Single’s Inferno season 5 is finally here, and everyone’s excited to know what the contestants this season are like. Last year gave us a very dramatic season thanks to Se-Na, the most popular woman of the lot, who really went all out to have the full experience of the show. I’d say we have a similar situation this time around, too, but it also looks like people have decided to be more honest about their feelings right from the start, more than any season I’ve seen before (no, I have not seen all of them). Also, it’s interesting to note that it already feels like there are a lot more people on the show than before, and it seems like the number is only going to get bigger because the “game changers” will show up next week. Apparently, there were some complaints the previous season because there were too many known faces, so some efforts were made to find new unknowns. Anyway, with that said, let’s jump into the cast of season 5.
Kim Min-Gee
Born in 1996, Min-Gee is a track athlete and might well be the most famous face on the list this time around. While there are some public figures this season, like models and a contemporary dancer, I don’t think anyone else would be as universally known as a national athlete. Her specialty is the 400 m, both with and without hurdles. She’s called the “Karina of Track and Field” or alliterations of “Goddess of the Track,” and she says her biggest achievement is winning 4 years in a row at Korea’s National Sports Festival. For those of you who may not know, Karina is a K-pop idol from the group Aespa. Min-Gee seems to be the most laid-back of the women. She might be the oldest, too, though there is one more female contestant born in 1996, too. She ends up being the most popular member in the first round, which kind of makes sense, given she has a very confident aura.
Park Hee-Sun
Hee-Sun is a former cheerleader, but because she hasn’t been to Paradise yet, we don’t know how old she is. Hee-Sun seemed to be very confident when she first walks in, but I think this might have been her big mistake. On a dating show, somehow, even if guys like confidence in terms of aura, they don’t really look for a woman who’s sure of her looks or her ability to turn heads. She’s also definitely the most feminine of the lot, though there are some others who are the same way. Hee-Sun hasn’t really made any matches so far on the show, but we’ll have to wait and see how things turn out. She’s got to put herself out there, I guess.
Ham Ye-Jin
Before I get into it, this is the first time I’ve come across the family name Ham, and I found it very interesting and unique. Ye-Jin was also born in 1996 and is a freelance announcer. Ye-Jin is quite talkative, despite her appearance, and she even mentions this when she’s in Paradise with Jae-Jin. She’s definitely way more talkative than she looks, and this is a good quality to have on a dating show like this one, because it makes people more curious about her.
Kim Go-Eun
Not to be confused for the world-famous actress, of course, Go-Eun is a model, and her bob definitely reminded me instantly of Choi Hye-Seon. Everything about the way she carries herself and presents herself is similar to Hye-Seon too, but maybe it’s been long enough for the lines to be blurred in my head. Go-Eun is a model and was born in 1999. Apparently, she was rumored to be dating the very popular idol G-Dragon, and it seems that rumor’s resurfacing since the first 4 episodes of this season dropped. Maybe this is a way to make it clear that they’re not dating?
Choi Mina Sue
Born in Sydney in 1999, Mina is a student in the US right now. Coming in hot in a yellow dress and standing tall at 5’8”, she immediately grabs everyone’s attention. She’s a student studying communications in Illinois and has also been a model. I mean, looking like that, who wouldn’t want to be with her? Her multicultural aspects make her a bit laid-back and “natural,” according to the judges. She was also first Korean to win Miss Earth in 2022.
Lee Joo-Young
Joo-Young’s first comment on the show was that she’s been popular since she was born. She’s 26 too and makes vases for a living, as an artist and craft designer. She seems to be one of the shyer contestants of this season for sure, but her connection with Jae-Jin was pretty rapid, and I’m interested to see how things go.
Youn Hyun-Jae
To be honest, Hyun-Jae did not catch my eye at all, and he seems to be the quietest contestant on this show, maybe ever. The only thing that I remember is how Ye-Jin and he took cutesy photos during the photoshoot, in comparison to everyone else’s scandy photos. Apparently, he’s never felt butterflies before, but in this case, he needs to make people feel butterflies, too, or he’ll be left behind pretty soon.
Woo Sung-Min
Born in 1996, Sung-Min gives off the most golden retriever energy on the show. He’s older than the other guys; it seems like, for the moment, he might be the oldest, but he looks the youngest because of his cutesy appearance. He’s an optician, which really stands out in terms of profession on this show, where they’re usually in some sort of media or sports kind of work. This feels too corporate in comparison, if you know what I mean?
Song Seung-Il
Amongst the men, Seung-Il seemed to make an impression first because he was vocal right from the beginning. Asking people their names, or telling them they look nice, as soon as they entered the Inferno. He works in fashion marketing but looks like a full-on athlete. Also, the shocking thing is, he’s only 25, but he looks and acts way more mature.
Kim Jae-Jin
Contemporary dancer Kim Jae-Jin was born in 1998. He walks in with his hands behind his back and immediately looks like he’s going to be trouble for sure. He’s got two sides to him as well. Sometimes seemingly chill, but other times pretty serious. He’s definitely a funny guy and the most memorable of the men this season, because he’s very straight up about his feelings. I feel like Jae-Jin and Mina will wreak havoc, but that also makes me feel like I want to see that happen.
Shin Hyeon-Woo
Hyeon-Woo definitely stands out amongst the men physically, but I don’t think he’s very vocal. He claims older women call him cute, but he doesn’t know why. I only paid attention to Hyeon-Woo during the shoot, because Joo-Young looks tiny in comparison to him. But also, he’s funny during the shoot and tries to make her feel relaxed, which I thought was nice. I think he might be one of the older guys, but I could be wrong, so we’ll have to wait to find out.
Lim Su-Been
Su-Been only stayed in my memory because of his courtship with Mina. The dude is only 24, making him the youngest contestant, I think, born in 2002. It’s revealed that he played baseball for 10 years professionally and is now a model because of a shoulder injury. Dude’s already lived a full life, I guess. There’s going to be a ton of drama between him and Mina, and I need to remember the age gap because otherwise I might lose it a bit too much with these two.
Lee Sung-Hun
Sung-Hun is American-born and studies in New York. He honestly comes off as quite robotic when he speaks Korean, but seems way more natural in English. It’s kind of endearing, I guess. There’s a lot of drama here, too, because he’s also involved with Mina, and after the shoot, they seem to have found a rhythm, too. Rumor has it, he’s a cheater (by that I mean Reddit says so), and I also don’t know how I feel about him yet. Apparently, he used to be an influencer too.
