Who were the top variety show idol stars of 2010?

With more and more idol group members venturing into multiple fields of the entertainment industry other than music, the performance stage has now become too small a venue for these stars to release their overflowing, yet hidden talents.
Idol groups may have received love and interest for their cute and youthful images in the past, however throughout this year, the popular trend of the ‘idol’ image slowly began to move towards the concept of ‘comedy’ and ‘honesty’.
Money Today Star News looked into this year’s most prominent comedic idol members in closer detail.
<”KKab Kwon” – Nothing more needs to be said.>
Many staff members of broadcasting companies have agreed that Jo Kwon, a.k.a ‘Kkab Kwon‘ was this year’s leading variety show idol. The leader of the 4-membered 2AM first became a semi-fixed cast member for MBC’s ‘Quiz to Change the World’, through which he gained a lot of his popularity for showcasing what is now known as his trademark facial expressions, as well as his hilarious imitations of girl group dances. It was through this where he earned his nickname “Kkab Kwon”, meaning to be “silly” or “frivolous“.

Jo Kwon was then cast as a regular couple on ‘We Got Married’ with Brown Eyed Girls’ Ga-In, which received immense support from viewers as the ‘Adam Couple’. The singer was also a fixed member of SBS’s ‘Family Outing‘, which was then followed up by a fixed MC role for music program, ‘Inkigayo‘. Jo Kwon recently took on the new challenge of acting, and is currently a main cast member for MBC’s new daily sitcom, “All My Love.”
<Flower boy + 2nd generation Kim Gura, B2ST’s Ki Kwang>

Another variety show rookie that comes to mind is Lee Ki Kwang of B2ST. Ki Kwang first showed his potential comedic talents through MBC’s daily sitcom ‘Highkick through the Roof’, but his popularity only began to soar after he was chosen as a fixed member of popular variety show, ‘Hot Brothers’. It was through this show where Ki Kwang was able to break out of his typical, flower boy idol image and be accepted as the second generation Kim Gura - a comedian who is particularly well-known for his witty wordplay. Ki Kwang’s seductive “American Dance” on the show is considered to be one of Ki Kwang’s highlights in becoming one of this year’s top variety show idols.

Following his success on ‘Hot Brothers’ came a new opportunity for Ki Kwang to cast for KBS’s weekly talk show, ‘Seung Seung Jang Gu’. Learning under veteran gagmen Kim Gura, Tak Jae Hoon, and Park Myung Soo, Ki Kwang has improved vastly in his eloquence and wit – two key ingredients which are vital for a successful variety talk show.
<The grasshopper-eating idol, KARA’s Goo Hara>
KARA’s Goo Hara is said to be one of the more notable ‘variety idols’ in the girl-group dominated variety show, KBS 2TV’s ‘Invincible Youth‘. Rather than her cute and glamorous images on stage, her free and easy personality that is displayed on the show gathered a lot more interest from viewers and fans.

During the show, Hara challenged herself in taking a driver’s licence for farm machines, and was also seen driving a rice-planting tractor machine, through which she gained her new nickname, “The Goddess of Agriculture.” To the cast members’ disgust, Hara even ate a fried grasshopper, which she described as “anchovies simmered in soy sauce.” The idol was a hot topic on popular portal sites for weeks as the  “Grasshopper-eating Idol”.
<Fixed variety show MC + Own talk show, Super Junior’s Lee Teuk>
Super Junior’s leader Lee Teuk can also be deemed as an illustrious figure in the variety show field. Lee Teuk, along with fellow members Eun Hyuk and Shindong, have a fixed corner titled ‘Teukigayo‘ on SBS’s ‘Strong Heart’, and replaced the empty sub-MC spot on SBS’s ‘Star King‘ shortly after comedian Boom left to fulfill his army duties.

His success throughout the year finally earned him an MC position for the new variety show, ‘Enjoy Today’, and is also planned to create a new talk show with three other Super Junior members, to be titled ‘Super Junior’s Foresight’.
<”Plastic surgery-dol”, honest and confident charms, ZE:A’s Kwanghee>
ZE:A’s Hwang Kwang Hee’s popularity in variety shows has been spiraling upwards these recent months, and he is slowly becoming acknowledged as the bluechip of variety shows. Kwang Hee entered the variety show field as a noisy and arrogant character, which eventually led to the establishment of a new nickname, the ‘Human Beagle’.
What viewers are most satisfied with Hwang Kwang Hee is his fearlessness in breaking his idol image to show a more truthful side of himself.

For example, the idol confidently revealed on broadcast, “I fixed my whole entire face” and “I rested in bed for a whole year because of my plastic surgery.” Many viewers responded positively to his wit, leaving comments such as, “He is the next new star of variety shows” and “I could watch him over and over again and he’s still funny.”