"The female Gwanhee": Fans debate over the repetitive characterization and storyline with Netflix Single's Inferno 4's Lee Si-an

On Tuesday, January 21, the latest episodes of Netflix's South Korean reality dating show, Single's Inferno 4, were released. Following the release, fans and netizens had several opinions about the show's contestants and the sequel's plot, in general.

One of the things that many pointed out was the characterization and storyline of the contestant, Lee Si-an. People talked about how Si-an's role in the dating show was similar to what they'd seen in previous seasons. Particularly, they compared her with Gwan-hee from the third season of Single's Inferno.

This was due to the heavy highlight of this particular contestant. Similar to how much of the show's third season revolved around Gwan-hee, this season held Si-an in the center. Additionally, both Gwan-hee and Si-an were contestants from the show who had many other contestants being interested in.

Naturally, Gwan-hee and Si-an allegedly became the catalysts for a love triangle in their respective seasons of the show, and people had varied perspectives on this. While some expressed that the attention on these contestants was valid and necessary due to their personalities, others felt that the characterization and storyline were becoming repetitive.

Here are a few fan reactions regarding the same:

"Sian deserves the highlight. She is the female Gwanhee. Remember the 2nd week of SI3, there was little Hazel air time. It was HJ and Gwanhee time. Hahaha"

"S3 all about gwanhee & this time sian, i don't have problem with that" said a fan on X

"Blame the boys lawl not sian fault that she’s pretty and elegant" added another fan

"u people said nothing when its about gwanhee in 3rd season" commented a netizen

On the other hand, fans and netizens talked about how they were growing tired of the alleged repetitive strategies used in the series and raised concerns about the unfair screen time distribution.

"I’m just on ep 5 already loosing my interest from #SinglesInferno4 it’s all sian sian sian and it’s boring" stated a fan

"I love si an omg the girl is gorgeous it’s normal she is getting lots of guys but please omg quit the si an and her boys storyline." added an X user

"I'm losing interest too because the screentime distribution is beyond unfair!! they only show who they wanna show and it's annoying" said a netizen

"I'm done with this show. Why to cast so many people if they're gonna give 90% screen time to only one person." commented another X user

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Netflix's South Korean reality dating show, Single's Inferno, rolls out its fourth season

Single's Inferno, or Solo Hell, is a South Korean reality dating show produced by Netflix. The show premiered its first season in 2021 and immediately garnered attention for its unique and drama-filled concept.

The show revolves around a group of nine contestants who are single and deserted on an island together. Their resources on the island are limited. However, when two people match with each other and become a couple, they are provided with an escape to another island called Paradise for a date night, where luxury and resources overflow.

While the contestants can go to Paradise with the many different matches they make during the show, they'd have to choose one to leave home with at the show's end. Some contestants go home with their partner while others leave solo. What makes the show all the more thrilling is its odd number of contestants, which inevitably leaves at least one contestant single.

This naturally increases the competitive nature of the show, making viewers intrigued about the drama that unfolds. With three successful seasons, Netflix rolled out Single's Inferno 4 on January 14. So far, six episodes have been released of the latest season, and the finale of Single's Inferno 4 is scheduled for February 11.

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Here are all the contestants of the show's latest season Yuk Jun-seo, Jung Tae-oh, Kim Te-hwan, Kwon Ki-ha, Ahn Sung-hoon, Hong Sung-ho, Lee Si-an, Kim Min-seol, and Kim Hye-jin. While fans have had divided opinions on the latest season, they are intrigued to see how the events of Single's Inferno 4 unfold towards the end.