The "poisoned apple" returns for season 2, looking even more venomous.
On the morning of the 31st, an online press conference was held for the new SBS Plus and Kstar variety show Real Dating Lab Poisoned Apple Season 2. Jun Hyun-moo, Yang Se-chan, Lee Eun-ji, Yoon Tae-jin and Heo Yeong attended the press conference and discussed the program overall.
Poisoned Apple, the reality variety show that first aired last May and captured both ratings and public attention, will meet viewers again after a year of retooling. This season 2 expands Poisoned Apple's main segment, the close-up experimental camera Poisoned Apple Challenge, to the whole program, maximizing viewers' immersion.
Matching the Poisoned Apple Challenge, which traces the suspicious true nature of the person you love, the show intensifies the real triangular story among the client, the protagonist and the Apple women by carrying out meticulous operations with a more powerful Apple corps.
There are three changes this season, they said. Jun Hyun-moo said, "First, there is something called a meeting. The meeting is when the client meets the Apple woman (in advance), but the point is that whereas in season 1 she was put into the situation, this time the client tells the Apple woman everything — the protagonist's ideal type, what they want. The Apple woman equips herself with that and goes to meet the client."
Yang Se-chan said, "A lot of provocative things come out there. What if I try to seduce them? Would that be okay? The client gets shaken," and Jun Hyun-moo said, "The client asks for it and then gets angry about it."
The second is "meticulous planning." Lee Eun-ji said, "We already had meticulous planning in Poisoned Apple season 1, but season 2 is even more meticulous. The production team and the Apple corps talk for days and days to design the most natural situation to seduce the protagonist. What you can't forget is how brilliant the helpers at the side are. They figure out the protagonist's tendencies and behavior, so the protagonist inevitably falls for the Poisoned Apple corps," she boasted.
Yoon Tae-jin added, "Through such meticulous planning, the protagonist meets the Apple corps in a disarmed state. They become completely immersed, and that's when the perfect operation kicks in. The Apple woman, armed with every weapon, goes to the defenseless protagonist and makes endless gestures. How you withstand that is also a highlight."
With several dating controversies appearing in last season, this season is also expected to bring no shortage of disputes. Yoon Tae-jin began, "First, should you report contact? Should you report when you go to the bathroom? The two of them got so heated about that."
Yang Se-chan asked, "How much reporting is required?" and Jun Hyun-moo asked whether they even had to share trivial details, saying, "Sat on the toilet. Got off. It took about 15 minutes. Maybe constipated." Heo Yeong said, "Regarding not contacting each other, they asked whether there isn't even time to go to the bathroom and wished someone would say from the bathroom, 'I drank a little,'" and Jun Hyun-moo angrily said, "Do you guys do that? You do," while Heo Yeong said, "I'm really so mad right now," calming the mood and drawing laughter.
Lee Eun-ji also said, "I think viewers like Poisoned Apple because it seems you can say, 'This is what I think, this is how I feel.' This time the topic 'How far can I accept my man's kindness?' feels like something viewers will 100% talk about. I think they will discuss boundaries."
With bolder "Apple acts" appearing, the male MCs mentioned Apple acts they felt they might have succumbed to themselves. Yang Se-chan said, "There were so many and they were powerful. But it's not that it's an Apple act; it's the natural touches that come in. Even among us, 'Do you push them away? What are you supposed to do?' This is unbearable."
Jun Hyun-moo said, "Rather than a heart flutter, when women's skinship comes in, how embarrassed would it be to push them away?" and Heo Yeong rebutted, "No. Even if it's embarrassing, you should do it." Yang Se-chan agreed, "These light touches will probably be like that."
Jun Hyun-moo recalled a memorable Apple act, saying, "This might be a spoiler, but there was a scene similar to a bed scene. Our program has a bed scene. It was done under the pretext of a photo shoot, and even a woman who had no thoughts about it would feel strange if bare skin rubbed against bare skin. I think you'd lose your mind," and Lee Eun-ji acknowledged, "Apple acts come on strongly in unexpected situations."
Female cast members revealed Apple acts they would like to try. Lee Eun-ji said, "I'm a bit worried it might be a spoiler, but there was an embarrassing situation for the client. The Apple woman stepped in and solved it. Seeing her lead like that — not just touch or a coy smile as an Apple act, but leading the situation — I thought she was a top-level pro."
Yoon Tae-jin said, "I don't know whether this would work, but there was someone with a very unique laugh. That laugh creates chaos mercilessly — would that work?" and Jun Hyun-moo noted changing male tendencies, saying, "These days there are many men who have feminine tendencies and feel burdened by strong women, but men are attracted to women who lead a little."
Yang Se-chan said the reason male viewers should watch Poisoned Apple 2 is, "First, would I have responded that way in that situation? How would I have handled it? I hope they see it as a point to study and ponder," adding, "Because such situations can happen someday, and they can happen inevitably. In those possible situations we always ask, will you break the mood? How far is polite? I hope viewers pay attention to those points."
Lee Eun-ji, who has appeared on numerous dating programs, explained Poisoned Apple's appeal: "The client makes the request themselves to verify their love, to verify their boyfriend. So genuine real reactions come out. We did a lot of editing, but we probably cursed a lot. If it were earphones, we would have thrown the cord."
Lee Eun-ji added, "Nevertheless, when a client requests it and watches the situation, the client's genuine reactions seem to be the charm, and by the end you always think, 'What is love?' Someone forgives this chaotic dating experiment, someone accepts it, someone understands it. Seeing that makes you think, what is love?"
Finally, when asked whether viewers can expect the countless dating episodes delivered through Poisoned Apple in season 2 as well, Jun Hyun-moo said, "You can look forward to it. If season 1 talked a lot about the past, this time it will be in passing," leaving the cast embarrassed.
Trying to smooth the mood, Jun Hyun-moo heightened anticipation by saying, "I will spill other people's stories and things I've heard in various situations, from flings to every kind of story."
Meanwhile, SBS Plus and Kstar's Real Dating Lab Poisoned Apple season 2 premieres at 8 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 1.
[Photo] Provided by SBS Plus and Kstar
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