In 'Live-in matchmaking,' Kim Tae-in stirred up the love front by throwing a direct, bold flirt at her own pick Moon Sehoon, leaving behind 'mom's pick' Kim Hyun-jun.
SBS entertainment program 'Live-in matchmaking' is a surreal reality dating show in which 10 single men and women who want to marry and 10 mothers who want their children to marry live together in one space for five nights and six days to watch their child's dating up close. In that episode, on the second day of the residency, the contestants' profiles were revealed and the love front was stirred, sending viewers' dopamine soaring.
As a result, episode 2's ratings surpassed a peak of 4% and 2.8% in the Seoul metropolitan area, beginning a clear upward trend amid hot word of mouth. In particular, immediately after three votes went to lawyer Seo Han-gyeol, the scene in which the single women and the mothers bickered over the selection results recorded the program's best minute. (Nielsen Korea, Seoul metropolitan households)
From the first night of the residency, the single women quickly sought out the people they were interested in and heated the atmosphere. Kim Tae-in turned to Moon Sehoon, not Kim Hyun-jun, who had exchanged first-impression choices. Seeing the two naturally hold hands from their first conversation, Seo Jang-hoon raised interest by saying, "When two flamboyants meet, the two of them?" Meanwhile, Jo Eun-na-rae went to see Lee Seung-hak, not Seo Han-gyeol whom she had chosen for the dinner date, and expressed her interest by saying, "He is my type." Kim Yo-han reacted in surprise, saying, "The women are very forward."
On the morning of day 2, a first-come, first-served date took place. It involves the single woman delivering a rose to the single man she wants and asking for a date. In the first-come, first-served date, the single women's frank expressions of feeling continued. Kim Jin-joo went straight to Jang Min-cheol as soon as she received the mission and honestly confessed, "I felt attracted to him at dinner," stirring excitement. By contrast, Jo Eun-na-rae was bothered by the age gap she felt during her conversation with Lee Seung-hak the previous night and returned to Seo Han-gyeol to talk. While having a deep conversation about the future, Jo Eun-na-rae stated her belief in pregnancy and childbirth, saying, "I definitely want to have children." The hosts were surprised at how quickly the conversation progressed between men and women who had known each other for less than a day.
Next came the long-awaited time for the single men's self-introductions. With the single men's mothers promoting their sons and raising interest, the single women's side buzzed at the men's profiles. Kim Hyun-jun was revealed to be born in 1991, a ninth-year loss assessor who owns a house in Seoul, and Jang Min-cheol was introduced as a 1991-born freelance show host. A twist that he graduated from Seoul National University added to the interest. Above all, when it was revealed that 1995-born Seo Han-gyeol's profession is lawyer, the atmosphere on site changed. The single women's mothers, with pleased expressions, grilled Seo Han-gyeol with questions ranging from dating experience to ideal age difference and the desired woman's financial capability. Lee Seung-hak, a former professional golfer and the youngest single man born in 1997, surprised many. The last, Moon Sehoon, was revealed to be born in 1995 and the CEO of a foodservice company with domestic and overseas establishments. Each time the single men's ages were revealed in order, Jo Eun-na-rae's face turned pale, prompting Seo Jang-hoon to exclaim, "How old on earth are you, Eun-na-rae?" and causing laughter.
As the single men's self-introductions warmed the mood, the single women's mothers followed with the shocking 'mom's pick date,' in which they directly matched their daughters' date partners. Among them, Seo Han-gyeol received as many as three votes from Jo Eun-na-rae, Kim Jin-joo and Kim Myo-jin's mother, greatly shaking up the balance of the love front. Seo Han-gyeol, who instantly won the mothers' hearts with the stable profession of 'lawyer,' emerged as the unanimous pick, and actor Lee Yo-won watching this exclaimed, "I knew this would happen!" and drew laughter. Kim Tae-in's mother chose Kim Hyun-jun, and Kim Hyun-jin's mother chose Jang Min-cheol. By contrast, Moon Sehoon and Lee Seung-hak, who received not a single vote, showed complex expressions that evoked pity. The men's fates, which completely diverged from the first-impression choices, heightened interest in future developments.
After the 'mom's pick date,' turmoil also arose in the hearts of the single men and women. Kim Tae-in's fondness dropped due to Kim Hyun-jun's unexpected slip of the tongue, and Jang Min-cheol and Kim Hyun-jin grew fond of each other through comfortable conversation. During Seo Han-gyeol's 3-to-1 date, Kim Myo-jin honestly revealed, "Actually (Seo Han-gyeol) was not on my list of preferences," providing a twist. Kim Jin-joo drew attention by showing more attraction to Jang Min-cheol than to Seo Han-gyeol, her mother's original pick.
Above all, Kim Tae-in completely shook up the love front of 'Live-in matchmaking' that day. Having never dated anyone other than Kim Hyun-jun until then, Kim Tae-in announced her intention to "see other people" and immediately pursued a late-night date with Moon Sehoon. More importantly, Kim Tae-in said, "My mother told Sehoon, 'Have a meal with our Tae-in'," suddenly making her mother a matchmaker, and Seo Jang-hoon, surprised by Kim Tae-in's sly skill, commented, "She gets her mother to do all kinds of things," clicking his tongue and prompting laughter.
Then Kim Tae-in, with unabashed straight-line flirting, shook Moon Sehoon's heart and sent viewers' dopamine soaring. She fired off consecutive blunt flirts, saying, "If I had stayed still, I would have talked with Kim Hyun-jun, but I found a breakthrough that is you. I found myself looking at you." Moon Sehoon, whose face flushed at the unexpected direct confession, said, "It sticks in my head. I'm going crazy. I feel like someone is controlling me," unable to compose himself, and Kim Yo-han, blushing as well, said, "I guess this really is our dating program," prompting laughter.
As the single men's self-introductions overturned the matchmaking landscape, the next episode will reveal the single women's profiles. Attention is focused on which direction the love front of 'Live-in matchmaking' will take.
Meanwhile, SBS's Child release project—Live-in matchmaking airs every Thursday at 9 p.m.
[Photo] SBS 'Child release project—Live-in matchmaking'
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