“This lineup is pure SM royalty” - Fans react to the Game Caterers’ SM special episodes with members from SHINee, NCT, aespa, RIIZE & more 

On November 29, 2024, The Game Caterers dropped its much-awaited SM special on YouTube featuring members from SHINee, NCT, aespa, RIIZE, and more. The special was in honor of the company's 30th anniversary.

Fans took over the internet to express their amazement over the hilarious and chaotic episodes of the recent Game Caterers episode. They were awestruck as they realized the episodes contained five generations of SM artists, as idols from H.O.T's Kangta to RIIZE's Wonbin graced the celebrations. A fan highlighted the significance of these episodes:

"This lineup is pure SM royalty. From Kangta paving the way to Wonbin leading the future—25+ years of icons, legends, and timeless talent. The legacy is unmatched!"

"Me, a non-SM Stan, must agree completely that this is iconic. SM has a lot of weird management problems (and other things) but their longevity in the business as well as the skill they develop in their trainees is something to be applauded." A K-pop fan tweeted.

10 artists from 10 groups marked their presence, including H.O.T.'s Kangta, TVXQ's Changmin, Super Junior's Leeteuk, Girls' Generation's Hyoyeon, SHINee's Key, EXO's Suho, RedVelvet's Seulgi, NCT's Doyoung, aespa's Karina, and RIIZE's Wonbin.

The first episode began with each member narrating their debut year and how long they have been in the company. The youngest, Wonbin, is in his second year as a member of RIIZE, and he has been in the company for six years, including his trainee period. The number of years progressively increased as they reached the member of SM's first boy group, Kangta, who has been in the company for 30 years.

"omg some of them spent half their life/their entire life with that company," a netizen reacted.

"to put it in perspective... kangta, hyeoyeon and leeuteuk have been in sm longer than karina and wonbin have been alive," another netizen reacted hilariously.

The entire SM special has three episodes, with the duration ranging from 26 minutes to 43 minutes. In the first episode, the artists introduced themselves, how they got into the 'pink' company, and their inspiration behind becoming idols. aespa's Karina and NCT's Doyoung credited Girls' Generation as their inspiration, and SHINee's Key talked about his fan-boy days as he used to be a true BoA fan.

SUPERJUNIOR's Leeteuk asked aespa's Karina who her favorite Girls' Generation member was, to which she replied,

"True fans love the entire group."

K-pop fans commended Karina for her witty yet sincere response.

"These solo stans could learn from Karina. She is so sweet," a K-pop fan suggested.

"SHE'S THE REALEST," a comment read.

They also talked about how the casting methods have evolved over the years, from casting on roads or in front of schools to DM castings. aespa's Karina and RIIZE's Wonbin were contacted by the company through Instagram DM. K-pop fans also rejoiced over seeing Karina and Wonbin in one frame.

"AI and DM casting siblings," a fan noted.

"AI Visuals getting casted on IG just makes sense when you think about it," an X user mentioned.

"They really do! Their chemistry is so natural, it's like watching two siblings just being themselves!" Another X user pointed.

The interaction between the artists filled the three episodes with hilarious moments. For instance, in the second episode, there is a wholesome interaction between Karina and Wonbin when Karina jokingly tries to provoke Wonbin as she gets an answer right. In the same episode, EXO Suho gets embarrassed as he guesses the title of a Girls' Generation song wrong, making his team lose.

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SM artists - SHINee's Key, aespa's Karina, RIIZE's Wonbin dance to IVE, BLACKPINK, TWS, and more

In the second episode, the first game began with the two youngest members in the room choosing their teams. RIIZE's Wonbin chose Kangta, NCT's Doyoung, SUPERJUNIOR's Leeteuk, and SHINee's Key as his teammates. aespa's Karina's team consisted of EXO's Suho, TVXQ's Changmin, Girls' Generation's Hyoyeon, and Red Velvet's Seulgi. The first game was about guessing the song the fastest.

SHINee's Key guessed the first song, which was BLACKPINK's Playing with Fire. He enthusiastically danced to it and shouted, "I love YG so much." Hyoyeon, Seulgi, and Karina also danced to the song.

As the game progressed, songs from different generations were played. NCT Doyoung guessed IVE's Love Dive after a failed attempt. However, SHINee's Key and aespa's Karina did the ceremonial dance. They coordinated their dance so well that the other questioned whether they practiced it before.

For the first round, RIIZE's Wonbin and EXO's Suho were the last two contenders. Wonbin's team won after he guessed TWS' plot twist. He then danced to the song along with SHINee's Key and aespa's Karina dancing in the background. The game was filled with many hilarious and passionate moments from SM artists.

In the third episode, the SM artists played a second game of speed-guessing the famous personalities in the image shown. Their winning prize was a Korean BBQ with all the necessary food stock. However, one ingredient was removed for every wrong answer. With multiple errors, the artists completed the game.

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The gathering of five generations of SM artists has become a hot topic in South Korea as The Game Caterers' SM special has recorded a nationwide viewership rating of 2.6%.

In celebration of its 30th anniversary, the entertainment agency will hold its annual SMTOWN LIVE concert next year on January 11-12 in Seoul at Gocheok Sky Dome. TVXQ, SHINee's Key and Minho, EXO's Suho, and Chanyeol are expected to participate in the concert along with NCT, aespa, Red Velvet, and RIIZE.