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| Scene from the teaser of tvN's upcoming survival show, "290 Million: Wedding War" (direct translation) / Courtesy of tvN |
By Lee Gyu-lee
The writer of Netflix's hit survival show, "Physical: 100," Kang Sook-kyung, has joined hands with Lee Won-woong, producer of the popular military competition show, "Steel Troops," in a new experiment: a marriage survival show.
TvN's upcoming reality show, "290 Million: Wedding War" (direct translation), scheduled to go on air July 2, will invite 10 engaged couples who are soon to get married. The couples with different stories and backgrounds will compete against each other in a series of missions for the ultimate prize, 290 million won ($218,752). While working together to win the prize money for their wedding, the couples will see their relationship tested, thereby showing if they are truly ready for marriage.
The production team revealed that the prize money is set at 290 million won as it is the average spend for a wedding currently.
"While the marriage rate is continuously getting lower every year, the number one reason for not getting married is not having the budget for the wedding, according to the report by Statistics Korea," the team said through the network.
The producer shared that he wanted to test if money is the real factor preventing people from jumping into marriage.
"The drastically plummeting marriage rate has become a social issue. But on the other hand, the discussions on getting married have dramatically increased. Marriage used to be considered a rite of passage in life, but now, it has become an area of fierce debate and desperate decisions," Lee said. "A lot of people say 'money' is the reason. But I got curious if it's true that young people are hesitating to get married because of the money."
He added that the show will portray different forms of love from the couples who are looking to get married.
"With the show, I intend to show different sides of humans and forms of love through the couples who willingly came (on the show) to get married amid a time when everyone is against marriage. I'm confident that you will be able to experience earnestness and emotions regardless of your standpoint on marriage."
The network dropped its first teaser, Thursday, showing the couples in wedding dresses and tuxedos including TV personalities from the popular dating shows "I'm Solo" and "Love After Divorce."
The producer hinted that the show will be filled with unexpected moments.
"To be honest, the show didn't go as our production team originally intended. I think we had a different idea of the cast members' love and their willingness to get married. Such unexpected situations and unimaginable stories happen in the name of love," he said. "You will be able to witness the human faces of this era filled with tension and tears."
The show will premiere on July 2 at 7:45 p.m.
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