(Following Interview ③) Jeong Jong-yeon, the producer of 'Devil's Plan 2,' addressed criticism directed at programs like 'Gamdajuk (I'm really dead).'
On the morning of the 27th, an interview was conducted with Jeong Jong-yeon, the producer of the Netflix original entertainment series 'Devil's Plan: Death Room (abbreviated as Devil's Plan 2),' and the winner Jeong Hyun-kyu at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
'Devil's Plan 2' is a brain survival game entertainment program in which players from various professions live together for seven days to determine the best brain. It concluded with the airing of its 12th episode (finale) on the 20th, with Jeong Hyun-kyu emerging as the winner.
Initially, 'Devil's Plan 2' was anticipated as the new work of producer Jeong Jong-yeon, who opened the doors to survival entertainment with the 'The Genius' series. However, since its conclusion, criticism has become predominant. Viewers have expressed resentment regarding Jeong Hyun-kyu's victory, particularly as some participants, including Kyu-hyun and Yoon So-hee, overly emotionally supported Jeong Hyun-kyu, leaving others unable to relate.
In response to these viewer reactions, Jeong Jong-yeon noted that "I don’t see every community, but I have come across many emotions expressed through DMs, so I’ve received them through various channels. Some people asked about my parents' well-being, and many have commented. While the comments on social media are somewhat more refined than community comments, fundamentally, there seemed to be a lot of reactions suggesting I have lost a lot of feeling."
He commented on the causes of this criticism, saying, "The biggest change this season is that the 'prison zone' is divided into two groups, allowing the living spaces to have a major thematic competition between two groups. The prison zone was well-narrated through the 'prison match' system, but the living zone lacked a competitive system to follow it, resulting in a somewhat deficient survival narrative. Because of this, there were aspects where the living zone did not receive attention based on the contents provided by the prison match."
He further stated, "There were opinions that the rewards for the prison matches were somewhat lacking, or that the rewards for the hidden stages in the living zone were too generous, making it difficult for prison zone players to turn the situations around or reach the finals. I also acknowledge that point." He continued, "There are various reasons, but daily main match performances are important on the first day, second day, and on the last day, making it easy to allow for comebacks. In the latter part, the design allows for easy reversals, and I guess this is because I enjoy sports. In regular sports, performance accumulates, leading to pre-qualification for events like the Korean Series, etc. Recently, in the Netherlands, genius competitors who lacked skill have also progressed by winning a single game in the end, so I think the accumulated performance in main matches is quite important. Those aspects might have felt excessive to you. You may also feel that there were parts where balance was not maintained, which I also accept."
When asked if he had something to say about the reaction that 'there was a lot lost in feeling,' Jeong Jong-yeon remarked, "I'm not at an age where I can revive that feeling. It's only going to die more and more.
Nonetheless, I am grateful for the opportunity to learn a bit each time I do something. When planning 'Devil's Plan' from the beginning, I intended to bring in a different format for every season. This season has been a significant learning experience. I’ve been listening closely to your feedback. If there is a season 3, I obviously want to show a better version. I am preparing something else. The fact that this evaluation has come about has been a considerable learning experience.
Above all, he expressed his regret over the criticism directed at some participants. He concluded the interview by standing up and saying, "If you think from the participants’ perspective, many parts would be understandable. While I was recording, I found myself thinking a lot about such parts, trying to understand these friends too much. So at times, I miss certain points. There may also be aspects where I was generous in areas that should not be shown to the viewers. Please view our participants generously.
He emphasized, "Please turn the sharp criticism towards me."
(Continues in Interview ⑤.)
[Photo provided by Netflix.]
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