Single’s Inferno

Refreshingly wholesome reality dating

9/10 is my rating. This is a 2021 South Korean reality dating show with 8, 57-68 minute episodes.

First I will provide a synopsis then a review

Synopsis

To start, 5 men and 4 women are brought to an island, called inferno, to live for 9 days while interacting with each other and potentially forming romantic attachments. The island they are on is primitive and they sleep in dorm like tents, the males in one tent and the females in another. Food is brought in but in limited variety and they have to transport water from a distance. Their restroom facilities are camping style. So they are basically glamping. Periodically there are competitions among the men or women where winners get to select a date. Those that select each other or are picked for dates get to go for the evening to another island called Paradise where they stay in luxury hotel suites, get to order off a gourmet menu and can spend time getting to know each other on a one on one basis. About five episodes in new participants are added with 2 more females and 1 more male which really mixes things up.

Review
I was not sure I would like this show format but find it very compelling and see why it is so popular.I should not be surprised as the relationships have the innocent and wholesome nature I have come to appreciate so much in South Korean culture. Similar American shows are trashy and over sexualized but this was true to the sweet, slower paced interactions I have observed from dramas where full sexual encounters are rare and mostly among those headed for marriage. In this, even though it is a dating show, skin ship is a big deal. Fans of survivor will get some of those vibes. Others say it also has Bachelor/Bachelorette aspects but I can't speak to that as I have not watched that show. They are well fed and have shelter and food so it is not equivalent to survivor but the deserted island and having to carry water has echoes of survivor. The rules for inferno are they cannot ask age or occupation but they can try to "charm" the others and reveal their personalities. It seems the show keeps them busy though as you don't see them spending much time with the opposite sex on Inferno outside of community dinners and brief meetings in the evening. On Paradise not only are they treated to luxury for food and lodging, they can ask each other age and occupation. I watched "Love is for Suckers" prior to this and notice, although I have never seen it explicitly stated, that series used this reality show as inspiration for the reality dating show in that romantic comedy series and even mirrored some of the participants' personalities and occupations. And the commentator/host for singles inferno plays the female lead in "Love is for Suckers." If you watch both you will see those parallels.

The commentators are a very engaging part of the show. I find what they comment on about what is going on with the singles on the island is often very similar to what I am thinking. It is like sharing the 4th wall and it is really a neat addition to the show to have a group of commentators.

*spoilers

I was disappointed Choi Si-hun could not see through Song Ji-a and was one of the three men vying for her attention in the end. To me Ji-a enjoyed the male attention and would string them along even if she had no intention of dating them. Kim Hyeon-joo said, when he returned from a date with Ji-a that there were good things and bad things about her but when Si-hun went ga ga over her suddenly Si-hun forgot those things he did not like and he was all in. Then, when Cha Hyun-swung shows up and us also into Ji-a it suddenly becomes a competition and she is the trophy. There were better options for him even he seemed very enamored when he spoke with Ahn Ye-Won and they had some cute chemistry but then he decided he would rather diss his friend and go for Ji-a. My daughter said Ji-a was just a “basic beotch” and I get that. Under her caked on makeup, her eyelashes would “stick” sometimes her makeup was so heavy, and false everything there was not much substance to her personality and she was cruel to string the men along and to the other women who may have been interested in the men she had no intention to pursue anything with. Still they all sort of made their own bed. I did not like that Ji-a demeaned Si-hun by calling him puppy but he was the one that said pick me and I will do whatever, I think it was scripted because I think given a completely free choi ce she would have chosen Hyun-seung because she was so obviously into him. I also think she was set up to be the villian and the show manipulated that. These shows are always a little bit reality and a lot of manipulation, careful editing and some scripting.

It seemed cruel when Si-hun acted like he was going to Kim Su-Min but merely thanked her then headed to join the other two professing their interest in Ji-a. That interaction also seemed scripted because he did not seem to be the type of person that would do something like that.

Moon Se-hoon and Shin Ji-yeon finally getting together was a highlight. His single focus on her was nearly a concerning obsession but tge fact that she did eventually reciprocate made me think there had been something there all along we simply did not see.

Oh Jin-taek and Kang So-yeon were a cute couple. It was a bit heart breaking in the beginning when he went to Paradise with Shin Ji-ye on rather than picking someone unlikely to pick him like So-Yeon did. Her strategy was not to get picked so she could stay back on inferno with Jin-taek. When he did not do the same she was hurt and jealous and eventually told him so. She did waver, after Jin-take went to Paradise with and seemed to lean toward Ji-yeon. So-yeon expressed feelings for Se-Hoon who many of the women found sweet and engaging. She even tried to convince him to consider someone other than Ji-yein and I was surprised that hurt his feelings. I think she was right. It is never good to be the one that loves someone more. Equal love is best. But Se-hoon’s laser focus on Ji-yeon had So-Yeon put aside any feelings she had for him and re-focus on clearing up the misunderstanding with Jin-taek. It was interesting to me that se-Hoon brought up So-yeon‘s confession on the last day as it made for an awkward moment. It was cute that So-yeon offered to have Jin-taek sleep in the same bed with her and he was beside himself with joy that she was going to let him sleep by her. He checked multiple times that it was okay. When he told the other guys they seemed surprised and envious. When he asked for the kiss on the cheek as a reward for winning their bowling match, it was so cute. Perfect examples of the wholesome innocence of South Korean dating.

As I see more and more South Korean shows produced and hosted on Western platforms I fervently hope they do not let Western “values” taint them. Many are turning their backs on Hollywood because it is way too sexualized, violent and vulgar. I hope the wholesomeness of South Korean shows does not change. I also like that they are not “woke“ and wish the social justice warriors never sink their tentacles in as it is literally ruining what little good remained in Western world shows. We love you all just the way you are.

Commentators/Hosts
Lee Da Hee- Model, singer, and actress
Cho Kyu-Hun - Actor and singer (idol). He is a member of Super Junior.
Hong Jin-Kyung - Model, comedian, singer and actress. She owns her own food company.
Jung Han-Hae - Rapper and singer.

Singles

Female participants
Shin Ji-yeon born March 26, 1997 (age 25) - she is a neuroscience major at the University of Toronto.
Kang So-yeon born May 23, 1988 (age 34) - she is a boxer and represents a brand of clothing. A former JYP/idol trainee.
Ahn Ye-won was born in 1995 (age 27–28) - she is a model and a fitness and Pilates instructor
Song Ji-a was born April 30, 1997 (age 25) - she is a YouTube beauty influencer/model
Kim Su-min was born December 10, 1998 (age 24) - she is a model for Advertisements
Seong Min-ji was born April 1, 1998 (age 24) - she models beauty products and apparel

Male participants

Kim Hyeon-joong was born November 26, 1994 (age 28) - he is a model and a fitness trainer
Moon Se-hun was born in 1995 (age 27–28) - he is a chef and owner of a Gangnam restaurant
Kim Jun-sik was born in 1994 (age 28–29) - Developed and represents a health food brand
Choi Si-hun was born October 27, 1992 (age 30) - Web series star and apparel brand representative
Oh Jin-taek was born in 1992 (age 30–31) - he is the CEO and founder of a tailor shop specializing in suits.
Cha Hyun-seung born May 2, 1991 (age 31) - he is a dancer who has danced with many singers/idols most notably a back up dancer for Sun-mi

#singlesinferno
#leedahee
#chokyuhun
#hongjinkyung
#junghanhae
#ahnyewon
#songjiya
#kimsumin
#seongminji
#kimhyeonjoong
#kangsoyeon
#shinjiyein
#moonsehun
#kimjunsik
#choisihun
#ohjintak
#chahyunseung

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Really depends!

This show started off really really strong with the first season but just continued to get worst with the next couple of seasons. At first glance, the show is really eye catching. A nice beach experience, nice amenities, all that. It definitely keeps the standards of most Korean shows and dramas.

The first season was really good. We saw pretty much the trend-setters of the show. Song Ji-a, Choi Si-hun, Shin Jiyeon, Kong So-yeon, etc. This season showed a lot. We had some major moments, just as reality TV should, but we saw some clear intentions on wanting to actually find love and relationships. I would absolutely recommend this first season.

But. We continue on to the rest of the seasons that are just terrible. It is clear that the running theme for this show is to find the "It" girl of each season. We see that through the next two seasons. It is clear that the quality of individuals is definitely going down. I swear, everybody and their mama is a model of some sort. Only like a few of the contestants throughout all 3 seasons have ACTUAL careers. It is boring to see all the time with the age and job reveal, all of them being freaking models. like we get it.

The next 2 seasons have some people that literally made me want to scream every single time they appeared on the screen. We see a lot more poor attitudes, awful personalities, and insecure mindsets. We see these lack of like genuine intentions as well. It is clear that some of these people are only going on for exposure, not for actual relationships. It gets really unentertaining to watch after a while. The whole paradise concept made sense at the beginning, but it is just stupid at this point.

I would say that the 1st season is the only one worth watching. The rest of it just gets boring and unentertaining.

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An enjoyable reality show that felt real.

I normally never watch reality shows, but for some reason this caught my eyes a few times and i jumped in. I actually enjoyed this and probably because it was korean and most respect and value there culture and upbringing. On a show in America they would have been all over each other within a day or two once the attraction was there wirh barely any clothes lol. So watching this made it more meaningful as they had to get to know each other on a different level and understand what the other likes and wants. Some members felt no interest romantically, but felt conformable talking openly and would confide in each other which was helpful. A few were shy and nervous so made it a little awkward at the beginning, but quickly found there place within. The ending was fun and sad watching who was pick and who was left behind.🎭 Would like to have a follow up to see what became of the couples and singles.

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Love or Friendship?

You can read my profile and know that I would like this reality series. It was all about finding romance and how to win the affection of the person you like. The time line was a little short to get to know each other and make a decision on how you feel about a person. However, I thought the concept of choosing who you liked and who you wanted to go to Paradise was unique and interesting. In the end it worked, sort of.

As you watch you immediately find yourself picking who you like. I did that but changed my mind during the 8 days on the island. Other than seeing them eat and talk a little bit, we didn’t see much of them in Paradise so it was definitely G-rated. The only kiss in 8 days was a tiny peck on a cheek. So, it leaves you a little confused but you do see relationship form. How long they will last who knows. Maybe we’ll find out in Season 2.

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Had no expectations coming into this, and enjoyed it throughout

while deciding to watch it, I didn't even know it was a reality show. turns out it is and I joined in on the trend, at first I was hesitant because I rarely watch these types of shows but without expectations it had me hooked.

Story; the whole deserted island labeled as hell isn't actually as bad as the show was trying to go for and promoting, therefore the paradise did not seem as special and underwhelming. there were quite the conflicts going on naturally such as friends loving the same girl/boy, girl/boy going to paradise with other than 1 girl/boy, and someone who won't give up after rejection. it is a dating show after all. I did enjoy and got me hooked. an complaint I do have is the double standards. to give an example, when Jin taek does it's the worst thing ever but when Jia does it she's a queen smdh,


Cast: HOT HOT HOT PEOPLE! one of the main reasons I watched this, was for this cast honestly. all did well and gave an entertaining journey that is single's inferno. one problem I had, which isn't the fault of the cast itself is having the 3 newcomers ,later on. that just didn't made sense to me and idk how the producers decided it was a good idea.


Music: I am inloveee with the music it perfectly matches those of the content of the show, I find myself at times singing along side the intro.

Overall: for someone without expectations and new to this kind of shows, I would highly recommend this. it had so much conflicts going on that it seemed like Kdrama at times. though I can't deny that for some people this might boreee them. some of the consentants has 0 personality, the hosts show up too much which idk why, and the premise isn;t the best.

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I watched this because of the hype

I'm personally not very interested in dating shows like this because I'm highly sceptical of their authenticity and whether these shows are scripted. After completing the series, I would like to think/hope this isn't scripted at all... HAHA. Also, I watched Ji-A's video on youtube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrXSqRZPrxE around 3:50] , where she mentioned that it wasn't scripted (and I would like to believe her)

I honestly don't think the music was that memorable so I just gave it a pass lmao.

I would say most of the cast are pretty likeable, but I don't remember much about their personalities. Maybe it's the short period of time, the lack of meaningful conversations (NOT those about their feelings towards each other) but there's not much personality being shown. There is only one cast I dislike, and that's the obsessive male (you'll understand me when you get there). There are also cast who are severely underrated/ do not get much screen time (Yea Won and Junsik my OTP hehe).

In terms of rewatch value, I feel like this series didn't "spark joy" (in Marie Kondo's words)... It's the kind I would watch once (just to understand why the heck everyone is talking about it) and never watch it again. Once is enough to experience whatever feelings you feel when you watch the interactions and whatever. It is quite juicy, but I would say the majority of the time it's quite obvious (at least to me) whoever the contestants will pick. I would say there are only 1 or 2 times when I didn't expect a certain outcome.

The reasons people might enjoy this show is because:
1) honestly kinda spicy and juicy idk sip some hot tea
2) a bunch of attractive people are on an island with no phones. this said bunch of people interact and flirt around with the others in attempt to enjoy a nice getaway from this "hellish inferno" [honestly not even hellish, no perilous waves or any survival skills required.. just the occasional caveman brawls they like to hold as contests ... okay back to the point].
3) it would be quite interesting to see how people get attracted to each other in this short span of 8-9 days
4) people talk about their feelings quite openly and honestly, which is quite nice in my opinion.
5) you get to feel the flutters in your stomach without having the pain of a breakup or sth idk man
6) for the eye-candies .. lots of abs and biceps (for the guys) and the girls dress nicely and have nice bodies as well.
7) out of boredom/fomo

If there's anything this show highlighted to me, it's that timing is very important. The timing when people say sth, the timing when people take certain actions. And also that there are obsessive guys out there who scare the wits out of me. I also have a theory that only girls find the obsessive guy obsessive and guys may actually find him inspirational (for getting the girl after much persistence)........

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a genuine unscripted dating show with a slight flaw

in all honesty i started this sjow for jia and the edits i saw on insta lol but i got wayyyyy more hooked that i thought i would.....the couples at the end were the best and made me veryyy happy and since i just finished watching it i might blabble a lot rn


the location was pretty but couldve been better i think and they definitely need a soundtrack to stand out. also i think theres going to be more season innthe future so i hope they come up with better music and locations.


so starting with the introductions to the cast i think i instantly fell in love with the members and also they are all so hot....jin taek and jia had the biggest overall impressions on me cuz they looked confident and unique

onto my instant personal ships i wanted sehoon with soyeon lol ik kinda weird but the whole cooking they did for the first time it felt as if they clicked well together and the second one was definitely jia and hyeon jung cuz of the little gestures he did towards her. and other than that no one seemed to click

instantly my most fav couple was jin taek and soyeon cuz they mutually liked each other and were very comfortable until jin taek became a little weird and went with jiyeon (not like he cant but he also kinda lied so......) the whole drama with sehoon broke me sooooo bad and then soyeon liking sehoon while jin taek was with both jiyeon and soyeon made me veryyyy confused as to who i should ship whom with but thankfully all ended well

the flaw i think the show had was adding three extra members in the middle of the show.......i think they did it to kinda create more drama or something cuz they very much succeeded im that. all three of the new members did not end with anyone despite having feelings for them cuz obviously four days is enough for the members to choose a person and now theres three others who are just trying to come in between (no hate intented)

jia and hyeon jung ending up together was the best part of the show and i felt veryyyy bad for si hun but then again it feels like he didnt put enough effort on any member other than jia and i did see some ppl talking how he shouldve chosen sumin instead but like they didnt even have any chemistry and he had every right to go for whoever he wanted

yewon is extremely pretty and very charming which is why i kinda shipped her with hyeon sung who kinda seemed interested in her......i dont mind her being with jun sik cuz if shes happy then idc but i feel like she deserves better (sorry lol)

lastly i will say they i reallyyyyy enjoyed the show and i think everyone should watch it bcuz despite having drama and kinda awkwardness everything was put together really well and i love the cast. hoping for second season where i can see sihun, sumin, hyeon sung and minji(i love her to death) have a partner lol.

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improve drama

if this had any realness to it, they'd have all walked out alone. I looked at this like I do any other drama, cheesy writer with cheesier acting. but I still enjoyed it cuz that's the main element in entertainment, CHEESE~~~~~

this was 100% scripted cuz no one would act that cheesyliy, falling in love in 8 days? choosing and fighting for someone you know nothing about beside their ideal type? rejecting someone before talking to them? they were all basically trying to not end up alone and get more screentime, do I blame them, nope.
did I enjoy nagging about every single contestant? yes. do I think any of them showed their true self? no. do I care about their real personalities? also no cuz I'm pretty sure all of them would be more secure of themselves when faced with real people they're interested in ;p

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Barbie and Ken dolls on a beach zzz....

What is this show and why did it get a 2nd season? Why the too high rating? I just finished the 1st episode and the numerous colorist remarks left a bad taste in my mouth. One dude said something to the effect that he liked one of the girls because she had white skin that made her seem pure as the driven snow. Ick! Everybody is dolled up to the max just sitting pretty in Chanel wearing cc cream 10 shades lighter than their natural skin tone. Major pass. This was worse than Love Island U.S.A. and that's saying something! Fake plastic people trying to look pretty for the camera, that's it. Imagine the most interesting thing contestants have to say about themselves is that they workout. You can't get more superficial than this!

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Reality show de sobrevivência amorosa

Elenco rotativo de participantes solteiros que precisam conquistar química e conexões reais para escapar da “ilha infernal” e ir ao “paraíso”

Apresentadores como Hong Jin-kyung, Lee Da-hee, Kyuhyun e Hanhae, comentando e apimentando a experiência

Clima de competição e romance na medida
Dinâmicas e desafios que revelam personalidades
Conexões genuínas e dramas inevitáveis
Cenários paradisíacos versus isolamento estratégico
O coração às vezes se perde, mas sempre procura um porto seguro.

"Na ilha, o calor não vem só do sol."

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