Divas Hit the Road Season 5 (2023)

Best season ever

I'm a fan of the Divas Hit the Road series and I watched all five seasons, including the camping season, to varying degrees of completion. I don't write reviews for variety shows in general, because there's really only so much the production team can do and the rest is up to fate, but I must say that this is the best season ever.

Divas Hit the Road is infamous for the second season where it was a shitshow with the cast splitting into small cliques, in-fighting, unpleasantries and whatnot. That season is now chronicled in Chinese entertainment history and has been memed to death. Background aside, the point I'm trying to drive across is that for a majority female variety show, the general consensus is that you need drama to entertain. People may talk about how the first season was most successful and the third and fourth were as civil as it gets, but I've watched all and the first was not without conflicts whereas the other two seasons were flops (deservedly too because they were extremely dull). This particular season was the first to showcase that a show with just warmth and kindness can also be a good watch.

Qin Hailu on first sight seems to be a hard-to-please senior, who sets very high expectations and voices her critiques freely. She looks like she's always assured, but it turns out that she has her insecurities as well. I could resonate with her when she talked about handling responsibilities as an adult and how true freedom is hard to achieve. She's expected to anchor everything as the "eldest sister", but everyone (including viewers) seems to take it for granted. I really appreciate how despite her insecurities, she did an excellent job. She's not a Liu Tao. She's actually a lot softer and I think a great fit for this cast.

Qin Lan is the person that all of us wants to be. She always knows what to say and she was the main source of emotional support for everyone. I've seen comments saying that she's too smooth and thus difficult to see beyond her perfect facade, but I think otherwise. The fact that her innermost self is not exposed to the audience is part of the realism. One cannot expect people to show everything they are, because we all need time to open up. It's precisely because she's been through a lot that she's mellowed and knows what's the best way to handle things. She's added that to her personality; it is part of her. Nitpicking at how good of a person she is is just nonsensical. In the wrap up session, she herself talks about how she's envious of Xin Zhilei because Xin feels comfortable to show her real self, but I think there's nothing inherently wrong with not opening up your heart to everyone - it's a form of protection. And the contrast between the cast's personalities was what made them click.

Xin Zhilei is really interesting. She's not just hilarious and happy-go-lucky. She also has a sensitive side to her. I actually can see all the times where she picked up on emotional cues from the rest of the cast. She has this curious mix of bluntness and perceptiveness that is very charismatic, and I find it unsurprising that she came out of the show being the biggest winner, because she is just very very likeable. She made a great point when she said that this is just a short trip, and nothing will stay a problem if everyone is willing to let go. It's actually very simple to stay cordial for such a short duration, and that speaks volumes of the season that went haywire.

Dilraba is clearly an introvert, and arguably the most reserved among the cast. I can imagine that she must have taken a long time to even convince herself to be part of the show. How she behaves is actually typical of a kid who has been brought up very strictly. She has very strong morals and hates doing something "wrong". She has to struggle with herself whenever she inconveniences others. When I look at her in the show, my heart aches a little because I see me in her and I know the thought process she goes through. I actually think she's not as astute when it comes to reading people's feelings, but when she finds that someone is upset, she feels compelled to help. I can see why she's so well-liked. Especially when she told everyone how "big sister (Qin Hailu) wants to be the little sister too" and when she told Qin Lan "I'm here for you" when Qin Lan had to wake up early for her tour guide leg. I think those were equally as powerful as Qin Lan's "happy new year". At the very end of the show, Xin Zhilei also gave a glimpse of the innocent and kind girl she is when she brought up how Dilraba sent messages of encouragement to her back when they were both nobodies.

Zhao Zhaoyi has the misfortune of being the least known cast member. I have to admit that I barely noticed her, because I have never heard of her before I watched the show. She also didn't not get her chance to shine because her tour guide leg was interrupted by the blizzard. However, it's clear that she has an excellent personality. She's also really funny and catches on all of the different puns. I will put her second to Hu Xianxu when it comes to witty remarks. She's also surprisingly thoughtful for someone who seems so carefree on the surface. I also think she's has a great sense of responsibility, but we only saw a smitch of that at the end when navigating the bad weather in Iceland.

For the guys, Wang Anyu is a little on the obtuse side, or perhaps he's just not as seasoned compared to the rest of the cast. But contrary to how he was portrayed, I think the sisters actually think he did a great job. He was not super comprehensive in his plans, but I think the subconscious reliance the sisters had on him later shows that they all agree that he's Mr. Fixit on the team. I don't think he's sensitive; he's probably just a bit of a perfectionist. When he was finally relieved of his role, he had a complete change of personality and turned into this goofy little brother.

I was actually a little surprised by Hu Xianxu. He is very loquacious for a child actor. He has the ability to carry on a conversation forever. He, with Qin Lan, sets the mood in the room. He also makes frequent references to puns in his speech, sort of like dad jokes. It's very interesting because he's so young yet so mature at the same time. He is also very sharp, and probably the best tour guide candidate. I especially like how he handled the fact that Wang Anyu was shouldering too much of the load at the start, and told him tactfully that he could delegate tasks to him instead. He is like a mini-Qin Lan, always knowing what to do, just not nearly as personable.

I just love, love, love this cast and frankly I think it will be impossible to top this season.

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if a problem come, we face it together, life has many ways of solving the problem.

i would rate this show an infinity out of 10. everything is so good in this show and the people that you are travelling really affects the progress.

this show is everything. all of them are emotionally stable and does not push blames on people. in fact, when there is a problem, they would bring it up and communicate with each other, solve the problem together. each of them are not perfect, each of them have their own strengths and weakness. however, because of that, they work best as a team. they learn and grow from each other and one thing about them is that they truthy appreciate what has been done for them. they face everything together and find the best out of the worst.

each episode just get better and you can slowly unbox the "found family" trope from them. from strangers to friends, then friends to found family. they all had the feels where they felt more like a group of good friends or family hanging out with each other rather than some superstar or people that based on seniority. from exploring themselves to height-related adventures, to watching stars together after they had their heart to heart talk, kayaking together, having steamboat together, having fun together, eating together or even chasing the northlights together. it is something called "封神" - a term that is used when something sealed the deal.

but do note that it would contain chinese propaganda which in this case is to learn what has china build that impacted the country. all seven of them are unproblematic but the ones that are problematic are the viewers. this is the best chinese variety show that i have watched.

not just that, everyone is just like a chopstick where it can be paired up randomly. as a shipper myself, i felt into that hole and my favourite cp was hu xianxu and zhao zhaoyi... our extra couple! but all of them are so good together as they also give off relaxing vibes.

qin hailu is into those alpha ml kinda stories but praises to give to her because she has all the advices needed and experience that she settles a lot of things. qin lan's mindset needed to be studied as she gave so many good advices and had such a positive mindset such as saying the right things at the right time. xin zhilei is our cooker, driver and comedian in the group. she can be straightforward but can be funny as well. i had a new outlook on reba, someone introverted but plans well for the trip. she is willing to try out something new and pampers everyone. zhao zhaoyi, i am so so glad that i was able to discover her because she is just like a golden retriever! you would feel nothing but positive energy from her. you have no idea how much i adore and love her. wang anyu... my man grew up so much! from the first country to the third country, i saw a lot of improvements from him and how he looked crappier and crappier! out of nowhere, i suddenly get wang anyu's visual especially his teary eyes! + our photographer! without you, qin hailu would cry at other's photography skills and many beautiful photos from him! lastly, hu xianxu, he might be young but his thoughts deepens around people and the world. yes, he can be funny, but he can also give you worthy emotional advices and he did became a gentleman!

with that, i would want you guys to watch the show as its available on mangotv! it is worth a shot as it gets better and better. they are funny, emotionally stable and everything you would want travelling with friends.

please comeback for the next season and it can be called "divas hit the road: we are back" btw! this show is super hot in china rn! it even reached 35 million views and won awards too!

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