The Genius

genius table main room

If you haven’t heard already, The Genius is one of the greatest reality competition shows there is. It’s a Korean show- wait, don’t leave yet!- that has been subtitled in English by an incredibly gracious and kind man who goes by the name Bumdidlyumptious. It features seemingly simple games made more complicated by competing strategies, shifting alliances, and “death matches” that determine which player will be eliminated.

If you’d like to start watching, the links below should help you both find and enjoy/understand the show. Unless you’re familiar with Korean pop culture and celebrities, Angie Caunce’s cast cheat sheets are particularly helpful.

Places to discuss/follow the show:

r/TheGenius– Reddit’s sub-forum for discussing the show, including threads for discussing each episode

@GeniusTakes– A Twitter account specifically for those that have seen every season/episode to discuss the show as new episodes are released (and avoid spoiling those that haven’t seen it). If you haven’t caught up with the show yet, wait until you have before following.

Podcasts: There’s the GeniusCast, Dom and Colin’s podcast, and the (possibly one-time-only?) Black Garnet Genius podcast that I did with fellow Genius superfan Shirin Oskooi.

The Genius Season 1: Rules of the Game

Links to watch the season: The Genius season 1 (the only one available on YouTube, if that’s your thing)

Spoiler-free cast cheat sheet by @AngieCaunce: The Genius season 1 cast

The Genius Season 2: Rule Breaker

Links to watch the season: The Genius season 2

Spoiler-free cast cheat sheet by @AngieCaunce: The Genius season 2 cast

The Genius Season 3: Black Garnet

Links to watch the season: The Genius season 3

Spoiler-free cast cheat sheet by @AngieCaunce: The Genius season 3 cast

The Genius Season 4: Grand Final

Links to watch the season: The Genius season 4

Spoiler-free cast cheat sheet by @AngieCaunce: The Genius season 4 cast