"Bloody GameX" Lee Sang-min shared his thoughts on appearing on a survival program for the first time in 11 years.
On the afternoon of the 21st, an interview with Lee Sang-min for the Wavve original variety show "Bloody GameX" was held at the Content WAVE building located in Yeouido-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu, Seoul.
Lee Sang-min returned to a survival program 11 years after "The Genius 2," captivating viewers with unexpected strategies and seasoned play. However, he announced withdrawal due to personal reasons, which caused disappointment.
That day, Lee Sang-min said the reason he withdrew midway was, "Actually, I only watched 'Bloody Game' season 1. I thought I could just come and enjoy it, but I didn't know they would confine us like this, and I didn't know there would be no flexibility at all," adding, "It was an unavoidable situation. I discussed it with the production team until 4:30 a.m. There was so little time that even if I went and came back it would have been too rushed. In the end, I was told it wouldn't work, so I had no choice but to withdraw right away."
He continued, "It wasn't a promised engagement; I had to go to the hospital with someone, so I had no choice but to withdraw. At first I withdrew and tried to shake it off, but after seeing the killer game in episode 7 I regretted it and beat my chest. It's a game area I'm good at, and it involves politics where you read people's occupations and then adjust. I felt the game proceeded very regrettably, so I was remorseful. I also love card games, so I deeply regretted not being able to participate in episode 7's deathmatch."
Like a twist of fate, the "P1 team," in which all members survived through episode 6, saw all its members eliminated after Lee Sang-min's departure. Asked whether he felt regret that no "P1 team" members advanced to the semi-final, he confessed, "I'm so sorry. If I had survived, I think the four of us—Taekgyun, Seongbeom, Chulgu, Jihu—would have gone to the finals."
Lee Sang-min added, "It might be my bravado, but I don't think our team would have been eliminated in the killer game. When Taekgyun and Chulgu fell, I think there was confusion from the next game onward, so I felt very sorry."
Lee Sang-min expressed remorse, "Taekgyun has sense and knowledge, and to me he seemed like a perfect friend in a hexagonal sense. Although Chulgu and Seongbeom helped with the formula game, it was actually a fight between Taekgyun and Jihu. That was the biggest regret. I couldn't believe Taekgyun was eliminated after I fell."
Meanwhile, reuniting with Hong Jin-ho and Kim Kyunghun 11 years after "The Genius 2," Lee Sang-min said, "Actually, I had no contact with Kim Kyunghun at all since 'The Genius 2.' I'm not the type to keep meeting people after the show ends. Then the moment I saw Kyunghun on site, I thought his character would absolutely eat me up, so I decided not to get entangled."
Asked whether he regretted appearing, Lee Sang-min emphasized, "I have absolutely no regrets. My life routine is a repeat of recording and coming home. I don't dine out with anyone. Staying home all the time, 'Bloody GameX' was the greatest break. There is nothing I regret at all."
He added that there was one regret, saying, "I thought 'Bloody GameX' was the season finale. So I was sure Dongmin (Jang) would come. I expected clashes between Jinho, Dongmin and me on 'Bloody GameX,' but Dongmin wasn't there. So I have no regrets, but I regret that Dongmin wasn't there. If there is a next season, I definitely want to meet him once."
Asked whether he would gladly accept a casting request for the next season, he said, "Honestly, I don't see a reason not to do it. If season 2 comes out, since I've already experienced it, I don't see a reason not to do it."
[Photo] Provided by Wavve, broadcast capture
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