Korea’s long-running dating reality franchise “I Am Solo” just wrapped its 31st season with three couples, a viral controversy, and a post-finale livestream that broke the show’s own records. The May 27 broadcast, aired on ENA and SBS Plus, saw the final-choice ceremony produce three matched couples: Yeong-ho and Ok-sun, Yeong-sik and Jeong-hui, both largely expected by viewers, and Gyeong-su and Sun-ja, whose pairing came down to a red scarf Gyeong-su bought at a stationery store and wrapped around Sun-ja’s neck as he told her he wanted to get to know her better outside the show.
The season’s popularity was substantial by the numbers: it averaged a 5.3 percent rating with a per-minute peak of 5.86 percent, and topped data firm Good Data Corporation’s “Fundex” non-drama buzz chart for three consecutive weeks.
What pushed the season into a bigger cultural moment was what happened after the cameras stopped rolling. A post-finale livestream on the YouTube channel “Chonjang Entertainment TV,” featuring nearly the entire cast, drew a record peak of roughly 390,000 concurrent viewers, a surge driven largely by anticipation around a backstage controversy involving cast member Sun-ja. On the livestream, Sun-ja read from prepared notes explaining her side of a dispute that arose after filming, describing discomfort with being invited into a group chat among the female cast members that was named “Girls Talk,” and recounting how she’d been dismissed and told she was “being too sensitive” and “ruining the mood” when she brought up frustrations from her time on the show.
The livestream also settled the question every fan wanted answered: which of the three finale couples were still actually together. Ok-sun revealed, on behalf of Yeong-ho who didn’t attend the livestream, that the two had already broken up shortly after the season began airing due to a personal trip abroad. Yeong-sik and Jeong-hui similarly confirmed they’d already split, describing a relationship that started strong but wore down under minor disputes as feelings intensified. Gyeong-su and Sun-ja were the only pair still together in real life, with Gyeong-su explaining the two had actually started dating after filming wrapped and remained a couple throughout the show’s broadcast run, supporting each other through the reactions to episodes as they aired.
“I Am Solo” continues with a new season focused on divorced and widowed singles, airing Wednesdays at 10:30 p.m.
Source: Jang Yoo-jin, eToday, May 28, 2026.
