Heart Signal is rebroadcasting yet again!
But hold off on shipping couples just yet, because this season's start is a little different...
First, it gave us a tongue-twisting iconic moment in dating show history, when a female guest asked, "What's your favorite city?"
Source: Variety show "Heart Signal 7"
And of course, the meme lords couldn't let this slide, so we got—
It's quite... interesting.
That perfectly timed pause and seamless Chinese-English code-switching set off a frenzy of mockery, and even triggered the second peak of discussion this season—"Is there really a dating show for graduates of second-tier colleges?"
Source: Weibo
And they've even scripted it out.
Indeed, in every season of dating shows, though the contestants are ordinary people, most are elite figures with the label of "international student."
This season's guests are no exception: Weng Qingya, a fair-skinned, wealthy beauty who did both her undergraduate and master's degrees in the UK; Oscar, who became an international student at age 12; TOMO from Northumbria University in the UK; and Zhao Muchen, who completed his bachelor's at the Chinese University of Hong Kong and master's at the Australian National University.
Source: Variety show "Heart Signal 7"
There's also a foreigner who came to China for his studies in reverse—Midie, who earned his master's from Beijing Institute of Technology.
Source: Variety show "Heart Signal 7"
Compared to the average netizen, it does feel a bit out of touch, but from the show's perspective, casting directors seeking ordinary people who can withstand the spotlight might find the "elite crowd" a safer bet.
Source: Xiaohongshu
International Students—The Half-Mettle of Dating Shows
Based on the casting criteria of "good looks, high topicality, free time, and strong compliance," the international student group naturally becomes the prime candidate pool.
After all, the risk of a dating show guest's reputation crashing is extremely high, and a high selection threshold can effectively prevent it. Before "Heart Signal 7" even aired, the hot couple Li Nieshuangyu and Zhang Genyuan from "Heart Signal 5" trended on Weibo after a public spat.
Source: Weibo
Oh right, they were international students too.
Source: Variety show "Heart Signal 5"
Not just "Heart Signal," but also hugely popular dating shows like "Twinkle Love at 20" and "Love in the City" feature many amateur guests with international student backgrounds.
"Twinkle Love at 20"
First and foremost, we have to mention Cai Cai, who also contributed a strong iconic moment—he's studying at Durham University, which is often seen as the "backup for Oxbridge."
Source: Variety show "Twinkle Love at 20"
Who would have thought that this answer was to the question "How is your school cafeteria?"
It was like a mock Mandarin test where he answered with random, off-topic rambles. Even more ridiculously, when the girl tried to steer back with "So, is the food good?", Cai Cai remained unfazed and still lost in his own world...
Netizen: Wait, so how's the cafeteria, really?!
Moreover, all the participants on the show with him were international students.
Honestly, this wave of showing off is totally unnecessary.
"Love in the City"
Just from the name, you can probably tell this show positions itself as a "high IQ" social reality show, dubbed a combo of "dating show" and "brain show." As expected, five of the six guests had study-abroad experiences.
First, the three from UK G5 universities. Yang Yiqun, a master's graduate in business from IC, now works as a financial analyst at one of the world's top eight investment banks.
Wang Jialang graduated from Cambridge with a master's in real estate finance and currently works as a fund researcher in a well-known financial institution.
Then there's Ma Huiwen, who graduated from UCL with a master's in social research methods, though she also now works in the financial sector.
The other two international student guests graduated from Germany and Canada respectively—all prestigious school graduates working in elite, high-tech professions.
International Students—Masters of the PDF Gossip Fields
"Always treading by the river, how can your shoes not get wet?" While enjoying the high topicality brought by international student guests, one must also bear the high risk of scandals. Without proper background checks, reputation crashes can happen right after the premiere.
Source: Weibo
Dating show fans: Can't the production team do better background checks?
But rumour has it the production team actually anticipated such risks, so the background check process is incredibly complex, almost requiring recommendation letters from exes.
Source: Director of "Twinkle Love at 20" Weibo
But there's always the one that slips through the net...
Source: Xiaohongshu
Suddenly, it makes sense why there are relatively fewer US-based international students appearing on dating shows—after all—
Source: Xiaohongshu
While people back home are still forwarding super-long chat logs, the study-abroad circle has been dropping gossip via PDFs!
With clear table of contents, highlighted red text, and annotated images, the stories are well-structured, with dramatic arcs and high readability, making the experience of consuming gossip feel like reading a thesis.
But the difference is: "I can't bring myself to read 20 pages of references, but I'll open a 63-page gossip PDF in a heartbeat."
As a staple product of the study-abroad circle and the "top streamer" in the contemporary exposure world, PDFs have set the trend for professional gossip consumption.
When a PDF appears, it "stirs up a thousand waves"—you not only get an explosive piece of gossip, but you also get a comment section that might be even more explosive, so it generally takes more than two hours to extract yourself.
At this point, consuming gossip is no longer just a pastime—it requires certain skills. Typically, you need a flexible mind, a cast-iron stomach, and strong psychological endurance. If you don't believe us, let's warm up with a simple question first.
Suddenly, everything else seems trivial.
Now let's up the ante.
Even Qiong Yao only made lovers become siblings—she wouldn't dare to write this!
There's even a time management master who puts certain dance kings to shame—truly, our international student community breeds talent!
International Students—We're Pretty Innocent, Please Give Us a Break
Even though the international student group is a hotbed of gossip, we shouldn't tar everyone with the same brush and slap the label of "messy private life" on all of them. There are plenty of diligent students working hard on their studies and racing against deadlines.
We can only say the identity of "international student" is both a halo and a stereotype. The study-abroad experience creates more free space to learn and explore a new world, but everything you go through is a double-edged sword—whether you carve out a new horizon or cut down your own path depends on the wielder of the sword.
At the same time, whether making friends or choosing a partner, please keep your eyes peeled and choose wisely.
We also hope the "gossip aficionados" outside the drama maintain a rational mindset and don't get swept up by emotions. Even if you find yourself in a "cyber emotional court," you can simply observe without becoming a "judge of feelings" and fueling public opinion.
In summary: You can enjoy the gossip, but don't get too immersed in the drama, because the moment you open that PDF, it's like pulling the trigger on an emotion—the bullet will fly for a while, and you never know whose forehead it might hit.
For more admission case studies and questions related to study-abroad applications, you can also add the contact information of a CheersYou（清柚教育） advisor below to learn more.
