Who can draw the line between reality and dreams?

Why the show works. I have to be honest. When I first heard about the show’s premise from Suzumi, I thought it was a little ridiculous and odd. We Got Married just pairs up celebrities to behave as married couples. They spend time with each other about once every two weeks, carrying out missions given to them by the production teams. I had to wonder what the actual goal of the show was. According to Suzumi, at the end of the show, the couples decide whether or not they want to become an item in reality.

After watching a few episodes, I admit the show hooked me. I couldn’t stop watching. I was watching these celebrities interact with each other, and they were just people to me—ordinary people trying to carry on daily activities with each other. The show could probably work without celebrities, but without the big names who would watch? I admit that my friends and I probably wouldn’t have given the show a chance if not for a couple of certain people.

These days, tabloids publish nonsense on celebrity couples, coining catchy shipping names and the like to publicize everything about them. People either cheer, jeer, or don’t give a damn. Why should anyone give any concern to matters that aren’t privy to them? Well, this is where We Got Married turns the tables. They let you in on these make-believe celebrity couples. All of a sudden, supporting them doesn’t seem as strange. Sure, it’s all pretend, but the show works. There are fanclubs for these pairings, and they send in gifts for the couples. There’s a revival of romance and support. I had never cared for news on celebrity couples before because tabloids would print the most obscene and distasteful things about them in order to garner attention. We Got Married is much more fun to watch.

Could a show like this ever work for the west? Considering the different mannerisms the west has from the east, it seems unlikely but the possibility of success is still there. Reality shows in the west are more rugged and obscene than those in the east though. The latter has people who are more careful of what they say and do at home with each other. Every action is taken with caution. Words are carefully spoken, even in fights. A show about pretend married celebrity couples would probably be over the top in the west. (I can just imagine all the censorship.) Given its origins and participants, the show is probably at its best in South Korea.