If you enjoy the passionate physical contact of a show like Single's Inferno, I'll tell you right away: don't watch this show. If you put 11 weird people in a room and ask them to start dating, it's going to be difficult even if you give them a physical makeover or "fix" their speech. But that's what this new Korean reality show, Better Late Than Single, hopes to do.
In the typical Korean reality format, we have four hosts: Seo In-Guk (who is one of my favorite K-drama actors), Kang Han-Na (K-drama queen), Car, the Garden (who is also one of my favorite musicians), and Lee Eun-Ji (who I'm watching for the first time). As for romance, to be completely honest, Koreans know how to do it best in terms of dramas. However, when it comes to reality TV, it's a bit hit and miss because there are some cultural biases that are passed on. But of course, we can overlook these things if we really want to enjoy a show about 11 "eternally" single people.
Stars: Marc Fajardo, Andy Luu, Jennifer Aquino
The first episode is all about introductions. We see all the contestants. Honestly, at the time I felt like this show was trying to sell us incels as good, impressionable young people, but luckily (and hopefully), I was wrong. The contestants are introverted, shy, or just plain awkward, so they're here to be encouraged and improve their "dating." At first, we're introduced to 10 contestants, 5 women and 5 men, all between the ages of 25 and 28.
The one who makes the biggest impression is the first to be introduced: Jae-Yun. At first, he gets the most screen time and, over time, becomes the most popular in terms of first impressions thanks to his attractiveness and his hospitality to everyone on the show. However, when it comes to going beyond looks, Jae-Yun struggles to make conversation. He's definitely improved, but he can't make eye contact and he's insecure, so he doesn't make any of the women feel desired.
Of the women, the one who makes the best first impression on the guys is Ji-Su, also the first to be introduced. Clearly, these two contestants are being sold to us. Anyway, Ji-Su is cheerful, pretty, and also very clear about what she wants. While many guys choose her, she has her eyes set on one, the one who fits her ideal type: Sang-Ho. He says he likes guys who look like a "teddy bear," and Sang-Ho lost 20 kilos to be on the show, so I guess, looks-wise, he fits the bill perfectly (yes, I know, I hate how I said that too). Every host has trainees, so if one of them screws up, it's the host's fault. For Sang-Ho, it's Car, and I guess it's pretty funny because they look alike, although Car seems to end up yelling at him for screwing up more often than not. In the first episode, we see a lot of people, and first impressions don't usually last. Still, each contestant must choose a partner based on these first impressions, and three of the girls choose Jae-Yun, while three of the guys choose Ji-Su. I suppose if these people had more experience, they could have told the people they liked to choose them, but naturally, none of that happens here.
Episode 2 begins with each contestant receiving a message from their mentor to encourage them. Jae-Yun and Ji-Su receive a special prize for being chosen the most, and spend five minutes in the library, where they can choose a person to read about to get to know them better. Jae-Yun chooses Yeo-Myung, with whom she had a good conversation. Ji-Su reads about Sang-Ho. Then it's time for breakfast, where everyone chooses a drink from a selection. Although there are three coffees, there are two others: tea and juice. It's pretty clear that dates will be set based on the drink chosen, but does everyone understand that? Definitely not.
I used to be able to use the excuse that I was new to reality shows, especially dating, but now I've watched like three seasons of "Single's Inferno" and a bunch of other dating reality shows, so I can't use that excuse anymore. But I think this one is pretty boring right now. Not because the contestants aren't interesting, but because the hosts are trying too hard to react to things that don't require that much of a reaction. Am I the only one who thinks this? Anyway, things don't go as I expected. Similar to hell, at night, everyone gathers in a circle, chatting. This is a moment where impressions were definitely forged, and now Ji-Yeon is eager to go out with Jae-Yun, but those who order coffee have to go on a three-person date. While the four who order tea and juice have individual dates. Ji-Su is very strategic and chooses the juice, which is orange in color and might resemble mango juice, which she knows Sang-Ho likes.
This plays to her advantage, but the problem is that Sang-Ho is, without a doubt, the worst date. He doesn't know how to talk to her; he doesn't know how to tell her that he's happy to be there with her, even though he wasn't her first choice. But for some reason, she still wants to follow through because once she makes a decision, she sticks to it. Ji-Su is actually super simple, straightforward, and honestly, very charming, so it's no wonder so many guys fell for her first. On the other hand, Yi-Do and Hyun-Kyu end up together just because they both had tea.
The problem is that Yi-Do didn't enjoy it, and unfortunately, the guy she's interested in doesn't get the hint either. Hyun-Kyu already has other women he's interested in, so this date is pretty much a bust. As three-way dates go, they go skating, but this is also terrible because the men stick together and the women go out of their way to convince them to help them, so it's all pretty embarrassing. Finally, Yeo-Myung says he'll keep skating to get Jeong-Mok's attention and try to make it just the two of them, but instead, Jae-Yun asks him to join. Yeo-Myung liked Jae-Yun's first impression, but he didn't talk to her much, so she thought he wasn't interested. He's just doing his best, so I don't know how things will go.
But after a day of almost no progress, there's finally something exciting, something "game-changing." Ah, so this is "Bachelor's Hell," but for prudes (just kidding, some of these guys also said they were "open-minded"). Anyway, the clincher is a 31-year-old surgeon (the oldest of the group). His name is Seung-Chan, and he arrives with blond hair and seemingly terrible style. You see, if they change a person so completely to make them "dateable," I don't know how long it will last. The person the contestants meet is completely different from the one Seo In-Guk met as a mentor. This is when all the men have to announce their ages and jobs. When Yi-Do learns that Seung-Li was in Portugal and was being bullied, he understands her vulnerability and decides to try dating him. At the end of the episode, there's a suite that couples could possibly share, but I think we'll find out a little more about that as the show progresses.
It's true that when you get to know people a little better, you become more interested in their lives, and the same goes for reality shows. Now, I know who I might like and who I want to root for to end up together—not definitely, but you know what I mean? Everyone now has a few one-on-one dates in this episode, and Hyun-Kyu makes a very good impression on her when they chat alone, making him her second choice. She's very determined, isn't she? Meanwhile, Sang-Ho seems to still be waiting for her, but he's already lost some points for his clumsiness.
Min-Hong definitely seemed to have the most fun this episode. Despite being blunt, which at first would seem like a "mean girl," she's actually quite funny and even makes everyone feel at home. She's 28, making her one of the oldest in the group, which I think she uses as a strength. She quickly realizes that both Jeong-Mok and Jae-Yun are interested in her, but she's more interested in the former, so it will be interesting to see if Jae-Yun can change that. On the other hand, Yi-Do finally spends time with Seung-Li, but she's already too attached to him, and he doesn't seem to reciprocate (oh no, how sweet!). Plus, it's quite funny how none of the girls care about the key character. I don't think there's much drama in this show because everyone is cordial; That's how Korean reality TV usually goes, or at least that's how I felt about "Single's Inferno" (yes, I'm still comparing), but it'll be interesting to see when some of these people realize they're pining for the same guys. I mean, you're already guessing, and they're all pretty competitive.
In this episode, the girls have to play the claw machine and choose the stuffed animal with the name of the boy they want to go on a one-on-one date with. There are six boys, so one guy is left behind. Yi-Do excitedly chooses Seung-Li, but Jeong-Mok is sad that he doesn't have a chance with her. Yeo-Myung and Min-Hong try to woo Jeong-Mok, but Min-Hong wins him over. But Jeong-Mok wants to go on a date with Yi-Do, oops! Ji-Su chooses Hyun-Kyu, much to Sang-Ho's disappointment (he got a little too confident).
Ji-Yeon has been interested in Jae-Yun, so she chose him. I guess they had a good time riding in the car and skating. Ultimately, Yeo-Myung has no choice but to choose between Seung-Chan and Sang-Ho, and chooses the former. The two couples we see in this episode are Ji-Su and Hyun-Kyu, and Yi-Do and Seung-Li. Ji-Su and Hyun-Kyu seem to get along famously. They seem comfortable; they understand each other and talk easily. Meanwhile, Sang-Ho ends up eating ramyeon alone, feeling sad for himself. They try to make him look very sad, but honestly, this guy probably doesn't care; he's just enjoying his ramyeon in the rain.
Seung-Li and Do have fun trying to do yoga on the beach. There's physical contact, which makes Do uncomfortable—or rather, she just feels a little embarrassed—but she manages to get over it. She seems to be having a great time, but unfortunately, Seung-Li makes it very clear that she has her eyes on someone else by avoiding telling her that she knows he sent her a letter. Ugh, why did he have to make her cry? I think Do is a pretty genuine person, and he's just trying to have fun with Seung-Li, so he could have tried that too.
However, at the end of Episode 3 of "Better Late Than Single," we get a whole new twist. There's another twist, and this time it's a Japanese woman. I guess this is the way to liven things up. I'm really looking forward to seeing how many of the people who were decisively chosen will end up together in the end.
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