We’ve covered a few other reality shows featuring international K-pop superstars, BTS (i.e. Bangtan Sonyeondan or 방탄소년단).
We talked about the funniest episodes from their variety show Run BTS (and there may be a follow-up on more recent episodes!). Recently, we also listed our favorite moments from each season of their travel series, Bon Voyage.
Now, we’re back with another: BTS In the Soop.
The Top Moments from BTS In the Soop Season 1
2020 was a tough year for everyone, and celebrities are no exception.
BTS’ world tour was canceled and the many restrictions meant there would be no fifth season of Bon Voyage, either. In its place, however, came BTS In the Soop. In Korean, “soop” means forest and which explains the setting of the reality show.
For 7 days, BTS were given the chance to recharge with a vacation in a beautiful house with the forest on one side and a lake on the other. It was intended for them to do the things they’ve always planned to do but never had the time for. That meant no working (as at this time, they were working on a new album) – just fun and games.
In their in-show interviews, each member spoke fondly of how the experience was healing for them. However, it was just as comforting for us fans to watch as well; to witness them just having fun and taking the break they so deserved.
With that, here are the best, the funniest, and the most soul-soothing moments from BTS In the Soop season 1!
Jin the sashimi king (Ep. 2)
One of Jin’s special requests, apart from fishing gear, was a tank with flatfish so he could try making sashimi – and their production crew delivered!
It was his first time to ever even attempt to make sashimi from scratch and there were many times when he almost gave up, saying “It’d be good if I could do it, and it’s also fine if I can’t.”
With the support of Jungkook, SUGA, and J-Hope, however, he was able to achieve one thing he had always wanted to do: make sashimi for his members.
He was so happy that a few nights later, he and Jungkook filleted the rest of the flatfish to make sushi – which again, everyone absolutely loved!
Writing the show’s theme song (Ep. 3)
Like true artists, when V started playing piano chords at random, Jimin and J-Hope immediately jumped in with harmonies while V and RM spouted lyrics right off the top of their heads. Soon after, they were joined in the room by Jungkook and SUGA, who ran off to grab his recording equipment, and Jin contributed while painting his masterpiece outside the room.
Pretty soon, SUGA had their beat, melody, harmonies recorded and mixed into a rough draft of what would eventually become the In the Soop theme song. They’re professional musicians, indeed.
Prank on Jin (Ep. 4)
Remember in Bon Voyage 4 when Jin got the members to prank J-Hope by leaving him behind at a gas station? Well, J-Hope got his revenge!
The members are getting ready to head back to Seoul halfway through their vacation due to prior work commitments, but Jin goes back to the house to pack up the fishing rod he’d left cast. J-Hope jumps at the opportunity to pull his prank, too.
What’s funny is that the members didn’t even question it – they got on board immediately and SUGA even took it further by letting Jin open the car door, dangling a bit of hope, before driving off just before Jin got in the car.
Canoe trips (Ep. 5)
Okay, I cheated a little with this one because it’s technically a two-in-one combo. Being out on an open lake has especially healing qualities, even vicariously through BTS, and that’s why I couldn’t decide between these two canoeing trips!
First, Jin, RM, and Jimin take the canoe out to relax and retrieve a ball they’d accidentally batted into the lake. It’s endearing because, in true hyung (older brother) fashion, Jin takes the lead and reassures Jimin, who is evidently afraid while hanging onto him for dear life.
Soon after, V goes out on his own just to float aimlessly along the water. He brought some music with him and played the unofficial English version of his own song, “Blue & Grey”. Of course, we now know he wrote this about his sadness and depression during the pandemic, and it was later rewritten in Korean to be included in their latest album, BE.
V and Jungkook’s campfire talk (Ep. 6)
On their fifth night, V initiated a one-on-one conversation with Jungkook over drinks by their makeshift campfire. It seemed a little awkward at first, but the two youngest members eventually settled into the conversation.
During this heartfelt session, they talked about their days as trainees as well as how they have been feeling and dealing with the pandemic situation.
In his solo interview, Jungkook mentioned that he and V used to get in trouble a lot when they were younger but that their relationship has since changed, but how he was grateful that V approached him first as it fixed the patches in their friendship.
Drunk Jimin and the mosquito net (Ep. 7 Behind)
Jimin can be a troublemaker when he’s sober, but even more so when he’s intoxicated. In episode 7, he briefly explains that he got a minor injury the night before while spending time with Jungkook but that he had a lot of fun despite the bruise.
In the behind cut for that episode, we see exactly what happened: a slightly drunk Jimin and Jungkook were chasing each other in the garden before Jungkook retreated to his room. Jimin followed and dragged his mosquito net out of the room, effectively breaking it.
We can’t see what happens next but there’s a loud thud followed by Jungkook asking, “Are you okay?”
Fun with J-Hope and V (Ep. 6 and Ep. 8)
I couldn’t decide, so I’ve included another double whammy with V and J-Hope!
In episode 6, they decided to go out for a drive to get hanwoo hamburgers to eat by the river, stopping to take pictures at a vast field along the way.
Once they got their burgers, they just sat in comfortable silence while enjoying the food and the riverside views. Before heading back home, they had a little impromptu dance session – and the pure joy on their faces is what heals our souls. That, and the fact that in their interviews, V said this drive with J-Hope “hit him in the heart” and J-Hope said it was a “precious” and “beautiful moment”.
In the last episode, these two decided that their vacation’s last hurrah before heading back to Seoul would be a water fight with guns and balloons.
There’s no better serotonin boost than watching V and J-Hope chasing each other around the garden and hearing them laugh like children playing in a schoolyard.
“Eternal roommates” heart-to-heart (Ep. 8)
SUGA and Jin often refer to each other as eternal roommates to harken back to the early years of their group, when they shared a room.
Despite what seems to be very different personalities, they’ve also mentioned many times that they have the same wavelength and can only understand each other. It couldn’t have been more than a few minutes, but this short but meaningful exchange between them is proof of that.
What started as a simple “What would I be doing if I didn’t do music?” musing from SUGA turned into an introspection about their group dynamics and encouraging words from Jin to ensure SUGA that he has, indeed, accomplished many great things and should live with no regrets.
Playing Avalon (Ep. 8)
We always love seeing BTS playing games, whether physically or mentally challenging – that’s part of the charm of Run BTS, after all! On their last night after dinner, the members decided to play a new game called Avalon overseen by gamemaster extraordinaire, Jin.
Slightly more complicated than their favorite “mafia” game, it requires brains, strategy, and the occasional trickery. It’s not really anything different or particularly special, but seeing them have fun while working their brains and pinning the “villain” on each other will automatically put a smile on your face!
Post-show theme song recording (Ep. 8)
We rarely get a look into the group’s song recording process so this was a true gift for us fans, even if it was just for the show’s theme song.
All seven members were together in their recording studio with SUGA at the helm for directing and producing the song, and we love seeing Min PD (as SUGA’s fans call him when referring to his skills as a music producer) at work.
Their collaborative efforts in improving the lyrics, synchronizing the harmonies, and encouraging freedom in ad-libs was a joy to watch, especially knowing that it gave us Jungkook’s iconic ad-lib recording – which sent the members into fits of laughter, too!
It’s impossible not to feel soothed while watching BTS In the Soop season 1 and narrowing down my favorites moments was a monumental task.
I also loved when they spent hours trying to cook fried chicken only to have it still come out very raw; the special bonding moment between RM and J-Hope both when drinking by the bonfire and hiking up the mountain; Jimin, Jin, and SUGA’s gaming-turned-wood-carving session; their dinner comparing MBTI personality types; and literally any moment they spent in the kitchen cooking their own meals.
BTS In the Soop was soothing not just for the members but for fans as well, just knowing that they were getting the healing that they needed while going through the pandemic.
The Best Moments from BTS In the Soop Season 2
When we talked about our favorite moments from season one of BTS’ vacation reality show, In The Soop, we ARMYs had no idea whether we were ever going to get another season of In The Soop or its predecessor Bon Voyage.
When the announcement dropped in early September that the release date for season two was mid-October, there was a palpable buzz of excitement all over social media – October just couldn’t come any sooner.
For many of us fans, In The Soop is a truly healing show.
There’s something oddly therapeutic about watching people you admire just kick back and live a normal life, especially when you know how tirelessly they work.
That’s probably why BTS’ vacation series’ are such a hit – seeing them take a break from work to do whatever they want and be genuinely happy makes all of us happy, too.
Honestly, I could argue that every moment of In The Soop is the best, but here are some that truly stand out from season 2 (from the main episodes and the behind-the-scenes extras!).
Meeting Bam for the first time (Ep. 1)
One of the first teaser photos for In The Soop was a cartoon edit of the seven members in a garden… and a huge dog next to them.
After weeks of wondering “why is there a dog?” and “whose dog is that?”, we got our answer within the first five minutes.
Jungkook walks onto their bus with his beautiful Doberman puppy, Bam, in tow – much to the joy of both the other members and the fans watching.
Plus, let’s face it: every single interaction between Bam and the members (not to mention the captions describing it as ‘co-parenting’, or calling Jungkook his dad and the other members his uncles) was beyond precious.
Choosing rooms (Ep. 1)
When choosing who would sleep in which house and room, they quickly decided to split between those who would sleep early and those who would likely be up to party all night.
It’s a tradition for them to turn the task of choosing rooms into a game, and this time was no different for Team Party: Jungkook, V, Jimin, and J-Hope.
Jungkook immediately took a room on the first floor so Bam could go in and out freely, leaving the other three to play 가위바위보 (scissors, paper, stone).
The room on the second floor was the best so naturally, that’s the one they all wanted – not to mention the fact that one of the first floor rooms also had a giant bug in it.
In the end, Jimin won the top room while poor Hobi, who is already deathly afraid of bugs, ended up with that room.
Footvolley match of the century (Ep. 3 and 4)
On their variety show Run! BTS, the members have tried to play a decent match of footvolley twice – and failed miserably both times.
It looks like they got some good practice in since then because not only were they willing and excited to play together again, but they killed that game. And by that I mean it was still a complete disaster full of bloopers, but they were actually able to keep up a decent rally a few times!
Not to mention the game kept going to deuce; it was supposed to be first to 13 points but they ended the game at 25-23.
Bam kept wanting to play with them too, until his Uncle J-Hope volunteered to babysit him inside the house (where they eventually fell asleep on the couch).
Basketball Coach SUGA (Ep. 2)
Here are two things we know for sure:
- SUGA is extremely talented at basketball, as he’s shown and they’ve all talked about time and time again, and
- SUGA and Jimin constantly bicker like an old married couple.
Underneath that playful banter, however, we know there’s love and respect.
This manifested during episode 2 when the boys saw Jimin playing basketball alone and unfortunately, missing every single shot he took.
SUGA came out to patiently give him some tips and the best part, the reason why this short moment made it onto this list?
When Jimin finally scores his first basket and SUGA praises him, Jimin proudly says “You finally approved!”. It’s a short exchange but the small act of rejoicing at his approval really shows the respect Jimin has for SUGA .
Camper van studio session (Ep. 4)
It’s no longer a secret that BTS are already working on their next album, but this was the first we’d heard them actively discussing and working on the music.
The band’s main producer, SUGA, asked Jungkook for help writing for the beat he had created while RM (in true Best Leader fashion) encouraged him to just “go with what sounds good for you”.
That led to a mini-recording session in their makeshift studio inside the camper van, with Jungkook recording the melody line and SUGA looking on while silently giving him a thumbs up like a proud father.
Cue the waterworks – it’s so endearing to watch Jungkook grow into his role as a lyricist and producer for the group.
Haunted house tour (Ep. 4)
Yes, Jimin is the sweet, thoughtful angel we all love dearly but we also know that he’s just as much inclined to cause chaos when there’s none already happening. Just look at what he did to J-Hope on this night after playing video games and sharing a bottle of whiskey.
In his interview, he said that he’d already had the whole scary tour planned out but wasn’t expecting J-Hope – the group’s resident scaredy-cat – to agree to his “facing fears” invitation.
So the two trekked up to the few abandoned houses behind the property, flashlights, and cameras in hand.
It seemed to be going well… until Jimin suddenly screamed and scared the life out of J-Hope, who proceeded to let out a string of (edited over) profanities.
You can see the cheeky grin on his face right before he lets out that scream!
Playing in the rain (Ep. 4 and 5)
When the rain started falling one afternoon, RM in particular was especially eager to play a round of footvolley out in the rain. Unsurprisingly, it was the three youngest that joined him immediately: Jimin, V, and Jungkook, though they were soon followed by Jin and J-Hope.
Slipping and sliding on the court and the grass, it was clear that they had a blast getting soaked in the rain.
The three kids even stayed behind for another hour just to play their own game of “whoever shoots a basket with one hand can finally go inside”.
RM said afterward that spending time with the members like that was rare but made him happy to feel like a child again and the others echoed his sentiments, adding that this is what truly felt like “rest” for them: spending time with each other.
Conversations over dinner (Ep. 5)
One thing we all love about BTTS during their reality shows is how much they enjoy their food; their reactions are always so positive and we’ve come to recognize that the angrier Jungkook looks while eating, the better it tastes.
Dinner on the penultimate night was amazing not just because of the food (hanwoo beef tenderloin, truffle, caviar, and three different kinds of alcohol) but because of the conversation.
Jin mentioned that during an off-camera conversation with him, he was heartbroken when RM brought up doubts on whether it was acceptable for them to just do nothing and “waste” a few days. Jimin felt the same way, saying that sometimes resting is hard as he gets bored after a few days of not working.
Jin was quick to reassure them that having these thoughts is what “rest” means, and it’s okay to think that because that just means you’ve truly rested and relaxed. He goes on to say that a balance of himself (someone who enjoys rest) and RM (someone who always works) is what their group needs.
Jin may act like the youngest at times, but there’s no doubt that the way he thinks is perfect to guide the group as the eldest.
As if that conversation wasn’t heartwarming enough, you can see SUGA making their second course (tenderloin sandwiches) in the background.
When Jimin gets up to help him, he turns down the help with a simple, “It’s okay, anything for you guys.”
This reflects what Jin said about cooking according to the others’ preference instead of his own, because you cook with love for family and the members are family to him.
Alone time (all episodes)
Finally, as much as we all love our OT7 interactions, it’s also so comforting to see them enjoying their time alone.
They all had a chance to be alone and do things they really wanted, and Jin himself said they were respecting each other’s time more.
For V, it was taking his private trumpet lessons, a passion of his born out of admiration for jazz musician Chet Baker. He and Jimin are always joined at the hip but during this rare time that they were apart, Jimin was working on shooting some hoops on his own or sleeping in.
Jin spent most of his me-time indoors playing video games, from Mario Kart to finishing the entire Super Mario World.
RM, in a way so telling of his personality, was either working out or reading a book out on the lawn, in his room, or up in the study.
Jungkook’s alone time was also Bam time – something he really missed because of the long period apart that Bam spent in a training center.
J-Hope is also rarely away from the members but he did enjoy a leisurely early morning walk on the last day.
Lastly, one could never separate Yoongi from his love of music – his alone time was spent either on his guitar or in their camper van studio.
It’s always hard to narrow down my favorite moments from their shows because they’re really just one continuous, healing moment. One minute you’re laughing and the next minute your heart swells with emotion, but it’s always a good time.
As always, we ARMYs have got our fingers crossed for an In The Soop season 3!