About Love Catcher

Love Catcher is a South Korean dating variety show aired on cable channel Mnet with 2 seasons already in its cap. The first one was aired in 2018 and following its success, a second season was commissioned to air a year later in 2019. So far each season consists of 8 episodes with around 90 minutes duration per episode. It shares many similarities to other South Korean dating variety shows such as Heart Signal, Love Me Actually, and Somebody, but puts a twist that turns it into a garden of forking paths, pushing its visitors to choose between love or money, two things that are often considered as eternal counterparts.

The show's premise is pretty simple. A group of 10 participants, 5 men and 5 women in their early 20's up to early 30's, are invited to spend 8 days together on a luminously luxurious residence called Love Mansion to find love. These participants, though they are not celebrities, are generally very good looking - a dating variety show recipe to speed up the sparks of attraction. However, things become a bit complicated in this show as not all of the participants are there for love. While everyone will claim its identity as Love Catcher or those who seek for love, there are actually Money Catcher or those who seek for money hidden in the mix. At the end of the show, there are 3 possible outcomes of pairing. The ideal outcome is obviously when a Love Catcher ends up with another Love Catcher, signaling the triumph of love. If a Money Catcher ends up with a Money Catcher, both will get nothing, winning neither money nor love. But the most dire outcome is when a Money Catcher ends up with a Love Catcher, where the Money Catcher alone will get a hefty sum of money prize over a successful deception that leaves the Love Catcher brokenhearted. And there's actually this possible fourth outcome where you end up without pair, either because you are eliminated in the middle or nobody picks you in the end, and both equally suck.

The show also incorporates a "whodunit" style detective game by adding a panel of celebrities that will observe the love journey of the 10 participants from a separate studio set. They consist of a good mix of presenter, comedian, musician, and television personality, and I find them pretty funny and entertaining. Aside from giving color commentary, at the end of each episode these celebrities are given a question related to the secret identity of the participants in which they must work individually to get the correct answer. In a way, this panel serves as a representative of the viewers, acting as our mouth to voice opinions over the situation happening at the Love Mansion and as our brain to deduce the truth behind everyone's identity.

While it still falls under dating variety genre, the forking paths twist of love and money has added a psychological game aspect, and that's one of the reason why this show becomes one of my favorite. Finding someone that makes you skip a heartbeat is just the first step. The ultimate step is of course to make sure that someone to reciprocate your feeling sincerely. Not an easy task of course, especially with a constant doubt looming that can easily make love to tumble in a flash. A successful relationship requires a mutual trust and sadly trust is a big issue inside the show.

I would recommend this show with a slight caution - be prepared for a heart break. Not everyone will find a happy ending at the Love Mansion. From the 2 seasons that were already aired, there are always fans who become utterly disappointed when their ship failed to sail in the end or when the participant that they root throughout the season ended up as one of the biggest con artist. But fans will still get a reason to cheer too as we do have couples that successfully navigate this garden's labyrinth and leave it with a newfound love. One couple even continues to be in a relationship until now, proving that you can indeed find love through a dating variety show.

Interested in the show? You can check and follow these links below to watch and learn more about it.

Official Viki

Official Instagram

Official Youtube

Official Website