Season Four of the Korean gay dating reality show “His Man” is messy, quite staged and beyond your imagination!

The first thing that I want to make clear is that the version we are watching is a reshoot one, which means that the originally shot show was entirely scrapped. The reason being that one of the participants was problematic. So, the first version had eight contestants, alongside the guy who caused issues. But now, the new version has seven “returning participants” along with two brand-new contestants + one contestant from Season Two. It is an odd mix because the returning participants are well acquainted, they have a history of pursuing each other. It will be a test of time & patience for the new contestants though. The locales and settings are much grander than the earlier seasons, it’s on a whole different level, it piques your excitement. You will be left awestruck with the grandeur. Without further ado, let’s take a quick detour through His Man S4.

Before diving into the first review, let’s meet the eleven contestants who are competing to find their better halves!

Lee Hyeok Jin (21, Dancer)

Lee Hyun Jun (27, Club Manager)

Kim Han Gyeol (24, College Student)

Kim Su Min (32, Beauty Content Creator)

Inagaki Taichi (21, Ex-K-pop Trainee, Aspiring Actor)

Kim Sun Wook (25, Café Worker)

Eum Hyeok Jin (30, Model, Fashion Influencer, TikTok Creator)

Cho Yun Jae (28, Freelancer, House Rental Management)

Park Jae Ha (31, Dancer)

Lee Hyeong Jun

Oh Min Seong (26, Director, Dermatology Clinic)

Lee Hyeon Jun & Park Jae Ha

They are the “Breakup Couple”, which means that when the original version was shot, they ended up together. But then the production team decided to reshoot. While Jae Ha agreed to reshoot his portions again, Hyeon Jun was against it. They were already paired together, and he didn’t feel the need to join the crew again. Jae Ha wanted to use this show as a means to “Come out” to his family & friends. They had a back-and-forth discussion, mostly arguments and ended their relationship. For those who are wondering why Hyeon Jun is back? He wants to pursue a new love interest while Jae Ha is hellbent on reconciling with Hyeon Jun. He seems pretty confident, but Hyeon Jun wants absolutely nothing to do with him. I really want to watch the previously shot version where they met for the first time & fell in love, because it seems like they still have quite a lot of unresolved feelings.

The Rest of the Gang

☆ The biggest surprise or shock of this season is Oh Min Seong, the contestant from Season Two. For those who don’t remember him, Min Seong paired up with Hyeon Jin, who was another contestant in S2. He kept oscillating between Hyeon Jin & fellow participant, Hyeon Jun. In the end, Min Seong walked away with Hyeon Jin. Now, he is back saying that he is single. I’m not sure what kind of mayhem he will create in this season, given his unsure nature.

☆ Han Gyeol, one of the new contestants, is quite popular. Currently, there are four people vying for his attention- his roommate Taichi, Eum Hyeok Jin, Hyeong Jun & Lee Hyeok Jin. Lee Hyeok Jin also likes Hyun Jun; he seems to have pursued him in the first shoot. Han Gyeol & Taichi seem to have mutual feelings, but it could change.

☆ Returning contestant Kim Su Min seems to have a strong affection for Kim Sun Wook, who has feelings for Hyun Jun. Hyun Jun seems interested in his roommate, Cho Yun Jae & Kim Sun Wook. The fourth episode ends with Su Min confessing his feelings to Sun Wook, who promises to give him a chance.

First Impressions

This season is a whole different level of mess, as I still don’t know what is going on with the contestants!

Also, we have eliminations! Yes, you heard it right!

The problem with this season is that the returning contestants seem to have decisive pairings, but we don’t know their backstory, which is frustrating. We are completely in the dark about what made them click when they shot for the original version. The returning contestants know each other well and even though there is some inconsistent rivalry between them, they mostly seem friendly. The new contestants feel different levels of awkwardness when faced with their camaraderie. I’m not saying this chaotic situation is uninteresting, it is entertaining; but also unusually confusing. Watch this show at your own risk!

Rating- 3.5 out of 5

Streaming on- IQIYI/Viki