The Top 5 "Mukbang" YouTubers That Everyone Is Talking About

"Mukbang" Show Hosts - Banzz (left), MBRO (center), Ddeong-gae (right)

Many of you may be familiar with cooking shows, but have you ever heard of ‘eating shows’?

These food vloggers eat like you wouldn't believe.

“Mukbang,” which literally translates to ‘eating broadcasts,’ is all the rage in Korea. These video bloggers post videos of themselves eating on camera on video-sharing platforms such as YouTube. Here is a list of top five most popular “mukbang” vloggers (video blogger) for your viewing pleasure.

1. Banzz
YouTube Subscribers (as of 30 October 2017): 1,761,984

Banzz on his YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/user/eodyd188)

Banzz is one of the most famous food content creators in Korea. His slim figure belies how much food he can scarf down in an hour. He is known to have a lot of dedicated female viewers due to his neat appearance, and he revealed that he maintains his figure by exercising six to ten hours a day. As increasingly more international viewers visit his channel, he provides English subtitles on his materials. Below is a 2014 clip of him devouring steamed dumplings and spicy instant noodles that went viral:

2. MBRO
YouTube Subscribers (as of 30 October 2017): 560,685

MBRO on his YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/channel/UCj7mdvAJCRKvGBmcusOr9Ag)

It is said that this particular vlogger has the stomach size twice that of an average man. He can, for instance, chow down ten chickens or seventeen bags of instant noodles in one sitting. Before he began his online career as an eating show host, he used to weigh 80 kg at 185 cm of height. Now he has put on 20 kg as a result of his “mukbang” show. Apart from his knack for ingesting a vast amount of food at once, he is also known for his entertaining side talks. Two of his most popular contents are “Late Night Restaurant,” where he live streams himself eating late at night, and “Heavy Eating,” where he consumes over 10,000 kcal in a single broadcast.

3. Ddeong-gae  
YouTube subscribers (as of 30 October 2017): 775,099

Ddeong-gae on his YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/channel/UC-i2ywiuvjvpTy2zW-tXfkw)

This YouTube channel is managed by two brothers. Ddeong-gae, the younger brother, is rapidly gaining popularity for eating large quantities of food at a speedy pace. While a typical “mukbang” consists of the host engaging in a live conversation with the people tuning into the channel, this extreme eater remains silent throughout the entire show which lasts for about twenty minutes, and the viewers watch him eat in silence. At times Ddeong-gae entertains his viewers by incorporating exotic delicacies such as sugar canes and aloes into the food items that he eats on his show.

4. Light-eating Haennim
YouTube Subscribers (as of 30 October 2017): 231,685

Light-eating Haennim on her YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/channel/UC-Bsa2ivAGWq7bsSPrPGFVA)

Light-eating Haennim’s shows are characterized by long broadcast hours. This is because she constantly adds more food to eat as she streams live. Some fans call her “the lady version of Banzz” because of her uncanny capacity to indulge in huge portions of food. She sometimes drinks on her shows.

5. Fran
YouTube Subscribers (as of 30 October 2017): 284,645

Fran on her YouTube channel (www.youtube.com/channel/UC8kRUGUkq_sTGuKNR1l6Rrw)

Don’t be fooled by her willowy exterior. This petite food fighter will shock you with her endless appetite. She engages in “food challenges” where she eats monstrous servings of food, and sometimes she cooks large-sized food such as giant sushi and hotdogs on the show.

By Goldbin and Arin Kim kim.arin@joongang.co.kr