Chapter 128: The Infinite Challenge

October 11th. Wednesday. Imperial Capital. Clear skies.

Not even seven in the morning, Zhang Qiyang and Qin Xueyang boarded the support vehicle. Leaning back into their seats, they began a competition of sorts to see who could catch up on more sleep. With Old Zheng the driver at the wheel, they headed toward Kate Manor in the northwest suburbs of the Imperial Capital.

The final battle of "Infinite Challenge" was to be filmed in this sprawling yet rarely visited theme game manor. One wonders if, when the production team first decided to film the finale at Kate Manor, they had any inkling that their conclusion would be as dismal as the manor’s own foot traffic. If Xiao Qiang and Shen Yulin had the chance to choose again, they certainly would not have set the show's finale in such a dispiriting place.

The show's seven permanent hosts, along with most of the guests and staff, had rushed to the Kate Manor hotel the night before to check in. Unlike Zhang Qiyang and Li Xuan, who had to set off for the suburbs at the crack of dawn, they were able to sleep comfortably in hotel beds. The production team had originally arranged luxury suites for Zhang and Li as well, but because the two needed to prepare for the "I Am a Singer" competition at their music studio, they did not stay at the manor.

Once this appearance was confirmed, Zhang Qiyang had taken an interest in "Infinite Challenge," watching a few episodes on fast-forward. In his view, the show's strengths and weaknesses were equally prominent. Its greatest merit lay in the well-designed games and the solid chemistry among the hosts; everyone was willing to let go, preventing the gameplay from feeling awkward. However, because the game themes were so dominant and the production team had over-invested in game design, the show lacked thematic variety, appearing somewhat pedantic and rigid. For viewers, repeatedly watching celebrities tackle high-difficulty outdoor games inevitably led to aesthetic fatigue.

This was reflected in the show's ratings. At its premiere, the momentum was fierce; the first two episodes broke 2.5% in ratings, ranking in the top three for Friday night variety programming. Yet, due to a lack of evolution, the ratings steadily declined. Compounded by truly abysmal post-production editing—poorly controlled pacing and too much fragmented content—viewers grew increasingly disinterested, leading to a bleak finale. Whether the post-production was handled by the Dongyu team itself or if Shanghai Satellite TV had performed secondary edits before broadcast, the result was a complete mess. The subtitles and special effects were poorly executed, utterly failing to grasp the core focus. If they had incorporated more thematic variety and invested more effort into post-production rather than pouring all their energy into game mechanics, the show could have surely possessed greater vitality; achieving gold-standard acclaim would not have been impossible.

The show’s cast was excellent, with each host possessing distinct characteristics and a clear role. The two main MCs were Wang Dawei (28), a popular host from Dongyu, and Lu Cheng (34), the "King of Outdoors" from Shanghai Satellite TV. Wang Dawei was somewhat like a local version of Da Zhangwei—a singer signed to Dongyu and a comedic variety host whose role was the show's "game black hole" and comedic anchor. Lu Cheng was akin to a watered-down version of Bear Grylls, a master of the outdoors with exceptional physical fitness and a daring spirit. He was always the first to take on high-difficulty challenges, and his ability to control the pacing of the show was excellent. Together, the civil and the martial, the straight man and the comic, they held the show's structure together.

The other two male hosts were also experts in outdoor games. The strongest of them was Feng Sheng (35), known as the "Game Demon King." A six-foot-three powerhouse and fitness fanatic—surpassing both the "Big Black Bull" and Kim Jong-kook of other worlds—he served as the show's muscle. The speed specialist was "Asia’s Flying Man" Lu Kai (27). Lu Kai was a literal Flying Man of Asia, having won a 100-meter gold medal at the Asian Games; he was once China's sprint king. He still held the national 100-meter record and was the only man in the country to break the 10-second barrier. Two years ago, after retiring from the national team due to a serious injury, Lu Kai signed with an agency and drifted into the entertainment industry. Relying on his unique status, he was constantly booked and had become a very popular sports-celebrity hybrid. One of the two female hosts, Su Fei (26), was signed to the same agency as Lu Kai and was also a retired athlete.

This petite beauty, who shared her name with a brand of sanitary pads, was the former captain of the national synchronized swimming team, a near-invincible force in water sports. For those like Lu Kai and Su Fei, transitioning from athletes to artists, participating in an extreme-challenge variety show like "Infinite Challenge" was a perfect fit. The other two hosts were slightly weaker in athletics but just as clearly defined. Xu Xian (24), who was paired with Su Fei, was a rising star heavily promoted by Dongyu. While she was typically a graceful and gentle lady, she was surprisingly uninhibited on the show, showing her cheerful side as the "visual anchor." Then there was Pan Ziwen (30), nicknamed "Mosquito," a jack-of-all-trades in the variety world whose role was the "clever guy"—or, more accurately, the one who resorts to dirty tricks. Standing only five-foot-three, Pan was great at self-deprecating humor and was a natural mood-maker. Like Wang Dawei, Pan had started as a hip-hop singer and was among the first in the country to rap. When he couldn't make it in the music industry, he was essentially "starved" into the variety world. Unexpectedly, this transition ignited his natural comedic talent, allowing him to thrive.

When Chen Ke spoke to Zhang Qiyang about these people yesterday, she specifically warned him to be wary of Pan Ziwen. This guy always seemed to be laughing and joking, acting like a scatterbrain, but he was a master of schemes—the type of artist who was deep and calculating. Most importantly, he was an artist under Chu Yu. If it hadn't been for the executives at Shanghai Satellite TV specifically naming Pan Ziwen for "Infinite Challenge," the Dongyu team would never have signed him as a permanent host. Even after signing him, the Dongyu team gave him special treatment during editing; unless he performed exceptionally well, they generally gave him very little screen time.

Truth be told, Pan Ziwen felt quite stifled on the show. With the final episode approaching and nothing left to lose—and given that Dongyu and Chu Yu were currently locked in a struggle over "I Am a Singer"—Chen Ke was very worried that Pan Ziwen would stir up trouble, souring the mood for Zhang Qiyang and Li Xuan and indirectly dealing a blow to Dongyu.