It’s only the beginning of 2025, and I’ve already been forced into watching another season of the uber-popular Korean dating show Single’s Inferno. There used to be a time when I could say I’d never seen a dating show before, but now that statement has gotten a bit moldy because this is my second time watching Single’s Inferno. Don’t worry, though; I still don’t have much in the way of nice things to say about the show. For example, the idea of a panel watching people trying to figure each other out for dating prospects is already a bit odd, but to add to that, when the age gap between the panel and the contestants grows, it honestly feels quite odd. I find it especially funny when the judges keep bringing up the fact that the contestants are a certain way because that’s how the entirety of Gen Z must be in dating. I’ve been such a huge fan of Lee Da-Hee, but I sometimes feel a bit strange about it because of how she reacts to the singles. Of course, this is what a lot of people watch the show for (apart from the “skinship” and unbelievably good looks of everybody). But with that said, let’s jump into a recap of the first 4 episodes of Single’s Inferno season 4.
Episode 1: Intros
Right off the bat, I’ve got to admit nobody really stood out at the beginning of this season. Not the guy who won the first game nor the girl who ended up losing all favor by the end of 4 episodes, so make of that what you will. However, I did find some bits actually amusing, and I won’t ever admit this, but some of the things these people say did make me laugh out loud, which is an achievement in itself. This season begins with the introduction of 6 stunning women, each of whom is more confident than the last in terms of looks and charisma. Lee Si-An, Jung You-Jin, Kim Min-Seol, Bae Ji-Yeon, Kim Hye-Jin, and Kim A-Rin. Then comes Yuk Jun-Seo, the guy who seems to be the main character of this season. Jun-Seo is the winner of the first Single’s Inferno season 4 game and gets to choose one person to go to Paradise with. If you need a refresher, Paradise is where participants who get to couple up go to have some fun, get to know each other, and spend the night at a luxurious hotel. It’s essentially hotel advertising, but I guess this is the incentive all these hot people have to come on this show, eh?
Now the Inferno has been split between one for women and one for men. Over at the “Men’s Inferno,” we meet the 5 men: Kim Tae-Hwan, Kook Dong-Ho, Jang Theo, Kim Jeong-Su, and of course, Jun-Seo. Jun-Seo chooses You-Jin, because she’s the person who smiles the most at him; I guess that’s fair enough seeing as he’s apparently tough-looking and quite intimidating. Jeong-Su’s the guy who comes second, and he picks Si-An. Now we’ve got two couples going to Paradise while the rest remain in the Inferno.
Remember how I call Jun-Seo the main character of this season? Well, with his long hair, he already does stand out, but the reason everybody likes him is that, despite his intimidating looks, he’s actually quite a clumsy, sweet guy who’s always honest, which makes him super likeable, even to the guys. Jun-Seo and You-Jin get along pretty well, and it seems she likes him immediately. They’re also both the same age and are both artists, so it’s easy to get along, eh? On the other hand, Jeong-Su gives off more manly vibes and runs a business of his own. Si-An’s a model and has a sweet personality. The consensus is that Si-An’s already fallen for Jeong-Su, while the other couple is just putting out feelers. It’s not lost on me that they stall on revealing the age and jobs of these people till they’re in Paradise, leaving us extra curious.
Episode 2: Competition
On day 2, Si-An feels a bit sick on the helicopter, and Jeong-Su gives her a hand massage. As if she wasn’t already smitten, this lands the hammer on the nail, but remember this for a bit later. The couples then get split up and aren’t allowed to go back to Paradise two days in a row together; however, they can go with other people. Theo is the manly guy, and he’s giving major Gwan-Hee flashbacks from season 2. I think he’s definitely going to grow in popularity for viewers because of his chilled-out and open personality. We’ve got to remember how bad the panel was at judging last year. In episode 2, the two girls who went to Paradise and A-Rin get to mingle with the boys in the Inferno. After their one-on-one interactions, they go back to giving each other a “ticket” to Paradise. If two people pick each other for Paradise, they become a couple and get to go. Theo and Si-An choose each other, and Theo’s immediately a crowd favorite with his fun personality. That makes only one couple, and that gives Si-An the chance to go to Paradise a second day in a row. The general consensus is that Si-An looks more comfortable with Theo, showing off her “true self.” They do look like they’re having fun, and they just seem like a chill couple.
On the other hand, the two boys also get to spend some time with the rest of the girls. Already everybody’s interested in Jun-Seo. Apparently, his personality makes everyone curious. Also, Dex admits that he thinks Ji-Yeon looks like Sana (presumably of “Twice”) and is exactly his type, but that’s just a bit of random TMI from him. I do see the resemblance, though, so good eye on him. Two couples make it out of here, but this leaves Ji-Yeon alone in the Inferno, which seems to be the first time ever such a thing has happened (ouch). Jeong-Su and Hye-Jin pair up while, to the shock of the hosts (again), Jun-Seo chooses Min-Seol.
Episode 3: A Star Is Born
Min-Seol might be the youngest of the lot at 23. It seems the hosts think that Jun-Seo’s more natural with Min-Seol, knowing she’s younger, etc., and almost acts like an older brother, unlike with You-Jin, who he apparently had hearts falling out of his eyes for. I think they’re wrong again, though, because I could see Min-Seol and Jun-Seo being endgame. At the same time, Jeong-Su is a gentleman even with Si-An, and it looks like everything’s going really well with them too, but this is going to get messed up soon. These two are the kind who like to tease each other. I feel like You-Jin is giving off Ha-Jeong vibes, but everybody seems to dislike her and claims she’s overdoing it. She does get a little bit over the top when drunk, but dang, I think she still has a chance to find somebody. She seems to get along well with Dong-Ho in the Inferno, though, so maybe they’ll go to Paradise sometime soon. But the real shocker is that Si-An is still thinking about the hand massage while leaving with Theo, yikes.
Back in the Inferno, Tae-Hwan shows interest in Ji-Yeon, especially after hearing she was all by herself the previous night. Finally, the Infernos are going to be clubbed together. The boys make seaweed soup for lunch, and Theo tries hard to impress Si-An, but Jeong-Su grabs a seat next to her (oh la la). At the same time, Jun-Seo and You-Jin are super awkward with each other, and it shows. Then it’s time for a girls’ game, except the boys are involved too. The boys have to stand on a wooden log in the swimming pool while the girls have to go across it. Whoever reaches the other side the fastest is the winner and gets to take one of the guys on a date, and if anybody falls in the pool, they’re disqualified. The first three girls do it pretty easily, and it becomes very obvious that this game is specifically set up so we can watch these hot men and women get really close to each other. I’ll never get over how terribly these games are shot. Si-An is especially fast and does it in 20 seconds. Also, everybody notices how Theo just gives her a hug while helping her across, while with the other two, he doesn’t even hold them. Unfortunately for the latter 3, Jun-Seo is the problem and drops all of them. This bit was quite fun to watch, because he tries so desperately to help the girls and is super embarrassed. But shockingly, this makes him even more popular. Finally, Si-An chooses Jun-Seo as her date, an unexpected pick.
Episode 4: The Dreaded Campfire
In episode 4, Jun-Seo and Si-An get to know each other a little bit, but I don’t think there are any sparks flying. However, it seems Min-Seol has completely fallen for him and doesn’t want to change her mind. At night, everyone has to have a campfire dinner together, and this becomes a cause for distress for Jeong-Su and You-Jin more than anyone. Jun-Seo wins hearts again because of how cute he seems when he’s drunk. Theo also attests to these feelings. This is when everyone thinks You-Jin is trying way too hard and she’s making a mistake because Jun-Seo isn’t the kind of guy who likes to be “made jealous.” You-Jin also gets quite drunk, so I guess that changes her personality, which is quite the turn-off, it seems. At the same time, they play a game of truth and dare. This is after they’ve each put chocolates in a mailbox for those they want to date. Jun-Seo, A-Rin, and Si-An get 4 chocolates each while the rest get less. We know who the popular kids are now. However, Jeong-Su loses loads of points when he answers a couple of questions honestly rather than taking the drink instead, which turns off Si-An, who was so into him. He also admits he wants to go to Paradise with someone new even though he’s been twice already (tsk tsk, greed got this fellow in a soup). The group slowly splits up, and Jeong-Su admits to Si-An that she’s actually his first choice, but he didn’t want to put her in a box in front of the rest of the group. This all just sounds like an excuse, though. At the same time, it seems Tae-Hwan’s pretty good at impressing Ji-Yeon, and all the hosts are rooting for them to have a chance in Paradise.
You-Jin goes off the rails and gets on the swings by herself, which seems to “scare” the judges… Let the girl have some fun, sheesh. At the same time, Theo tells Si-An that there’s nobody else in his eyes, and he’s very confident that he’s going to try his best to be with her rather than looking at anybody else. The complete opposite of Jeong-Su, which makes her excited. On the other hand, Dong-Ho admits to A-Rin that he’s no longer interested in You-Jin and more interested in A-Rin. At the same time, You-Jin tries to grab everyone’s attention but fails to do so; it’s honestly quite disappointing. Yeah, if you can’t tell already, I’m feeling a little bit bad for her.
At the end of episode 4, 3 new men are introduced to the women in Paradise. This is shocking to everybody, because it’s usually just one new man, but then the big twist is that only one of the men gets to stay. Min-Seol admits here that she’s not going to move on from Jun-Seo so easily, which is quite cute. All three new men have a completely different look from the existing men, so I’m definitely curious to see who the girls choose. My gut feeling is it might be Hong Seong-Bo.
