According to Nielsen Korea, the May 13th broadcast of the ENA and SBS Plus reality dating show 'I Am Solo' recorded an average viewership rating of 4.3% (combined ENA and SBS Plus figures for paid households in the metropolitan area), with a peak rating of 4.94% per minute. This result marks the show's highest ratings of the year. Notably, it ranked first among all programs aired on Wednesday in the 'Male and Female 2049' target demographic—a key metric for advertisers—with a 2.8% rating, proving its unrivaled popularity.
The highlight of the episode was the emotional whirlwind that followed the 'Super Date Ticket' mission. Sunja, who won the race mission after a close finish with Young-sook, was soon deeply hurt by Gyeong-su's attitude. Feeling jealous as she watched Gyeong-su take care of the injured Young-sook, Sunja burst into tears, saying, "It feels like my struggles are piling up like layers of lasagna."
The subtle psychological warfare within the living quarters was also intense. Young-sook expressed baseless suspicions about her fall during the race, claiming, "I think someone tripped me," while Ok-soon, Jeong-hee, and others created an atmosphere that seemed to alienate Sunja, stating, "Young-sook is our number one." After overhearing this from the next room, Sunja was hurt once again and complained of abdominal pain caused by stress.
To make matters worse, Gyeong-su approached Sunja to ask her to "use the Super Date Ticket on me," while simultaneously implying that he would use his own ticket on Young-sook, which caused Sunja's pent-up frustration to explode. Overwhelmed by her emotions, Sunja suffered severe gastric spasms and was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance in a shocking turn of events. Feeling guilty, Gyeong-su called Young-sook and retracted his plan to use his date ticket on her, saying, "I need to focus on one person (Sunja)," which in turn provoked Young-sook's jealousy.
Meanwhile, the pursuit of Young-ja by the male contestants intensified. Young-cheol, Young-soo, and Gwang-soo each approached Young-ja at 10-minute intervals to express their interest, ushering in the 'Young-ja Golden Age.' On the other hand, Young-sik showed indecisiveness between Jeong-hee and Jeong-sook, triggering Jeong-hee's anger and raising curiosity about future relationship shifts.
'I Am Solo,' which has become the center of attention by breaking its own record for the year, will air on ENA and SBS Plus on May 20th at 10:30 PM.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)