Whew. We’re five days in, but we still don’t seem to have a single guaranteed couple yet. With final decisions creeping closer, everyone on the island is getting much more honest about their feelings. (And that’s saying something, given that this season has introduced us to some of the most, uh, straightforward personalities in the Single’s Inferno franchise so far.) In this week’s episodes, most of our 12 singles are starting to make it pretty clear who their hearts are leaning toward, which creates room for jealousy and raises the stakes of the physical games. It can’t be fun to feel like your crush might be slowly becoming one-sided … but it is fun to watch that happen as a viewer. Sue me!
We’re picking up with last week’s villain, Gwan-hee. (Though I’m still a little irritated with Mr. 33 percent, I will say that I was amused when he posted a photo on Instagram of him watching the show and pretending to punch himself for not referring to the women by their names. At least he knows he was wrong.) He and Hye-seon admit in a one-on-one that they’re most attracted to each other. But Hye-seon still thinks both of them should stay curious about other connections. Gwan-hee seems to respect that but notes that his feelings might change if she goes to Paradise with someone else. Fair enough.
Hye-seon will have an opportunity to invite someone to Paradise thanks to a game of “Catch the Tail,†where the women compete to snatch off the hat and tail of their opponent. Gyu-ri, Si-eun, and Hye-seon each win a trip to Paradise (though Ha-jeong goes down kicking and screaming). Thanks to confessionals, we know that Min-woo’s on all three of their minds. The final match will determine who gets to pick him first. Gyu-ri scores a calm victory. In general, she gives off the same vibe as Miyeon from (G)I-DLE doing a boy group dance — no matter how intense the moves are, she never loses her smile or elegant demeanor. Hye-seon is left shocked on the ground, with Gwan-hee helpfully brushing twigs and leaves out of her hair.
Before the winners make their matches, there’s a short break for everyone to get in a couple of last chats. Min-young tries to cutely grill Jin-seok about his Paradise date with Min-ji, but he’s keeping a wall up. During their conversation, he pretends to row a boat that’s parked on the beach, which feels like an apt metaphor for where their relationship is now. Min-woo flirtily fixes Si-eun’s makeup, and he says he’s most curious about her. She essentially tells him that she wants to go to Paradise with him, but since she got third place, he might be picked before it’s her turn.
Si-eun later tells Hye-seon about her feelings for Min-woo, and her hopes to take him to Paradise. Hye-seon seems like enough of a girl’s girl that she might willingly step aside, but it unfortunately doesn’t matter, because Gyu-ri ends up picking Min-woo first. The timing is really not working out for Si-eun, who looks crushed. Hye-seon picks Won-ik, and Si-eun picks Min-kyu.
Meanwhile, Min-ji’s in a tough spot. The two guys she’s most interested in, Gwan-hee and Jin-seok, each have a bunch of existing baggage that predates her arrival on the island.
Gwan-hee accepts Ha-jeong’s apology — she’s sorry for getting carried away and being too harsh with her call-out — and tells her to forget the past, which seems to give her some hope. Of course, Min-ji doesn’t know any of that when she asks Gwan-hee for a tour of the island. (She’s also finally realized that he wasn’t the one who compared her to a Teletubby.) Gwan-hee and his blue-light-blocking sunglasses explain that he wasn’t planning to pursue Min-ji. But he’s surprised by how quickly he feels at ease with her and says in a confessional, once again, that he is open to a new connection.
Min-young is very obviously salty about Jin-seok’s Paradise date, so Min-ji takes advantage of a group conversation to try to get up to speed on everyone’s dynamic. Min-young says she doesn’t think her feelings for the person she likes will change, which feels pointed. Ha-bin says Ha-jeong is the most memorable, while she says she’s been wanting to go to Paradise with him for a while. Gwan-hee says his feelings have evolved past his three-way split. He’s pretty set on one person and plans to finally decide tomorrow on a choice that he’ll stick with until the end.
In a one-on-one, Min-ji tells Jin-seok that she’s a bit upset because he didn’t know he practically had a wife here. Jin-seok pushes back against that and later meets with Min-young to express that he’s not so sure about his feelings for her anymore. He doesn’t like feeling confused, and he doesn’t like people who confuse him. Because he feels like Min-young’s attitude toward him changed while he was gone, he wants to keep his options open.
Min-ji also isn’t happy about a comment Gwan-hee made in a group setting, suggesting that she asked multiple people if she made their hearts flutter but that he personally wasn’t swayed. He explains that he is actually attracted to her but just doesn’t really like to take the first step. Plus, he was sulking a little that she didn’t pick him for her Paradise date. In a confessional, he says she’s his ideal type and is the kind of person he’s been waiting for.
However, Ha-jeong interrupts Min-ji and Gwan-hee to make her own confession. She likes him the most and wants to go to Paradise with him. Ha-jeong even admits that she got mad before partly because she was jealous (which is a bit of a bummer — I remember feeling gratified specifically when she clarified that she was reprimanding him for his unsavory behavior, not out of jealousy). Gwan-hee says even if he doesn’t decide to choose her, he will let her know.
Later in the episode, Ha-jeong encourages both Min-young and Min-kyu to do more to win over their respective crushes. She’s really leaning into a “the truth will set you free†mentality, urging people not to leave with regrets. Perhaps because she’s done everything she could to appeal to Gwan-hee and make it clear that she wants him, Ha-jeong seems much more at peace.
So much has been going on in Inferno that I almost forgot that we still have Paradise dates. Hye-seon and Won-ik have little romantic chemistry over dinner. The most interesting part of their date is when she talks about feeling confused by Gwan-hee, so there’s that.
Our two models, Gyu-ri and Min-woo, are on a yacht at sunset. She confesses that she’s interested in him and not any of the other guys. Min-woo doesn’t quite match her energy — he still has Si-eun, after all — but the date definitely feels romantic, especially when he gently brushes some hair out of Gyu-ri’s face. They reflect on how they’re more comfortable with each other now, which has made the experience a lot more enjoyable than their first night together in Inferno. After a giggly pool date, they end the night with pillow talk in separate beds. Min-woo rolls around in a way that makes Gyu-ri call him cute. As for Si-eun and Min-kyu’s date? We don’t see them do anything beyond wondering what Min-woo and Gyu-ri are doing, so it seems like Si-eun just picked a friend who she knew could empathize with.
Everyone’s back in Inferno the next morning for Day 6, and the usual post-Paradise debriefs begin. None of the revelations are too shocking; the fact that Min-woo now feels torn between Gyu-ri and Si-eun, for example, is unsurprising. One notable exception is that several of the guys on the island were convinced that Hye-seon is head over heels for Won-ik. I’m as puzzled by this assessment as Gwan-hee is, especially considering that we got to see Hye-seon and Won-ik’s snooze of a date.
But the chats and theorizing will have to wait because it’s now time for the men to run an uphill race for a chance at a Paradise date. Unsurprisingly, pro athlete Gwan-hee wins with a substantial lead. Min-kyu does the Coast Guard proud by taking second. Despite his much less athletic job, Won-ik, the realtor, is close behind in third. (Jin-seok walks to the finish line because of his bad knees but remains in good enough spirits to wink at Min-young, who playfully complains about it in Min-ji’s earshot.)
Gwan-hee finds time to chat with Hye-seon, who confirms that she’s not really attracted to Won-ik and likes him more. He says that he’s most attracted to and most concerned about her. He’s no longer curious about Gyu-ri. For someone who’s been clear about his preference to be pursued, he’s been very active. But Hye-seon still suggests that he go to Paradise with Min-ji since there’ll be another night. She doesn’t want to be settled for because no one else is his type. Maybe she’s just really set on making that pool date prophecy come true?
Jin-seok directly lets Min-ji know he finds her attractive, while Si-eun subtly lets Won-ik know the opposite. Min-woo tells Gyu-ri he gets nervous around her, but still seems a little worried about her popularity. Gyu-ri plainly states that she’d rather stay in Inferno tonight. In keeping with the major theme of this batch of episodes, Min-woo reflects, “There’s not much time left. So I’m going to be more honest about my feelings now.†For her part, Gyu-ri makes herself clear by jokingly telling him not to “do anything funny†if she does end up having to go to Paradise.
Min-woo then asks to chat with Si-eun, but they’re unlucky once again. They barely have time to talk before it’s time to get ready for the next matching. It’s so frustrating that Si-eun is crying a little when she returns to her room.
We don’t get to find out who Gwan-hee, Min-kyu, and Won-ik picked yet, but the episode preview seems to indicate that Hye-seon, Min-ji, and Ha-jeong all end up in Paradise. We also see Jin-seok and Min-young having another serious talk while Min-woo appears to be getting ready to make a decision. Only two more weeks until the finale, friends! It’s getting real.