Netflix’s Single’s Inferno is for anyone who gave up on The Bachelor

Single’s InfernoIt opens with the grand entry. In full view of all the other contestants at the table below, the contestants make a long descent down stairs. It’s stressful. First impressions count, and, of course, the show cuts away to others’ expressions. It is not acidic, and no one is making petty remarks or accusations. Instead, the mood is excitement and nervousness — everyone is gorgeous and stylish to boot. They’re all here to find a match.

Don’t give up! The BachelorI had to stop watching so many reality shows on the internet about dating. Due to the competitive environment and increased stakes, I was always ill. Blind LoveI was stressed out by the contest in which two contestants are engaged but have not seen each other. It’s too hot to handleI was more intrigued than sad by the concept of ‘hot people on islands, and they pay them cash prizes every time they get together. It turned out that I had exactly what I needed. The second season of South Korean dating shows was my favorite. Single’s InfernoWith its warmth cast and understanding of the joy in mundane details of dating,

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Single’s Inferno, 12 gorgeous singles are sent to a remote island, called “inferno,” and given the chance to escape on dates with one another in “paradise,” a very nice hotel with room service and a pool. Contestants aren’t pressured to propose or stuck with gross plot twists, and they aren’t all fighting over one person. Instead they hang out, compete in silly challenges, and anonymously submit “paradise tickets” indicating who they’d like to go with. Compared with other reality dating shows available on platforms like Netflix, it lowers the stakes — trading shock value, ever-flowing alcohol, and handsy contestants for delightfully awkward flirting.

The atmosphere is more flexible Great British Bake Off than, say, Hell’s Kitchen. It’s a casual, more healthy version of the original. Bachelor in Paradise. Production is more humane. There are no finalists and plenty of tickets for paradise. And while it’s still selling a fantasy — contestants are hot and even “inferno” is gorgeous — it’s a much more low-key version of it.

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This show focuses on small, intimate moments like holding hands using only the tips and caring for others, such as bringing over cold water to warm someone or lighting a fire. It’s not a flaming pit of horny desire. Contestants try to be subtle about checking out their crush or admitting, “I’m curious about you.” And it doesn’t present rejection like a death sentence, even as it’s honest about the way rejection hurts. Moments of intimacy feel more genuine than the fake tension and grand gestures that other dating shows create.

This is all done without feeling boring. Single’s Inferno is still entertainingly absurd thanks to its hyperbolic idea of “inferno” and the constraints placed on contestants in terms of what they can and can’t talk about. Paradise may be a wonderful, dangling carrot but inferno can’t hurt. This set has less. SurvivorMore than a nice camping spot. Tents are set up on inflatable mattresses and contestants lie in them. There are many amenities scattered across the beautiful beach. These include lounging areas and an outdoor gym. Cooking from ingredients such as green onions, daikon and egg is required. Contestants also need water to fill a well. It is decidedly not a hellscape — the show’s intro bumper always calls it The world’s hottest fireball, which is only true if you’re thinking about how hot the contestants are.

It is, however, a kind of hellscape for awkward people (relatable; please send me to season 3), because contestants can’t talk about their age or profession when they’re at inferno — they’ll have to go to paradise to disclose that. To go to paradise, you must match up with another participant. To match, contestants of one gender put a “ticket” in the mailbox of the person they’d like to go with. To see if there is interest, contestants from the opposite gender go out one at a time and shout the name of their choice person. This creates anonymity and everyone can express their interest while not being too assertive. The viewer often has no idea who will match until they meet up, not to mention whether they’ll have chemistry on their date. Those who don’t match are stuck on inferno. (Which isn’t so bad; contestants have plenty of opportunities to match with different people.)

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However, it’s difficult to make new friends without having a stable job. Without professions to pad conversation, people fall back on talking about the island, who they are “curious” about, and what their hobbies are. Because they are all incredibly ripped, they basically all have the same “hobby,” working out, and default to talking about it. But you, the viewer, have learned about other parts of their life — and you get a strong sense of who might get along, if only they could figure out common subjects to talk about. It’s like eating at a restaurant and spying a very obvious first Hinge date happening at the table next to you, and really rooting for both people to get their act together.

Season 2’s cast are particularly awkward in finding things to discuss and hiding their anxiety. It doesn’t rush to make its contestants look sexy or fill awkward silences. But that’s also so much of what attraction boils down to — finding someone’s quirks adorable rather than annoying. There are many such moments in the show. Seo-eun found it funny that Yoongjae had a printed science report to read while on the beach. Jongwoo finds it hilarious that Seul-ki wants to visit paradise and Jong-woo offers Zinc to Seul-ki when she’s feeling tired.

The show also highlights these cute moments through cutaways to four commentators, who pick apart small details like glances and interactions or discuss whether a couple’s trip to paradise went well. When a contestant (who I won’t spoil) gets to paradise only to walk right into a full-length mirror thinking it’s another room, the four commentators discuss how adorable that gaff makes him. Other dating shows might not have made this scene for laughs. When another contestant isn’t chosen for paradise, he solemnly tells the camera he will work even harder to be chosen.

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Single’s InfernoFinally filled the space in my head. The BachelorI used to live. I watched nearly every iteration — The Bachelor, The BacheloretteAnd Single’s Inferno’s most direct comparison, Bachelor in Paradise — during the 2010s. It was a fun series that played up its absurdity by offering bingo cards and paired it with a game of drinking, which I enjoyed with my friends. But the show quickly went from “so bad it’s fun” to truly depressing. The basic premise used to be shocking: the contrast between conservative ideas around dating, like asking the father for permission to propose or being there for “the right reasons,” set against the show’s star dating dozens of people at once with the expectation of marrying one of them.

This show became less shocking and more focused on creating salaciousness. It was also in poor taste. These range from “twists” like men voting on which of two bachelorettes they’d rather date to even more morally gross territory, like a season arc around a bachelor’s virginity and Bachelor in Paradise’s fetishistic view of bisexual women in 2017. Season after season, the show’s abhorrent treatment of its Black cast (when Black contestants were cast at all) also became obvious and painful.

Single’s InfernoThis adds some humanity to an otherwise boring genre. The contestants aren’t quizzing each other on the purity of intention or drunkenly groping each other. There are many other things. Single’s Inferno everyone’s a little uncomfortable, but more or less collaborative in spirit — whether cooking together or trying to obsequiously gauge interest. It’s charming to watch people try their best to look cool and casual, and then admit to the camera: I’ll do my best to please anyone who is interested.. Plus, it doesn’t hurt that “paradise” looks nicer than Bachelor-style dates, which range from trauma bonding through skydiving to slow dancing in an empty restaurant while a country musician you’ve never heard of sings to you.

And unlike its peers, Single’s InfernoShe has a great knack of demonstrating how dating can turn the boring into something entertaining. In the same way that a close friend can make even a fleeting glance seem full of potential, she can also highlight the ways in which a casual encounter can transform into an exciting and fulfilling relationship. As with any reality television, I’m sure there is so much happening behind the scenes that viewers aren’t really privy to. This version of reality is more real than the shock and spectacle. (And Han-bin, if you are, for some reason, reading this… Hi.)

Single’s Inferno 2Available on Netflix Now New episodes drop on Tuesdays.