Line #134 Series/TheGenius


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6	[[caption-width-right:315:[-Clockwise from left: Kim Gura, Park Eun-ji, Lee Jun-seok, Kim Kyung-ran, Lee Sang-min, Choi Jung-moon, Cha Yu-ram, Cha Min-soo, Kim Poong, Choi Chang-yeop, Kim Sung-Gyu, Kim Min-seo, Hong Jin-ho-]]]
7
8	-> ''Beautiful defeats and ugly victories''
9
10	''The Genius'' (Korean: 더 지니어스) is a South Korean reality game show broadcast on cable channel tvN. The first season began airing on April 26, 2013. The show proved to be a hit for tvN and subsequently, three other seasons were aired.
11
12	The Genius brings together 13 contestants from various areas to compete for the top spot in rounds involving various games. In every episode, a contestant is eliminated following a main match and a death match. The winner of the main match will gain a token of life guaranteeing their advancement to the next round and in some cases, receives an additional token of life to give to another player as well as a predetermined number of garnets. The worst performer in the main match is automatically sent to the death match, and is allowed to choose anyone without a token of life as their opponent. The winner of the death match gains their opponent's garnets (only in Seasons 1 and 2), and the right to stay in the game.
13
14
15	!!Format changes
16
17	* Season 2: A token of immortality was added to the game, with clues given to each main match winner. [[spoiler: It was eventually found by Sangmin]].
18	* Season 3: The winners of the death match are given a black garnet. When three black garnets are presented a, black mission can be attempted which would save the player from the death match if completed. [[spoiler: However they become a non-factor as none of the missions are completed successfully and the remaining black garnets are traded for normal garnets at the beginning of the tenth episode]]. The loser's garnets are also taken out of the game instead of being taken by their death match opponent.
19	* Season 4: Besides being an all-stars season, S4 introduced 3 "Garnet Matches" where the person with the most and least garnets will be the winner and death match candidate of the episode respectively. Also, all of the death matches have been played before and are now chosen by lottery with contestants able to veto those they don't wish to play.
20
21	Season one is subtitled ''Rules of the Game'' (게임의 범칙)
22
23	Season two is subtitled ''Rule Breaker'' (룰 브레이커)
24
25	Season three is subtitled ''Black Garnet'' (블랙 가넷)
26
27	Season four is subtitled ''Grand Final'' (그랜드 파이널)
28
29	The show has become popular enough to have several podcasts dedicated to recapping and discussing it. These include:
30
31	* [[http://domandcolin.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-genius-coverage-master-list.html Dom & Colin podcast]]
32	* [[http://geniuscast.podbean.com/e/start-here-the-genius-introduction-and-season-1-preview/ Geniuscast]] with Scott and Mike
33	* Podcast/RobHasAPodcast [[http://robhasawebsite.com/genius-knowitalls-season-1-audiobook-preview-episode-1-podcast/ has started recapping]] the show as well (also note [[http://robhasawebsite.com/genius-south-korean-game-show-myles-nye-review-2015/ preview episode]] recorded earlier).
34	* [[http://scanlinemedia.com/tag/the-genius/ The Garnet Wager]]
35
36
37	Alternatively, you can also read [[Recap/TheGenius episode recaps]] here.
38
39	An English-subbed version of all seasons can be found here: https://baechusquad.download/the_genius/
40
41	Dutch TV channel NTR has adapted their own version of The Genius. It has started airing on 3rd of October 2022, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaKmmIbL9KI here is the trailer]].
42
43	UK TV channel Creator/{{ITV}} has [[https://www.tvzoneuk.com/post/thegeniusgame-davidtennant-announcement announced]] their own adaptation coming in 2024 with Creator/DavidTennant hosting.
44
45	----
46
47	!!Tropes found in ''The Genius'' include
48
49	* AchillesHeel:
50	** [[spoiler: Hyunmin]] never seems to lose unless it's against [[spoiler:Dongmin]].
51	** [[spoiler: Sangmin]] is one of the greatest players on the show, but [[spoiler:has never won a Death Match]].
52	* AintTooProudToBeg: [[spoiler: Sangmin and Yohwan]] had to go on their knees asking other players to save them.
53	* AlwaysSecondBest: Jinho's professional VideoGame/{{Starcraft}} career has been this trope. Other contestants never miss a chance to tease Jinho about it.
54	* [[AnyoneCanDie Anyone Can Be Eliminated]]: Doing well in previous seasons doesn't mean you won't be taking an early exit from this one.
55	* BackForTheFinale: For the final, all of the eliminated contestants are each given an item to give to the player of their choice. Along with 3 items for each of the specific games, there's always the First Game Pick item (discontinued starting in Season 3), the Copy item, and the Cancel item.
56	* BandagedFace: The announcer [[RuleOfCool for some reason]] wears bandages over his face.
57	* BestServedCold: [[spoiler: Ahyoung and Sangmin]] admit that wanting [[spoiler: Kyunghoon]] out is the main reason they participate in Horror Race 2 (S4 E9).
58	* BittersweetEnding: Often happens when two allies or close friends go to the Death Match, so one ends up eliminating the other.
59	** More generally, when a player survives at the expense of eliminating a close ally. For example, [[spoiler: Kyungran in S1 E3 loses Jimmy Cha who secured her victory in that round]].
60	** [[spoiler: Jinho seems pretty [[ImmuneToFlinching resistant]] to this, unaffected by losing Junseok and Poong in S1, Doohee in S2, and Kyungran in S4.]]
61	* BrainlessBeauty: Sunggyu of boy-band Music/{{INFINITE}}. He claims he didn't even understand the rules of the first few main matches and becomes an easy target of the manipulations for Kyungran and Sangmin. [[spoiler: At least ''some'' of it must be an act, considering how far into Season 1 he goes.]]
62	* BrandishmentBluff: in "Swords and Shields", players can bluff that they have a sword or a shield and it will work exactly the same as the real stuff, unless challenged.
63	* BreakTheHaughty: [[spoiler: Hweejong, a math teacher, failing the basic math of the predator/prey relationships and thinking that he has won the game by drawing lion]] in Food Chain (S2 E1).
64	* BreakoutCharacter: [[spoiler: Junghyun]] in Season 2. [[spoiler: Despite doing nothing for around the first 6 episodes, he ended up being one of the main characters of the season.]]
65	** Arguably, [[spoiler: Kyunghoon]] in Season 4. [[spoiler: He starts the series with a low status in the eyes of all the other contestants, and just survives in some moments, but goes to ace the second half of the series and reach the final.]]
66	* CatchPhrase: Beautiful defeats and ugly victories.
67	** "To the (x) players who survived, I will see you in the next round."
68	** "I'll cheer for you in spirit" / "Don't even cheer for me" - as a way of apologizing and then rejecting the apology; comes from a infamous exchange during S2 E1 and has been repeated a few times.
69	** "You'll have to get on my good side" a declaration of confidence that the player is in a powerful position (ie. you'll have to get on my good side so that I help you) - also born from S2 E1.
70	** "(Player) was eliminated in the (n)th round... [[TonightSomeoneDies Who will be eliminated today]]?"
71	** "I'm losing my taste for this" quoting [[spoiler: Gura]] from the episode he gets eliminated.
72	** "[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paiting Fighting]]!"
73	* CatFight: In one of the pre-match banters in season 4, [[spoiler: Kyungran and lawyer Yoonsun]] are having an argument. Because both are intimidating female players, [[spoiler: Sangmin]] yells: "All men, duck!" and the producers jokingly add lazers effects between two women.
74	* CelebrityEdition: The show ''started'' with the cast made of mostly (South-Korean) celebrities. In response to viewers' negative reception of the infamous "celebrity alliance" against "regular people" in season 2, contestants for season 3 were mostly "regular people" picked from public casting calls.
75	* ChaoticStupid: Kyunghoon's signature style of "play"... Which eventually makes him a pariah in everyone's eyes.
76	* TheCharmer: Hongchul, who wins over allies with his smooth personality (and crazy laugh).
77	* ChekhovsGun: The Token of Immortality [[spoiler: Twice]] in Season 2 [[spoiler: Once when Sangmin gives Doohee the fake token of life after the Monopoly Game]] and [[spoiler: When he uses the token to save Yowhan from the Death Match in S2 E10.]]
78	** The black garnets [[spoiler: turn out to be a {{Red Herring}} since all attempts to use them fail.]]
79	* ChekhovsSkill: [[spoiler: Jungmoon]]'s knowledge of the first 70 decimal digits of Pi in Season 4.
80	** [[spoiler: Dongmin's ability to differentiate weight of objects, which is exploited in S3 E5 and S4 E2]]. In S4 E2 (Horror Race), the producers never expected anyone to be able to [[spoiler: differentiate the coins based on the difference in metal weight (with only a difference of 0.1 gram!).]] This prompted the producers to [[spoiler: make the coins differ only in size in Horror Race 2.]]
81	* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: [[spoiler: Sangmin]] and [[spoiler: Kyunghoon]].
82	* CrazyEnoughToWork: [[spoiler: Dongmin]] in the S3 E10's Death Match. [[spoiler: Realizing that he played himself into a corner, he managed to win by confusing Yeonjoo into copying his crazy move.]]
83	** [[spoiler: Ahyoung's desperate move by using her final two points]] during "Black and White 2" also counts as this.
84	* CrazyPrepared: Deathmatches often repeat. Thus one can practice and/or study previous Deathmatch games and this can save you if you end up an elimination candidate. This became especially important for Grand Finale, where every single deathmatch game was known in advance and all of them were repeats. Both [[spoiler: Kyunghyun and Dongmin]] separately did their homework practicing them, which was one of the reasons they both went all the way to the finale.
85	* CurbStompBattle: There are ''many'' examples of this throughout the whole series.
86	** [[spoiler: Jinho curb-stomps Kyungran in S1's finals. In the first game (Indian Poker), Jinho manages to fool Kyungran into folding while holding a 10, making her flustered for the rest of the game. In the second game (Gyul! Hap!), Jinho managed to get many Haps and Gyuls thanks to Jungmoon and Junseok's help]].
87	** An episode earlier, [[spoiler: (S1 E11), Kyungran curb stomps Sangmin at "Same Picture Hunt"]].
88	** During [[spoiler: "Same Picture Hunt" in S2 E8, Junghyun deploys a unique strategy against Hongchul by forcing the latter to choose random tiles]].
89	** [[spoiler: Hyunmin]] pulled an almost unbeatable strategy against [[spoiler: Yeonseung in S3 E11's Death Match (Betting Black and White) by betting high on the four highest numbers in the first four rounds]].
90	** [[spoiler: Yeonseung with Dongmin as his partner]] brutalize [[spoiler: Yohwan with Jinho as his partner at "Tactical Yutnori" in S4 E2]], to the point where [[spoiler: none of Yohwan's pieces ever got a move]].
91	** Once again, [[spoiler: Dongmin]] absolutely brutalizes [[spoiler: Kyungran]] in Gyul! Hap! (S4 E8) with a final score of [[spoiler: 57:9]].
92	** Arguably, the finals in Season 4 ([[spoiler: Dongmin vs. Kyunghoon]]) can also be considered this. [[spoiler: Kyunghoon's troll tactics that usually work on other people don't work on Dongmin. In the first game (Number Janggi), Kyunghoon keeps moving one his pieces back and forth to confuse Dongmin. The latter, instead of getting flustered, immediately executes his plan to reveal as many of the former's pieces with as few pieces as possible. In the second game (Mystery Sign), Kyunghoon uses an insanely high number, 897,687,543,217 as a hint for the equation. Even with ludicrous number, Dongmin still manages to get the mystery sign and answers it correctly.]]
93	* CuteClumsyGirl: Ahyoung always stumbles on her heels, especially when Dongmin is around.
94	* DeadlyHug: In the first game of Season 4 (ID Exchange), [[spoiler: Sangmin]] hugs [[spoiler: Junghyun]] and whispers to him that he has the convict card.
95	* DeathSeeker: [[spoiler: Dongmin in S3 E8 (Investment and Donation)]] says he wants to go to the Death Match and tries to, but fails.
96	* DoubleUnlock: The Black Garnets in Season 3. If you manage to collect 3 (enough of a challenge in itself) then you avoid a Death Match... as long as you complete an extremely hard solo game first.
97	* DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent: Happens all the time, especially if [[spoiler: Sangmin]] is around.
98	* EliminatedFromTheRace: The singular purpose of the Death Match.
99	* FakinMacGuffin: In S1 E4 Zombie game, [[spoiler: Changyeop drank his zombie cure, but kept the bottle and filled it with water and his saliva creating the illusion that it wasn't used. He then trades that concoction to Sangmin who proceeds to drink it and immediately figures that something's wrong by the taste. He freaks out because he is going to become a zombie unless he finds the real cure within 10 minutes]].
100	** In Season 2, [[spoiler: Sangmin himself pulls this on Doohee when he gives him token of immortality, which turns out to be a fake]].
101	* FixingTheGame: Props like dice or cards are often "rigged" on purpose, so that observant players could abuse it. Likewise, some games are designed to be broken with some strategy. However, players often find ways to break games in ways producers didn't see coming.
102	** The first obvious example is in [[spoiler: S1 E4 (Zombie Game). Changyeop asked Jungmoon whether she is 'A human or a person'. He is asking due to the exact wording of the human card. If you drew a zombie card, you would never see what the human card looks like.]] In later games, the producers fixed this exploit by [[spoiler: showing all players what most game-specific items look like, either through paper handouts or prominently displaying examples in the main hall or dealer room]].
103	** Jinho has a knack for "breaking" games so hard that it becomes impossible to play these games ever again. He did this with [[spoiler: both "Open, Pass" and "5:5 Game"]].
104	** Another example is in [[spoiler: S4 E2 (Horror Race). Dongmin managed to differentiate the coins by their weight and vibration, instead of the magnetism property intended by the producers. The producers later discarded the magnetism property altogether and made the coins differ only in size in Horror Race 2.]].
105	* FlashForward: Occasionally used to entice viewers to keep watching, though used less in later seasons.
106	* FlockOfWolves: [[spoiler: Junseok's]] alliance in S4 E6 (Garnet Thief). Out of his four "teammates", [[spoiler: Jungmoon is Dongmin's spy, Kyunghoon is ALSO Dongmin's spy who intentionally reveals Jungmoon's betrayal to gain Junseok's trust, and Yeonseung betrays Junseok at the final round]].
107	* GambitPileup: Happens often in the Main Matches.
108	* GoodWithNumbers: Jungmoon, Hyunmin and Kyunghoon all have exceptional math skills at the expense of weaker social play. The former can even remember [[spoiler: many digits of pi, which is becomes useful in one of the Main Matches]].
109	* GreyAndGrayMorality: Despite some players being slightly more or less likely to betray you, there really are no absolute good guys or bad guys, and the edit never pushes you to like one player more than another.
110	* GuileHero: Both [[spoiler: Sangmin]] and [[spoiler: Dongmin]].
111	* HardModeFiller: Many of the main matches are harder versions of previous main matches.
112	** Confined Scamming Horse Race is a harder version of Scamming Horse Race, both from Season 1.
113	** Layoff is a harder version of Food Chain, both from Season 2.
114	** Middle Race 2 is a harder version of Middle Race, both from Season 3.
115	** Fish Shop in Season 4 is a revamped version of Season 3's Fruit Stand.
116	** Horror Race 2 is a harder version of Horror Race, both from Season 4.
117	** Minus Auction 2 in Season 4 is a harder version of Minus Auction from Season 2.
118	* TheHeroDies:
119	** [[spoiler: Hong Jinho is taken out in the middle of Season 2]]
120	** [[spoiler: Sangmin is the 3rd to be eliminated in Season 4]]
121	** [[spoiler: Jinho again is taken out in 4th place in Season 4]]
122	* IHaveManyNames:
123	** Cha Minsoo, "Jimmy" Cha, teacher Cha, even just Minsoo.
124	** [[UsefulNotes/KoreanHonorifics Korean terms of address]] might confuse the viewer because the same person will be referred to by different titles depending on the relative age, gender and even profession of the speaker.
125	* ImNotHereToMakeFriends: Subverted, (perhaps reality TV ValuesDissonance). Despite the game being packed with betrayals, almost everyone gets on really well in RealLife.
126	* KickThemWhileTheyAreDown: In Season 2, [[spoiler: Doohee]] gets tricked four times one after another, ALL in one day, with the final betrayal leading him to elimination.
127	* TheKingslayer: [[spoiler: Kyunghoon in Grand Finale]].
128	* UsefulNotes/KoreanHonorifics
129	* {{Leitmotif}}: Because of [[spoiler: Junghyun]]'s general clueless tendency in games, the producers gave him a special musical theme emphasizing his "bumbling old man" personality. It always plays when he aimlessly roams the mansion alone, because other players didn't include him in their plans. This is twice as funny because he obviously plays this up himself and even comments on his own leitmotif in the final episode of Season 2.
130	* LivingLieDetector: [[spoiler: Dongmin]] uses his outstanding observational skills to see through others' lies. Some standout examples:[[spoiler: He managed to discover Yeonseung being Veritas' team leader just from his speech and posture in S3 E4 (Sword and Shield). In S4 E5 (Loyalists and Rebels) he identified two rebels out of three just by looking at and observing them. He also discovered Hyunmin's betrayal plan immediately in S4 E9 (Horror Race 2).]]
131	* LockedInARoom: In [[spoiler: "Loyalist and Rebels"]] (S4 E5), [[spoiler: Dongmin]] severely limits the rebels' options by forcing everyone to stay in one room so that they can't communicate with each other without revealing themselves.
132	** "Confined Scamming Horse Race" in Season 1 is the same as the previously played "Scamming Horse Race" but now players are locked alone in their rooms and have to rely on partners who can move freely to relay information.
133	* LoopholeAbuse: In the 5:5 Game in S1 E11, the contestants had to ask a group of ten guests questions that exactly five of them would answer "yes" to. As Sangmin and Jinho figured out, there was no rule saying that they couldn't influence the result of these questions themselves, such as Sangmin giving one guest a bracelet so that exactly five guests would be wearing bracelets or Jinho touching the back of his hand to exactly five guests' hands and then telling these same five guests his brother's name.
134	* LovableTraitor: [[spoiler: Sangmin]]. Even after countless betrayals (especially apparent during the course of [[spoiler: Rule Breaker]], people still managed to include him in a team.
135	* ManipulativeEditing: Used in conjunction with OnceMoreWithClarity. Episodes often show us a specific story or perspective and after the rewind to show us how the events came to be.
136	* MimingTheCues: Used many times by various moles who disclose information about team strategy to other team.
137	** In season 2, [[spoiler: Sangmin took this up to eleven with exaggerated clues to tell the other team about his team's choices: it was either patting himself on the head for one outcome or dancing for the other. By the end of the game, he was completely exhausted from dancing and his head hurt from hitting it all the time. His team never picked up on it though, even if it was really obvious in retrospect]].
138	** As a counterpoint, in Season 4, [[spoiler: Jungmoon used much subtler hand gestures for signals and it backfired when the other team misinterpreted her casual pose for a signal]].
139	* MirthlessLaughter: [[spoiler: Yooyoung's hysterical laugh when she sees her team implode due to Doohee's betrayal]] in King Game (S2 E3).
140	* MistakenForAnImposter: When in S1 E6 [[spoiler: (Catch the Thief) Sunggyu comes clean about being a thief, Sangmin doesn't believe him and bluntly shoos him away]]. He comes to regret this error dearly because the thief's cooperation in this match basically decides the outcome.
141	* MouthfulOfPi: The digits of pi were used in [[spoiler: Season 4's "Loyalists and Rebels"]] to give an advantage to any person who had memorized digits of pi ([[spoiler: Jungmoon]]).
142	* MyGreatestFailure: Constellation Game for [[spoiler: Dongmin and Hyunmin where everyone turns on them.]] [[spoiler: Hyunmin]] later even gets reduced to tears.
143	* MyGreatestSecondChance: All of the non-winners, so far played straightest with [[spoiler: Lee Junseok (eliminated first in S1)]] and [[spoiler: Kim Kyunghoon (eliminated second in S3)]], in Season 4.
144	** Subverted with [[spoiler: Junghyun in Season 4 (3rd place in Season 2, eliminated first)]].
145	** And [[spoiler: Lim Yowhan and Kim Kyungran (both runner-up in their original seasons, 2nd and 8th out in Season 4)]].
146	* MysteriousEmployer: Bandage Man.
147	* NoOneGetsLeftBehind: [[spoiler: Dongmin throughout most of Black Garnet. As long as you're on his team and content with basically being his pawn, he will bend over backwards to keep you safe]].
148	* ObviousRulePatch: The "Garnet Match" mechanic is a trap to block Yohwan's "keep a low profile" style of play from season 2, where he basically ignored main matches and didn't care to get garnets. Now, with Garnet Matches, the player with the fewest garnets goes to the Death Match automatically. [[spoiler: Appropriately, Yohwan is the first victim of this rule.]]
149	* OlderThanTheyLook: Rapper Jiwon's hip-hop fashion style masks the fact that he is in his late 30s. You can only notice it because so many people keep calling him [[UsefulNotes/KoreanHonorifics hyung and oppa]].
150	* OnceMoreWithClarity: Frequently used, often to help clear up a GambitPileup. Also used a few times once everyone has figured out the game-breaking secret, to show when and how everyone discovered it.
151	* OutOfCharacterAlert: The way many socially/politically-savvy players (Sangmin, Dongmin) spot "criminal" types in role games:
152	** [[spoiler: Gura, who is otherwise a very active participant in early main match discussions, suddenly goes silent after getting his role in "Zombie game". Sangmin correctly deduces that he must be a zombie]].
153	** In "Loyalists and Rebels", [[spoiler: Kyungran, who is usually all about building big alliance strategies, is more interested in possible strategies for the rebels. Dongmin figures she must be a rebel]].
154	* PickedLast: Happens to Junghyun in Blackout game, much to his annoyance. Nobody wants him on their team (despite that he had won every single game up to that point in the season).
155	* PottyEmergency: [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YksfsZ_NM3c Happened to Junghoon]] in S3, as they were filming the end of the main match.
156	* PowerOfTrust: Building strong alliances is a big part of the game. But to create interesting television and breed conflict, rules are designed to favor spies and moles who would betray their teammates for bigger personal gain. With this in mind, all the more impressive are "joint wins" when a big alliance wins and each member receives the same amount of points. To pull this off, all of them need to have unshakable trust that none of them will betray their team.
157	* ProfessionalGambler: Many contestants are professional players in poker, pool, go, and even Starcraft.
158	* RealityTVShowMansion: The set is always styled like a mansion.
159	* RecurringCharacter: Every season except the first featured at least one returning player.
160	** [[spoiler: Jinho and Sangmin]] for Season 2.
161	** [[spoiler: Hweejong]] for Season 3.
162	** Everyone in Season 4, since it's an all-stars season.
163	* RightBehindMe: When Jinho and Yuram are discussing the outcome of Election game (S1 E2), Jinho tries to throw suspicion on to Kyungran [[spoiler: as one of the traitors that lead to their loss]]. She just happens to be in the same room, behind the folding screen shooting her confession cam interview, when she hears the diss and angrily storms out to confront him.
164	* TheRival: Continuing from their respective VideoGame/{{Starcraft}} pro careers, Jinho ([=YellOw=]) vs. Yoh-wan ([=BoxeR=]) in Season 2.
165	* RivalsTeamUp: Retroactively, S3 E5 was one of the most important episodes in Season 3, because it marked the start of [[spoiler: the Dongmin/Hyunmin partnership. The combination of Hyunmin's fast, calculative mind and Dongmin's domineering social play and adaptability created an unbeatable alliance that steamrolled the rest of season 3 and a part of season 4]].
166	* RulesSpiel: [[OncePerEpisode Twice per episode]], complete with neat animations.
167	* RunningGag: Everyone's scared of [[spoiler: Kyungran]], complete with ominous music. [[spoiler: She's revealed as the last Season 1 player to compete with S2 contestants in the Layoff game]]. Even the "Pierce" captions are reserved exclusively for her in Season 1.
168	** [[spoiler: Dongmin]] calling out to Dealer Hong (and comes in different styles).
169	--> [[spoiler: Dongmin]]: "Chinguya. Chinguya! CHINGUYAA!!''
170	** Continuing the previous point, [[spoiler: Dongmin]] continued teasing Dealer Hong because he said it becomes a jinx for him, which would lead to him being eliminated if he didn't.
171	** "I will cheer for you in spirit." and "Don't even cheer for me.", which stemmed from [[spoiler: Hweejong's outburst during the first episode of Rule Breaker]].
172	** [[spoiler: Kyunghoon and Sangmin's Dog-Master relationship]] in Season 4.
173	** Jinho is frequently invoked whenever the number 2 becomes crucially important in a game (whether Jinho is in that game or not).
174	* SeriousBusiness: Especially for a Korean Variety Show.
175	* ShipTease: Happens several times, often accompanied by heart special effects added by producers. It never comes to fruition at best (due to somewhat more uptight and professional atmosphere on the set compared to other Reality TV). At worst: the alleged pair face each other in a deathmatch:
176	** Jung-moon and Changyeop. [[spoiler: It all crashes and burns when she picks him for elimination and boots him off the show]].
177	** Kyunghoon and Ahyoung.
178	** Dongmin and Dealer Hong.
179	* SitcomArchNemesis: Eunji to Sunggyu, because she keeps accidentally ruining his play, such as by [[spoiler: feeding him wrong hint in "Scamming Horse Race"]] and [[spoiler: exposing his differently coloured decks in "Open, Pass"]].
180	* SlaveToPR: Celebrities on the show have to be careful not to betray people too hard because they have a very public image to keep.
181	** Sunggyu gained an "icon of betrayal" status through his sly moves on the show.
182	** Yooyoung's announcer career tanked after the hate she got online for [[spoiler: the infamous incident in Season 2]].
183	** Averted with Sangmin, who went through enough scandals, problems with law, and bankruptcies in real life. It is actually expected for him to be a shady character.
184	* SlidingScaleOfCooperationVsCompetition: varies depending on rules of the main match. Most of the games with teams are either of "Treacherous Teammate" or of "Informed Minority vs. Uninformed Majority" varieties.
185	** Especially in the early episodes of a season, the production team will generally alternate games with formal teams and games that are designed to be played individually with informal alliances.
186	* SpannerInTheWorks: Do NOT include Kyunghoon in your plans. One way or another, he will ruin it.
187	* SpeechImpediment: Whatever Jinho has that makes him mispronounce words all the time.
188	* SpiritualSuccessor: The Genius is inspired visually and conceptually by the Manga/LiarGame franchise (especially Season 1). Indeed, some specific games appear which are near-copies of ones from Liar Game.
189	* StopCopyingMe: "Repeating your opponent's move" is a legitimate strategy in a number of 1 vs. 1 games where you open an obscured board turn after turn. If you grabbed a lead, you can deny your opponent of new information by repeating his last move.
190	** [[spoiler: In Season 2, after taking an initial lead, Junghyun pretends to be sclerotic and keeps opening the same pieces on a board]].
191	** [[spoiler: In Season 3, Yeonjoo used this strategy to force Yoohyun to tread the path for her in Memory Maze and convincingly beat him, even after he aced that challenge just a week ago]].
192	* StunnedSilence: The majority alliance's reaction to [[spoiler: Gura's resignation in Election game]], complete with a [[IdiotCrows crow leaving dots as it flies by]].
193	* SunglassesAtNight: Magician Eyunkul wearing his sunglasses indoors.
194	* TallPoppySyndrome: Inverted. On The Genius, when a contestant stands out with his/her game skills, others gang up ''around'' that player, instead of against them, as happens in other Reality TV shows.
195	** Played straight in [[spoiler: S3 E7 (Constellation Game) against Dongmin and Hyunmin]].
196	* TheTeaser: Each episode starts with a few minutes of banter between the surviving players discussing the events of the last week and planning their next move. The intro music then starts and it flows into the opening clip.
197	* TeethClenchedTeamwork: Each time Sunggyu happens to be in the same team with Eunji, who he claims to be completely incompatible with, because she is an [[WesternZodiac Aries]].
198	* ThirtyFiveMinutesAgo: [[spoiler: Kim Gura in S1 E2 (Election Game). During preparation time, when all other contestants are hurriedly forming factions and determining who they will appoint to be their faction leader to vote for, Gura sits all by himself and ignores everything and everyone. That's because he has already won by forming a secret faction thirty minutes earlier, while all others were still casually chatting and intermingling before the game formally began]].
199	** [[spoiler: Sangmin in S2 E7's God's Judgment game. While most of the contestants don't figure out that the dice can be rearranged until right before before the end of the game, it's revealed at the end that Sangmin figured it out mere fifteen minutes in.]]
200	* TookALevelInBadass: [[spoiler: Jinho]] during "Open, Pass" [[spoiler: uses a single colored pack of cards [[note]] The buyable packs have different colored backs [[/note]] and using only the cards design, gets the highest score, winning the main match]]
201	** [[spoiler: Junghyun]] also ended up being this in Death Matches, being able to [[spoiler: survive three Death Matches ''in a row'']].
202	** [[spoiler: Yeonseung]] during the Fish Shop game, teams up with [[spoiler: Junseok]] to [[spoiler: constantly underbid Hyunmin and Dongmin]] using [[spoiler: Junseok]] as a distraction to allay suspicion.
203	** Arguably [[spoiler: Kyunghoon in Season 4, especially the later rounds]].
204	* TheUnfought: [[spoiler: Yohwan]] who came on the show [[spoiler: specifically as a rival to Jinho]] has never faced him 1 on 1, despite being on two seasons together.
205	* ViewersAreGeniuses: It's in the name. In stark contrast with other reality shows (or even most game shows) The Genius uses complicated rules, game theory, and math. Explaining the rules takes a significant part of each episode.
206	%%* WaistcoatOfStyle: Dongmin.
207	* WillNotTellALie: Jinho doesn't betray people, instead relying on his individual skills.
208	* WhamEpisode: [[Recap/TheGeniusS2E6MonopolyGame Monopoly Game]] is an episode with big repercussions not only for the rest of a season but for the rest of the series.

Context Series / TheGenius