In the heyday of dating variety shows, SBS Plus' Real Love Laboratory: Poison Apple is returning to viewers with season 2 this October.
Real Love Laboratory: Poison Apple (hereafter "Poison Apple") season 1 aired from May to July last year, earning the label "the ultimate real dating variety show" while asserting an overwhelming presence in ratings and buzz. In particular, even after broadcast it expanded endlessly through YouTube Shorts and social media reels, continually producing short-form content with over 1 million views and proving a frightening "aftershock" of popularity. Ahead of the season 2 premiere, we looked at Poison Apple's irreplaceable factors of popularity.
▲ MZ generation's dating psychology and bare faces touch on and infinitely expand the "dating topic"!
Real Love Laboratory: Poison Apple is a dating variety show that puts the once hard-to-find hidden camera front and center, a "reality ultimate" program. With the client watching, viewers can see the partner's bare reaction in real time to the "apple woman" (a woman who uses tactics to tempt the protagonist). In this process, it examined the dating psychology of the MZ generation while posing new "dating topics," prompting voluntary participation from viewers.
Watching protagonists shaken by the intensely thrilling and bold "apple corps"' "apple acts," questions such as "Is this cheating? Or not?" and "If I were the client, would I accept this? Or not?" dominated each episode, and after broadcast these led to viewers' heated debates about dating. In fact, a reel titled "Even if he has a girlfriend, is it okay to keep contacting him?" drew enormous interest after broadcast and has now surpassed 4.08 million views. Other videos such as "My boyfriend put a couple bracelet on another woman," and "The boyfriend won't tie my girlfriend's hair but ties the apple woman's hair" created forums for debate about cheating and became popular videos.
▲ even Jun Hyun-moo threw up his hands: the textbook of "flirting"!
The "apple corps" carefully selected by the Poison Apple production team drew fresh shocks and attention each episode with powerful "apple acts." Even Jun Hyun-moo, who calls himself a "dating expert," was surprised by the legendary "apple acts" born each episode, and they drew enthusiastic responses from viewers as if they were a "textbook of flirting." From a secret line like "Can you wait with me in the car until the designated driver comes?" to "My ideal type? It's beside you," and "Do you wear perfume? I like the smell of skin," various flirting moments were reproduced as short-form content, igniting empathy from internet users and fueling Poison Apple's long-running success.
▲ the fresh exploits of the "apple corps"! season 2 is anticipated
Armed with superior visuals and perfect acting skills, the "apple corps" provoked fans' devotion like a "star gateway." Viewers who watched the broadcast became overly immersed in the apple corps' efforts and exploits as they spent days to weeks approaching the protagonist, and after the broadcast they scrambled to uncover the identity of the "apple women." As a result, the "apple women" proved their hot popularity by appearing weekly on the Fundex Chart compiled by Good Data Corporation after the Poison Apple broadcast. In particular, figures from "apple women who resemble Karina," to "apple women who are former Miss Korea contestants," "apple women who ranked first in their school," and "global apple women" continued to receive viewer attention for a long time after broadcast. Expectations are rising about which "apple corps" will capture viewers alongside an upgraded Poison Apple in season 2.
Amid a flood of dating variety shows, Poison Apple proved itself an irreplaceable presence as the "ultimate real dating show." It dissected the essence of dating relentlessly while not missing moments of humor and empathy. It also conveyed the psychological warfare of love and suspicion and the boundaries of flirting to viewers enjoyably with the hosts' witty remarks. Attention is focused on whether Poison Apple, returning with season 2, can once again shake up the dating variety show landscape.
SBS Plus' Real Love Laboratory: Poison Apple season 2, revamped with upgraded close-up hidden cameras, will premiere this October.
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