Q. Is WGM scripted?
We know many people doubt if WGM is real, but I can say for certain sure that it is not scripted. Of course, we have our cue sheet, but it only includes the time table.
Q. Are you sure all the cast members of WGM don’t have their boyfriends and girlfriends in real life?
When we cast them, we triple check if they have lovers in real life. We ask them questions such as “Do you have anyone you like these days?” “Do you think there is a possibility that you will become her boyfriend?” and “We heard that you are close with a famous idol. How are you and she related?”
For example, we could cast a famous entertainer, but we had to except his name from the cast list because he said he was in love with someone. It was just one day before the first shooting began.
Q. Are the cast members' emotions toward their partners real?
There were some cast members who seemed to like their partners for real. What we hope is some of couples of WGM will fall in love and marry in real life. When that happens, we’ll buy them home furnishings.
Q. How do you match couples?
We don’t usually cast the bride and groom at the same time. We cast one person through in-person meetings, and then, we begin to search for his or her partner. For example, before Lee Jonghyun and Gong Seungyeon appeared in the program, we casted Lee Jonghyun first, and we tried to find his bride on the basis of his requirements. Yewon could have been his partner, but she became Henry’s bride, eventually.
Q. Is there any particular reason why so many idols appear in WGM?
We know idols don’t like to appear in the idol athletics championships and WGM. However, we cast them because many of viewers of WGM are in their teens and twenties. And young and fresh idols fit well with the conception of the program. Yoo Sungjae and Joy are the typical example. They’re so cute.
Q. So, through idol stars who appear in WGM, what do you want to show?
It all depends. For example, we casted Taemin and Naeun because we wanted to tell stories about first love. They had little dating experience, and there were a lot of similarities between them. And after we casted Yook Sungjae and Joy, we wanted to tell stories about an ordinary couple in their early 20s because both of them began their careers as trainees at an early age and they couldn’t enjoy ordinary dates.
**This interview is included in <K-pop Secret Vol.3: How and with whom Idols Date>. K-pop Secret Vol.3 contains all the stories about k-pop idols’ date. The author, who has been working as a k-pop journalist since 2010 gives you answers to some questions about k-pop idols’ date such as “With whom they date?” “Why k-pop idols break up so soon?” and “How much dating experience do they have?”
Download link
Google Play:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.goodbarber.kpopsecret3
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https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/id1225054564
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https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XZV59B2
K-pop Secret Vol.1: 40 Korean Stars’ Real Personality
K-pop Secret Vol.2: Unknown Stories about K-pop Industry
K-pop Secret Vol.3: How and with whom Idols Date
K-pop Secret Vol.4: The Reality of K-pop Idols
K-pop Secret Vol.5: K-pop Idol Group Ranking
