Stars of Korea's beloved 'Infinite Challenge' reveal panic, sleepless nights behind the laughs

Haha said the stress of filming MBC’s Infinite Challenge became so severe that he now thinks he may have had panic disorder. He said the pressure built from Tuesday evening before Thursday shoots, and Yoo Jae-suk worried about him. Jung Hyung-don and Jung Joon-ha have also described anxiety, sleepless nights and emotional strain from the show. Infinite Challenge ended in 2018 after more than a decade on television.

Haha said he started feeling his heart pound from Tuesday evening before the show’s Thursday filming schedule.

He said he would always drink after filming Infinite Challenge on Thursday, and Yoo Jae-suk was worried about him.

Jung Hyung-don suspended his entertainment activities in 2015 because of health issues including an anxiety disorder and later left Infinite Challenge.

Jung Joon-ha said that by Wednesday he could not sleep and that he lived with this weekly cycle for 13 years.

Infinite Challenge ended in 2018 after more than a decade on television.

Published Sep 12, 2026 12:00 am KST

From left, Jung Hyung-don, Haha and Jung Joon-ha / Xportsnews

MBC's "Infinite Challenge" was one of South Korea's most beloved variety shows, making viewers laugh week after week during its long run. But years after the show ended, several of its best-known cast members are revealing the intense psychological pressure they endured behind the scenes.

Haha recently said the stress of filming the hit program became so severe that, looking back, he believes he was experiencing panic disorder. His account follows similar revelations from former castmates Jung Hyung-don and Jung Joon-ha, who have spoken about anxiety, sleepless nights and the emotional toll of trying to deliver laughs every week.

Appearing on KBS 2TV's "Boss in the Mirror" on Sept. 6, Haha was asked by comedian Park Young-jin how he had managed to survive for so long in weekend variety television.

"Popularity isn't something I can decide. Viewers' reactions are what matter," Haha said.

He then recalled the anxiety he felt ahead of the weekly "Infinite Challenge" shoots.

"We filmed every Thursday, but because of the pressure, my heart would start pounding from Tuesday evening," he said.

"Looking back now, I think I was having panic disorder," he said. "Whenever we finished filming 'Infinite Challenge' on Thursday, I would always drink. Yoo Jae-suk was really worried about me."

Haha / Captured from KBS 2TV

Haha said Yoo, one of Korea's most prominent television personalities and the longtime host of "Infinite Challenge," played a crucial role in helping him through the difficult period.

Asked how he overcame his struggles, Haha said he was fortunate to have good people around him, describing Yoo as being "like a strict mother."

According to Haha, Yoo pushed him to keep working rather than withdraw because he was struggling.

"If you don't do anything, nothing will happen," Haha recalled Yoo telling him. "You have to do something before people can either criticize you or help you. You have to figure it out for yourself."

"From then on, I pulled myself together and worked like crazy," Haha said. "He came to my house all the time. Having a good senior colleague is really important. The same goes for Park Myung-soo."

Jung Hyung-don, left, and Park Myung-soo / Captured from YouTube channel "Hawasoo"

Jung Hyung-don: ‘For almost six months, I wasn't myself’

Haha was not the only "Infinite Challenge" cast member to struggle with the pressure surrounding the show.

Jung Hyung-don suffered severe anxiety during the program's peak years and suspended his entertainment activities in 2015 because of health issues including an anxiety disorder, eventually leaving "Infinite Challenge."

Appearing on the YouTube channel Hawasoo in June, Jung recalled the difficult six months that followed his departure.

He said he did not watch the show at all after leaving.

"I don't know whether I deliberately avoided it or psychologically couldn't watch it, but for almost six months after I quit, I wasn't myself," Jung said.

He said he withdrew from his usual surroundings and spent time in a remote part of Australia, even changing his phone number.

"'Infinite Challenge' was the hardest part of my life, but it was also one of the brightest and most beautiful parts," he said.

Jung had previously discussed the anxiety behind his departure in a 2024 appearance on psychiatrist Oh Eun-young's YouTube channel.

"I received far more love than my abilities deserved," Jung said. "So I had this anxiety that if people found out I wasn't really that good, I would disappear."

When Oh said receiving more love must therefore have made things harder for him, Jung said the attention turned into a sense of obligation to keep proving himself.

"Being loved translated into a responsibility that I had to do something," he said. "And if I didn't do well, it ultimately became, 'Then I'll become someone nobody needs.'"

Jung Joon-ha / Captured from YouTube channel “Alddaldalhan Chamgyeon”

Jung Joon-ha: ‘By Wednesday, I couldn't sleep’

Jung Joon-ha has also described living through a weekly cycle of elation and anxiety during his years on "Infinite Challenge."

Appearing on the YouTube channel “Alddaldalhan Chamgyeon” in August, Jung said a successful shoot could determine his mood for the entire week.

"If I did really well on Thursday, I'd be so happy for the whole week," he said. "But at some point, if things went wrong just once, I'd start feeling depressed from the weekend."

He said he would deliberately go out for dinner with his parents to avoid watching the broadcast.

But as the next shoot approached, the anxiety would return.

"Starting Monday, my heart would pound, and by Wednesday I couldn't sleep," Jung said. "Then if I messed up again, the whole thing would repeat. I lived like this for 13 years."

"Infinite Challenge," which ended in 2018 after more than a decade on television, became a landmark of Korean variety entertainment and turned its regular cast into household names.

Years later, the cast members' accounts are revealing another side of that success: behind the weekly laughter was the relentless pressure to keep being funny.

This article from Xportsnews was adapted by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

Haha表示，拍摄MBC综艺节目《无限挑战》的压力非常大，他现在怀疑自己可能患上了恐慌症。他说，从周二晚上到周四正式录制，压力就与日俱增，刘在石非常担心他。郑亨敦和郑俊河也曾表示，节目给他们带来了焦虑、失眠和精神压力。《无限挑战》在电视上播出十余年后，于2018年完结。

哈哈说，从周二晚上到周四节目拍摄开始前，他就开始感到心跳加速。

他说他周四录制完《无限挑战》后总是会喝酒，刘在石很担心他。

郑亨敦因焦虑症等健康问题于 2015 年暂停演艺活动，之后退出了《无限挑战》。

郑俊河表示，到了周三，他已经无法入睡，这种每周一次的循环已经持续了13年。

《无限挑战》在电视上播出十多年后，于 2018 年完结。

发布于2026年9月12日凌晨12:00（韩国标准时间）

从左至右：郑亨敦、Haha 和郑俊河 / Xportsnews

MBC的《无限挑战》是韩国最受欢迎的综艺节目之一，在其漫长的播出期间，每周都为观众带来欢笑。但节目结束后多年，几位最知名的成员却透露了他们在幕后承受的巨大心理压力。

Haha最近表示，拍摄热门节目的压力非常大，以至于他现在回想起来，觉得自己当时可能患上了恐慌症。此前，他的前搭档郑亨敦和郑俊河也曾透露过类似的经历，他们谈到过焦虑、失眠以及每周努力逗乐观众所带来的精神压力。

9月6日，Haha出演了KBS 2TV的《镜中的老板》，喜剧演员朴英镇问他如何在周末综艺节目中生存这么久。

“人气不是我能决定的，观众的反应才是最重要的。”哈哈说道。

他随后回忆起每周拍摄《无限挑战》节目前自己所感受到的焦虑。

“我们每周四拍摄，但由于压力很大，从周二晚上开始我的心跳就会加速，”他说。

“现在回想起来，我觉得我当时患有恐慌症，”他说。“每次周四结束《无限挑战》的录制，我都会喝酒。刘在石真的很担心我。”

哈哈 / 截图来自 KBS 2TV

哈哈表示，韩国最杰出的电视名人之一、长期担任《无限挑战》主持人的柳承龙在帮助他度过这段艰难时期发挥了至关重要的作用。

当被问及如何克服困难时，Haha表示他很幸运身边有好人，并形容Yoo“就像一位严厉的母亲”。

据Haha说，Yoo鼓励他继续努力工作，而不是放弃，因为他当时很挣扎。

“如果你什么都不做，那就什么都不会发生，”哈哈回忆起柳承龙对他说的话。“你必须先做点什么，别人才能批评你或帮助你。你必须自己想办法。”

“从那以后，我振作起来，拼命工作，”哈哈说。“他经常来我家。有个好的前辈同事真的很重要。朴明洙也是如此。”

左为郑亨敦，右为朴明洙 / 图片来自 YouTube 频道“Hawasoo”

郑亨敦：“将近六个月的时间里，我感觉自己不像自己了。”

哈哈并不是唯一一位在《无限挑战》节目中承受着巨大压力的参赛者。

郑亨敦在节目最火爆的几年里饱受焦虑症的折磨，并于 2015 年因包括焦虑症在内的健康问题暂停了演艺活动，最终离开了《无限挑战》。

6 月，郑在 YouTube 频道 Hawasoo 上露面，回忆起他离开后的艰难六个月。

他说离开后就再也没看过这个节目。

“我不知道我是故意回避还是心理上无法观看，但在我辞职后的近六个月里，我感觉自己不像自己了，”荣格说。

他说他远离了熟悉的环境，在澳大利亚偏远地区待了一段时间，甚至还换了电话号码。

“《无限挑战》是我人生中最艰难的一段时光，但同时也是我人生中最辉煌、最美好的时光之一，”他说。

郑俊英曾在 2024 年做客精神科医生吴恩英的 YouTube 频道时，谈到了他离开背后的焦虑。

荣格说：“我得到的喜爱远远超过了我的能力应得的。所以我一直很焦虑，如果人们发现我其实没那么优秀，我就会消失。”

当吴先生表示，因此，得到更多的爱一定让他的处境更加艰​​难时，荣格先生说，这种关注变成了一种不断证明自己的责任感。

“被人爱就意味着我必须做点什么，”他说。“如果我做得不好，最终就会变成‘那我就会变成一个没人需要的人’。”

郑俊河 / 截图来自 YouTube 频道“Alddaldalhan Chamgyeon”

郑俊河：“到了周三，我根本睡不着觉。”

郑俊河也曾描述过，在他参加《无限挑战》的那些年里，他每周都会经历兴奋和焦虑的循环。

郑俊英在八月份做客 YouTube 频道“Alddaldalhan Chamgyeon”时表示，拍摄是否成功可能会决定他整周的心情。

“如果我周四表现出色，我整个星期都会非常开心，”他说。“但如果哪怕只有一次不顺利，我周末就会开始感到沮丧。”

他说他会故意和父母出去吃饭，以避免观看电视直播。

但随着下一次拍摄的临近，焦虑感又会再次袭来。

“从周一开始，我的心跳就会加速，到了周三我就彻夜难眠，”郑说。“如果我再犯错，一切就会重演。我就这样过了13年。”

《无限挑战》在电视上播出十多年后于 2018 年完结，成为韩国综艺节目的里程碑，并将常驻嘉宾打造成家喻户晓的人物。

多年后，演员们的讲述揭示了成功背后的另一面：每周的欢笑背后，是不断保持幽默感的巨大压力。

本文原载于 Xportsnews，经人工智能生成系统改编，并由《韩国时报》编辑。