A weird amalgamation of a dating show which was used for casting purposes or was it the other way around?

After you get done watching the odd 12 episodes, you are left with the question- “What did I watch? Was it a dating show? Were they trying to choose a cast for their next BL project? What exactly happened here?”. We have an odd bunch of self- proclaimed “Aunty Squad” who are supposedly experts on BL culture (or not, most of the times, they sound like avid squealing BL shippers or fudanshi’s in the literal sense). Tagging along are our crew of eight contestants vying for their one shot at stardom. Joining this crazy crew are industry stalwarts who waltz in as their trainers. This show had some unique concepts unseen before. But then the whole premise is new, I have never been privy to the casting process and it was refreshing to watch a show focus on the technicalities.

Before we dwell into the mechanics of this show, let’s talk about the contestants first.

☆ Adson Liao is a Taiwanese actor and model under Eeleen Entertainment who has participated in the idol-making reality show “The Next Big Star”.

☆ Guei/Kao Hsv Wai is a Taiwanese singer. In 2022, he became a contestant on Atom Boyz. He was a member of Uranus, which finished first. Uranus debuted as U:NUS on January 1, 2023.

☆ Chris Hsu is a Taiwanese model.

☆ Chen Chien Yu is a Taiwanese model. He was the representative for Mister Universe Tourism 2024 and won the competition.

☆ Robert Hung is a Taiwanese model and Youtuber.

☆ Yi Gao is a Canadian Youtuber, actor and model who was born in China and moved to Canada when he was young. He used to work as a nurse in Canada until he moved to Thailand to pursue his acting and modeling career. He used to be the representative of Canada for Mister Global 2023.

☆ Pink Fu is a Taiwanese model.

☆ Fumi is a Taiwanese model who is majored in Psychology.

Joining them offscreen are our eccentric group of “Auntie Squad”, they represent hardcore shippers/fudanshi/fujoshi.

☆ Ah Ben is a Taiwanese singer, screenwriter, actor, and TV host. He is the former leader and guitarist of the Taiwanese boy-band Choc7.

☆ Chu Meng Hsuan is a Taiwanese actor.

☆ Kimi Hsia is a Taiwanese actress. She made her acting debut in the television drama “Ma La Gao Xiao Sheng” in 2002.

☆ “Poom” Phuripan Sapsangsawat, born in Bangkok, Thailand, is an actor under Channel 8 (ช่อง 8). In 2019, Poom made his acting debut in the series “Winyan Phitsawong” ( วิญญาณพิศวง). In 2023, he went on to win the Outstanding Rising Star award at both the 8th Golden Kinnaree Awards and the 11th Phikhanesuan Awards for his work on “Mongkut Karma” (มงกุฎกรรม). The next year, he won the Popular Acting Couple award at the Thailand Digital Awards 2024 for his role in the series “My Stand-In” (ตัวนาย ตัวแทน) paired with Up Poompat.

☆ Niki is a popular YouTuber, founder of the Chinese global brand, Blue Lady and is passionate about BL dramas.

Alongside the Auntie Squad, the show had three guest members who appear in different episodes and act as mentors to the contestants.

☆ Wayne Song, born in Taichung, is a Taiwanese actor. He became immensely popular after starring as the main lead in “HIStory3- Make Our Days Count”.

☆ Chu Kam Yin is a Hong Kong male swimmer and actor. In 2016, he starred in the online version of ” Infernal Affairs”. In 2017, he starred in the online movie “The Forgotten”.

☆ Nattapol Diloknawarit, nicknamed Max, is a Thai actor born in Bangkok, Thailand. He debuted as an actor in the popular series “Bad Romance” (2016). Since then, he has been consistently paired in quite a few BL dramas like “Together with Me”, “Together with Me: The Next Chapter”, “Bangkok Love Stories 2: Innocence” and “Manner of Death”.

The Most Popular Couple Who Failed To Make The Mark

Robert Hung was the last wildcard entry in this show. Starting from becoming roommates, Chien Yu and Robert fast grew closer. They were first teamed together alongside Kevin Chu in a short art clip and their chemistry was off-the-charts. Even offscreen, their camaraderie was endearing. So much so, that Poom shipped them ardently. Everything was fine until the penultimate episodes where they were separated. After that brief interlude, Robert seemed distant and in the end on the last day, he rejected Chien Yu’s confession. Pretty sure, hearts were broken; especially Poom because he was their biggest shipper!

The Couple Everyone Shipped But They Didn’t Choose Each Other

Guei has a straightforward personality while Pink is quite introverted. They were paired in a short art clip alongside Adson. The emotional wavelength gave a vivid sense of their beautiful chemistry and their pairing was hit. Also, Guei seemed to care a lot about Pink. The “Auntie Squad” secretly shipped these two; unfortunately on the last day, even though Furi choose Pink, Pink didn’t reciprocate. He instead chose Yi and their pairing failed phenomenally.

The Couple Who Were an Instant Hit & Won the Crown

Adson & Yi grew closer because of the lingual barriers faced by Yi. His Mandarin isn’t that good so Adson would help with the translation. They were first paired together in the short clip “Perfect Pitch”. Adson’s comic sense pairs well with Yi’s charming personality. They bonded well offscreen and were the fan favorites. Despite that, Yi chose to interact with other contestants because he wanted to test his acting abilities. But in the end, he reverted back to Adson, because they truly compliment each other. A pairing worth exploring indeed (you will understand if you witness their hot kiss in the ending preview).

Final Thoughts

The show is addictive, despite it’s odd and uneven pacing. The editing is choppy in some places. Also, the entire Auntie Squad is made of Taiwanese idols except for Poom. It seemed like a one way conversation between those four with Poom on the on skirts because he has to wait for the interpreter machine to translate what they are saying. In the initial episodes, his discomfort was obvious, I wish they had added another Thai actor to the mix. Also, the fine line between casting and dating keeps blurring. People were shipping their favorite couples instead of focusing on their acting talents. I’m not sure if Adson & Yi will actually star in any drama, unless they are signed by Line TV or VBL. The show format leaves a lot of “What-if” and a hell lot to be desired!

Rating- 3 out of 5

Streaming on- IQIYI