# The Soldiers (TV program)

The Soldiers (Korean: 더솔져스) is a South Korean military-themed reality television show. The show seeks to find the "best special forces operator in the world," beginning with selecting the best Korean special forces representatives through a series of missions. Twenty male South Korean reservists who served in various special forces units of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces competed on the show. The cast also includes four former special forces operators from the United Kingdom, Sweden, the United States and South Korea who serve as mentors and later team leaders to the participants.
The show aired on SBS TV from November 19, 2021, to January 28, 2022, every Friday at 23:10 (KST). Longer, uncut versions of each episode were released the following Wednesday at 18:00 (KST) on the YouTube channel "뉴띵 NDD".
In the first episode, the show was explained as a three-season project:
* Season 1: select the best team of South Korean special forces reservists
* Season 2: compete with national representative teams across Asia-Pacific
* Season 3: find the strongest team across the globe
The survival program has been compared by media and viewers to Steel Troops, which has a similar special forces premise and aired its first season half a year earlier. In response to the comparison, show host Kim Sang-joong said that "[The Soldiers] is more upgraded and entertaining, with more intense missions." Show producer Gi Sang-soo also asserted that The Soldiers is "the first television program of its kind," with its global focus bearing the largest distinction.

## Cast
### Host and mentors

| Role | Name | Nationality | Military background |
| Host | Kim Sang-joong | South Korea | ROK Marine Corps (Discharged as Byeongjang/Sergeant) |
| Mentor | Jay Morton | United Kingdom | British Army Special Air Service (SAS), 10 years Former cast of SAS: Who Dares Wins |
| Mentor | Johan Reispass | Sweden | Swedish Armed Forces Special Operations Task Group (SOG), 17 years Former cast of Elitstyrkans Hemligheter [sv] |
| Mentor | Wilrolan "Wil" Ravelo | United States | US Army Special Forces (Green Berets), 13 years US Marine Corps Force Recon, 4 years |
| Mentor | Lee Chang-jun | South Korea | ROK Army 707th Special Mission Group (Sangsa/Master Sergeant on reserve, 13 years active duty) |

### Participants

| Name | Unit | Military Branch |
| Go In-ho | KDIC (Korean Defense Intelligence Command) | Republic of Korea Navy |
| Kim Yeong-cheol | KDIC (Korean Defense Intelligence Command) | Republic of Korea Navy |
| Gong Gi-hwan | UDT 해군특수전전단 | Republic of Korea Navy |
| Kim Hyeon-gon | UDT 해군특수전전단 | Republic of Korea Navy |
| Park Seong-min | UDT 해군특수전전단 | Republic of Korea Navy |
| Kim Ho-jong | SSU (Sea Salvage & Rescue Unit) 해난구조전대 | Republic of Korea Navy |
| Park Yo-sep | Marine Corps Special Recon 해병대수색대 | Republic of Korea Navy |
| Park Han-gyeol | Marine Corps Special Recon 해병대수색대 | Republic of Korea Navy |
| Lee Kang-woo | Marine Corps Special Recon 해병대수색대 | Republic of Korea Navy |
| Chu Bu-yeon | Marine Corps Special Recon 해병대수색대 | Republic of Korea Navy |
| Kim Yeong-hwan | 707th Special Mission Group 제707특수임무단 | Republic of Korea Army |
| Hong Guk-seong | 707th Special Mission Group 제707특수임무단 | Republic of Korea Army |
| Hong Beom-seok | 707th Special Mission Group 제707특수임무단 | Republic of Korea Army |
| Park Se-won | Special Warfare Command 육군특수전사령부 | Republic of Korea Army |
| Park Jang-ho | Special Warfare Command 육군특수전사령부 | Republic of Korea Army |
| Park Hyeok-gyu | Special Warfare Command 육군특수전사령부 | Republic of Korea Army |
| Song Byeong-seok | Special Warfare Command 육군특수전사령부 | Republic of Korea Army |
| Jo Seung-jun | Special Warfare Command 육군특수전사령부 | Republic of Korea Army |
| Hwang Seong-hyun | SDT (Special Duty Team) 군사경찰특임대 | Republic of Korea Army |
| Kim Chang-wan | CCT (Combat Control Team) 공군공정통제사 | Republic of Korea Air Force |

## List of episodes

In the ratings below, the highest rating for the season will be in red and the lowest rating for the season will be in blue.
| Episodes | Broadcast Date | Rating |
| 1 | November 19, 2021 | 2.8% |
| 2 | November 26, 2021 | 2.6% |
| 3 | December 3, 2021 | 2.1% |
| 4 | December 10, 2021 | 2.9% |
| 5 | December 17, 2021 | 2.0% |
| 6 | December 24, 2021 | 2.3% |
| 7 | January 7, 2022 | 1.7% |
| 8 | January 14, 2022 | 1.2% |
| 9 | January 21, 2022 | 1.8% |
| 10 | January 28, 2022 | 1.4% |

## Mission results

The show began with an individual competition, spanning episodes 1 to 3, to assess and rank the 20 participants. At the end of this stage, 4 participants were eliminated. The mentors then collectively ranked the remaining 16 participants prior to selecting their desired team members. However, the top 4 ranked participants were given the right to choose which mentor's team to join instead. From the second half of episode 3, the show then proceeded with the main team competition. In the tables below,
* results in red indicate a penalty given, such as an extra mission or becoming a candidate for elimination.
* results in green indicate either gaining a mission benefit or surviving an elimination round.
* the final champion is indicated in gold.
| Participant | Unit | Individual Competition | Individual Competition | Individual Competition | Individual Competition | Individual Competition |
| Participant | Unit | Inclined March Race | Assault Course | Tire Tug & Deep Tank | Boxing Battle | Overall Rank |
| Go In-ho | UDU | 6th | Group 4: Failed | | Won | 15th |
| Kim Yeong-cheol | UDU | 8th | Group 1: Failed | | Eliminated | |
| Gong Gi-hwan | UDT | 9th | Group 1: 3rd | Group 3: 2nd | | 4th |
| Kim Hyeon-gon | UDT | 7th | Group 3: Failed | Group 4: 2nd | | 9th |
| Park Seong-min | UDT | 12th | Group 2: Failed | | Won | 13th |
| Kim Ho-jong | SSU | 14th | Group 2: 1st | Group 1: 2nd | | 7th |
| Park Yo-sep | MCSR | 17th | Group 2: Failed | Group 3: 4th | Eliminated | |
| Park Han-gyeol | MCSR | 10th | Group 4: 1st | Group 1: 3rd | | 5th |
| Lee Kang-woo | MCSR | 19th | Group 1: Failed | Group 4: 4th | Won | 16th |
| Chu Bu-yeon | MCSR | 15th | Group 3: Failed | Group 4: 1st | | 10th |
| Kim Yeong-hwan | 707 | 4th | Group 4: 4th | Group 4: 3rd | | 6th |
| Hong Guk-seong | 707 | 3rd | Group 3: 1st | Group 1: 4th | Won | 11th |
| Hong Beom-seok | 707 | 1st | Group 1: 1st | Group 1: 1st | | 1st |
| Park Se-won | SWC | 16th | Group 4: 3rd | Group 3: 3rd | | 14th |
| Park Jang-ho | SWC | 13th | Group 4: 2nd | Group 2: 4th | Eliminated | |
| Park Hyeok-gyu | SWC | 20th | Group 3: 2nd | Group 2: 1st | | 12th |
| Song Byeong-seok | SWC | 2nd | Group 2: 2nd | Group 2: 3rd | | 3rd |
| Jo Seung-jun | SWC | 11th | Group 3: 3rd | Group 3: 1st | | 8th |
| Hwang Seong-hyun | SDT | 18th | Group 2: Failed | | Eliminated | |
| Kim Chang-wan | CCT | 5th | Group 1: 2nd | Group 2: 2nd | | 2nd |
| Participant | Unit | Team | Team Competition | Team Competition | Team Competition | Team Competition | Team Competition | Team Competition |
| Participant | Unit | Team | Obstacle Route March | Cave Escape | Mud Car Rescue | Counter-terrorism Rescue | Underwater Retrieval Mission | Battlefield |
| Lee Chang-jun | Leader | Alpha | 1st | | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | Won |
| Kim Chang-wan | CCT | Alpha | 1st | | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | Won |
| Kim Ho-jong | SSU | Alpha | 1st | | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | Won |
| Chu Bu-yeon | MCSR | Alpha | 1st | | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | Won |
| Hong Beom-seok | 707 | Alpha | 1st | | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | Won |
| Jay Morton | Leader | Bravo | 2nd | | 1st | 1st | 2nd | Eliminated |
| Gong Gi-hwan | UDT | Bravo | 2nd | | 1st | 1st | 2nd | Eliminated |
| Kim Yeong-hwan | 707 | Bravo | 2nd | | 1st | 1st | 2nd | Eliminated |
| Kim Hyeon-gon | UDT | Bravo | 2nd | | 1st | 1st | 2nd | Eliminated |
| Song Byeong-seok | SWC | Bravo | 2nd | | 1st | 1st | 2nd | Eliminated |
| Johan Reispass | Leader | Charlie | 3rd | Won | 2nd | Eliminated | | |
| Go In-ho | HID | Charlie | 3rd | Won | 2nd | Eliminated | | |
| Park Se-won | SWC | Charlie | 3rd | Won | 2nd | Eliminated | | |
| Park Han-gyeol | MCSR | Charlie | 3rd | Won | 2nd | Eliminated | | |
| Jo Seung-jun | SWC | Charlie | 3rd | Won | 2nd | Eliminated | | |
| Wil Ravelo | Leader | Delta | 4th | Failed | | 3rd | Eliminated | |
| Park Seong-min | UDT | Delta | 4th | Failed | | 3rd | Eliminated | |
| Park Hyeok-gyu | SWC | Delta | 4th | Failed | | 3rd | Eliminated | |
| Lee Kang-woo | MCSR | Delta | 4th | Failed | | 3rd | Eliminated | |
| Hong Guk-seong | 707 | Delta | 4th | Failed | | 3rd | Eliminated | |