PUBLISHED ONJanuary 06, 2024 6:20 AMByDrima ChakrabortySingle's Inferno 3 contestant Cho Min-ji has landed herself in hot water with viewers — so much so that if you go to her Instagram page, you'll see that comments on her posts have been limited.
Following the release of episodes eight and nine on Netflix on Jan 2, the 26-year-old became persona non grata after trying to get contestant Lee Gwan-hee's attention while her date Park Min-kyu sat right next to her.
Gwan-hee, who was previously criticised by viewers and hosts alike for keeping his options open between three women and 'belittling' them, had recommended Min-ji pick contestant Lee Jin-seok for her date, while he later picked Choi Hye-seon. But Min-ji had gone with Min-kyu instead.
As the couples were whisked off to Paradise in a helicopter, Min-ji could be seen poking Gwan-hee next to her surreptitiously while her date was seated on her other side. When Gwan-hee didn't respond, she began nudging him harder as he looked away with a smile.
Even Min-kyu saw this and smiled. Eventually, Gwan-hee physically brushed her off with a shake of his shoulder and it was pandemonium among the hosts.
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7PyF4l2xPU[/embed]
They were yelling,"This is crazy!" and "Min-kyu just saw that!" and Super Junior's Kyuhyun even hid his face in his hands in seeming embarrassment.
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Min-ji could be seen crying through smiles and Min-kyu then offered her the bottom of his shirt.
"I don't care about my shirt, so just use it to wipe your tears, okay?" he said.
The hosts burst into laughter.
Actress Lee Da-hee said: "If she was going to cry and be so heartbroken, she should've picked Jin-seok like Gwan-hee asked. Why did she pick Min-kyu if she was going to be like that?"
Viewers reacted with disgust at the scene.
"Min-ji is cringe. Girl, have some self-respect," one user on X, formerly known as Twitter, wrote.
Another wrote: "This is so embarrassing and cringeworthy. If you lose the game, the least you can do is respect the decision of the winner."
I’m not a Minji hater, but god, this is so embarrassing and cringeworthy. If you lose the game, the least thing you can do is respect the decision of the winner. #SinglesInferno3
— realtalkonly (@realtalkonly07) January 2, 2024
pic.twitter.com/NJ54KCLVOX
On Min-ji's Instagram posts, the comments that did remain show netizens being similarly brutal.
"The helicopter scene was so pathetic," a comment read.
Another read: "True definition of a pick-me girl."
The term refers to "a woman who is willing to do anything for male approval," according to Urban Dictionary.
"At least you should respect Min-kyu and Hye-seon," a netizen wrote.
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On the other hand, some netizens sympathised with Min-ji.
"She made a mistake on the heli ride, but the reaction in the comments is way overboard," a comment read. "Not everyone is equipped to deal with Gwan-hee's stupid head games. He's the villain in all this."
Another netizen commented: "You don't have to bully her. You don't have to teach her anything. Bullying her just makes you bullies. Why become bad people yourselves?"
[embed]https://www.instagram.com/p/C1XDkUiJBGF/[/embed]
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drimac@asiaone.com
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