Lee Kyung-kyu led the first broadcast of 'How Do You Play?' in the new year with his entertaining talk as the 'father of entertainment.' On January 3rd, the MBC variety show 'How Do You Play?' featured Yoo Jae-suk, Haha, Joo Woo-jae, and Heo Kyung-hwan visiting Lee Kyung-kyu to send New Year greetings in celebration of the Year of the Red Horse in 2026. The viewership rating for the Seoul metropolitan area during this broadcast recorded 5.6%. The 2054 rating, which will be used as a key indicator of channel competitiveness reflecting changes in the media consumption environment starting this year, stood at 2.9%, placing it first among Saturday variety shows. The highest one-minute viewership occurred during the segment 'Special Order! Dad's Great Challenge,' where Yoo Jae-suk recorded a peak rating of 7.9% just before blowing out the last candle after Lee Kyung-kyu.

The members started the recording by congratulating Heo Kyung-hwan on his rise as a variety star, having been part of the 'Insa-mo' (a group of unpopular people). Yoo Jae-suk remarked, "Kyung-hwan is a star we raised, right?" and felt pleased. Heo Kyung-hwan humorously stated, "I cleared my schedule for the recording day, which is Thursday," and added, "My week consists of Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday." He also mentioned that with popularity, the agency's care has begun, saying, "I told the company not to do anything. I'm calming things down."

The members then checked their fortunes through face reading for the New Year. Yoo Jae-suk, although not exceptionally handsome, was identified as a 'good-looking man' according to face reading. The face reader stated, "Your wife's fortune is good, so you benefit from it. Your popularity and fame have a share from your wife," to which Yoo Jae-suk agreed, saying, "That's right. I've done better since getting married." The members' animal counterparts were revealed to be Yoo Jae-suk as a goat, Haha as a rat (hamster), Joo Woo-jae as a fox, and Heo Kyung-hwan as a capybara, showing an astonishing level of synchronicity. The face reader commented that "Heo Kyung-hwan stands out" among the four, startling him, but then added, "He will push ahead in the future," boosting Heo Kyung-hwan's confidence.

Lee Kyung-kyu offered encouragement to Heo Kyung-hwan, who has taken a step into 'How Do You Play?' saying, "You need to take root now." He warned, "This year is the last. It's the best year. If you miss the opportunity, you will end up being just an average entertainer," giving Heo Kyung-hwan a time-limited warning for his variety career. He also extended words of encouragement to Haha, mentioning that having multiple children allows him to stay on the program longer. To Joo Woo-jae, who was retorting, he humorously said, "You just stay put. Haven't you seen (Lee) Yoon-seok? He doesn't even breathe in front of me."

Lee Kyung-kyu made everyone laugh with his remarks about wanting to fill the vacant seat next to Yoo Jae-suk. While giving words of encouragement to Yoo Jae-suk, he mentioned 'You Quiz on the Block,' to which Yoo Jae-suk responded, "I didn't expect you to think of 'You Quiz.' This is very fresh." Lee Kyung-kyu had the larger intention of filling the vacancy first and then stepping aside later, pointing at Joo Woo-jae, he added, "He won't let go of his seat once he sits."

Lee Kyung-kyu shared his thoughts on the prospects of variety shows in 2026. He discussed how the diversification of media has broadened the activity stage for entertainers, noting, "Stars like Jae-suk or I don't come out. Only small fries come out a lot," indicating an analysis that "small fries will dominate in 2026." During Lee Kyung-kyu's passionate speech, a surprise guest appeared—his daughter Lee Ye-rim and son-in-law Kim Young-chan. The stern Lee Kyung-kyu quickly turned into a gentle father upon the arrival of the couple.

Lee Kyung-kyu and the members attempted to blow out 20 candles using 'Special Order! Dad's Great Challenge' nunchucks to win a gift for Ye-rim. After continued failures, it was Yoo Jae-suk, who suffers from game anxiety, who ended up blowing out the candles that father Lee Kyung-kyu could not finish. The dads, husbands, and uncles pooled their efforts and successfully extinguished the candles on their fourth attempt, causing a dopamine explosion.

Meanwhile, the preview for the next broadcast featured Yoo Jae-suk, Haha, Joo Woo-jae, and Heo Kyung-hwan attending 'Baby (Kim) Kwang-kyu's 60th Birthday Party.' MBC's 'How Do You Play?' airs every Saturday at 6:30 PM.