Why TVING Put Dating in the Bleachers: Lee Gi-yeon and the Hosts of 〈Wonsu-neun Oeya-seok-eseo♥〉

Baseball and dating, two of South Korea’s biggest obsessions right now, have been brought together. The genre of Korean dating shows — which has evolved from remote islands to unfamiliar travel spots, from sibling duets to programs pairing people who have never dated before — has reached another iteration.

Dating reality shows reflect young people’s desires and social trends with sharpness and candor. Beyond the traditional observation format — men and women sharing a house for days and exchanging feelings — contemporary dating shows have pushed boundaries: gathering exes together, blurring gender lines and foregrounding conflicts between money and love. In the fall of 2026, riding the zeitgeist of “meetings based on shared tastes,” TVING’s original 〈Wonsu-neun Oeya-seok-eseo♥〉 demonstrates a new stage in the evolution of so-called K-dating shows.

TVING’s original dating reality show 〈Wonsu-neun Oeya-seok-eseo♥〉, whose first episode premiered on the 14th of last month, borrows the familiar Korean dating-show format and puts a new spin on it. Men and women who support opposing teams meet for blind dates in the outfield seats of an actual professional baseball stadium; when the game ends, they make a final choice. Midgame, a third participant billed as a “catfish” may join the pair, creating a love triangle. A new participant appears each episode, and everything — from meeting to the final decision — is resolved within the span of a single game: sometimes as long as five hours, sometimes as short as three.

The thrill of “live”: broadcasting a blind date from the commentary booth

What most clearly sets 〈Wonsu-neun Oeya-seok-eseo♥〉 apart from other dating shows is where the hosts sit. The program’s MCs are not in a studio; they sit in the stadium commentary booth and call the blind-date action in the outfield seats in real time. When I met PD Lee Gi-yeon and MCs Lee Yong-jin, Hwang Jae-kyun and Jung Ye-in on the 7th at a location in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, all four pointed to that “live” quality as the show’s defining difference. PD Lee Gi-yeon said, “What we least wanted to give up was filming live from the commentary booth,” and added, “It’s a method we’d never tried before, so it took a lot of time to realize, and it also took a lot of time to coordinate with every KBO team.” Lee Yong-jin, who has long been a regular panelist on Hwanseung Yeonae, said, “On that show we watched edited footage and commented on it for years, but watching something live feels completely different. The cheers in the ballpark are so loud that you sometimes can’t hear the participants’ voices, but it makes you try not to miss a single line. You find yourself paying intense attention to whether someone is flirting to win a season ticket or genuinely trying to meet someone new.” Jung Ye-in also said, “Rather than watching a finished edit, we go to the ballpark and watch the game with the participants. That brings many variable points that become part of the fun.”

Choosing a one-game showdown over long story arcs

A new participant appears in every episode of 〈Wonsu-neun Oeya-seok-eseo♥〉. On that format, MC Lee Yong-jin said, “The appeal is that the meeting and the decision are all contained within one day, within one episode. People talk about the short-form era these days. The fact that you can satisfy curiosity right away is a huge advantage.” He added, “Dating shows are fun when you follow long arcs for the contestants, but for viewers who prefer shorter formats, this might be a tailor-made dating program.”

The one-game format works because dating itself has changed. Recently, rotation blind dates, taste-based blind dates and blind dates among baseball fans have spread like trends. Instead of spending a long time getting to know each other, people increasingly meet others who already like the same things and quickly check for chemistry. Lee Yong-jin said, “The other day I saw a blind-date concept at a gym: people show up in workout clothes, and if their first impression is good, they work out together. These days it seems advantageous to meet someone with whom you can share a hobby right away. A blind-date couple already sharing a hobby is a major commonality.” The PD added, “The sparks fly much faster than we expected. We were surprised.” He went on, “In the past people might have worried, ‘What if that person doesn’t choose me?’ But people these days don’t seem to care. If I like this person, I’ll confess and show it.” Lee Yong-jin joked that, “Because filming follows a baseball game so closely, contestants seem more proactive about showing their charms. Feelings that might emerge around episode five on Hwanseung Yeonae can come out in just two innings here,” drawing laughter from the group.

Season ticket or love?

The blind dates take place in the outfield seats where first and third base meet — a buffer zone where home-team fans and visiting-team fans come together. PD Lee Gi-yeon, who worked on shows such as You Quiz on the Block, said, “Watching baseball broadcasts, I found it amusing to see couples cheering for different teams.” She added, “When I worked with director Jang Hang-joon and writer Kim Eun-hee on another program, their LG-Doosan fan chemistry was incredibly entertaining,” explaining what inspired the idea of pairing fans of rival teams.

Tension in the rivalry is heightened by the “season ticket.” In 〈Wonsu-neun Oeya-seok-eseo♥〉, if both people choose each other they become a couple, but if only one person chooses the other, the person who is chosen receives a home-game season ticket. Why reward a unilateral choice rather than just a successful pairing? The PD explained, “On a blind date you decide at a glance whether someone appeals to you. We thought about ways to design the format so people couldn’t hide their feelings. If you don’t make a match but someone chooses you and you get that chooser’s season ticket, it should discourage people from pretending to be interested until the end. It’s a concept that came from doing a blind date in a ballpark with a small number of people.”

Turning weather delays into advantages: baseball and dating both fight variables

Neither baseball games nor blind dates follow a script. Lee Yong-jin picked game length as the biggest variable. He said, “When a game ends suddenly, you can feel the contestants get flustered: ‘What do we do now, there are only two outs left?’ Sometimes they have to make a choice without finishing their wrap-up. That, too, is part of the intended design.” One-sided games can also create interesting scenes. Hwang Jae-kyun said, “You see contestants feel disappointed over a pitch, then excited, then sad, then elated — their emotions play out in real time. When a one-sided game happens, the fan of the losing team will suddenly say, ‘Screw it,’ and start cheering for the other side,” noting the charm of variable-filled blind dates.

Weather is another variable. The PD recalled, “During filming in Daegu it rained and we worried the game would be called off, but instead a male contestant wiped a seat and created a romantic moment; they shared an umbrella and talked. Using what’s there feels like the show’s strength.” Lee Yong-jin added, “Recently, one contestant got really drunk on beer. That will appear on the broadcast,” he teased.

The courage to swing even if you strike out

How are baseball and dating alike? The four offered different answers. Jung Ye-in summed it up with, “It’s not over until it’s over.” She said, “You never know where someone’s choice will land, and a baseball game’s unpredictability until the last pitch is its appeal. I think those elements touch each other.” Hwang Jae-kyun, who has experienced many comebacks on the field, focused on dramatic score reversals. “Baseball is a sport where, even down by five or six runs, a single opportunity can flip the game,” he said. “A blind date scene can suddenly turn in the same way.” PD Lee Gi-yeon highlighted strategic timing: “Watching blind dates, you see contestants calculate the right moment to make a move. Timing matters in love, and knowing when to make your play is critical — that really resembles baseball.”

Lee Yong-jin’s answer was “the swing.” He said, “If you never swing the bat, it means nothing. Even if you swing and strike out, or you don’t get chosen, the courage to swing closely resembles blind-dating.” His advice to those dreaming of a season-two appearance followed the same logic: “If you come to find love, the time is shorter than you think. A baseball game ends quickly, so you should give it your all.”

The next inning for 〈Wonsu-neun Oeya-seok-eseo♥〉

With a steady response, expectations for the next season have grown. The PD said, “The chemistry is great and it’s so much fun that I’m really sad the season will end. I’d like to discuss season two with TVING.” She added, “I’ve heard there are talks about developing this rival-format IP for overseas markets, potentially expanding it to other rival sports like American football.”

On what to watch for in the remaining episodes, the PD said, “Each episode brings contestants with a very different feel. As the season progresses, the baseball fever heats up and the contestants ride that energy. We were lucky enough to film on the day KT secured first place, and the KT fan’s energy was amazing.” On the evening of the interview, PD Lee Gi-yeon and the three MCs headed to Gocheok Sky Dome to shoot the final, eighth episode.

The TVING original 〈Wonsu-neun Oeya-seok-eseo♥〉 has released four episodes so far and is an eight-episode series.