'Bloody Game X' Lee Jin-hyung shared his thoughts on participating once again in the 'Bloody Game' series following season 2, when he chose the 'ugly victory'.
On the afternoon of the 19th at Post Tower in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, a joint interview was held with Wavve survival variety show Bloody Game X contestants Lee Jin-hyung and Lee Tae-gyun. Bloody Game X is an extreme survival game featuring the strongest physical competitors.
Previously, Lee Jin-hyung appeared on Bloody Game 2, which aired in 2023, and won the final championship. By contrast, in this season Lee Jin-hyung's P2 team was eliminated early in the 1-on-1 team match, leaving him with disappointing results. Lee said, "Last season I chose an ugly victory over a beautiful defeat, but this time I'm glad that rather than an ugly defeat I at least had a beautiful defeat. That's how I see it. There is always some regret, and I think it was a decent ending as an opportunity to look forward to the next one," he reflected.
When asked whether it felt burdensome to return to a survival show as the season 2 winner, he said, "As a viewer who loves survival shows and someone who loves Bloody Game a little more, there could be pressure, but I'm grateful and happy that a show I like sought me out. I never really hesitated to appear, and when the offer came I said I'd do it right away."
Asked whether he ever regretted appearing, Lee said, "On the first day, with my eyes covered, gagged and tied with ropes so I could barely breathe, groaning for three hours—memories from three years ago came back and I briefly regretted, thinking 'Why did I forget this? Why did I come back to suffer again?'" He added, "But it was fun and happy, and it's a memory I want to have again, so aside from that moment there wasn't really a time I regretted. I know even hardship will become a memory."
Asked about differences now that team matches have been introduced compared with season 2, he said, "On a personal level, my stance is actually the same in season 2 and now. You have to bury the past. In season 2 I was criticized for saying to bury what I did wrong and look ahead, but this time, of course everyone made mistakes, and my stance that we should be able to bury the mistakes shown on the broadcast by the older players and move forward was the same, but there was an advantage given by the situation," noting how outside factors had changed public perception.
He said, "At first I didn't like team matches. I'm an independent person and don't want to take responsibility for others. I want to focus on myself. But after the team matches ended and we went together, I found that playing with someone else is more enjoyable, fun and touching than I expected. We became much closer while playing this game. People like not only slick plays but also unexpected emotion that brings real feeling. In that sense, I liked the team matches."
In fact, Lee Jin-hyung drew cold reactions during season 2 for actions that provoked viewers' dislike. By contrast, in this season he carried his team alone at times and received praise as 'resolving karma.' About that, Lee said, "People thought I came to wash my image because I acted normally. I don't know what kind of image I had that acting normally looks like image laundering, but I'm not in a profession that needs image cleaning, and I'm not a celebrity. I really just wanted to come and play a fun game with good people."
He continued, "I was heavily criticized in season 2. Of course, at first those times were sad and there was a kind of hurt. You might think 'I'm not that kind of person,' but looking back I realized I was that kind of person. The behaviors I showed then are my nature—it's not that I hid something—but those were definitely parts of me, and in fact most of us have ugly sides. Being able to view those ugly sides objectively from a third-party perspective and have people watch, evaluate and criticize you is an opportunity and a precious time you don't normally get in life. I took it as a chance to consider what these people were saying and which of my behaviors they criticized. I think it helped present me as at least a decent person."
When asked whether his mindset differed now that he has a job and an affiliation, whereas in season 2 he was a student, Lee said, "The purpose is always the prize money. I think winning twice is better than losing spectacularly. Money is always nice. There is fun you can only feel in a place like this. You can never feel it living an ordinary life. I was grateful to be called back to this fun place. When I think about how many people would want to be here every time such an opportunity comes, I thought I shouldn't take it lightly and just protect my image and go home." he revealed his sincerity toward the program. (Interview continued in part 2.)
[Photo] Wavve
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