Where Is My Friend's Home () is a television show on JTBC in South Korea which features the cast members of another JTBC show, Non-Summit, as they visit the home countries of the Non-Summit non-Korean members and their friends. The show is in a reality television-travel show format, in the Korean language, and first aired on February 7, 2015. Season 1 ended on April 29, 2016, after completing eleven trips to foreign countries and two trips within South Korea. The show was released on Netflix as The Homecoming.
Background The show follows South Korean and foreign cast members of the South Korean television Non-Summit as they experience cultures of various countries through homestay, meeting the locals, and experiencing a better understanding of multiculturalism.
The show, a spin-off of Non-Summit, is less formal, with the cast from the original talkshow panel, now relaxing casually, as "friends", to visit one another's homes. The humor continues; the teaser video for the first episode, a trip to China, was entitled "Steal Things in Zhang Yuan's House". The show's posters, entitled "Global friend's house attack project", showed some of the cast's casual activities, like eating ice cream and jogging.
And although somewhat like a travel show, producers said Where is My Friend's Home trips would "not be typical." The show also candidly addresses common misperceptions and prejudices about the countries visited.
Season 1
Cast
Through the fourth trip, the cast was made up entirely of Non-Summit cast members, current and past. After that, some new cast members were added, including South Korean television personalities and K-pop idols; who, in some cases, played host in their respective countries, augmenting the list of foreign cast members and countries visited. The first instance was the fifth trip to Canada which visited Henry Lau's home in Toronto, as well as Non-Summit cast member Guillaume Patry's home in Quebec.
Chart of countries visited and cast Visited country 01 China 02 Belgium 03 Nepal 04 Italy 05 Canada 06 South Korea (Buyeo County) 07 Australia 08 France 09 Germany 10 New Zealand 11 South Korea (Jeju Island) 12 Thailand 13 United States
Nation Name Visited country 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 South Korea Yoo Se-yoon ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ China Zhang Yuan ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Italy Alberto Mondi ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Canada Guillaume Patry ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Belgium Julian Quintart ✔ ✔ United States Tyler Rasch ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Nepal Sujan Shakya ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ Germany Daniel Lindemann ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ United Kingdom James Hooper ✔ ✔ ✔ United States Mark Tetto ✔ ✔ ✔ France Robin Deiana ✔ ✔ Canada Henry Lau ✔ New Zealand John Riley ✔ ✔ ✔ South Korea Jun Hyun-moo ✔ South Korea ✔ Australia Blair Williams ✔ ✔ ✔ Japan Takuya Terada ✔ ✔ Ghana Sam Okyere ✔ ✔ Bulgaria Mihal Ashminov ✔ ✔ ✔ South Korea Lee Jung ✔ ✔ South Korea Jang Dong-min ✔ Thailand BamBam ✔ Hong Kong Jackson Wang ✔ Greece Andreas Varsakopoulos ✔ Norway Nikolai Johnsen ✔
List of episodes
Trip backgrounds and short episode summaries
1st trip - China
The first country visited was China, the home of Zhang Yuan, a foreign representative on the Non-Summit show, including Zhang's home city of Anshan, and other tourist areas, for six days and five nights. Along for the trip were "Visitors", South Korean Non-Summit presenter Yoo Se-yoon, and Non-Summit foreign representatives Guillaume Patry from Canada, Alberto Mondi from Italy, Julian Quintart from Belgium and Tyler Rasch from the United States.
Ep. 1 - February 7, 2015 - Trip plans in Seoul, and travel to China. Ep. 2 - February 14, 2015 - Settling in at Lijiang hotel, market visit. Ep. 3 - February 21, 2015 - Leaving Lijiang, touring lake region, arrival at Zhang's Anshan home. Ep. 4 - February 28, 2015 - Visiting with Zhang's family, dinner and karaoke; overnight stay. Ep. 5 - March 7, 2015 - Final visits with Zhang's mother and family, Zhang's matchmaking date.
2nd trip - Belgium
The second trip was to Julian Quintart's home country of Belgium, with the same cast and an additional seventh member, They visited the city of Brussels and Quintart's home in Aywaille in Liège, and other tourist areas.
Ep. 6 - March 14, 2015 - Make plans, travel to Brussels, tour Grand-Place, meet Quintart's sister. Ep. 7 - March 21, 2015 - Breakfast/farewell to sister; tour Baarle-Hertog, Bruges, Binche, Brussels. Ep. 8 - March 28, 2015 - Travel to Liège and Aywaille, visit Quintart's grandmother, arrive at parents' home. Ep. 9 - April 4, 2015 - Breakfast party, riding (horses, bicycles, motorcycle), visit teacher and friends. Ep. 10 - April 11, 2015 - Last night at home with Quintart family and friends, parting after breakfast.
3rd trip - Nepal
The filming of the Nepal trip was done subsequent to the April 2015 Nepal earthquake, which occurred on April 25, the day of the second episode of the trip's airing, show Episode No. 12, (and the following May 2015 Nepal earthquake). The station and show's responses are noted in the episode summaries.
The travel agenda announced added a surprise cast to the third trip in April 2015, to Sujan Shakya's home country of Nepal, to visit the "mysterious ancient ruins" and Shakya's large extended family. The cast included Shakya as the country host, Yoo, Zhang and Mondi, as on the previous two trips, and added current Non-Summit cast member, Germany's Daniel Lindemann and the United States intern, Mark Tetto, who appeared on Episode 24 of Non-Summit. The surprise revealed was British mountain climber and adventurer, United Kingdom's James Hooper, who appeared on the original cast of Non-Summit, Episodes 1–4.
Ep. 11 - April 18, 2015 - Seoul plans, travel to Kathmandu and Pokhara; Hooper flight problems. Ep. 12 - April 25, 2015 - **(Special show credits aired about April 2015 Nepal earthquake.) Overnight and tour Pokhara, Phewa Lake boat rides to Tal Barahi Temple. Ep. 13 - May 2, 2015 - Dhampus hiking, Sarangkot paragliding, Kathmandu arrive at Shakya's home. Ep. 14 - May 9, 2015 - Family dinner party; tour Thamel, Kathesimbhu Stupa, jog to Swayambhunath. Ep. 15 - May 16, 2015 - Tour Patan, Bhaktapur, meet Kumari Devi; Kathmandu markets, family time. Ep. 16 - May 23, 2015 - Kodari elementary school visit, bungee jumping; Prime College basketball match. Ep. 17 - May 30, 2015 - Farewell to family; Shakya and Tetto return to Kathmandu after earthquakes.
4th trip - Italy
The fourth trip was to Alberto Mondi's home country of Italy, with the same cast that visited Nepal; Yoo, Zhang, Lindemann, Hooper and Tetto. Shakya was scheduled to take the trip, but due to the earthquake in Nepal and his concern for it, he was replaced by another of the younger representatives, France's Robin Deiana.
Ep. 18 - June 6, 2015 - Seoul meeting with Mondi's wife's younger sister; travel to Italy's Tuscany, tour Pienza. Ep. 19 - June 13, 2015 - Swim at Saturnia, travel to and tour Venezia, enjoy Italian cuisine. Ep. 20 - June 20, 2015 - Finish Venezia tour, meet Mondi brothers, travel to Mondi home in Mirano. Ep. 21 - June 27, 2015 - Friends and Italians football match, meet grandparents, celebrate parent's anniversary. Ep. 22 - July 4, 2015 (first half of program) - Meet Mondi's friends, tour Bassano del Grappa with parents, farewells.
5th trip - Canada
The fifth trip went to Guillaume Patry and Henry Lau's home in Quebec and Toronto(Ontario) with cast Yoo seyoon, Zhang Yuan, Sujan Shakya, and Patry's best friend John Riley. Riley is the Deputy Head of Mission of the New Zealand Embassy Seoul, first serving there in 2001. Riley speaks Korean, English, and Māori; his grandfather is Māori.
The trip included a visit to first time cast member Super Junior Henry's home in Toronto, to show the various cultures of the second largest country in the world.
Ep. 22 - July 4, 2015 (last half of program) - Seoul planning meeting, visit with Canadian Ambassador to South Korea. Ep. 23 - July 11, 2015 - Travel to Niagara Falls (boat, helicopter tour) and Toronto (CN Tower tour). Ep. 24 - July 18, 2015 - Tour Toronto; visit Henry's family, overnight stay. Fly to Quebec, tour city. Ep. 25 - July 25, 2015 - StarCraft play-off; Charlesbourg with Patry's mother; birthday party, jogging, swimming. Ep. 26 - August 8, 2015 - Visit Quebec fire station, meet Patry's father and brother, tour Quebec. (August 1 broadcast preempted by airing of 2015 EAFF Women's East Asian Cup.)
6th trip - South Korea (Buyeo County)
The show's producer Bang Hyun-young said in order to give the cast a summer break, they would film the 6th trip locally in South Korea, as there were many great places to visit domestically. Professor , of Myongji University and former head of the Cultural Heritage Administration of Korea was a guest on the show. The trip also included presenters Yoo Seyun and Jun Hyun-moo, his first time on show; representatives Guillaume Patry, Alberto Mondi, Zhang Yuan, Daniel Lindemann, Tyler Rasch and first time with friends, ex-Non-Summit representative Blair Williams.
Ep. 27 - August 15, 2015 - Travel to South Chungcheong Province, tour Tomb of King Muryeong, Gongju National Museum, Jeongnimsa Temple pagoda; meet Professor Yoo's wife. Ep. 28 - August 22, 2015 - Visit with Professor Yoo's community; tour South Chungcheong Province's , boat ride, , , Buyeo National Museum.
7th trip - Australia
The seventh trip was to Australia, to visit the home of ex-Non-Summit member, Blair Williams, from the 2015 cast. Ex-Non-Summit member from the 2014 cast, Japan's Takuya Terada, traveled with him as the newest cast member. Recurring cast members Yoo, Mondi, Zhang, Lindemann and Hooper were also on the trip.
Ep.29 - August 29, 2015 - Travel to Sydney, team split between Sydney and Wollongong. Ep.30 - September 5, 2015 - Rock climbing and tandem skydiving in Wollongong, meet Hooper's wife, camping and barbecue. Ep.31 - September 12, 2015 - Yoga, surfing in Wollongong, travel to Brisbane, meet Williams' family, dinner & breakfast, house tour. Ep.32 - September 19, 2015 - Visit to South Bank and University of Queensland, play bubble football, learn ballet from Williams younger sister, visit to Gold Coast. Ep.33 - September 26, 2015 - Ride Hot air balloon, go surfing at Surfers Paradise, play at Dreamworld and potluck party with Williams' family and friends.
8th trip - France
The eighth trip was to France, to visit the home of ex-Non-Summit member, Robin Deiana. Recurring members Tetto, Patry, Mondi and Zhang were along, as well as new cast member and Ghana representative on Non-Summit, Sam Okyere. This marks the first trip Yoo was absent, due to scheduling conflicts.
Ep.34 - October 3, 2015 - Deiana and Tetto visit to Paris, Giverny and Barbizon, meet other friends at Marseille and boat to Frioul archipelago. Ep.35 - October 10, 2015 - Frioul archipelago beach swim, snorkeling off yacht, tour Marseille, travel to Fontaine-de-Vaucluse. Ep.36 - October 17, 2015 - Tour Palais des Papes in Avignon, van Gogh tour and Arles Amphitheatre bullfights in Arles; meet Deiana family in Avallon. Ep.37 - October 28, 2015 - Winery visit in near Avallon, swim at local pool, dinner with Deiana family. Ep.38 - November 4, 2015 (first half of program) - Rafting at Morvan Regional Natural Park with Deiana's father, meet Deiana's b-boying friends in Avallon, surprise lunch with parents, farewells.
9th trip - Germany
The show's ninth trip will visit Germany and Daniel Lindemann's home in Cologne. The friends who will be joining him on this trip are cast members Yoo, Mondi, Zhang, Okyere and Williams, with the addition of Bulgarian chef Mihal Ashminov from JTBC's Please Take Care of My Refrigerator.
Ep.38 - November 4, 2015 (last half of program) - Friends' meeting in Seoul for planning. Ep.39 - November 11, 2015 - Flight to Frankfurt, dinner and hotel in Oberwesel, visit Schönburg Castle and Bundesliga match.