(Following Interview①) In ‘Solo Hell’ Season 4, a total of four couples were formed: Yook Jun-seo♥Lee Si-an, Kim Tae-hwan♥Bae Ji-yeon, Ahn Jong-hoon♥Kim Hye-jin, and Kook Dong-ho♥Kim Ah-rin. The stories of Lee Si-an, who received three votes in the final selection, and Kook Dong-ho, who was pursued by Kim Ah-rin, Jeong Yu-jin, and Park Hae-rin, stimulated viewers' romantic cells, while interest in ‘current couples’ is also rising.
When asked if he could reveal whether there are any current couples, PD Kim Jae-won said, “I think it would be rude for me to say ‘who is with whom as a current couple.’ However, I did ask the participants, ‘Now that the program is over, please speak honestly.’ I don’t know how it will be revealed, but I hope you will wait for it.”
As with any broadcast, it is natural for certain cast members to be highlighted more due to the PD's editing. In this season, the story surrounding Lee Si-an and the three men—Yook Jun-seo, Jang Tae-oh, and Kim Jung-soo—took up a relatively large portion of the show.
PD Kim Jae-won stated, “One of the most important things we consider while producing the program is the sense of isolation disconnected from the world. There are aspects that emerge when focusing solely on interactions between the opposite sex without daily life interruptions, such as being without a phone. We wanted to show authentic moments, so those who displayed deeper emotions had more screen time, and we tend to edit focusing on participants who are immersed in the moment.”
He added, “Since the participants are also human, they inevitably have defense mechanisms. Given that it’s a program watched by many people, it’s natural to want to show a good side and to want to present oneself well. However, in the case of Yook Jun-seo and Lee Si-an, they seemed to forget they were in front of the camera at some point and showed their feelings authentically before starting their relationship. I believe that their unpretentiousness contributed to the success of Season 4.”
In particular, the scene of Yook Jun-seo and Lee Si-an sharing a blanket on the bed received a hot response from viewers.
PD Park Soo-ji recalled, “We were quite surprised on set as well. The production team had the same reaction as the MCs. It wasn’t that there was more to it, but the process of the two getting close so quickly was astonishing.”
PD Kim Jae-won also mentioned, “It’s true that we were surprised since it was the first time they were under one blanket. However, if you exclude the fact that it was in front of the camera, I think it’s something that can naturally and ordinarily happen between two young adults who have mutual feelings for each other.”
Thanks to the popularity of Season 4, ‘Solo Hell’ has already confirmed the production of Season 5.
When asked about the direction for the next season, PD Kim Jae-won said, “As ‘Solo Hell’ has progressed through the seasons, it seems that a direction everyone can relate to has emerged. It’s a reality show where people with visuals that are hard to find around us appear and cook and fight on an island. Therefore, for the new season, we need to cast people with visuals that are not commonly seen around us. We will feedback on the points that were lacking in Season 4 and return with even hotter and more attractive participants.”
[Lee Da-kyum, Star Today Reporter]
