By Alan Oda, AsAmNews Contributor
There are many dating shows. There are also many shows set in olden England – think Bridgerton or Pride and Prejudice. So what if the two elements were combined together, a reality show set in a countryside castle located in the United Kingdom, inviting suitors who follow the rituals of the Regency era in pursuit of the hand of a fair maiden? Add the rare prospect of a handsome Asian American man vying for that attention. The Courtship, premiering Sunday evening on NBC, combines all those elements
Sixteen single men from around the world compete for the love of a heroine, time-traveling back to when ballroom dances, carriage rides, boat rides, archery competitions, handwritten letters, and other ceremonial features were all part of the passage to find one’s true love via what’s described as the “ultimate romantic experience.” The heroine is Nicole Remy, a 26-year-old software engineer and product manager for a Seattle startup. She was a Dean’s Academic Scholar at USC, president of her sorority, and a member of the renowned USC Song Girls. After working in architecture, Remy joined the cheerleading team for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks for a couple of seasons before her current livelihood.
One of the suitors competing for the affection of Ms. Remy is Danny Kim, referred to as “Captain Kim.” The New Jersey native is the son of Korean immigrants. Kim is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy and was honorably discharged with the rank of Captain, thus his show moniker.
After viewing the movie Hitch, a 2005 Will Smith movie about a professional “date doctor,” Kim became inspired to start his own business as a confidence coach. He currently helps men realize their worth and potential, inspiring dating success. Yet Kim, now 31, is himself still single. “My parents still want the traditional Korean traditional wedding, (asking) ‘are you going to get married soon? Am I going to get a grandchild?’”
Of the 16 suitors on The Courtship, Kim is the only suitor of Asian heritage. The distinction is not lost on him. “Obviously my first goal was to fall in love, but I felt like I wanted to represent all Asian communities, that is something I should not take lightly. I want to show I brought the Asian culture, the values that we learn, the family values, the integrity, all the things I learned especially from my Korean culture.”
Kim sees parallels between his Asian heritage and the aforementioned traditions of olden England. “I do think that people who watch the show will see the Regency era is kind of like back in the day of an earlier Asian era, when our parents dated. The Asian community is going to enjoy this.” Alluding to the success of the 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians, Kim sees parallels between the movie and his TV show. “They didn’t kiss until the very end of the movie, the swans, the costumes, the dress that she wore – that’s the best way I can say this, everyone’s going to enjoy the show for its traditions, but especially the Asian community,” said Kim. Although he believes The Courtship will attract a wide audience, Kim believes Asian Americans will find the formalities portrayed in the program appealing and even familiar.
“The whole point of the show is (to revisit) the Regency Era, to go back with Ms. Remy, change the whole dating scene to 19th century Regency…it worked perfectly with the Asian culture I grew up with, especially the Korean American culture,” said Kim.
He said his parents met and dated in a manner similar to what he experienced with The Courtship. “I actually got to go back to the ancient culture of dating. One thing I experienced living overseas (in South Korea) is Korean culture is so big about dating.” In the first episode, Kim and the other suitors write an introduction letter addressed to Remy, also reviewed by her family and best friend. “My parents wrote letters back in the day when my Dad had to go to the States first, and my Mom told me about that before I went on the show. So I kind of witnessed (letter writing) on my own,” said Kim, adding “it was really cool to bring my Asian culture and mix it with the English Regency culture. I kinda experienced how my parents met back in the day and their dating culture, so it was actually awesome, it was amazing.”
Kim learned the kind of relationship he sought was “right in front of my own eyes.” He cited the difficulties for his parents as immigrants in America. “But my family still sticks together – my parents are still married – in spite of all the Asian fighting and bickering, I once thought that was horrible.” Yet on his parents’ 40th anniversary, Kim said “I pulled Dad aside and asked him ‘do you still love Mom?’ My Dad said ‘yes, she’s my best friend.’ And that’s when I went onto the show, to find my best friend that I can fall in love with.”
Part of Kim’s interest in The Courtship was because he wanted to engage an alternative to modern dating. “The show gives me the opportunity to go back to my roots. Think of Korean dramas, right? All about the romance, all about the courtship, you don’t see (the couple) kiss until the eighth or tenth episode, near the end. I think growing up in that Asian culture made me want to go away from modern dating, from Tinder, from dating apps.” He remarked the uniqueness of “meeting a girl’s parents before I meet her…those kind of things, courting the possible woman that I want to fall in love with, that’s why I chose the show.”
“The love, I think the bromance, this is not (Netflix’s) Too Hot to Handle, this is not ‘swipe right,’ this is about love and romancing,” said Kim.
As with other reality shows of this genre, each week some suitors continue their quest for love, while others are sent home. Kim shared his strategy of how he appealed to the show’s heroine. “What I did best is that I know I was being the real me, I was there for the right reasons. I was there for love, I know Miss Nicole Remy was there for the same reason, and I just trusted that. It was intense, it was a lot of emotion, it was just an amazing experience.”
Eventually Kim wants to continue in entertainment, but for now, he’s focused on the success of The Courtship. “With this show, I just wanted to go with the flow, to see what happens, having an Asian male, especially in a dating show like this was a huge deal, and I’m so grateful for an opportunity like this.” Kim wants “every Asian man, Asian woman, especially in western media, to have the opportunity to show how amazing our culture is. It is an amazing culture, and we had the Regency era too. This gives the opportunity for broadening the horizons for everyone who watches the show.”
There are dating show enthusiasts who have many choices. Then there are the many fans of shows set in olden England – think Bridgerton or Pride and Prejudice. So what if the two elements were combined together, a reality show set in a countryside castle located in the United Kingdom, inviting suitors who follow the rituals of the Regency era in pursuit of the hand of a fair maiden? The Courtship, premiering Sunday evening on NBC, is based on that rather unique premise.
Sixteen single men from around the world compete for the love of a heroine, time traveling back to when ballroom dances, carriage rides, boat rides, archery competitions, handwritten letters, and other ceremonial features were all part of the passage to find one’s true love via what’s described as the “ultimate romantic experience.” The heroine is Nicole Remy, a 26-year-old software engineer and product manager for a Seattle startup. She was a Dean’s Academic Scholar at USC, president of her sorority and a member of the renowned USC Song Girls. After working in architecture, Remy joined the cheerleading team for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks for a couple of seasons before her current livelihood.
One of suitors competing for the affection of Ms. Remy is Danny Kim, referred to as “Captain Kim.” The New Jersey native is the son of Korean immigrants. Kim is a graduate of the US Air Force Academy, and was honorably discharged with the rank of Captain, thus his show moniker.
After viewing the movie “Hitch,” a 2005 Will Smith movie about a professional “date doctor,” Kim became inspired to start his own business as a confidence coach. He currently helps men realize their worth and potential, inspiring dating success. Yet Kim, now 31, is himself still single. “My parents still want the traditional Korean traditional wedding, (asking) ‘are you going to get married soon? Am I going to get a grandchild?’”
Of the 16 suitors on “The Courtship,” Kim is the only suitor of Asian heritage. The distinction is not lost on him. “Obviously my first goal was to fall in love, but I felt like I wanted to represent all Asian communities, that is something I should not take lightly. I want to show I brought the Asian culture, the values that we learn, the family values, the integrity, all the things I learned especially from my Korean culture.”
Kim sees parallels between his Asian heritage and the aforementioned traditions of olden England. “I do think that people who watch the show will see the Regency era is kind of like back in the day of an earlier Asian era, when our parents dated. The Asian community is going to enjoy this.” Alluding to the success of the 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians, Kim sees parallels between the movie and his TV show. “They didn’t kiss until the very end of the movie, the swans, the costumes, the dress that she wore – that’s the best way I can say this, everyone’s going to enjoy the show for its traditions, but especially the Asian community,” said Kim. Although he believes The Courtship will attract a wide audience, Kim believes Asian Americans will find the formalities portrayed in the program appealing and even familiar.
“The whole point of the show is (to revisit) the Regency Era, to go back with Ms. Remy, change the whole dating scene to 19th century Regency…it worked perfectly with the Asian culture I grew up with, especially the Korean American culture,” said Kim.
He said his parents met and dated in a manner similar to what he experienced with The Courtship. “I actually got to go back to the ancient culture of dating. One thing I experienced living overseas (in South Korea) is Korean culture is so big about dating.” In the first episode, Kim and the other suitors write an introduction letter addressed to Remy, also reviewed by her family and best friend. “My parents wrote letters back in the day when my Dad had to go to the States first, and my Mom told me about that before I went on the show. So I kind of witnessed (letter writing) on my own,” said Kim, adding “it was really cool to bring my Asian culture and mix it with the English Regency culture. I kinda experienced how my parents met back in the day and their dating culture, so it was actually awesome, it was amazing.”
Kim learned the kind of relationship he sought was “right in front of my own eyes.” He cited the difficulties for his parents as immigrants in America. “But my family still sticks together – my parents are still married – in spite of all the Asian fighting and bickering, I once thought that was horrible.” Yet on his parents’ 40th anniversary, Kim said “I pulled Dad aside and asked him ‘do you still love Mom?’ My Dad said ‘yes, she’s my best friend.’ And that’s when I went onto the show, to find my best friend that I can fall in love with.”
Part of Kim’s interest in The Courtship was because he wanted to engage an alternative to modern dating. “The show gives me the opportunity to go back to my roots. Think of Korean dramas, right? All about the romance, all about the courtship, you don’t see (the couple) kiss until the eighth or tenth episode, near the end. I think growing up in that Asian culture made me want to go away from modern dating, from Tinder, from dating apps.” He remarked the uniqueness of “meeting a girl’s parents before I meet her…those kind of things, courting the possible woman that I want to fall in love with, that’s why I chose the show.”
“The love, I think the bromance, this is not (Netflix’s) Too Hot to Handle, this is not ‘swipe right,’ this is about love and romancing,” said Kim.
As with other reality shows of this genre, each week some suitors continue their quest for love, while others are sent home. Kim shared his strategy of how he appealed to the show’s heroine. “What I did best is that I know I was being the real me, I was there for the right reasons. I was there for love, I know Miss Nicole Remy was there for the same reason, and I just trusted that. It was intense, it was a lot of emotion, it was just an amazing experience.”
Eventually Kim wants to continue in entertainment, but for now, he’s focused on the success of The Courtship. “With this show, I just wanted to go with the flow, to see what happens, having an Asian male, especially in a dating show like this was a huge deal, and I’m so grateful for an opportunity like this.” Kim wants “every Asian man, Asian woman, especially in western media, to have the opportunity to show how amazing our culture is. It is an amazing culture, and we had the Regency era too. This gives the opportunity for broadening the horizons for everyone who watches the show.”
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