There’s no denying that Single’s Inferno is the hottest Korean dating show on Netflix. Its success even led to a second season that wrapped up earlier this year, which was equally as hyped from fans all around the world.
This Summer 2023, Netflix Korea is treating fans to a fresh take — a new dating show called Nineteen To Twenty, featuring a group of teens born in 2004. Fun fact: this show is also created by the same producer of Single’s Inferno, Kim Jae Won, so we’re already expecting more exciting and swoon-worthy scenes to come.
Nineteen To Twenty is a documentary-reality show featuring a cast enrolled in a school known as “Nineteen School” during the last week of December, aka their last moments as teenagers.
Here, the students attend special classes on how to become adults. The most interesting rule of this dating show? No dating is allowed in school.
The teaser kicks off with a male and female contestant arranging polaroid photos side by side, while a voiceover speaks, “it’s normal to want to do what’s forbidden.” This hints at a budding romance between the two, yet they are unable to act upon their feelings due to the “no dating” rule.
All of the contestants also appear to be wearing a navy blue school uniform to further emphasise the school-like setting of the show. The teaser also showcases a heart-fluttering scene of a female contestant gently applying makeup onto a male contestant’s face.
It seems like besides attending classes together, the contestants will also have to go through Physical Education — another compulsory school subject. Viewers might be especially curious about this scene where a female contestant is holding onto a male contestant’s shirt while playing a game.
A female voiceover shares, “I only saw him as a friend, but…” hinting at another possible couple on the show.
The students also appear to be treated to a unique field trip at the amusement park, as the teaser shows a ferris wheel scene with a gorgeous sunset as its backdrop.
A voiceover pops up during this romantic scene, with a male contestant confessing, “you’re the closest girl to my ideal type.”
FYI, turning 20 years old in Korea is kind of a big deal. Koreans celebrate Coming-Of-Age-Day in that year, which is a rite of passage to adulthood.
After 1 January, the cast members will then graduate from “Nineteen School” and interact as 20-year-olds in “Twenty House”. All of them will live in this house together for a week, and fans can watch them learn and navigate through the process of becoming legal adults.
The teaser ends off with a voiceover saying, “when we turn 20, we’ll meet again as adults”, leaving viewers curious to see if there will be any drastic changes when the contestants move to “Twenty House”.
While the full cast has not been released yet, the emcees of the show have already been revealed on Netflix. Fans can expect to see Super Junior’s Kyuhyun (left) once again, who was previously an emcee on Single’s Inferno Season 2.
Fellow K-pop singer, AKMU’s Lee Su Hyun (right), will also be hosting alongside Kyuhyun. The other two notable emcees are Jeong Se Woon, a contestant from the reality show Produce 101 Season 2, and actress Kim Ji Eun.
In case it wasn’t obvious enough, Nineteen To Twenty represents the age of the cast members who will all be turning 20 years old together.
For those who are on the hunt for a new dating show to binge watch, perhaps it’s time to switch on the notification bell for when Nineteen To Twenty drops on Netflix. We’re keeping our eyes peeled for more fun games, juicy dramas, and of course, potential romance between these young contestants.
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