On December 21, Kim In-Ha PD met with the press to talk about the upcoming season of Transit Love 3. Transit Love is a reality show where couples who have broken up for various reasons come together in one house to revisit their past relationships and encounter new connections, searching for their own love. The previous two seasons were both huge successes. Particularly, Season 2, which started airing last summer, enjoyed phenomenal popularity, turning its entire cast into stars. Amidst this, interest and anticipation for the third installment of Transit Love are high. This season’s “Transit Love 3” is led by Producer Kim In-ha of Disney+’s Pink Lie, not Lee Jin-joo who directed the previous seasons. The writing team has also changed. The newly revamped “Transit Love” draws attention to whether it can capture both the hearts of existing fans and new viewers.
With the recent release of the Season 3 teaser, there’s been worried feedback that it seems different from the original “Transit Love” essence. Producer Kim In-ha, felt significant pressure during the filming, saying she lost 5 kg and felt like she was “trapped in a college entrance exam room” and “wanted to run away.”
Are there any changes compared to previous seasons?
We tried not to make significant changes. I think the format of ‘Transit Love’ is excellent. Being a fan of the last seasons, I believed it shouldn’t change much even with different producers. In reality, the romance reality depends on the participants. The biggest difference is the cast. There might be slight, brief changes as long as they don’t harm the original show. If the format is too similar, it becomes predictable. Like the delivery scene in the teaser, we only made minor variations to that extent. Kim PD also mentioned, “We’re not creating a new song but using the original ‘Sun or Suck’ OST, to maintain the program’s identity.” Kim said they focused a lot on the background music this season. This time, Choi Jung-in, the music director of ‘SKY Castle,’ joined. She worked in harmony with the original director, Kim Tae-seong. There will be slightly new music, but we will also use the previous music, so it won’t change drastically.” she added, “The writer has also changed. The color correction is done by the same people who worked on ‘Pink Lie,’ so it might seem different from Seasons 1 and 2. They are the team who worked on ‘Goblin’ and ‘That Year We.’
There were also issues like participants leaving mid-show, unsanitary conditions at the accommodation, and unfiltered remarks from female participants being broadcast back in Season 2. Regarding these issues, Kim PD stated that there are no participants leaving mid-season in Season 3. She said, “We pay a lot of attention, but beyond that, there’s nothing much we can do. The production team is also made up of ordinary people. We have to put a lot of effort and conduct many interviews. There are no dropouts. No one broke the rules. About the unsanitary controversy, she revealed, “There is a rule about ‘cleaning up.’ It is officially included.” When asked if breaking the rules would lead to expulsion, Kim PD laughed and said, “We can’t do that.” She added, “Since cleaning up was an issue, we thought it needed to be acknowledged. We can’t just tell them to ‘please clean up.’ Regarding the cleanliness of the accommodation this season, she said, “I really don’t remember. Even before, I think the production team wouldn’t remember. We just focused on relationships.” She continued, “If we had found anything, we would have tried to clean it up in the middle. It’s up to individual standards.”
When asked about capturing raw emotions, given that the previous season had controversies over unfiltered language from female participants, she explained, “From the teaser, words like ‘this crap’ made us wonder if it should be broadcast. But that’s real. People can talk like that when they fight. We thought about keeping it as real as possible. There are no blind spots in the accommodation. Everything is remembered.
Were there any concerns?
I was worried about everything. As a huge fan myself, I pondered how to capture it well. I believed people appreciated its realism and sincerity, and I tried to maintain that without compromising.
What were the criteria for casting participants?
“We focused on authenticity. How honestly they could talk about their relationships was crucial. We met with many. One meeting isn’t enough to know a person, so through frequent meetings, we tried to understand them deeply. Since it’s about couples, their stories differ, and we tried to listen to both sides.”
How many potential participants did you meet?
We received over 30,000 DMs on social media. We contacted many. We also tried a lot of street casting. We put in a lot of effort.
How did you verify authenticity?
We conducted all the standard verification processes seen in other romance reality shows. We dedicated a lot of time, meeting repeatedly and making continuous calls. We did everything possible from the production team’s standpoint.
There’s controversy over casting influencers.
In the teaser, four participants appeared, sparking debate about influencer appearances. Especially, Lee Yu-jung, a former Miss Korea model and part of Leaders Entertainment with 70,000 Instagram followers, raised questions. “We focus on relationships in ‘Transit Love,’ so I don’t think profession is very important. It may be harder for such people to reveal their love lives, but their participation means they have their own stories,” said Kim. “You might feel their authenticity in the main broadcast. We didn’t invite her knowing she was a celebrity. It’s a bit sensitive to spoil, but she is simply a model. Even when her profession is revealed, she confidently says she’s a model. The boundary between model and influencer is a bit vague, so I’m not sure how to define it,” she explained.
There’s a perception that it’s hard to make new connections on the show.
I did feel that while filming. We try to include diverse couples—those who dated briefly or for a long time, with or without lingering feelings. Of course, things often change from the pre-interviews once filming starts. It’s an inevitable area, but we still tried to make it engaging.
It’s often mentioned as a dream reality show for celebrities. What about a celebrity special?
“I’m curious. But I wonder if they’d agree to participate when actually contacted. Recently, I saw Jun Hyun-moo talking about it. We should do a deep interview (laughs).
A scene from the teaser became a meme.
A scene in the teaser where a woman says, “Why did you bring me here, it’s really bad” and “You said ‘sorry,’ didn’t you? I wouldn’t have come to Transit Love like this,” has caught attention. It’s circulating on SNS and online communities like a ‘meme.’ “It’s a sign of their honesty,” said Kim. “I hope their narrative is conveyed more honestly. These situations occurred spontaneously, but fortunately, there were no blind spots, so it was well captured on camera. I think many will enjoy it.” About the possibility of real couples forming, she said, “I don’t know yet. I haven’t met the participants since I’ve been living in the editing room after the shooting.”
Are there any strong couple narratives?
We tried to diversify the narratives. Couples with unhappy endings, long-term couples, briefly dated couples, etc. As the producer of Season 3, I hoped each participant would have a unique personality. I think we captured that well. Which narrative people will prefer, I’m not sure. We’ll know once it’s released.
Can it surpass Hae-eun and Gyu-min?
Their narrative was strong, so it’s hard to say carelessly. It’s different. Definitely different from Hae-eun Gyu-min.
How do you plan to attract viewers desensitized to provocative content?
Even with many provocative romance reality shows, a narrative with both parties is very powerful. Not much can surpass that. It’s real. Their stories are already there, so we couldn’t reduce them. That alone should be a strong point.
Confident about beating “Single’s Inferno” Season 3?
They are both romance reality shows, but I think they are different. I hope it’s well-received.
What kind of feedback do you hope for?
I hope it’s still considered fun as ‘Transit Love.’ I hope it remains timeless as a great format, even with a change in production team. It’s a good format, so I hope my junior PDs also do it, and the seasons continue forever. Wouldn’t anyone who has experienced a breakup empathize? We prepared various couples, but I’m not sure where each will focus and empathize. Do I have expected ratings? Only TVING fully knows the ratings… I’d like to hear ‘Have you seen Transit Love?’ wherever I go.
