in Dubai” attracted attention when the production for the show was first announced, due to its reportedly huge budget, which producer Lee addressed during the press conference.

Main poster for ″Bro&Marble in Dubai″ [TVING]

“I can’t disclose the actual sum of the budget today, but I can assure you that viewers will find themselves asking how much the budget actually was when they see the very first episode,” Lee said. “We really put a lot of thought into how to show the luxuriousness and scale of Dubai to viewers.”

The seven celebrity contestants are divided into three teams, and each team naturally claimed that they were the best. Yoo and Kyuhyun make up the first team, while Lee Dong-hwi, Jee and Cho make up the second, and Joshua and Hoshi form the final team.

“We are very good friends in real life, and that makes our team and the chemistry between us very strong,” said Yoo. “Kyuhun and I have also worked professionally together in a musical, too. I am confident we can bring entertainment to the viewers.”

“Playing with real money for the final prize made everything much more nerve-wracking,” said Jee. “I have participated in a lot of reality television shows in my career, but there has been nothing like this.”

Joshua and Hoshi, who are from the same boy band Seventeen, were also confident that they could bring good teamwork to the table.

“Since we have trained for years together and also live together, we can almost communicate without speaking to each other,” said Hoshi. “I think this makes us very good candidates for the winning team.”

The producers of “Bro & Marble in Dubai” chose the city of Dubai as the show’s location because it is a place where the contrast of having and not having financial means is very apparent, according to the main producer Lee.

“Dubai is a place where, if you have the money, you can have the most luxurious experience, and at the same time there are desolate deserts out there in great contrast to the city itself,” Lee said. “And in terms of scale and luxuriousness, it can’t be beaten. That's why we chose Dubai.”

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]