"It deeply saddens me": K-pop's first LGBTQ+ idol Holland criticizes Mnet for the 18+ rating to its gay dating program, Dizzying Blind Date Z 

On Wednesday, September 20, Holland, an openly gay K-pop idol, took to his social media platforms to express his disappointment about Mnet's rating for its first gay dating show, Dizzying Blind Date Z. The show, where the idol participated as one of the six gay contestants, premiered on September 6 this year and while it is being well received by the masses, its 18+ rating has now become a point of discussion.

Given that there were no provocative scenes or events in the show, the idol expressed that he was disappointed in Mnet being unwilling to allow more access to the show. To address the same, Holland expressed his views through posts on both Instagram and X (formerly Twitter), where he wrote:

"It deeply saddens me that in Korea, the love of gay individuals is considered unfit for minors to watch."

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Holland not supportive of Mnet's first gay dating show getting an 18+ rating, speaks out about it on social media

Holland, also known as Go Tae-seob, is a K-pop soloist who debuted back in January 2018 with his single, Neverland. The 27-year-old K-pop idol also stands as the first openly gay artist in the industry, and has advocated for the LGBTQ+ community right from his debut days.

With his continued efforts to normalize and garner more awareness about the LGBTQ+ community, the idol appeared on the recent gay dating show organized by Mnet, Dizzying Blind Date Z. The first-ever gay dating show by the platform was hosted by Lee Eun-ji and Hong Seok-cheon, and consisted of six participants including the K-pop idol himself.

While the idol was excited about the show and enthusiastically advertised and talked about the same through his social media platforms, a feature of the show that recently came to his notice seems to have deeply upset him. The idol wrote, in both English and Korean in an effort to reach more audience, that he was saddened and disappointed at Mnet for its 18+ rating for the show.

He expressed:

"The Mnet dating program ‘Provocative Dating Z,’ in which I appeared, has been changed to an age restriction of 18+. I have doubts about it being classified as age-restricted content when it’s a pure same-sex dating program without any provocative scenes."

Given that there was no mature content in the show, Holland felt that the rating was unnecessary.

The show did come with a happy ending as Holland matched with Kim Chang-min, the contestant who previously appeared in the gay reality dating show, His Man Season 1.