How to Find Love in 9 Days in Netflix’s “Better Late Than Single”
Love isn’t easy, especially at a luxury resort with five potential partners and four definite competitors. Dropping 10 contestants on a romantic resort getaway for nine days, Netflix’s latest Korean reality dating show Better Late Than Single (2025) starts off the typical love game at an all-time low.
All contestants are life-long singles, with zero dating history and sparse romantic skills. Extremely fresh in the dating scene, they have to learn how to navigate their love lives for the first time ever. It’s adorably awkward and endearing to watch — flirts and fails included.
Love is complicated whether you’re an expert or a beginner, and drama is inevitable as love interests collide and feelings misalign. With a finale that reveals which contestants finally leave singledom, Better Late Than Single is an unconventional beginner’s guide to romance.
Crash Courses
From social hermits to busy bees, the contestants all have one thing in common: zero dating experience. Each contestant has a different background as to why — whether it’s because they’re hard to approach or hardly approaching anyone. For many, this is the first time actively pursuing an escape from the single life. But before they begin, romance classes are in session.
Starting off with mentors and makeovers, the contestants are given a crash course that covers fashion, flirting, and finesse. Lee Eun-ji, Kang Han-na, Seo In-guk, and Car, the Garden are in the “Cupid” mentor line-up, sprinkling in some commentary and advice.
Every move is valuable within the nine days, especially with first impressions. Some of the changes are physical while others are emotional, boosting the contestants’ confidence before entering the resort and during their stay.
Matches Made
Dates are initiated through games, and luck plays a heavy hand in the matchmaking. From coincidentally grabbing the same drink to picking names out of a claw machine, pairings are a mixed bag; some like their partner while others don’t. Love interests coincide and love triangles quickly begin to transform into complex polygons. With time ticking away, every date is a missed opportunity or for some others, a perfect chance to convince a potential partner. Date nights and late nights are everything, influencing contestants from one day to the next.
As contestants without any dating experience, every interaction with a potential love interest is unfamiliar territory. Mistakes are made and miscommunication arises, as mentors are left shaken up with their mentees’ romantically wild decisions. It’s frustrating yet rewarding. But with the contestants gaining courage and learning more about themselves along the way, viewers are left cheering them on anyway.
Ships Sailed
As the ninth day comes to a close, time is running out as the couples are slowly solidifying or worse, absolutely shattering. Letters are sent, confessions are ignored, and some contestants are still single. Without any guarantee to secure a partner, stakes are higher than ever as some contestants are set to leave the resort still single.
Beyond the final couples, Better Late Than Single is more than just romance. Stacked with life lessons on confidence, vulnerability, and connection, the show is seriously real about finding love within and in others. It’s raw and refreshing, even with the rookie mistakes along the way.
For more information on Better Late Than Single, check out Netflix Korea’s official Instagram and Netflix’s official website.
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