'I Am SOLO' franchise's expansion edition 'The Travel of Cooking and Stir-Frying' repetitively showcased emotional outbursts and recurring conflicts. The trip of the 22nd season's Young-soo and Young-sook, and the 9th season's Ok-soon and Man No. 4 was nothing but the essence of provocative fatigue.
"Love, let alone consideration, was missing."
The episode of 'The Travel of Cooking and Stir-Frying', which aired on the 30th on SBS Plus and ENA, concluded the journey of the 9th season's Ok-soon and Man No. 4, and the 22nd season's Young-soo and Young-sook, who spent their emotions in completely different ways. They repeated conflicts and misunderstandings throughout the trip and completely deviated from the original purpose of a dating reality show.
9th season's Ok-soon and Man No. 4 had no moment where their relationship flowed comfortably. Their emotional battles, which began with the phone number blocking controversy, escalated to the lodging door key incident and the hamburger 'separate meals', continuously broadcasting their 'uncomfortable relationship' in real time to viewers.
Especially on their return trip, 9th season's Ok-soon accidentally brought the lodging key and had to go back to the lodging as soon as they arrived at the airport. Man No. 4 offered to carry 9th season's Ok-soon’s suitcase, but she declined, saying, "Let's just go separately." Man No. 4 sighed as he watched 9th season's Ok-soon’s back and entered the airport.
In an interview with the production team, 9th season's Ok-soon conveyed her regret, saying, "It was an extremely lonely trip. We should have respected and considered each other, but I fell short." Man No. 4 noted, "There were tough moments, but the trip itself meant something. I realized that I absolutely hate being uncomfortable with someone, to the point I'd rather avoid it."
22nd season's Young-soo and Young-sook arrived at Terminal 2 instead of Terminal 1, dragging their luggage while wrapping up their trip to Prague until the very end. Throughout the trip, Young-sook was busy pointing out every little detail of Young-soo, saying, "People need a certain distance after all."
Young-soo, who consistently showed interest in Young-sook since their appearance on 'I Am SOLO', ultimately expressed, "I hope (22nd season's Young-sook) meets someone much more wonderful than me. For me, traveling is very important, and if it's a stressful trip, then that's a bit difficult," indicating that he had no lingering feelings for her.
Is the reality of excessive emotional narratives really necessary?
'The Travel of Cooking and Stir-Frying' displayed a focus solely on emotional conflicts, unlike the serious romantic narratives that 'I Am SOLO' had depicted. Viewers expressed in online communities, "After watching, only fatigue about human relationships remains," and "This is an emotional battle lacking even consideration, let alone love."
Meanwhile, the production team announced that after a two-week break, 'The Travel of Cooking and Stir-Frying' will air again on June 20. Viewers already feel a growing sense of fatigue about it. This is not a pairing reality show using travel as a medium, but rather a thorough dating boycott program.
[Photo] 'Cooking and Stir-Frying'
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