South Korea · Variety · 2024
Rented in Finland
Binge Brief
- 10 episodes on tvN, Fridays at 8:40 pm, from 6 December 2024 to 7 February 2025
- Premiere rating 3.320% nationwide (Nielsen Korea), the highest of the series
- tvN announced on 8 August 2024 that filming had started
- The production crew in Finland numbered more than 60 people
Synopsis
Rented in Finland (핀란드 셋방살이) is a tvN reality show in which four actors, Lee Je-hoon, Lee Dong-hwi, Kwak Dong-yeon and Cha Eun Woo, rent rooms from local people in Finnish Lapland and live the way their hosts do. tvN pitched it as city actors trying country life in a Finnish village.
Producer Lee Se-young said the aim was ordinary local life, with real neighbours and real chores, rather than anything a tourist would see. tvN announced on 8 August 2024 that the four had started filming. They arrived through Rovaniemi, the gateway to Lapland, and the first rental sat between a lake and a forest. It had no electricity, no running water and no Wi-Fi, so the days went on chopping firewood, picking berries, carrying water from a well and cooking over an open fire. Later rentals took them to Kemijärvi and to a house that could only be reached by boat.
The Rented in Finland Korean show ran for 10 episodes on Friday nights at 8:40 pm, from 6 December 2024 to 7 February 2025. The first episode drew 3.320% nationwide on Nielsen Korea, the best figure of the run; episode 8 was the lowest at 1.679%.
For Cha Eun Woo it was his first regular variety job since he left Master in the House in 2021. The opening episode showed him at his mother's home before the trip, cooking Korean dishes with his younger brother (more on his family here).
Why it still gets watched
The appeal is the mismatch between four actors used to film sets and a house with no tap water. Each move to a new rental resets the problem, so the series keeps changing every two or three episodes. Not every critic was won over: The Fact wrote before the finale that slow editing and puzzling captions made it drag.
Rented in Finland cast
Filming locations
The shoot was in Finnish Lapland. The group came in through Rovaniemi, and the rentals were around Kuusamo, Kemijärvi and Luusua; the third house was in Kemijärvi.
Themes and messages
The show asks a plain question: what does daily life look like in a place that ranks among the happiest countries in the world, once you take away the conveniences of a Korean city? The answer it gives is work: water has to be carried, wood split and food cooked before anything else happens.
Interesting facts
- A first for Lee Je-hoon. In the teaser released in November 2024 the four haul icy lake water, and Lee Je-hoon admits he has never done anything like it before.
- A crew of 60. More than 60 production staff went to Finland for the shoot.
Episodes
| Ep | Title | Air date | Status | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The four prepared at home, Cha Eun Woo cooked with his younger brother, and the group spent its first day in Finland. | 2024-12-06 | Aired | 3.320% |
| 2 | The actors began their rental life in a remote Lapland village. | 2024-12-13 | Aired | 2.761% |
| 3 | With no electricity, running water or Wi-Fi, they lived off what they could gather and cook themselves. | 2024-12-20 | Aired | 2.888% |
| 4 | Host Aleksi introduced them to his sauna, there was more cooking, and the group moved on to a second house. | 2024-12-27 | Aired | 2.545% |
| 5 | The second house had no water, no power, no Wi-Fi and not even a street address. | 2025-01-03 | Aired | 3.019% |
| 6 | The four escaped to a small town, tried to build a barbecue, and had an unexpected visitor early one morning. | 2025-01-10 | Aired | 2.391% |
| 7 | At a third house in Kemijärvi they washed cars, looked after animals and built a dog house. | 2025-01-17 | Aired | 2.181% |
| 8 | Cold mornings, village work, and a village celebration where Korean food was served. | 2025-01-24 | Aired | 1.679% |
| 9 | The celebration ended and they moved to a fourth house, reached by boat, whose owner is a therapist. | 2025-01-31 | Aired | 2.115% |
| 10 | Horse riding, a last meal together, the northern lights and goodbyes at the final house. | 2025-02-07 | Aired | 2.016% |
Frequently asked questions
Who is in the Rented in Finland cast?
The Rented in Finland cast is four actors: Lee Je-hoon, Lee Dong-hwi, Kwak Dong-yeon and Cha Eun Woo, all regulars for the whole series.
How many Rented in Finland episodes are there?
There are 10 Rented in Finland episodes, broadcast by tvN on Fridays from 6 December 2024 to 7 February 2025.
What happens in Rented in Finland episode 1?
Rented in Finland ep 1 covers the preparations at home in Korea, including Cha Eun Woo cooking with his younger brother, and the group's first day in Finland after landing in Rovaniemi.
What happens in Rented in Finland episode 2?
In Rented in Finland episode 2 the four start living in their first rental in a remote Lapland village.
Where to watch Rented in Finland?
In Korea Rented in Finland streams on TVING. Outside Korea TMDB's provider data (checked 3 October 2026) lists Rakuten Viki in the Americas, Europe and the Middle East, Viu in Southeast Asia, and the CJ ENM Selects channel on Amazon in the UK and the Netherlands.
Is the Cha Eun Woo Rented in Finland trip his first variety show since 2021?
As a regular, yes. Before Rented in Finland, Cha Eun Woo's last fixed variety role was SBS's Master in the House, which he left in June 2021.
Who made the Rented in Finland TV show?
Rented in Finland was made for tvN and produced by Lee Se-young, with a crew of more than 60 in Finland.
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