The producers of 'Single's Inferno 5' revealed behind-the-scenes details regarding former season 3 contestant a person surnamed Lee Kwan-hee recently 'targeting' host Hong Jin Kyung in the latest season.
Netflix held an interview for the original variety show 'Single's Inferno 5' on the morning of the 13th at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno District, Seoul. Attending were producers Kim Jaewon, Kim Junghyun and Park Sooji, who directed the program, and they discussed the recently concluded 'Single's Inferno 5'.
'Single's Inferno 5' is a dating reality show in which singles can only leave the remote island "Inferno Island" by becoming a couple, featuring honest and spicy dates. It concluded with strong results, rising to No. 2 on Netflix's non-English global ranking, and production of season 6 was quickly confirmed.
However, there was an unexpected controversy in the middle of the season. Former season contestant a person surnamed Lee Kwan-hee appeared on Younha's YouTube content and criticized the hosting of 'Single's Inferno' series MC Hong Jin Kyung, saying, "Jinkyung noona doesn't seem to know much about dating, and I'm angry that she's giving dating advice there," "To be honest, I don't understand Jinkyung noona. I don't think she would be better at dating than me," and "She and I don't really match. Jinkyung noona, do better. It's not fun," targeting her with remarks that drew criticism for crossing the line.
Regarding this, producer Kim Jaewon said firmly, "Kwanhee made a mistake." He said, "Of course Kwanhee didn't speak with bad intentions; he probably crossed the line trying too hard to be funny. After that, he contacted Hong Jin Kyung and apologized directly, and senior Hong Jin Kyung graciously accepted the apology and posted about it on Instagram."
He added, "He contacted us saying, 'I'm sorry for causing trouble.' We also said thank you because it seemed to have increased interest. It's over now, so Kwanhee probably felt a lot. Although he was a contestant from a previous season, I thought he might have grown a bit more."
On the other hand, as a director he praised Hong Jin Kyung's strengths, saying, "Although she becomes a hot topic with funny remarks, her strength is representing the emotions of the general audience. It's amazing how she shows the strengths of the broad majority of viewers without filtering. It seems like a vibe that comes from experience. Only those who have naturally expressed themselves in front of the camera can show that. Sometimes you think, 'How does she finish it all with just one expression?' I respect her. As a broadcaster she's a senior and as an adult she is too."
In fact, Hong Jin Kyung herself joked on 'Single's Inferno 5' that "we are also called in by production and scolded." In response, producer Kim Jaewon laughed and said, "She did say that, but we are in no position to scold; she was expressing herself humorously. However, we communicate a lot during each week's recording. Sometimes we ask them to be more honest, sometimes we tell them not to be too emotional, and sometimes we ask them to think from a third-party or contestant perspective. In the middle she even said, 'I'm Jominasuda, I'm Deksuda.' She told that humorously as being scolded, I think."
He went on to emphasize responsibility, saying, "There are opinions that panelists' remarks can sometimes go too far. Panel remarks are 100% the responsibility of the producers. Because we asked them to be honest, if we failed on balance it is entirely our fault. I thought we needed to properly reflect between fun and balance."
Above all, he said, "I think part of completing the 'Single's Inferno' series is that the panelists react realistically while watching the reality show. Honestly. Then there are moments when the panelists' real emotions come out as if they are talking in their own living rooms. Even so, panelists are third parties, so they need to be somewhat objective. Adding that would also be entertaining. We argued among ourselves, and this season was right on that boundary. Adding one more spoonful here would have been excessive, and for the next season I thought it would be right to take out one spoonful even if it made it a bit less fun."
[Photos] OSEN DB, provided by Netflix, YouTube and SNS sources.
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