The hosts of Netflix’s hit dating show “Single’s Inferno” (2021-) — the streamer’s first Korean original to reach a fifth season — teased the latest installment as the series' biggest yet.

“I’m incredibly thankful that we’ve been able to set a record like this,” said Hong Jin-kyung, one of the show’s five hosts, during a press conference for the fifth season held in Mapo District, western Seoul, on Wednesday. “Making it to season five proves that the show has the potential to keep going to season 50 — because it's hard to reach five, but once passing that point, the possibilities to get to 50 really open up.”


Another host from the show, Kyuhyun, added, “Even though I’m in the position of announcing season five, I’m already looking forward to season six.”

The latest season was produced once again by Kim Jae-won, Kim Jung-hyun and Park Su-ji, who also led the previous season. The show continues with its familiar panel of hosts: Hanhae, Dex, Hong, Lee Da-hee and Super Junior's Kyuhyun.

The show continues with its signature format of following attractive single men and women searching for love on a deserted island dubbed “Inferno.” On the island, electronics are not allowed, and the cast members have to cook their own meals and find water. Participants can leave the island only by matching with a partner, earning a night at a luxurious hotel called “Paradise.”

While staying true to its core structure, the producers and hosts shared a few spoilers, including a new rule for the truth-or-dare game.

“One of the key highlights to watch in the first week is the truth or dare game,” producer Kim Jae-won said.

“To give a slight spoiler, we introduced a new rule this time. In previous seasons, participants could choose to drink instead of answering questions they didn’t want to respond to, but that option is gone. This time, every question had to be answered. This caused complete chaos, and the impact of the game carried all the way through to the final day.”

Producer Kim Jae-won also added that the production team aimed to make Inferno feel even harsher. “We wanted Inferno to feel even more like hell, so we made the preparation process tougher. After all, love becomes more meaningful when it has obstacles to overcome.”

The hosts of the show — who have remained largely unchanged since the first season, except for Dex, who joined in the third — warned viewers about the heightened tension among participants to find love.

Kyuhyun personally pointed at the pool scenes, an iconic setting in the franchise, as some of the most memorable moments from the season.

“This season features what may be the sexiest pool scene in the show’s history,” he said. “Viewers should probably brace themselves every time the pool comes into play.”

The hosts’ candid reactions have also long been considered one of the show’s highlights, and this season was no exception.

“We really didn’t hold back,” Hong said. “We didn’t care about our image at all. If we felt like swearing, we swore, and if we were angry, we showed it.”

Hong continued, “Then every now and then, Kyuhyun would pull himself together and try to tidy things up or calm things down, like throwing a blanket over me, but I would just kick it away.”

With its biggest number of cast members yet, the producers emphasized that the relationship dynamics and characters are more diverse. They also advised viewers to look forward to the female participants, describing this season as “a battle between strong female personalities.”

“One of the things to watch this season is that the women are much more forward-moving and have very strong personalities,” producer Kim Jae-won said.

Despite the changes, the producers said that the new season also returns to the show’s original appeal.

“For this season, we also put effort into returning to the show’s roots, capturing the freshness and fluttering excitement that viewers felt in seasons one and two,” producer Park said.

First debuting in December 2021, the previous four seasons achieved global success, making it onto Netflix’s Global Top 10 list for non-English shows.

The fifth season of “Single’s Inferno” will premiere on Jan. 20.


BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]