‘I Am Solo’ 31st batch is under fire for its editing direction following a controversy over participants talking behind each other’s backs. Concerns are growing as the production seems to be creating a new ‘villain’ while airing Sun-ja’s distress without filter, rather than simply removing the problematic figures.
In the episode aired on the 6th, a scene sparked outrage where Ok-sun, Young-sook, and Jung-hee were caught chatting about Sun-ja, who was right in the next room.
This led to a wave of criticism on online communities and social media. Consequently, unreleased footage on the YouTube channel ‘Village Chief Entertainment TV’ was set to private, and a new teaser with reduced screen time for Ok-sun was uploaded.
Rumors even spread that Ok-sun might be completely edited out. On the 13th, the production team stated that future episodes would be broadcast “according to the flow of the content,” but Ok-sun’s appearance was noticeably reduced in that day’s episode.
With Ok-sun’s presence minimized, the episode focused heavily on super date missions, such as poetry reading and pansori dictation. This led viewers to suspect that the production team intentionally shifted the editing direction.
However, reducing Ok-sun’s presence didn’t stop the controversy. This time, the focus shifted to Young-sook, who continued to speak ill of Sun-ja.
During a running mission, Young-sook tripped and took 2nd place, while Sun-ja took 1st. Young-sook then suspected that “someone might have tripped her,” prompting MC Song Hae-na to warn her, saying, “No, she didn’t. Why is she like this? Be careful with your words.”
Sun-ja expressed extreme stress from the conversations targeting her and eventually had to go to the hospital due to stomach cramps. Adding to the anger, when Kyung-soo told Young-sook he wouldn’t use a super date ticket because he felt bad for Sun-ja, Young-sook responded, “Should I wail once too?”
Furthermore, while some backbiting scenes were deleted from the replays, the scenes of Sun-ja expressing her pain remained. Critics pointed out that this removes the context and makes Sun-ja look like an overly sensitive person. The production is being criticized for simply replacing Ok-sun with Young-sook as the ‘villain.’
Concerns over the protection of participants are growing. Young-sook and Jung-hee have been flooded with malicious comments, effectively becoming targets of hate. Even with partial edits, there are worries that the show continues to consume provocative conflict structures without protecting its non-celebrity cast.
