Okay, stans — there’s some messy dating-show tea making the rounds. A woman who says she divorced in 2022 after her husband’s affair went on JTBC’s Crime Chief to allege that the other woman involved in her breakup recently appeared on an SBS dating program, reportedly Co-Living Blind Date.
Here’s what was reported: the tipster — a woman in her 40s — says she divorced because of her husband’s affair, pursued both divorce proceedings and an alienation-of-affection suit, and won the latter. The court found the husband and the third party responsible for the marriage breakdown and ordered them to pay a combined ₩30.0 million KRW (about $20,300 USD). The tipster also says the separation cost her dearly, including time apart from her children.
Some viewers connected the accusation to a contestant on SBS’s Co-Living Blind Date. That contestant has publicly denied the claim on Crime Chief, saying she has never received court documents and that she’ll take legal action if unfounded rumors continue.
Producers of the dating show responded strongly: they pointed out that contestants sign contracts promising they’re not tied to past controversies like infidelity or criminal issues, and said they repeatedly tried to confirm facts with the contestant but didn’t get a clear response. The production team says they will try to remove as much of the contestant’s footage as possible from upcoming episodes and are considering filing a damages lawsuit against the contestant.
Quick context for those keeping score:
- JTBC and SBS are two major South Korean broadcasters — JTBC airs shows like Crime Chief, while SBS runs variety and dating programs such as Co-Living Blind Date.
- Alienation-of-affection lawsuits do exist in Korea; courts have sometimes awarded damages when a third party’s conduct was found to have caused a marriage to break down.
- Reality shows routinely include morality clauses in contestant contracts and can remove footage or pursue legal remedies if participants violate those terms.
It’s an ugly situation all around — the alleged victim says she already went through court proceedings and damage awards, the accused contestant denies the link, and producers are scrambling to limit fallout. I’ll keep an eye out for official statements or legal filings, and I’ll update if anything new drops.
Source: Koreaboo