I’m really not the type of person who wants to get into fan wars or drag another woman, especially not over a boy. Honestly, what’s the point? That kind of negativity just drains all the fun out of watching, but at the same time, there’s something about this season that’s been bothering me, and I can’t help but share it because it feels… off.
First off, I want to say that my favorite this season is Duoduo. I know she’s a polarizing character, raw, loud, and very “take it or leave it.” Personally, I like her, so I tend to follow updates about her, even outside of the shipping side of things. With all the chaos this season, I actually find myself enjoying her interactions with friends more than the romance aspect.
But here’s where things get strange. I’ve been watching chinese dating shows for years, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a situation quite like what’s happening with Luyan and her fandom. Please feel free to correct me if I’ve misunderstood anything or if you have more context, because I’d honestly love to hear other perspectives, but here are some things I’ve noticed:
1) Follower count before the show: before the season even started, Luyan already had 200,000 followers on Weibo. To put that in perspective, none of the other cast members are influencers. Most started with less than 1,000 followers. Even after the show, the biggest growth we’ve seen is Lanlan reaching about 40,000. So how did Luyan already have such a huge base?
2) Fan group timing: she was the only cast member to officially join a fan group before the show even ended, which feels unusual compared to how most contestants approach these things.
3) Toxic CP fandom: her CP fans were the only ones who actually went live to insult other cast members. I’ve never seen this happen with the other contestants, whose fan groups usually don’t allow that kind of behavior.
4) Manipulating engagement: from what I’ve seen, her fans have also been trading votes and buying likes to control the comment sections. It creates this illusion of overwhelming support when in reality, it’s more manufactured than organic.
5) Super-topic issues: on top of that, her super-topic seems to be the only one that doesn’t block instigating posts. In fact, insults directed at other cast members are openly allowed there, which just feeds more negativity.
And these aren’t just isolated incidents, taken together, they paint a pattern that feels really strange. What’s even wilder is that before the show even aired, she had this huge fandom presence. People were already leaking so-called “final results,” even sharing pictures of her wearing the bracelet that was supposed to be a spoiler. That kind of thing usually doesn’t happen on this scale unless there’s some very deliberate coordination.
So I guess my question is: isn’t it weird that all of these shady or questionable things seem to trace back to one person’s fandom? I can’t tell if I’m overthinking it, or if it really is as unusual as it seems.
Again, I want to stress, I’m not here to bash anyone. I just find the whole situation fascinating because in so many years of watching dating shows, I’ve honestly never seen anything like it.
I felt a bit disappointed with Ailin and Lechen's date at the skating rink. It is the place where she could pretend…
Thank goodness she didn’t! People on Chinese platforms are already being so unfairly harsh toward her. I can’t even imagine the backlash if she had been the one to initiate physical contact. She’s already been accused countless times of “all over” Luchen, so really, thank goodness.
Rumors about the endgame couples started circulating very early on, and Leyuan was one of the CPs mentioned. When cnetizens later spotted Yuan wearing the bracelet, they quickly connected the dots: Leyuan + bracelet = she and Le must be an endgame couple.
Honestly, I don’t put much stock in these rumors until there’s actual proof, especially since in past seasons people have just made things up, but if it turns out they’re true this time, I really hope the production hires better staff, because having leaks all over the internet is just unacceptable.
If Lechen switches from Ailin to Yuan now, I already feel for him because the backlash is going to be intense, which is kind of inevitable on a Chinese dating show, but after today’s date, where Lechen was clearly the one initiating with Ke, a switch feels unlikely. Plus, both Ke and Le have been dropping subtle hints on Weibo, and fans are definitely noticing.
There are tons of rumors about Lechen and Yuan ending up together, but so far, there’s NO solid proof. This isn’t like Western dating shows where contestants switch easily, and today’s date with Ke felt really genuine and even a bit healing, making it hard to picture him suddenly changing course. But who knows? At the end of the day, we’re only at the beginning.
One thing that seems certain is that Yuan will have a happy ending since fans spotted her wearing what looks like the show’s signature bracelet in her graduation photos, but who her partner will be? That’s still a mystery. Up until today’s date, I thought she and Jiao might have chemistry, but I guess not, since my boy is stubbornly pursuing only Luan for now.
Personally, I’m rooting for Ailin. At the end of the day, as long as she finds her own happy ending, that’s all that really matters to me.
First off, I want to say that my favorite this season is Duoduo. I know she’s a polarizing character, raw, loud, and very “take it or leave it.” Personally, I like her, so I tend to follow updates about her, even outside of the shipping side of things. With all the chaos this season, I actually find myself enjoying her interactions with friends more than the romance aspect.
But here’s where things get strange. I’ve been watching chinese dating shows for years, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a situation quite like what’s happening with Luyan and her fandom. Please feel free to correct me if I’ve misunderstood anything or if you have more context, because I’d honestly love to hear other perspectives, but here are some things I’ve noticed:
1) Follower count before the show: before the season even started, Luyan already had 200,000 followers on Weibo. To put that in perspective, none of the other cast members are influencers. Most started with less than 1,000 followers. Even after the show, the biggest growth we’ve seen is Lanlan reaching about 40,000. So how did Luyan already have such a huge base?
2) Fan group timing: she was the only cast member to officially join a fan group before the show even ended, which feels unusual compared to how most contestants approach these things.
3) Toxic CP fandom: her CP fans were the only ones who actually went live to insult other cast members. I’ve never seen this happen with the other contestants, whose fan groups usually don’t allow that kind of behavior.
4) Manipulating engagement: from what I’ve seen, her fans have also been trading votes and buying likes to control the comment sections. It creates this illusion of overwhelming support when in reality, it’s more manufactured than organic.
5) Super-topic issues: on top of that, her super-topic seems to be the only one that doesn’t block instigating posts. In fact, insults directed at other cast members are openly allowed there, which just feeds more negativity.
And these aren’t just isolated incidents, taken together, they paint a pattern that feels really strange.
What’s even wilder is that before the show even aired, she had this huge fandom presence. People were already leaking so-called “final results,” even sharing pictures of her wearing the bracelet that was supposed to be a spoiler. That kind of thing usually doesn’t happen on this scale unless there’s some very deliberate coordination.
So I guess my question is: isn’t it weird that all of these shady or questionable things seem to trace back to one person’s fandom? I can’t tell if I’m overthinking it, or if it really is as unusual as it seems.
Again, I want to stress, I’m not here to bash anyone. I just find the whole situation fascinating because in so many years of watching dating shows, I’ve honestly never seen anything like it.
Honestly, I don’t put much stock in these rumors until there’s actual proof, especially since in past seasons people have just made things up, but if it turns out they’re true this time, I really hope the production hires better staff, because having leaks all over the internet is just unacceptable.
If Lechen switches from Ailin to Yuan now, I already feel for him because the backlash is going to be intense, which is kind of inevitable on a Chinese dating show, but after today’s date, where Lechen was clearly the one initiating with Ke, a switch feels unlikely. Plus, both Ke and Le have been dropping subtle hints on Weibo, and fans are definitely noticing.
There are tons of rumors about Lechen and Yuan ending up together, but so far, there’s NO solid proof. This isn’t like Western dating shows where contestants switch easily, and today’s date with Ke felt really genuine and even a bit healing, making it hard to picture him suddenly changing course. But who knows? At the end of the day, we’re only at the beginning.
One thing that seems certain is that Yuan will have a happy ending since fans spotted her wearing what looks like the show’s signature bracelet in her graduation photos, but who her partner will be? That’s still a mystery. Up until today’s date, I thought she and Jiao might have chemistry, but I guess not, since my boy is stubbornly pursuing only Luan for now.
Personally, I’m rooting for Ailin. At the end of the day, as long as she finds her own happy ending, that’s all that really matters to me.