BYOB, formerly titled as XYOB, is a South Korean variety show hosted by American singers and entertainers Brian Joo and Joon Park. Created and producted by Round Studio and Samyang Roundsquare, it is hosted on Samyang's YouTube channel JohnMaat and is billed as a global food talk show that interviews Korean idols in both English and Korean.
BYOB is a variety and talk show in both English and Korean. Singers Brian Joo and Joon Park hosting the show; both Joo and Park had prior hosting experience on YouTube, with Joo hosting Cleaning Freak Brian in 2023, and Park creating Wassup Man on his channel in 2018. The title is a play on the phrase "bring your own booze"; in the first season the "X" in the title stood in for whatever guests had brought to the show.
The first season, titled XYOB Pairing Show, was presented as a global food talk show featuring interviews with Korean idols conducted in both English and Korean. Guests bring their own beverages to the show, which the hosts also drink during the episode, while chefs prepare various dishes paired with the beverages according to the guests' preferences.
The season's first guest was singer Chung Ha. Other guests included I.M, MJ, Yuqi, Rei, and Kwaktube, as well as Sam Hammington, Chon Tae-poong, DinDin, Sandara Park, Jay Park, Julien Kang, Austin Kang, Jenny Park, Patricia Yiombi, John Park, and Moonbyul. Members of Viviz, SF9, P1Harmony, Kiss of Life, Ateez, Epik High, STAYC, tripleS, and Kara also appeared as guests. The first season also featured guestâÂÂtailored episodes: after the 13th episode, hipâÂÂhop trio Epik High performed songs outdoors alongside hosts Joo and Park; in the 16th episode, which featured girl group tripleS, the program was filmed in a school gym to accommodate all 24 members, the largest cast to appear in a single episode.
In October 2024, JohnMaat posted a promotional poster on Instagram teasing a second season of the show, retitled BYOB. The announcement outlined a new format set at an outdoor pojangmacha with views of N Seoul Tower and featuring spicy food challenges. The season, subtitled Pocha, continues the global food talk format featuring KâÂÂpop idols, now based around an outside pojangmacha concept in which hosts Brian Joo and Joon Park act as the owners who invite guests to share stories as chefs cook street food dishes ordered for them to eat. The season adds a spicy food segment to each episode, in which hosts and guests participate in a challenge involving spicy dishes. The production team published the recipes for the dishes prepared on the show for viewers to access. Unlike the previous season, the program was produced exclusively in English, with hosts and chefs speaking English to communicate with guests and to better retain global audiences.
The season's first guest is singer and actress Tiffany Young. Other guests included Ailee, J.Y. Park, BamBam, Young K, Kim Yoon-ji, and Roy Kim, as well as members of The Boyz, The Rose, WayV, Kard, and Enhypen. Sam Hammington, Chon TaeâÂÂpoong, and Austin Kang also returned for a reappearance. During the season, guests performed live renditions of songs they released and danced in short performances.
The third season, titled the Random Cooking Challenge Show, changes the format so that hosts and guests complete challenges to earn chances to select random ingredients, then cook dishes using only those chosen ingredients. Guests bring an ingredient for the specific dish; the group adapts the dish based on the available ingredients, and the guests name the resulting creation. The season's first guests were members of BoyNextDoor. Other guests included Joshua, Lia, An Yu-jin, and Yuqi, as well as members of N.Flying, Infinite, Ateez, Fifty Fifty, NCT Dream, Tempest, Treasure, and Astro. Kard and Kiss of Life returned as guests; KARD member BM served as a coâÂÂhost in place of Joon Park, and Mimi of Oh My Girl also appeared as a guest host.
The show's casual format, bilingual use of Korean and English, and diverse guest lineup made BYOB popular with both domestic and international audiences. By May 2024, the show had accumulated nearly four million total views. By July of that same year, that figure had risen to about ten million total views, with An Tae-hyeon of reporting that the mostâÂÂviewed episode, featuring Australian comedian Sam Hammington and Korean-American basketball player Chon Tae-poong, had garnered 1.8 million views. Kyunghyang Shinmun described the season as having established a new megaâÂÂtrend and noted that its episode with Yuqi evoked a situation similar to an American talk show. The Chosun Ilbo praised the chemistry between hosts Brian Joo and Joon Park, noting their chaotic dynamics that still allowed relaxed conversations in English, with the two able to offer advice and empathy to junior artists.