HIRAI MOMO
A season worth forgetting
As of me writing this review, I have not watched season 1 of Singles Inferno.
A lot of factors have contributed in making season 3 a very forgettable show.
It honestly felt like everything was going in the right direction for the first 2-3 episodes because the production team managed to introduce something new and interesting to the show. They also tried to replicate what made season 1 & 2 so successful; however, they failed miserably in that aspect.
This season tried to copy:
Song Ji-a:Kim Gyu-ri = not enough presence
Kim Jin-young/Dex:Cho Min-ji = not even close
Season 1, and also season 2 to an extent, had at least 1 female contestant that was commanding attention from a lot of the male contestants.
Season 2 had a new contestant join in mid-show that completely stirred everything up and introduced a new dynamic to the show. An interesting character that everyone was talking about which eventually became the main character of the show.
Both seasons had a contestant that we knew just from watching the show had the potential to become famous outside of Singles Inferno -- and one of them actually did. This season has none.
What else was season 3 trying to replicate? Lee Nadine = Hye-seon? Valiant effort but Nadine just has quite a strong grip on international fans.
What really felt apparent to me is that Singles Inferno 3 became a very casual, non-serious, and light kind of show compared to season 2 (and that is magnified by the production team's way of editing scenes and the added screen time of the panelists and their funny commentary). Season 2 had this heavy tension I felt when watching, season 3 has none of that.
Season 3 will leave little to no impact on me after the show; I won't be interested in the contestants and what they'll be doing in the future. Season 2 on the contrary left a hole on my stomach and kept me interested in the contestants for a quite a while after the show (still interested in Dex till this day).
Casting really felt bad this season. You know that things are bad when you have to rely on Gwan-hee for the entirety of the show. Everyone is absolutely hating on him, but he's probably at least 60% of the show. He's definitely good for the show, but there should have been a contestant casted that would place higher than him. Gwan-hee would have fit in better as the antagonist of the show against the actual main character. I'm just not a big fan of Gwan-hee's Inferno.
Who are the contestants that are needed in the show?
Top: Jin-seok
Top: Ha-jeong
Top: Gwan-hee
Mid: Min-kyu
Mid:Hye-seon
not needed: Min-young
not needed: Min-ji
not needed: Gyu-ri
not needed: Si-Eun
not needed: Won-ik
not needed: Min-woo
not needed: Ha-bin
This is purely based on possible contributions of the contestants to the potential show Singles Inferno 3 could have been if they managed to create a better cast alongside the 5 contestants needed I listed above.
On a sidenote, Dex's addition to the panelists was such a great move. His raw and relatable commentary was needed in the show.
What else felt weak this season? Timing, going to paradise, staying in inferno. It felt like these things didn't matter much, most contestants were sure of whom to pick. The games and their corresponding consequences also felt weak. The entirety of the show felt weak because inferno and paradise felt weak.
I didn't collect my thoughts well enough to make an actually good review (to which I could've done better) but this is how I feel. Singles Inferno 3 was honestly a disappointment; Singles Inferno 2 had me craving for so much more after the show, but this season only had me wishing for an actual good season next time around.
A lot of factors have contributed in making season 3 a very forgettable show.
It honestly felt like everything was going in the right direction for the first 2-3 episodes because the production team managed to introduce something new and interesting to the show. They also tried to replicate what made season 1 & 2 so successful; however, they failed miserably in that aspect.
This season tried to copy:
Song Ji-a:Kim Gyu-ri = not enough presence
Kim Jin-young/Dex:Cho Min-ji = not even close
Season 1, and also season 2 to an extent, had at least 1 female contestant that was commanding attention from a lot of the male contestants.
Season 2 had a new contestant join in mid-show that completely stirred everything up and introduced a new dynamic to the show. An interesting character that everyone was talking about which eventually became the main character of the show.
Both seasons had a contestant that we knew just from watching the show had the potential to become famous outside of Singles Inferno -- and one of them actually did. This season has none.
What else was season 3 trying to replicate? Lee Nadine = Hye-seon? Valiant effort but Nadine just has quite a strong grip on international fans.
What really felt apparent to me is that Singles Inferno 3 became a very casual, non-serious, and light kind of show compared to season 2 (and that is magnified by the production team's way of editing scenes and the added screen time of the panelists and their funny commentary). Season 2 had this heavy tension I felt when watching, season 3 has none of that.
Season 3 will leave little to no impact on me after the show; I won't be interested in the contestants and what they'll be doing in the future. Season 2 on the contrary left a hole on my stomach and kept me interested in the contestants for a quite a while after the show (still interested in Dex till this day).
Casting really felt bad this season. You know that things are bad when you have to rely on Gwan-hee for the entirety of the show. Everyone is absolutely hating on him, but he's probably at least 60% of the show. He's definitely good for the show, but there should have been a contestant casted that would place higher than him. Gwan-hee would have fit in better as the antagonist of the show against the actual main character. I'm just not a big fan of Gwan-hee's Inferno.
Who are the contestants that are needed in the show?
Top: Jin-seok
Top: Ha-jeong
Top: Gwan-hee
Mid: Min-kyu
Mid:Hye-seon
not needed: Min-young
not needed: Min-ji
not needed: Gyu-ri
not needed: Si-Eun
not needed: Won-ik
not needed: Min-woo
not needed: Ha-bin
This is purely based on possible contributions of the contestants to the potential show Singles Inferno 3 could have been if they managed to create a better cast alongside the 5 contestants needed I listed above.
On a sidenote, Dex's addition to the panelists was such a great move. His raw and relatable commentary was needed in the show.
What else felt weak this season? Timing, going to paradise, staying in inferno. It felt like these things didn't matter much, most contestants were sure of whom to pick. The games and their corresponding consequences also felt weak. The entirety of the show felt weak because inferno and paradise felt weak.
I didn't collect my thoughts well enough to make an actually good review (to which I could've done better) but this is how I feel. Singles Inferno 3 was honestly a disappointment; Singles Inferno 2 had me craving for so much more after the show, but this season only had me wishing for an actual good season next time around.
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