Dating Show Participant Is Edited Out Of The Show Because Of His Stalker

A participant on Korea’s famous reality dating show I Am Solo Season 16 recently revealed that he was a victim of stalking.

Young Soo from “I Am Solo” Season 16 | @henney_master/Instagram

ENA and SBS Plus‘s I Am Solo season 16 is currently one of the hottest reality dating shows in Korea, where single men and women spend four nights and five days together to find love. They go by pseudonyms and reveal their real names in the final episode when they choose their match. The current season is a “divorced singles” special where all the participants are divorced or widowed singles. This season is the most popular season of the show yet because of the drama among participants both on and off-screen.

“I Am Solo” poster | Netflix

All of the participants became famous with the success of the show, and one of the participants, Young Soo (a pseudonym), recently made headlines with news related to “stalking victims.”

On October 11, Young Soo posted a screenshot of a news article titled “Reason For Young Soo from ‘I Am Solo” Season 16 Being Edited Out Changes From ‘Personal Affairs’ to ‘Stalking Victim.'” 

A screenshot of a news article that Young Soo posted | @henney_master/Instagram

According to the article from Sports Seoul that he posted, it was belatedly revealed that Young Soo, who had already gained popularity on Instagram and YouTube for his handsome visuals and being a trainer, had been stalked since April.

Due to his activity on his personal social media platforms, security regarding “personal activities” was vulnerable compared to other celebrities. The article stated that the perpetrator used information from social media to follow him to his schedules, contact him, and stalk him.

| @henney_master/Instagram

In addition, it was revealed that the perpetrator had provided false information to the production team of I Am Solo, saying that she was Young Soo’s girlfriend and that they “shouldn’t send someone with a girlfriend into a dating program.”

Having been stalked for a couple months, Young Soo officially filed a complaint in July, and the perpetrator was fined ₩1.50 million KRW (about $1,120 USD) after the crime was proven. Young Soo also shared a photo of the results of the prosecution’s handling of the stalking case.

Young Soo posted a screenshot of his complaint with the perpetrators fine. | @henney_master/Instagram

Earlier, when the show was still on air, audiences noticed he had a minimal appearance compared to other participants due to editing decisions. Regarding this, Young Soo clarified during a live broadcast on YouTube after the release of the final episode that he tried to minimize appearing on the show because of personal circumstances.

Due to an incident that occurred during filming, there were personal circumstances, and with the agreement of the production team, I tried to minimize the amount of footage as much as possible.

— Young Soo

| @henney_master/Instagram

Now, after the news of him being a victim of stalking being the reason for why his footage was shorter than other participants on I Am Solo, he shared his thoughts. In his latest Instagram post, he wrote a caption explaining that he became concerned thinking about how he needed to protect the ones he loved from harm.

I am a healthy man, and my body is my asset. I wasn’t afraid at all.
But suddenly, during the shoot, I had such thoughts.
I became worried thinking that I might not be able to protect someone important to me or that the person might suffer harm.
As a lot of time has passed, everything is now left as memories.

— Young Soo

Young Soo with Sang Chul, Young Shik, and Young Chul (left to right) from “I Am Solo” Season 16 | @henney_master/Instagram

In response to his post, netizens commented with encouragement, saying, “Don’t worry, it’s because you’re handsome,” “Cheer up,” and “Everything will be okay from now on!”

Young Soo is a father of three children, and an instructor, physical trainer, and influencer who goes by the name Henney and runs a fitness YouTube channel.