‘Single’s Inferno 2’ has same concept and location, but much more drama

Diversity and emotional depth are the major distinctions between the first and second season of the highly-anticipated Netflix dating reality show “Single’s Inferno.”

Season 1 of “Single’s Inferno,” released last December, managed to capture the global audience’s attention, becoming the first-ever Korean reality show to enter the streaming platform’s Global Top 10 chart, climbing as high as No. 4.

Major stars such as beauty YouTuber Song Ji-ah and dancer Cha Hyun-seung gained newfound popularity in the first season, and the show’s producers and celebrity panel promised more stars will be born in Season 2.

“What I’ve felt from watching the show was that ‘wow, the production staff must have met a lot of people to have come up with such contestants,’” singer Kyuhyun (who is part of the celebrity panel on the show) said at an online press event Tuesday. “All of the contestants featured on the show seem surreal and they each show off different charms — they are not people that you would normally meet in daily life, with great physiques and perfect careers. I wondered how they [the staff] managed to find and gather up such a group of attractive people with distinct charms from the masses, people who have been leading ordinary lives up until now.”

“Compared to Season 1, the emotional narrative of each contestant is deeper and stronger,” producer Kim Jae-won said. “One person does not steal the spotlight from beginning to end. In the two episodes that will be released every week, the protagonists of the story seem to shift, yet they are all interconnected. The total number of episodes has been increased to 10 from the original eight. We didn’t squeeze the last two episodes out — there were just so many stories and incidents that happened with the contestants, and even though we selected only the best parts, two more episodes have been added. That’s how entertaining the show will be.”

The producers have decided to keep the concept, the celebrity panels and even the location of the filming the same — bringing together a group of extremely attractive single Koreans and dropping them on a secluded island dubbed “Inferno” without any means of communication with the outside world. Their only purpose during their stay is to show off the most appealing sides of themselves to potential love interests in a bid to be matched up and escape the island to “Paradise” for a night — and ultimately, come out of the show as a couple in love.

“We kept the theme and the location the same for the contestants to immerse themselves into the situation faster than Season 1,” producer Kim Na-hyun said. “We saw that in Season 1, contestants needed time to adjust themselves to the Inferno island before they could really mingle — so we decided to keep the location the same so that this time, contestants could use that time and energy to explore their potential love interests. So Season 2 is going to flow at a much faster pace compared to the previous season.”

In spite of the numerous dating reality shows which dominate the screen nowadays, producers are confident that “Single’s Inferno 2” will stand out.

“The biggest attraction of ‘Single’s Inferno’ is its simplicity,” producer Kim Na-hyun said. “It’s all pretty straightforward — there’s Inferno island for the people who aren’t chosen and there’s Paradise island for people who are. Despite the simple rules, the emotions are complex.”

“This season felt like I was watching a full-length drama series or a film,” Kyuhyun said, adding that the singer actually cried while filming. “The contestants from Season 2 know what they are signing up for. Each is confident that they will win the love of someone, but some crumble away, while some become extremely happy. Each of their narratives panned out so perfectly that it’s going to give viewers something to look forward to.”

Producers hinted that as in Season 1, real couples will be formed in this season too.

“You will witness the contestants falling in love for real,” producer Kim Na-hyun said.

Two episodes of the series will be released every Tuesday at 5 p.m.(KST) on Netflix.

BY LEE JAE-LIM [lee.jaelim@joongang.co.kr]