If You Are the One (game show)
Fei Cheng Wu Rao (simplified Chinese: 非诚勿扰; traditional Chinese: 非誠勿擾; lit. 'Not Sincere, Don't Disturb', also broadcast with the titles If You Are the One in Australia and Perfect Match in Malaysia) is a Chinese dating game show hosted by Meng Fei. Loosely based on the Taken Out format, the show is produced by JSBC: Jiangsu Television and taped in Nanjing. It was first broadcast on January 15, 2010, and originally aired twice a week on Saturdays and Sundays until December 2014. From January 2015 to March 2017, it aired on Saturday nights at 9:10 pm on Jiangsu TV. Starting from January 2018, it air on Saturday nights at 8:30 pm. In 2013, the show began broadcasting in Australia on SBS 2 (now SBS Viceland), in an hour-long version with English subtitles provided by SBS.
| If You Are the One 非诚勿扰 | |
|---|---|
 If You Are the One logo | |
| Also known as | 缘来非诚勿扰 (Yuan Lai Fēi Chéng Wù Rǎo) |
| Genre | Dating Show |
| Based on | Taken Out |
| Presented by | Host:
Guest Speakers:
|
| Country of origin | People's Republic of China |
| Original language | Mandarin |
| No. of episodes | 616 (original) |
| Production | |
| Producer | JSBC |
| Production locations | Nanjing, China |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | JSBC: Jiangsu Television[1] |
| Picture format | 720p |
| Original release | Original version January 15, 2010 – March 25, 2017 January 4, 2020 – present 2017 revision May 13, 2017 – December 28, 2019 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | If You Are the One (2017 game show) |
| Related shows | |
| External links | |
| http://fcwr.jstv.com/ | |
If You Are the One has been a ratings success in China and is now the highest-rated show for Jiangsu TV. Episodes are also widely distributed online. The show is viewed internationally over the internet and satellite television. The show's popularity and social commentary has drawn the attention of academics and foreign media, and after concerns from Chinese regulators in 2011 the show's format was tweaked to de-emphasize factors such as financial wealth.
After a short break from March 2017 to May 2017, If You Are the One returned in a revised format.
In December 2019, it was announced that If You Are the One would return to the original format in January 2020 for the 10th anniversary celebrations. Huang Han and Huang Lei returned for the celebratory episodes, whilst Chen Ming was announced as Jiang Zhenyu's replacement as guest speaker for the 2020 season following the end of the revised 2017 format.[2]
History
Conception and popularity
“If You Are the One" is currently the most-viewed dating show in the Chinese-speaking world. According to Beijing-based CSM Media Research, the audience ratings for Fei Cheng Wu Rao - which as of May 22, 2013 had screened a total of 343 episodes - were 2.77 percent of television viewers, or 36 million, twice as many as the nearest competitor for that timeslot.
The idea of the show was brought to Jiangsu Television by veteran television producer Wang Peijie, who worked in collaboration with Columbia University-educated Xing Wenning.[3] The pair drew inspiration from the Taken Out format, however when the rights for that show were instead won by a rival network, If You Are the One was launched instead. Wang said that the show is a window into Chinese society at large, and that through it, "you can tell what China is thinking about and chasing after."[3] The show's focus was intended to be young professionals. While most of the contestants are in their twenties, there have been instances of male contestants as old as 48 appearing on the show.
If You Are the One experienced great popularity in its first broadcast because of its unique approach to dating and the conversations that are often humorous with friendly insults. The show sought to 'stretch the limits' of what could be discussed on Chinese television. Unlike Taken Out, If You Are the One does not rely on audience participation, use of catchphrases or physical attractiveness among male contestants.[3] Also, different from dating shows in the late 1990s, such as The Rose which mainly discussed private matters such as personality and hobbies, If You Are the One engages more with larger socioeconomic issues such as pre-marriage property notarization and gender equality.[4]
Controversy and revisions
In the first half of 2010, the show broke ratings records, with some 50 million watching every episode, an audience second only to the CCTV evening news broadcast Xinwen Lianbo.[3] In the initial format of the show, the contestants reported things such as their annual earnings, their material possessions, etc. During this phase several contestants earned notoriety and became internet sensations. Female contestant Ma Nuo became a media interest after her controversial remarks to a male contestant that she would "prefer to cry in a BMW" than laugh riding on the back of a bicycle.[5] One male contestant, a son of a businessman, was rejected by all 24 women on one episode for egregiously showing off his sports cars and bank statements instead of his life and interests. There have been three different male contestants who have lost the show in the beginning when the female contestants first study the male. Both controversial contestants were some of the most-talked-about people in Chinese entertainment. In addition, concerns were raised that some of the contestants on the show were not who they said they were, and that the TV station was 'planting' contestants to make controversial remarks to increase ratings.
Chinese authorities looked upon the show unfavourably, asserting that it was spreading the 'wrong values' and 'advocating materialism'.[6] State media editorialized against the show on television, in print, and online.[7] Six months after the show first aired, officials from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television stepped in to regulate the show. SARFT issued two Notifications to standardize Chinese reality TV shows, urging the shows to recall social responsibilities and promoting traditional Chinese virtues.[8] From that point forward, Fei Cheng Wu Rao was to curb mentions of financial wealth and sex, and a third host was added: a party school psychology teacher named Huang Han, who was seen to 'balance' the show to make it more grounded and less controversial as well as adding more banter between the three hosts.[7] A wholesale replacement of the contestant pool with more tame individuals followed.[3] The revised program scrubbed contestant information such as bank account information and salaries, etc. Also omitted is the 'final opinions' on a departing male contestant from the women; previously this part of the show was especially prone to pointed insults and ridicule. Moreover, the original reel of the show must undergo heavy editing before airing depending on length and number of contestants present.[3] Despite the changed format, the show remains extremely popular.
2016 revision
In January 2016, as a result of a Chinese judge ruling that the show's name "Fei Cheng Wu Rao" infringed another individual's copyright who owned the same name as the show, the producers temporarily changed the name of the show to "Yuan Lai Fei Cheng Wu Rao" (although the English name seems to have stayed the same).[9] Jiangsu Television station has promised to appeal the ruling.
Between November 19 to December 10, 2016, a series of specials titled "1vs24" was aired where the roles of the genders were reversed with 24 Males taking to the podiums to face a single female. The gameplay of the special episodes was the same as the normal episodes.[10] Another series of 1vs24 specials was aired between March 4 to March 25, 2017.
On December 31, 2016, the Guangdong High Court overturned the decision on appeal by ruling that "Fei Cheng Wu Rao" did not infringe on another individual's copyrights and therefore the producers changed the name of the show back to "Fei Cheng Wu Rao". [11]
2017 revision
On April 1, 2017, Jiangsu Television announced that the final episode of If You Are The One in the original format had aired on March 25 with the filming of shows suspended since January, announcing a temporary suspension of the show as it undergoes reformatting for a relaunch late in May. Meng Fei continued to be the host of the revised format of the show. Jiang Zhenyu became the guest speaker. The revised version was first aired on May 13, 2017.[12][13]
2018
The 2018 version was first aired on January 6, 2018. On February 3, 2018, Huang Lan returned to the show as female commentator, partnering with Jiang Zhenyu.
2020
The 2020 version was first aired on January 4, 2020 and celebrates 10 years of If You Are the One. The show returned to the original format for 2020 onwards, after 3 years under the 2017 revised format. Chen Ming partnered as the male commentator with Huang Lan. Former guest Huang Han joined in during the special edition aired between January 4, 2020 to January 18, 2020.[2] A new addition, “智推女生” or "Recommended Lady", was introduced in this version, purported to use big data and artificial intelligence to recommend the best match for the single man. The best match is calculated during the first segment and unveiled during the last segment.[14]
Premise
- For the gameplay of the 2017 revised format that aired between May 2017 and December 2019, see If You Are the One (2017 game show)#Gameplay
Twenty-four women stand in an arc, each behind a podium with a light that they initially turn on.
The women face a single man, who chooses one of them as his "heartbeat girl" (simplified Chinese: 心动女生) from sight alone before any conversation between the women and the single man has taken place. His choice of "heartbeat girl" is initially known only to himself and the host of the programme - although there has been one instance where this has been revealed soon after.
The single man uses two or three video clips to reveal some personal information such as occupation, interests, love history and friends' opinions. During each video clip, each of the women decides whether or not he is still "date-worthy" in her opinion by keeping her light on or turning it off. The contestants, psychologists and host frequently exchange banter with each other when video clips aren't being shown.
If a girl doesn't like the man, she will turn her light off (followed by a sound cue).
A new procedural option, "burst light" (simplified Chinese: 爆灯), enabling a woman to signal a special interest in the man, was introduced to the programme in the episode broadcast on 20 October 2012. It can be activated only once per round, and is heralded by a "smashing" sound cue, followed by a show of pulsating hearts, along with the number of the woman who "burst the light", on display screens around the studio. It is essentially the opposite of turning the podium light off; instead, a woman who "bursts the light" is choosing to signal her interest in the man demonstratively rather than just passively leaving her light on. If a woman has activated the "burst light", her light cannot be turned off; instead, her light changes to a pulsating heart display in the original version, or a flashing yellow light in the 2020 version, and she is guaranteed a place as a finalist at the end of the round.
If, after all the videos have been played, there are more than two girls still with their lights on, the man goes and turns off some of those lights, choosing only two of the remaining girls to come up on the stage as finalists. After that, the identity of the man's "heartbeat girl" is revealed. She too is invited onto the stage (if not already there) as a finalist.
If a woman has activated the "burst light", she is invited onto the stage as a finalist. In the original version, this occurs before the two remaining girls come up on the stage as finalists. In the 2020 version, the "burst light" girl is counted as one of the two remaining girls for when the man goes to turn off excess lights, and for when the girls come up on the stage as finalists.
In the 2020 version, the "Recommended Lady" (simplified Chinese: 智推女生) is then revealed, as long as at least one girl keeps her light on. She too is invited onto the stage (if not already there) as a finalist.
In all circumstances, there can end up being two, three or four women on the stage as finalists. If there is one girl remaining, she remains in her podium, and in the 2020 version, the "Recommended Lady" also remains in her podium in this instance.
The man puts to the finalists a question that he chooses from a set menu of queries. Following that, he can put to the finalists an original question of his own. After that, if one of the finalists had "burst the light", she is given an opportunity to explain her interest in the man and why she should be chosen.
If the man elects to take one of the finalists who had shown interest in him (i.e., hadn't turned her light off), he walks to her, takes her hand, and they depart for a presumed future date.
The man may insist on his "heartbeat girl", or in the 2020 version, choose his "Recommended Lady", even if they had turned their lights off. In these cases, the other finalists are dismissed back to their podiums, and the man is given an opportunity to win his choice of girl over. She may accept him as her date and depart with him, or reject him and return to her podium.
Occasionally, a man elects to choose none of the finalists and to depart alone.
The post-game interview appears with the man alone, or with him and his chosen girl if he is "successful".
Songs featured on the show
The girls make their entrance:
- In the 2020 version, to Little Mix's "Wings".
- In the original version, to Jessie J, Ariana Grande and Nicki Minaj's "Bang Bang".
Previous songs on this version included Avril Lavigne's "Girlfriend", and Madonna's "Give Me All Your Luvin'". - In the "1vs24" episodes of the original version, the guys make their entrance to Korean boy band Big Bang's "Fantastic Baby".
In both versions, the introduction song when a contestant enters the stage is Jean-Roch's "Can You Feel It" (Big Ali Edit).
In both versions, if the contestant has 0/24 lights left, Carl Orff's "O Fortuna - Carmina Burana" plays.
If the contestant leaves without a date, they leave:
- In the 2020 version, to Fish Leong's ('可惜不是你') "Sadly, it's not you" (also previously used in the original version).
- In the original version, to Eason Chan's (陈奕迅) "Eliminate" ("淘汰") or Hebe Tien's ('寂寞寂寞 就好') "Leave Me Alone".
Previous songs on this version included Fish Leong's ('可惜不是你') "Sadly, it's not you", and A-Lin's ('離開的時候') "Time to leave".
If the contestant has more than 2 lights left on after the final round and has to turn off excess lights (Candidate's Choice), they do so:
- In the 2020 version, to a guitar riff.
- In the original version, to "Beginner" by Japanese girl group AKB48.
In the original version:
- When the burst light girl walks the catwalk, the song "Hush" by Korean girl group Miss A (미쓰에이) plays. This was formerly "I LOVE YOU" by 2NE1.
- In the "1vs24" episodes, when the burst light guy walks the catwalk, the song "Moves like Jagger" by American band Maroon 5 plays.
When two finalist girls (which may include the burst light girl in the 2020 version) walk the catwalk, they do so:
- In the 2020 version, to "I Really Like You" by Canadian singer Carly Rae Jepsen.
- In the original version, to "Gee" by Korean girl group Girls' Generation (소녀시대).
- In the "1vs24" episodes of the original version, when two finalist guys walk the catwalk, the song "Sugar" by American band Maroon 5 plays.
If the favorite girl, or in the case of the "1vs24" episodes in the original version, the favorite guy, is not one of the two finalists, they will walk down the catwalk:
- In the 2020 version, to Korean girl group Blackpink's "Ddu-Du Ddu-Du".
- In the original version, to a swing beat.
In the 2020 version, when the "Recommended Lady" walks the catwalk, "There for You" by Martin Garrix and Troye Sivan plays.
If the two female finalists are not chosen (i.e. the contestant insists on the favorite girl, or the "Recommended Lady" in the 2020 version), they leave the stage:
- In the 2020 version, to Ariana Grande and Zedd's "Break Free".
- In the original version, to "Real Man" (大丈夫) by Taiwanese pop singer Jolin Tsai (蔡依林). The previous song on this version was formerly "Goodbye bye bye" by Elva Hsiao (蕭亞軒).
- In the "1vs24" episodes of the original version, if the two male finalists are not chosen (i.e. the contestant insists on the favorite guy), "Good Boy" by Korean duo GD X Taeyang plays.
In both versions, a matched couple leave to the tune of "You're The Right One" (“你是对的人”) by Lee Junho (이준호) featuring Qi Wei (戚薇).
Previous songs on the original version included:
- "Finally waited for you" ("終於等到你") by Jane Zhang (張靚穎)
- "Liang Shanbo and Juliet" ("梁山伯与朱丽叶") by Genie Chuo (卓文萱) featuring Gary Cao (曹格)
- "Beautiful Love" by Tanya Chua (蔡健雅 )
- "Romance" by Jiang Yu Chen (江語晨)
- "Everybody" by Ingrid Michaelson
In both versions, the outro song with the credits is "One Step Forward" (往前一步) by Meng Fei.
An alternative outro in the original version features the song Wo Zai Na Yi Jiao Luo Huan Guo Shang Feng" (我在那一角落患过伤风(小说音乐)) by Fiona Fung.
Guests
If You Are The One has had many guests through its long history. They include:
Male guest
- Le Jia (From 15 Jan 2010 to 14 Oct 2012 and from 18 Nov 2012 to 31 Mar 2013)
- Zeng Zihang (From 13 Apr 2013 to 13 Jul 2013)
- Ning Caishen (From 14 July 2013 to 26 Jan 2014, from 15 Feb 2014 to 1 Mar 2014 and from 9 Mar 2014 to 22 Jun 2014)
- Tong Dawei (From 9 Aug 2014 to 24 Aug 2014 and from 13 Sep 2014 to 18 Oct 2014)
- Huang Lei (From 19 Oct 2014 to 1 Nov 2014, from 16 Nov 2014 to 28 Mar 2015, from 1 Aug 2015 to 25 March 2017 and 4 January 2020)
- Jiang Zhenyu (2017 format guest speaker) (From 13 May 2017 to 28 December 2019)
- Chen Ming (From 4 January 2020 to present)
Female guest
- Huang Han (From 27 Jun 2010 to 19 Mar 2016, from 13 May 2017 to 3 June 2017, and 4 January 2020 to 18 January 2020)
- Huang Lan (From 26 Mar 2016 to 25 March 2017 and from 3 Feb 2018 to present)
Fill-in Male guests
- Yu Zheng (6 & 7 April 2013, 1 week)
- Zhang Jiajia (2 & 8 Mar 2014, 1 week; 13 Jul 2014 to 3 Aug 2014, 3 weeks and 24 December 2016)
- Hawick Lau (From 30 Aug 2014 to 7 Sep 2014, 2 weeks)
- Zhang Liang (From 2 Nov 2014 to 15 Nov 2014, 2 weeks)
- Liu Ye (From 4 Apr 2015 to 23 May 2015, 8 episodes)
- Lu Yi (From 30 May 2015 to 25 Jul 2015, 8 episodes)
International broadcast
Malaysia - NTV7 broadcast the programme from 6:30pm to 8:00pm on every Sunday under the English title, Perfect Match..svg.png.webp)
Australia - SBS Viceland had previously broadcast an edited 60 minute version of the programme from 6:00pm to 7:00pm on Friday nights and before that on Saturday nights[15] under the title If You Are the One until it was removed from broadcast due to declining ratings in April 2020.[16]
See also
References
- Li Jing (2010-07-02). "Playing by the rules in the game of love". China Daily. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
... the popular dating show If You Are the One ...
- "《缘来非诚勿扰》推出"女选男"特别版" [Hold hands and stick to it, thanks for having you all the way on If You Are the One]. yule.com.cn (in Chinese). yule.com.cn. 16 November 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2019.
- Wong, Edward (31 December 2011). "China TV Grows Racy, and Gets a Chaperon". New York Times. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
- Li, Luzhou (September 2015). "If You Are the One: Dating Shows and Feminist Politics in Contemporary China". International Journal of Cultural Studies. 18: 519–535.
- Lin Qi (2010-04-24). "The Dating game by Jiangsu TV". China Daily. Retrieved 2010-12-09.
...a jury of 24 single women question one guy,...
- Guo, Shaohua (May 2017). "When Dating Shows Encounter State Censors: A Case Study of If You Are the One". Media, Culture & Society. 39: 488 – via EBSCOhost.
- Yang, Xiyun (18 July 2010). "China's Censors Rein in 'Vulgar' Reality TV Show". New York Times. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
- Wang, Pan (May 2017). "Inventing Traditions: Television Dating Shows in the People's Republic of China". Media, Culture & Society. 39: 511 – via EBSCOhost.
- http://ent.sina.com.cn/z/v/2016-01-15/doc-ifxnqriy2944585.shtml
- "《缘来非诚勿扰》推出"女选男"特别版" [If You Are The One launches Female elect Male special edition]. Xinhuanet.com (in Chinese). Xinhua News Agency. 18 November 2016. Archived from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
- "反转！《非诚勿扰》用回原名" [Reverse! "You Are the One" back to the original name]. Sina (in Chinese). Sina. 1 January 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2017.
- Han, Heidi (3 April 2017). "The seven-year itch? If You Are The One under "overhaul reform"". SBS Australia. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
- "《非诚勿扰》停播了 新版在改前景未知" [If You Are The One now off the air.]. Sina (in Chinese). Sina. 4 April 2017. Retrieved 1 May 2017.
- ""智推女生"亮相《非诚勿扰》 新一代"脱单神器"诞生" ["Recommended Ladies" Appears in "If You Are the One", a New Generation of "Out of Singlehood Aid" Is Born]. Sina (in Chinese). ChinaZ. 15 January 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2020.
- "'If You Are the One' is moving: Here's what you need to know". Special Broadcasting Service. 6 July 2018.
- Beohm, John [@idents] (2 December 2020). "John Beohm on Twitter" (Tweet). Retrieved 5 December 2020 – via Twitter.