Will 'Heart Signal 4' bring out the 'emotion' of viewers with heightened awareness?

<<Ryu Ye-ji's yellow card>>

TenAsia reporter Ryu Ye-ji takes a proper look at the entertainment industry incidents and accidents that are attracting the most attention.

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'Heart Signal 4', Channel A's representative entertainment show and 'original' dating show, was engulfed in a series of noises even before its first broadcast. There is a rumor going around that a female cast member is in a relationship, and the atmosphere is shaking at the beginning.

'Heart Signal 4' is a dating program that films men and women gathered at Signal House. It is scheduled to be broadcast for the first time on the 17th.

'Heart Signal' boasted great popularity as the original real entertainment show. However, as much as it was a huge topic, controversy followed every time.

In this Season 4, there are claims that the woman in the preview video was filming while her boyfriend was present. According to netizens' claims, the cast member was in an open relationship with her doctor boyfriend until recently, but ahead of her appearance in 'Heart Signal 4', all posts related to her boyfriend suddenly disappeared.

The production team immediately denied the rumors, saying, "All the contestants appeared without anyone in a relationship," and stated that the suspicion that a female contestant on 'Heart Signal 4' had a boyfriend was not true.

The production team's response was quick, but I can't shake the feeling that steam was leaking somewhere. This is because the life of romantic entertainment is vivid and blooming ‘emotions.’ Since the existence of a cast member's 'lover' has already been mentioned once, it seems difficult for viewers to take off their colored glasses.

If the production team failed to check the 'Lovestagram clues' that even the general public can easily find, they would be criticized for lack of preparation. If they made it appear without knowing it, it would be deceiving the viewers. Only the production team knows the truth.

In addition to the cast's controversy, there was also friction with nearby residents during filming. Last April, nearby residents reported several times to the police due to noise from the filming site. The filming location is known to be near Hanok Village in Eunpyeong-gu. In relation to this, the production team of Heart Signal stated, "It has been confirmed that noise was generated during the filming process of (Heart Signal) and residents have filed complaints," and that they will "pay more careful attention in the future."

Residents also complained about the drone filming. Accordingly, he said, “We will proceed with the broadcast within the scope of no invasion of privacy or legal issues.”

It is a ‘heart signal’ that has no quiet days every season. Actor Kang Seong-wook, who appeared in Season 1, caused controversy over sexual misconduct. Seo Joo-won also aroused suspicions of ‘affair’ during her divorce from YouTuber Agglyri. Season 2 Kim Hyun-woo caused controversy over 'drunken driving', and Season 3 Cheonanna and Lee Ga-heun caused controversy over the 'school violence' issue. Kim Kang-yeol also had a criminal record for assaulting women.

Whether intentional or not, 'Heart Signal 4' was promoted due to the controversy over whether or not she had a boyfriend. There is also an assessment that the performer in question will receive attention for now and may help with viewership ratings. The problem is that the planning intention of the program is being diluted by continuous controversies. Will Season 4 be the peak of Heart Signal? Or will it be a period?

Ryu Ye-ji, Ten Asia Reporter ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr