Review: The Romantic and Idol Season 2 Finale

It's been one heck of an interesting second season and finally it came down to this. What happened with the quadrangle that was Minhyuk, Yewon, Jonghun and Jiwon?

After a brief tease at the beginning of all the idols at the airport waiting to go back to Seoul, the show got into the final day.

Before the final selections, each idol could go on a free (as long as agreed upon mutually) date with a person of their choice. Here's the pairings:

Minhyuk and Jiwon (They got paired up first)
Kevin was a no show (He had to go back to Seoul for a "schedule")
G.Na and Eunyoung were paired with N
Jonghun and Yewon

Jonghun and Yewon
Jonghun is up pretty much up at the crack of dawn for his date with Yewon. Of course he would want to spend as much time as he could with her! But Yewon is late. Seriously late. She keeps him waiting for about an hour and a half. When she finally does appear, she asks him if he's been waiting long. And he responds that he's only been waiting for an hour and a half! Whether he was exaggerating or not, we'll never know. But oh my god....how insensitive of Yewon in the first place.

They finally set off on bikes and head into town where they visit a cute little cafe that overlooks the ocean. There they sit down at a little cafe and enjoy the view of the sparkling ocean in front of them. After they enjoy a little drink and some additional primping on Yewon's part, they went outside to take couple photos at a little stone wall overlooking the ocean. Soon after they take off on scooters to a lighthouse. If you've ever seen "Heartstrings"/"You've Fallen For Me" starring Jung Yong Hwa of CNBlue and Park Shin Hye, you'll recognize this is the same lighthouse from episode 1.

The Threesome, G.Na, N and Eunyoung
Since Kevin had to return to Seoul for a performance/appearance, these three were stuck together. Seems like they didn't want to stay home, so they ended up going to a museum to kill some time. Then they sit down at a cafe and start a bit of grilling on Eunyoung's interviewing skills. Cut to Eunyoung's interview with the PD's where she says that if N were not to choose her, if she ever saw him again, she wouldn't acknowledge him. And she would say she wanted Vixx's Ken to come on the show instead.

Minhyuk and Jiwon
Out of all the couples, I must say that Minhyuk and Jiwon looked like they were having a blast together. They went out to what looked like a ranch and spent time horseback riding and talking in the meadows. Jiwon is curious about Minhyuk's feelings and he admits that he told Yewon the night before that his feelings had changed a bit in the past couple of days. Both felt that Yewon was just as confused as Minhyuk was about their feelings. Minhyuk is confident that Yewon will pick him and he feels that he should just go where his heart leads him in the end.

Jiwon is still confused as well. She has a tough decision between N and Minhyuk. One makes her feel like they are just siblings, the other seems more of a grown man to her that she can relate to.

FINAL SELECTION DAY
As the group heads into final selections, tensions are high. It's the moment of truth, that everyone has been waiting for....

First up is...G.Na. (Oo boy...)
As the four men come up to her out of all of them G.Na looks nervous not wanting to look at them. Jonghun looks pensive like he's about to puke.

As the PD's countdown ends, one by one the men leave. But....Jonghun hesitated? And...it's only for a moment as he turns away regretfully. G.Na is stunned. She began to cry silently and says that the show really is cruel.

Next is Eunyoung
As all four men near her you can see the look of surprise on her face when she sees all four. Then the countdown begins. And at the end, as with G.Na, all the men turn to leave. But, sweetie Kevin turns back and gives Eunyoung a hug. Now that's a man!

We're finally left with the two young maidens who most of the men we're vying for.

Yewon is first.
At the end of the countdown Jonghun and Minhyuk are the only ones left. Not surprising. She asks them both what it was about her that they found so interesting. Jonghun is honest and said from the moment her first laid eyes on her, it was only her and no one else. Minhyuk agreed that even though they had their uncomfortable moments, he still felt attracted to her.

As the PD's push Yewon to make a decision, she haltingly walks towards...Minhyuk. Jonghun stands on the side with his face turned away, his jaw set in a hard line. I will never forget that look. It was such a look of hurt, and yet, you could see his pride in tatters in the expression on his face.

As Minhyuk and Yewon embraced, Jonghun walked silently away.

Jiwon is the last one and as two men come up to her she is obviously disappointed not to see Minyuk. And at the end of the countdown....she shakes both of their hands and decides not to choose either N or Kevin. Ouch.

As they all gather back at the bus, all greet Minhyuk and Yewon with cheers and applause. All except for Jonghun who is already sitting on the bus by himself. At least one couple paired up.

My take on this show/season...meh..

It was excruciating to watch. I am an FT Island fan, and it was hard for me to watch Jonghun go through the dating process. Even though I am already taken, I was still caught up in the melodrama of fangirling. I hoped he would find someone he liked. I truly wanted him to be happy. But I hated the fact that he seemed to end up wasting his time on Yewon who didn't return his affections. I also felt he could have been more...understanding and flexible. He didn't really seem to care about other people's feelings at times, and that was hard to watch. I understand that he was just trying to be true to his heart, but sometimes the heart has to remain open.

I felt bad for G.Na and Eunyoung. Both left their hearts out in the open. And both were rejected.

I wished Kevin threw himself into the experience more despite all the little pairings.

And as for the Jonghun/Minhyuk/G.Na/Yewon/Jiwon pentatrangle, what a mess. I was really rooting for Minhyuk and Jiwon because they looked so cute together. They seemed to match personalities. Yewon I just found dang irritating. Who forces someone to do aegyo when they're not comfortable?

Well, at least someone paired up...

Hope you enjoyed reading my reviews! Sorry this one was so late. I had a hard time writing this up. And I was also really sick the past couple of weeks.

With that, I hope you enjoyed the videos on this post. I felt it really suited the theme well. Remember, I don't own them, all rights go to the owners.

If you want to see the season in full, dramacrazy.net has this and the first season.

Keep coming back to read my blog, thank you for your support!

Updated Review: The Romantic and Idol Season 2 Episode 6

Idol G.Na and FT Island's Choi Jong Hun on their first date on the Romantic and Idol Season 2

(Sorry, I mislabeled the episode I was reviewing. It should be #6.)

We're winding down on the 2nd season of what is turning out to be an very, very, interesting season 2.

When the show opens, a quick rundown of how the couples were paired up for the song shuffle is shown. Then we come back to N's choice for the song shuffle, Jiwon or Eunyoung. And since N hasn't really had the chance to talk to her, and perhaps he is hinting his feelings, he chooses Jiwon over Eunyoung. Poor Eunyoung is left alone. And she begins to cry. She's smiling and still stomping her feet, jumping around and pointing, at least.

Cut to the awkward pairs of Minhyuk/Yewon and Jonghun/G.Na. As they cruise at a stone wall overlooking the ocean, they contemplate what they would like to do next. After a bit more awkwardness, the two pairs part ways to go on their moonlight dates. (without any staff!)

Minhyuk/Yewon
When asked how they were feeling the day before the selection, Minhyuk responded that it was "strange" which Yewon translated to mean that he felt "unsure".

As they ride off to their destination, Minhyuk casually asks how Yewon's date with Jonghun went. She responds that it went "ok" they just walked through the forest. Minhyuk offers that his date went well. It was fun riding carts. After hearing this, Yewon doesn't look so good. (Meaning she looked slightly upset.) Minhyuk tried to make light conversation and asked Yewon what she wanted to eat, but it wasn't working. She was very quiet.

Soon after, they arrive at the cafe they will be having their date at, which coincidentally happens to be the same cafe that Jonghun and G.Na had their date at the day before. They both sit down at a table and discuss their day together. Minhyuk was curious to know if Yewon had fun on her date, especially because "it wasn't me"? Yewon looks a little surprised at that and tells him he shouldn't say stuff like that and admits she doesn't really know what he's thinking of or his feelings. The conversation takes on a more serious tone as Yewon truthfully says that she came on the show to be "real". Go on the dates, experience dating with a sincere heart. She slightly admonishes Minhyuk that he should be doing the same and not thing about what other people may think. After all, they are normal people. Yewon later asks him what if he were to meet a woman who was in her 30's and cute? And Minhyuk jokingly threw back "why, are you worried?" making Yewon smile. He tells her, "then she's just cute", to which Yewon throws back at him, "I'm not JUST cute." Rowr...nope, she's saying she's got brains too Minhyuk! (I think I understood this correctly. Correct me if I am wrong, the subtitles were a little off at this point.) Yewon was curious at how he viewed himself and asked him if he thought he was cute? Hmm, well dear...he keeps on checking his hair every 2 minutes in the camera. What do you think? And of course, to no surprise, he admits that he thinks that he's very cute. LOL!

Jonghun/G.Na
Oh these two...fate has thrown them together again. You really gotta wonder how cruel fate can be. It's obvious that G.Na is uncomfortable knowing that Jonghun wanted to be with Yewon. And it must've been torture for Jonghun at not being with Yewon, yet confusing because he has started to see G.Na in a different light.

They spent their date at a restaurant where they have decided to have what looks like dinner. And what's for dinner? It looks like it's shabu shabu or hot pot! I was really interested in their date because it seemed like Jonghun was very confused at the end of the last episode.

Despite the fact that Jonghun started to eat first (a no no in most cultures, and come on, he only ate some rice I think) he stops as soon as the food seems to be cooked and begins to serve his noona, G.Na. He even cut up meat and octopus and kept on putting more and more food on her plate making sure she has a good dinner. To me, this is romantic. He looked every attentive with her, which she may or may not have noticed. Jonghun gets a little weird on their date by showing his "snake". Now, I didn't see any, so I think the translation was just a little funky. But he does try to make some funny faces using the steam from the teapot which G.Na finds odd, but it brings a smile to her face.


N/Jiwon
In a surprising turn of events, N has picked Jiwon for their night date. They had their date at a fancy restaurant where one eats steak in a sort of demi glace sauce. Here N answers Jiwon's question of what his most memorable experience on Jeju had been. He answers truthfully that it was at the carts when he got to know her a little better. He began to realize that he was happy with her. And that's pretty much how the conversation went because they turn off their camera to have a private conversation. (Argh! Seriously, could they even do that?)

Kevin/Eunyoung (the leftovers, sorry, I know that was mean.)
As they mulled over coffee (Kevin with his hot and Eunyoung with her iced), Eunyoung fears that N would turn to Jiwon instead of her. But Kevin tried to be optimistic but reminding her that Jiwon could still turn to Minhyuk instead, which didn't seem as reassuring. Honestly, that would leave N in limbo and I don't know if Eunyoung felt comfortable with that.


Then....the mission comes in. A moonlight piggy back ride!


The couples are respond with surprise and aghast, the women especially. What was really funny was G.Na's reaction.

She didn't want to see the mission video in fear that she would get indigestion. Yup, she was uncomfortable! Jonghun lets her know that it's a piggy back ride and she was all "oh my god, no way!" She tells him that, she tells the producers that. She tells the camera that she did the forehead mission so she will do the carrying. Um...yeah, right. She questions Jonghun whether or not he can even lift her. She says that she's so heavy that she will break him in half. Jonghun assures her, and tells her to trust him. She fires back that she's heavy and that he doesn't look like he works out. Oh hell no...the look that Jonghun gives her was a "are you seriously kidding me? Did you not see my arms?" kind of look. Of course he works out! He's been doing that nonstop since last year! LOL. Well, she wouldn't know that or course, she's not a huge fan, but all the Pri's out there know very well he loves to work out. But, it was ON! Jonghun takes her to a batting cage and has her film him doing all of these strength games like a punching game and whack a mole just to show that he is more than strong enough to carry her. Jonghun can carry me if he wants too! Lol. In the end, G.Na is hesitant, but gets on for the ride. All right!

Jiwon gets piggy backed by N, who seems to be really comfortable carrying her. He made it look so easy as he walked with her through a Christmas lit path in a park.

Yewon is piggy backed by Minhyuk, who out of the three, is the only one that seemed to struggle. I dunno if it was because Yewon kept slipping off, or...yeah...But anyways, he was definitely huffing and puffing at the end. =P


Going on to midnight the idols sit down for individual interviews and are asked if they have decided who they will select. Minhyuk admits that he is indecisive between Yewon and Jiwon.


Midnight comes and it is time for the confession room! Each person picks the person that they would like to confess to, apologize to, or confirm feelings with.They are given 3 minutes and the only rule is that they have to be completely honest with each other.


Up first is Minhyuk and he chooses Jiwon. She's shy and happy that he picked her. (Man the look on Yewon's face was sour!)

He's curious as to why she picked him at the mid-selection. She says that she was deliberating between two people that she crushes on. But one felt more like a younger brother (N) while he looked more like her ideal type. However, he still made her uncomfortable. To this, making it even more uncomfortable, Jiwon admits to him that he was her first choice at mid-selection, but she hadn't spent that much time with him yet. Oh snap! Yewon better watch out! And before they knew it, the 3 minutes were up.

Next was Kevin, and he also wants to say something to Jiwon so she goes back to the confession room. He was completely honest in saying that during the little time they spent together, he enjoyed her company, and he was happy with her. Oh Jiwon, another one? She doesn't say it then and there, but in an interview before midnight she confesses that she is still deciding between N and Minhyuk.

N volunteers to go next and, as Eunyoung looks on with expectant nervousness,  he surprises everyone by picking "G.Na noona". Well alrighty then!

They head into the room and N straightaway tells her the reason why he brought her in there...to find out more about what type of woman Jiwon is. G.Na squeals in excitement and happiness! She was so cute here. And tucks her knees under her begins to dish. She tells him that Jiwon is not a routine person. She can be one way one day and another way the next. Kinda implying that she goes by her feelings. You can never tell if she will go or stay. N is grateful for the insight.

The first girl goes next, and it is Jiwon, who picks Minhyuk to talk to in the room. She wonders how he's feeling and if his feelings had changed. He admits that he's still confused. He had actually wanted to re-film his mid-selection video, but didn't. Not that he didn't want to, but there didn't seem the time to and he was still confused. He admits being attracted to her and that he did like Yewon more initially, but after talking with her that day, he is even more confused than ever. He is awkward around her, but not in a bad way, he kind of liked it.

In the end, Minhyuk will just follow his heart.


(The episode cuts to their free date where they finally got to spend time together.)


G.Na is next for the girls and she picks Jonghun of course. What followed was a very one-sided conversation with G.Na doing all of the talking. Jonghun couldn't even get a word in edge wise. She lets him know that she didn't feel very happy at mid-selections. But she believed that he was mature and sincere and so that's why she stuck with him till the end. She thought that in these situations feelings may change, and although she wasn't sure of his feelings, she wanted to let him know how she felt. (She was so nervous everything just came out in a big jumble.)

Unknown to her though, in his confession earlier with the PD's, Jonghun confessed that he was now torn between Yewon and G.Na. Whoa...

But Jonghun ends up speaking with Yewon in the confession room, and not G.Na. What followed is what I thought was the most frustrating because instead of confessing to her, he unloads all of his frustrations and regrets on her not sticking around long enough to hear his song during the song shuffle. He rants that he played the song twice while they were in the car coming back from their date in the forest and he was hoping she would hear it, remember it was him and come out for him. Poor Yewon, she didn't even know. But that doesn't stop Jonghun because he says he had the whole date planned out for them where they would go and play games. Yewon asks him if he's worried and he honestly says "of course I'm worried...I'm only human." Pure and simple like that.

Yewon on the other hand doesn't want to speak to Jonghun when her turn comes and chose to speak with Minhyuk. She lets him know what's on her mind, and basically wants to know if his heart has changed. Minhyuk admits he is deliberating between two. And she lets him know that there were some things that he has done that she hasn't been too fond of. (At this point, it sounds almost like they are going out and she's being a bit possesive.) She's not happy that his heart had changed, but she's understanding and it looks like his confession has helped her make up her mind.

And the final confession goes to Eunyoung. She brings N into the room to apologize for the way she's been acting. Hey, it's all good in the hood sweetie. N doesn't mind. She didn't look like she did any wrong, she was just being honest. But that doesn't stop her from being sorry.

So..that's the end of episode 5! Pretty much.

I am probably just as confused as everyone else as to who will end up with whom. But I will make my predictions.

Jonghun will pick G.Na, N, Minhyuk and Kevin will pick Jiwon, and Eunyoung and Yewon will be left standing alone.

I may be wrong, but we'll see real soon! New episode is coming up! Enjoy!

Review: Romantic and the Idol Season 2 Episode 5

Hi all. I came down with an awful cold, so my apologies. No review/recap yet for this episode. I refuse to do one without subtitles. Korean is not my 2nd language and I want to know what the conversations are about.

There was the top shuffle dates, with the long awaited date between Yewon and Jong Hun, on this episode, but most of what happened on the date are conversational. I wish I knew why they came back awkward. The mission was a kiss on the forehead. So cute. And, there was the song shuffle pairings on this episode too. But they were also very conversational too. So frustrating. I wish there were more subbers out there to help translate for the rest of the world. I'm so sorry to disappoint again you guys...

But, if you want a quick recap of the song shuffle, here it is..

All of the guys have chosen a song that is played over the speakers, loud enough for the girls to hear in their rooms. Each girl comes out when they hear a song they like.

Min Hyuk= Yewon
Jong Hun= G.Na (if you can find the video, you gotta see both of their faces when they see each other. It totally says "You gotta be sh**tting me, right?".)
N= Jiwon (Actually, Eunyoung and Jiwon came out. But since N can only choose one, he chose Jiwon. To my understanding, Eunyoung will have no partner, and has to go back into the house. She wouldn't be participating on a date.)
Kevin= None. Since the last two girls came out for Kevin, no girl is left for him. So he doesn't get to go on a date either.

Ok, so what I don't get is why the ones that didn't get picked just go out on a date together? They still would get to know each other right? Isn't that the point? So frustrating!

And to make it worse, Jong Hun and G.Na run into Min Hyuk and Yewon and he was gravitating towards Yewon on her date with Min Hyuk. Totally leaving G.Na behind by herself. Yea ok, I gave a quick recap, but it's killing me that I can't understand the conversations fully! Argh!

I will need to update this one too! So sorry!

Review: The Romantic and the Idol 2 Episode 2 pt. 2

I really gotta find another way to label these episode posts. It's getting to be a long paragraph.

Anyways, I'm sorry for not continuing my review sooner. I was writing part 1 and nothing was making sense in my head that late at night. Then I got bogged down with work and headaches. Mianhaeyo...

Picking up where I left off... The couples were presented with a mission: to hold hands for at least 1 minute!

Those darn pd's are e.v.i.l.

All of the couples thought it was way too soon to be holding hands. Talk about moving to 2nd base!

Couple #1: Jong Hun and G.Na
As they both read the mission, Jong Hun started to react with surprise while G.Na exclaimed how could they ask them to do this when they only just met?

They sit and talk for a little while. Both uncomfortable. They break the silence when G.Na notices that Jong Hun is wearing the exact same scarf that she has. Same clothing likes seem to break the ice as they break out into laughter. I love that Jong Hun is all possessive as he proclaims that the scarf is his.

After a while they get up and start heading to a cafe. G.Na asks why he keeps looking at the card. Caught in the act, he confesses that he's trying to find a natural way of going about holding her hand. (Aww! How sweet!)

Finally, after what seems like ages, he tell her "Noona, let's not be like this. Let's just hold hands until we reach the cafe over there." And he grabs her hand. Lol, I had to laugh at G.Na's reaction because she initially looked so surprised, and then her face broke out into such a big happy smile. And Jonh Hun took the embarrassment out of it a little as he held her their hands up multiple times as if to say "see? We're holding hands now. We did it!"

Couple #2: Min Hyuk and Yewon
At the cafe Min Hyuk opens up the mission envelope and shows it to Yewon who tries to look embarrassed but really not pulling it off well. It's obvious that she doesn't mind holding hands at all. And he doesn't seem to disturbed by it either.

But as they move outside the cafe, both turn so shy! As they figure out how they do it, Yewon nervously tries to warm up her hand by putting her fingers against her bare neck and blowing warm air on them. Min Hyuk patiently waits for her on the side. When she's finally ready they both hold out their hands... Hands clenched into fists! Wth! Did they really want to hold hands or didn't they? Min Hyuk finally takes her hand after some hemming and hawing. And another couple successfully completes their mission.

Couple #3: Kevin and Jiwon
This couple seemed the easiest of the group to hook up hand in hand. From what I recall, and correct me if I'm wrong, but they took the news with minimal embarrassment.

Couple #4: N and Eunyoung
After a restless night, Eunyoung finally meets her "man" at the art museum. As they sit outside of the museum, the pd's with them present the task. Again the usual embarrassment. (Koreans really aren't the types to move forward so fast in public. And I'm sure that they are still conscious of their fans and what they will think when they see the show.) Finally N takes her hand and they walk along happily. In a voiceover we hear Eunyoung's voice say for her manager or CEO to look at her. She is experiencing how to date and is happy.

Later all the couples meet at the airport for their flight to Jeju-do (Jeju Island). Min Hyuk and Yewon are the last to arrive. As they gather, the cut to Jong Hun.

The producers ask him out of all the celebrities that he would like to come to the show, which one would it be. And he confesses "Yewon." Hmm...

Cut back to the airport as the couples see Min Hyuk and Yewon arrive. And you can see Jong Hun perk up considerably. Lol! It was like, oh G.Na is here I should pay attention to her. And when Yewon arrives, it was "oo, hello.." Lol. (Fan girl claws must have come out at this point.)

Min Hyuk and Yewon introduce themselves and it cuts to Jong Hun again. He says that he was really surprised to see her. And he goes on to say truthfully that he really likes the way she looks. She looks like a puppy that you would want to take care of. (A puppy? Really? That's the best he can come up with? Given the fact I know he loves dogs and cats, I shouldn't even be surprised.)

Cut to the plane ride to Jeju. Jong Hun and G.Na are looking forward to their destination. Especially Jong Hun who mentions that he's already wondering who they will be paired up on the second date...In front of G.Na who takes some offense. I mean really, who wouldn't? Someone forgot the first date hasn't finished yet... Jong Hunnie needed to be more careful.

Min Hyuk is trying to stay awake, but Yewon encourages him to rest. A little bit later, he's sleeping peacefully while drooling on his shirt. So Yewon takes care of him by putting a few napkins under his cheek. Aww...

Soon they land in Jeju and go get a few essentials they will need for their almost week stay.

A few of them pick up some vegetables, eggs, fruits. I'm not sure who it was, maybe Eunyoung? Who asks if they like jjapaguri. Apparently it's something that has meat in it cause she claims its good and she boils the meat really well. (Update: did a little digging and found out that this is another name for spaghetti noodles and the same sauce they use in jjajangmyun calle jjang sauce) Someone else mentions wanting to eat jjajangmyun (black bean noodles) and I wanted to exclaim back, "me too! Cook some for me!" (Seriously, that is one delicious dish.)

Min Hyuk carries the box of groceries out and lo and behold, the box breaks! Some of the eggs are broken, but thankfully that's the extent of the damage.

Off they drive off to the house and it is a beautiful blue and white one level house. Kinda reminds me of the Mediterranean style homes. They begin to put away the groceries and get settled for the night. But... Not before they do their daily task of texting their feelings to the pd's. Tonight, they are to text the person that they would like to get to know better.

Through several cutaway interviews and phone screen captures we find out the following:

G.Na= Jong Hun ( she's girlish when she giggles "oetokke?" Or what to do?)

Jong Hun= He's torn between his first date G.Na who is someone he can be comfortable with and Yewon who is young and friendly.

Min Hyuk= Yewon

Yewon= Min Hyuk. Although she does admit that there's something about Jong Hun's face that makes her heart melt. (That's why he's an ulzzang.)

Kevin= Jiwon

Jiwon= Kevin

N= Eunyoung

Eunyoung= N

It looks like there's a little love triangle forming already and it's already been one date! It'll be interesting to see how determined the guys are in order to keep the interest of the ladies. Will there be any jealousy? Hmmm...

Some last thoughts, why do they offer clenched fists instead of open palms first when they want to hold hands? It was as if they didn't want to hold hands at all. And, don't hate me, but why would someone like Jong Hun want to be with someone that can't stop squealing and laughing? What he calls cute, to me became irritating. Mildly irritating.

Anyone know how it's gonna be mixed up? Are they going to be dating other people? Or will they have to stick with the same person? What other tasks are they going to be asked to do? Will any of them be sent home. And who will be the couple at the end?

The next episode airs in less than a day, tonight actually in Korea, it's certainly got my attention and I will be looking forward to it!

Hope all of you will be able to watch it, too!

Ka jja! Hwaiting!