Compared to other dating programs such as 'Heart Signal' and 'Transit Love', 'Love Catcher' does not have the same buzz. Despite the fact that there are performers with outstanding looks and outstanding qualifications compared to other companies, the potential of the program itself and the popularity of the cast are not reaching its full potential.
'Love Catcher' is a program in which handsome men and women who visit the Love Mansion while hiding their identities are divided into 'Love Catcher', who searches for true love, and 'Money Catcher', who falsely seduces Love Catcher for the purpose of winning a prize, continuing a high-level psychological warfare program.
Starting with 'Love Catcher' in 2018, 'Love Catcher 2' in 2019, and 'Love Catcher in Seoul' in 2021, this time they went to Bali and conducted 'Love Catcher in Bali'. In this episode of 'Love Catcher in Bali', new rules 'Secret Night' and 'Final Days' were launched and the first overseas filming was conducted, but the response was lukewarm. It ended on the 13th without much fanfare.
In particular, a large number of celebrity look-alikes appeared, including 'Jang Won-young look-a-like' Hwang Su-ji, 'Han So-hee look-a-like' Lee Yu-jeong, 'Song Hye- kyo look-a-like' Kim Hyo-jin, 'Lee Hyo-ri look-a-like' Choi Tae-eun, and 'Yoo Ah-in look-a-like' Kim Yun-su-ro, but the box office failure failed. did. Overall, the level of appearance has improved, but compared to previous seasons, there were no performers who left a noticeably strong impression.
In addition, only the cast changed and similar rules and advantages were given to last season, so there was nothing new and fresh to see. The only difference was that I moved from domestic to overseas and was able to briefly chat with the money catcher.
The fact that there was no one-on-one date until the middle part was enough to dampen interest. Due to the nature of dating reality, the subtle emotions of the contestants are met through one-on-one matching, which is interesting, but 'Love Catcher in Bali' did not even provide such an opportunity. Therefore, an environment that could lead to fierce competition has not been created.
It is compared to 'Transit Love 2', which gained more popularity than the previous film by showing psychological tension and complex emotions of separated couples through their past love stories. The most important elements in dating reality programs are relationships and psychology.
The excessive interference of panelists including Jeon Hyun-moo, Jang Do-yeon, Joo Woo-jae, Gabi, and Kim Yo-han was also criticized. The panelists' studio commentary scenes appear as frequently as the cast, making it appear as if they are leading the audience.
In particular, the panelists seemed to be focused only on expressing their personal opinions rather than emphasizing the psychology of certain cast members, such as accusing them of being money catchers or openly saying that they hoped their identities would be revealed.
There was another reason for the creaking. It was pointed out that the sudden cancellation of the scheduled episode (episode 4) broke the viewing flow. The cancellation of the show, which was carried out without proper notice in a situation where it was not well known, was enough to attract criticism from the fan base.
'Love Catcher in Bali', which failed to meet expectations, seems to have only proven that there is no younger brother as good as the older brother. If the next season is produced, it seems that changes are needed to captivate viewers.
Ryu Ye-ji, Ten Asia Reporter ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr