Kim Yuna's "Kiss & Cry" suffers from low ratings

Kim Yuna's ice skating variety show "Kiss & Cry" began broadcasting on May 22nd and boasted idol participants Son Dambi, IU, TVXQ's Yunho, and f(x)'s Krystal. The first episode was reported by TNmS to have received an average viewer rating of approximately 10.5%. However, it seems that "Kiss & Cry" is currently suffering from low rating as the 2nd episode aired on May 29th received an average viewer rating of 8.1% and ranked last among Sunday's evening variety shows.

Other variety shows on the other broadcasting stations such as MBC's "I Am A Singer" and KBS2's "Qualification of Men" received an average viewer rating of 14% and 9.2% (a rise from 6.6%) respectively.

SBS has been reportedly struggling in viewer ratings during their Sunday evening slots and had hoped that Kim Yuna would get ratings up. An entire studio was taken down and remodeled to create a special built ice skating ring with temperature coils embedded in the floor in Ilsan.

"A company that builds ice rinks liked the idea of the show and built the rink in the studio at half the normal cost. It did not cost as much as people think." But since it will be torn down after seven or eight weeks, it is hardly cheap," said an SBS representative.

In addition, rumors have spread that SBS had paid top dollar to get Kim Yuna for the ice skating variety show. By the Korean entertainment standards, Kim Yuna is considered a rookie in variety shows. However, SBS refuted the rumor and said that Kim Yuna is a celebrity that can make millions just off commercials. "She just liked the idea of boosting interest in figure skating."

An expert from Pundits comments that the show lacks in excitement and adds, "Figure skating is not a sport that is enjoyed by the general public, and the concept of having 10 celebrities compete after being paired with 10 professional figure skaters can easily become boring."

In the first episode of "Kiss & Cry," contestant IU became the topic of criticism due to her "lack of interest" she seemed to have during her performance. The second episode irritated viewers due to the show taking up 20 minutes to recap the first episode.

The producer of "Kiss & Cry" Nam Seungyong, however, stays positive and says, "Reality TV shows usually gain momentum as the show progresses. Viewers will become more interested when they get to hear about the real-life stories of the professional skaters."

What do you think of the critic's comment? What are your thoughts on the show so far?

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