I love the show, but I'm getting tired of the noise. 'I'm Solo' (SOLO), a leading dating show for the general public, has passed the 100-episode milestone, an unusual feat in the shortening entertainment landscape. However, it also faces the challenge of resolving viewer fatigue due to controversies with its cast.
ENA and SBS Plus entertainment program "I’m Solo" recently started its 15th season and has been popularly broadcasting. It has aired more than 100 episodes. Although there have been deviations from season to season, it is said to be the most realistic, honest, and lighthearted dating program for the general public. However, the problems of the contestants who keep appearing over and over again add to the discomfort.
In the early days of the program, the controversy of the contestants centered on the issue of 'verification'. With the proliferation of dating reality shows featuring ordinary people, the risk of verifying celebrities' past histories, such as school violence, has been applied to ordinary people as well. The cast was also put to the test when their past behavior was exposed by some netizens. In particular, as the program is based on romance, the personal lives of the cast members were highlighted. The details of their relationships, marriages, and relationships have been linked to their suitability to appear on a dating reality program. Accusations ranged from hiding divorces, living with a bisexual partner, or even transmitting an STD to a partner during a relationship. In response to these revelations, some performers have called them "untrue" and have even taken legal action, while others have posted apologies after the show, acknowledging the controversy.
While the burden of verifying the performers is getting heavier and heavier, the program has recently been criticized for the content of the performers' broadcasts. Basically, dating reality shows highlight the process of romance formation between the contestants, and the viewers watching through the camera directly or indirectly observe and evaluate the contestants as romantic partners. While this part of the program is an enzyme for immersing oneself in the program and having fun, the structure in which individuals who are not public figures are unilaterally evaluated by an unspecified number of people without a chance to defend themselves does not seem justified.
In the midst of this, "I'm Solo" has maintained a straightforward tone without any intervention from the production staff. As there is also competition between the performers within the big framework and order, it provides a fair opportunity, but there is no directorial intervention by the production staff that can affect the emotional line of the performers. In addition, there is an observer's wait-and-see attitude that is unique to PD Nam Kyu-hong, who has been observing the situation since the past SBS entertainment program "Mate," which had a structure almost similar to "I’m Solo. The composition was differentiated from Netflix's ' Singles’ Inferno', which boasts a colorful background, 'Heartsignal', which enhances immersion through unique visuals and music, and the 'Transit Love' series, which is enhanced by the narrative of ex-lovers.
The problem is that this straightforwardness, which was one of I’M Solo’s strengths, seems to have led to slings and arrows against the cast. While the tone is wait-and-see, it was edited. When you're trying to capture nearly a week's worth of footage from a variety of perspectives, it's inevitable that you're going to have to filter out what you want to broadcast and what you don't want to broadcast. In this process, the inevitable selection of scenes is made. Among the various dating reality programs, 'I’m Solo' is relatively close to a documentary but, even in the documentary genre, the director's perspective is not absent. Nevertheless, due to the contemplative nature of the program, even ordinary performers who are portrayed as 'villains' in the broadcast are treated as if that is all they are, and as a result, they are subjected to intensive saturation of viewers' public opinion.
If the performer is a celebrity, he or she may have good communication with the production team, or maybe protected from privacy or excessive public criticism by their agency, or may be able to accept public criticism as their livelihood. However, public performers face public judgment without any protection other than the production team's direction. This is why it is more of a romantic psychological experiment and is no longer safe for regular performers.
Of course, there are some performers who have turned into influencers after appearing on "I'm Solo" and some who are happy with the attention they received. But the standard of protection should be enforced where it is weakest. Furthermore, the producers' prioritization of silence in the face of various controversies to protect their cast members could be misinterpreted as an endorsement of the controversy. Above all, the excessive attention and criticism of "I'm Solo" cast members are increasing the fatigue of the program. It's time for the producers to show some thoughtfulness and proactive measures to reduce viewer fatigue before it overtakes the program's appeal.
The good news is that the producers of "I'm Solo" are not ignorant of this issue. PD Nam Kyu-hong recently responded to the program's 100th episode anniversary, saying, "I can't say that there won't be any problems with performers in the future, but we are grateful for the viewers' verification and judgment through the broadcast. I think the program is an engine for us to stay strong and healthy, and we will be more careful in our production." He further added, "I hope that "I'm Solo" will become a representative program that will come to mind when people think of 'Korean love in the 21st century' in the future, and that it will honestly and simply capture the process of young men and women of our time finding love, romance, and marriage partners." I wonder if his wishes can be captured without misunderstanding in the ongoing 'Nasol'. Now that it has reached 100 episodes, the beginning is over. We look forward to the future of 'Nasol' going through a period of maturity and not becoming irrelevant anymore.