potatocouch

We are in agreement then.

The premature social punishment is the main driver for Korean celebrities committing suicide, but the legal system definitely adds to it. Convicted (not alleged) sex offenders, in and out of the entertainment industry, will get a slap on the wrist, while law enforcement and prosecutors jump the gun or go on a witch hunt like they did with Lee Sun Kyun when it comes to drugs or financial crimes. The press is also often irresponsible by not having all their facts straight before publishing an article, resulting in the public attacking an innocent celebrity that should've never been brought up in the first place.

It's a big machine with many parts contributing to the problem.

We don't know if Cha Eun Woo is guilty yet, so I'm not condemning him. This could've been a case of him trusting the wrong people. But we can't pretend the Halo Effect isn't real and well-documented by studies, real life examples...etc.

I just simply want justice to be served, and I want South Korea to try and be more balanced. The rich and famous shouldn't get a slap on the wrist, but they shouldn't get pushed to suicide either. There is a happy middle ground. Plenty of celebrities get busted for bad behavior or crimes in other countries, but they don't kill themselves. That is uniquely a Korean problem that I don't see truly being worked on by the government, entertainment industry, or citizens.

Again, wanting people to face the consequences of their actions (if a crime was, in fact, committed) doesn't mean championing harassment or cruelty. That is going to the other side of the spectrum.

China is really leading the Asian entertainment industry when it comes to romcoms right now. I looooove Korean dramas, but their romances have been so formulaic and lackluster the past couple of years.

I feel like IU tends to pick decent scripts.

I was just taken aback by the way Su Been handled the fall out from the bonfire. Distancing himself was fine, but everything else was quite immature. Him and Mina have certain bad traits in common. I think you’ll see more of what I’m talking about in ep 7. She’s definitely still the bigger mess though.

As for I Geon, I’m very wary of him too 😬 He doesn’t seem all that respectful.

Wasn't I Geon a game changer that didn't quite make it to the island in one of the past seasons? I was surprised to see him back on the show, especially after starring in The Trunk alongside Gong Yoo.

With that said, I found myself cringing through his date with Go Eun. They do seem attracted to each other, but I guess I'm not into their dynamic. And after a while she didn't seem so okay with him calling her a dummy yet she's still wondering if he likes her or Ye Jin? It's such a shame that a woman can be the beauty standard in her country, place high in prestigious beauty pageants, and still not have much self-esteem. It goes to show you, appearance and confidence aren't intertwined a lot of the time.

Lastly, Mina is a mess, but Su Been's reaction to her is also very telling 😬 I'd like someone a little more mature for Hee Sun please.

Edit: So I'm further into episode seven. Maybe Go Eun likes being called dummy. I'll be quiet and let her enjoy XD

Nah, his fans aren't gonna let that face fade into obscurity.
(I've always been neutral about him, but his fans are DEVOTED).

Apparently him and Hye Seon tried to pursue a relationship outside of the show, but long distance + his basketball career + her studying in England made things hard. I was really disappointed in Hye Seon when she took him back at the end. The real victory would've been choosing someone else, and humbling Gwan Hee. Or even leaving the island alone. But the producers could've pressured her to pick him for a full-circle storyline. Who knows.

The worst thing was seeing the public being fickle and suddenly rooting for him as if someone could have any real growth in a few days. Gwan Hee likely realized he was going to look bad in the end, and was surprised Hye Seon rejected him, so he killed two birds with one stone by getting her back. It was so obvious.

Yup, his family is wealthy and reportedly owns factories. His money certainly isn’t from basketball since he’s a bench warmer 💀 He was awful, but now people are saying Mina Sue’s worse, which is laughable.

Gwanhee wasn’t attractive at all, so yeah, it was definitely about the money. It’s sad money can give you a free pass to act like that.

Yeah, I remember reading some articles/seeing videos about it at the time. It's probably on her reddit too, but I'm sure you'd have to scroll back pretty far.

Mina Sue's inbox is probably so vile right now. I think she's immature, but I feel bad that she's getting so much hate. It's disproportionate.

I try to be nice about contestants too. Not only are they dealing with manipulative producers and bad edits, they're getting very little sleep (and people underestimate how much that can mess with your brain and emotions) and being plied with alcohol on purpose to lower their inhibitions.

I agree about Gwan Hee. He's the only contestant I've seen get PLEASURE out of making the girls feel bad about themselves. He was doing something called "negging". I felt crazy during that season because it felt like no one saw it but me, and they were going on about how "honest" he was when negging is a psychological abuse tactic. He got picked because he's from a prominent family, and the other contestants knew that. But even with all that, I wouldn't have approved of anyone calling him evil or sending him death threats.

You're sensible. I like you.

I agree. I think the whole cast is pretty impressive this season. It's not all models and announcers. Lee Joo Young's home decor/craft of those resin flower pieces is so creative and cool. I used to work at an optician's office, so I resonate with Sung-min and it's nice seeing someone with a "normal job" on the show. I also think it's really cool that Song Seung-il leads advertising and brand consulting for a company at 25.

I think Si Hun is the one who got some hate. It's rare for the man to get more hate, but I vaguely remember people calling him a gold digger, and saying he used to work at a host club/be a gigolo.

I'm glad they got through all of that, and are happy now. I wish Jia the best too. The general public is kind of insane lol. They're even being weird with this whole Mina Sue thing in my opinion. It's like they only know how to behave in extremes. Is Mina Sue annoying and insecure? 100%. But the things people are saying about her are the things you'd hear people say about a serial killer lol. (I'm seeing people say they HATE her, and calling her a sociopath, evil...etc. Reactions that should be saved for actual horrible people and criminals. But sadly, this happens with all reality shows).

No problem! And I'm not sure about her schooling/break. Maybe it's taking her a while to finish her bachelors because of doing pageants? People don't realize that after you win you're constantly traveling, and going to events and charities to represent the pageant for at least a year after. Or she could be getting her masters.

Either way, I'd be embarrassed right now if I was her.

I still can't believe Si Hun ended up with The Ailee (I've liked her since her debut). I'm happy for both of them. They're a really cute couple. But when I was watching Si Hun chase Jia throughout Season 1 of Single's Inferno, I never imagined he'd end up with one of Korea's best singers. Life is so unpredictable.

Yeah, she won Miss Gyeonggi Incheon in 2021 (a preliminary pageant to qualify for Miss Korea) and then finished 1st runner up for Miss Korea later on. Then she won Miss Earth in 2022. She was apparently the first Korean to win.

LOL! True.

I'm on a break from Ig right now, so I can't see, but does Woo Sung-min (the optician) have modeling shots on his Ig too?

Some of them were really comfortable in front of the camera, like Go Eun (clearly), Min Gee, and Mina Sue, but some did look like they'd never modeled before.

What are the other two versions?

Sadly, the judges can't comment on Hyun Jae if there's not much footage of him to comment on 😭

You've already mentioned what I think Hyun Jae's critical mistake was: he put all of his eggs in Joo Young's basket too early. That's risky to do on this kind of show. The only reason it's kind of working for Min Ji is because Seung-il likes her back, and she's extroverted so there's a lot of "exciting" (I put the word in quotes because I'm thinking of things from a producer's POV) scenes that can be gotten from her. I mean, just look at the iconic hood pulling scene she gave us.

I'm sure Hyun Jae's an interesting person, but his only love interest put him as number 3 on her list (not even number 2) 😭 and he's reserved. I hate that he's not getting screen time, but I kind of get it? I really hope he'll try to at least talk to some of the other girls soon. If you think about it, Joo Young isn't giving him a chance, but he isn't really giving the other girls a chance either. If he interacted with them more, they might surprise him and he might end up having things in common with one of them/wanting to get to know them more which equals screen time. Part of the beauty of the show is getting outside of your comfort zone, so I really want him to seize this opportunity.

I'm praying this season doesn't fumble at the end because if it doesn't, it would also end up being my favorite.

I'm obsessed with her. Currently watching all her dramas.

Yes! I love that there’s an optician, a track and field star, and a home decor designer/artist. So cool!