The "Spiderman" couple moved the audience and judges.
The "Spiderman" couple - Zhang Haijun and Joy.
It is said that judge Karen Mok cried so much that her fake eyelashes fell off.
Netizens: They are not grassroots, they are actors. Program team response: They indeed live in poverty and love each other sincerely.
In the broadcast of "China's Got Talent" on the evening of the 22nd, a couple performing "Throwing Leeks" caught the attention of the audience. Not only did they make judge Karen Mok cry so much that her fake eyelashes fell off, but their video was also shared by celebrities such as Li Bingbing and Annabelle Choi on Weibo. However, this couple, known as the "Spiderman" couple because the husband wore a Spiderman costume, faced accusations of fabrication from netizens. Some netizens revealed that the real identities of this couple were not what they claimed to be - "street vendors", "These two are actually extra actors from Northeast China."
Yesterday, this revelation of the "Spiderman couple's scam" caused a huge stir online, plunging Dragon TV and the "China's Got Talent" program team into a "fabrication scandal." Our reporter interviewed Lu Wei, the publicity director of the program team, and Joy, the wife of the "Spiderman couple," at the first opportunity. Lu Wei emphasized: "We have been to their humble abode in Beijing and seen their children; they indeed live in poverty and love each other sincerely." Joy then said: "We are just ordinary street vendors, leading a simple life, suddenly receiving so much attention, it's truly overwhelming."
Planning: Long Yingchun, Written by our reporter Mo Siqi
Response
Program Team: Welcome all viewers to report and expose fakes
Regarding the revelations from netizens, Lu Wei, the publicity director of "China's Got Talent," denied any fabrication of the program when interviewed by our reporter. He stated that "China's Got Talent" refuses all contestants with fabricated identities. "During the recording and broadcasting, the director team may not be able to confirm the true identities of all contestants. But we welcome all viewers to report and expose fakes. Once verified, the contestant will be disqualified and unable to continue standing on the stage of 'China's Got Talent.'"
Regarding the verification of the identity of the "Spiderman couple," Lu Wei said: "We have been to their humble abode in Beijing and seen their children; they indeed live in poverty and love each other sincerely."
Lu Wei revealed that the doubts raised by netizens and the situation of the Joy couple that they understood were actually not very different. The "China's Got Talent" program team had already known that they participated in other variety shows, "We talked to them before, the more programs they participate in, the more likely they are to face doubts - because after the audience sees their stories multiple times, they may develop a reverse psychology, thinking they have the suspicion of 'showing off.' But considering their hard lives, they need various ways and multiple opportunities to change their fate, so we didn't stop them from participating in Shandong TV's program."
As for the artistic photos of the Joy couple exposed by netizens, Lu Wei said: "These are photos from Joy's QQ space, actually their wedding photos. Their wedding back then was very simple, they didn't even take wedding photos. Later, they met a photographer who owns a studio, who expressed willingness to help them fulfill this wish, hence these photos."
Facing the question of whether the program team would cancel the couple's eligibility to continue participating due to this, Lu Wei said the program team wanted to decide after understanding the reaction of public opinion, "Actually, for talent type contestants, participating in multiple variety shows is nothing unusual, but for contestants like them who lean more towards emotions, it indeed raises suspicions of 'showing off' among viewers. We hope they can withdraw from another variety show, but this is up to them to choose."
For the "China's Got Talent" program being embroiled in a "fabrication scandal," Lu Wei emphasized: "Where does the fake come from? The stories and emotions in the program are absolutely real."
The "Spiderman" Couple:
We sell mobile phone screen protectors on the street
Yesterday, our reporter also interviewed Joy, who is at the center of the "fabrication scandal." She sounded bewildered when she answered the call: "Doubts? What do the doubts online say about us? We are busy selling things on the street every day, we don't have time to go online."
Joy admitted that she spent most of the morning answering calls, "Suddenly so many people called to ask about my identity, we are just ordinary street vendors, giving people mobile phone screen protectors, living a simple life, how could we be actors?" After hearing the doubts raised by netizens explained by the reporter, Joy hastily refuted: "Fake, we've never sung in subway passages." Speaking about the "acting videos" uploaded by netizens, Joy explained that an actor friend gave them a chance to act in a short video drama, "We are ordinary people, it's rare to have such an opportunity to act, of course, we want to participate."
Besides "China's Got Talent," Joy and her husband also participated in Shandong TV's audition, but she denied wanting to use this to become famous, "None of the programs we participated in were registered by ourselves, it was the program teams who approached us. At first, we thought it was a scam, so when Oriental TV asked for our ID numbers, I didn't dare to give them out, fearing being scammed. Participating in these programs, we felt it was a rare opportunity - to perform on such a big stage in front of so many people, it was something we had long dreamed of. Moreover, we have never been to Shanghai, and we really wanted to see it. With such an opportunity, of course, we must participate." Joy also revealed that participating in the program delayed their street vending, "When we went to record the program, we couldn't vend. The program team wouldn't give us money, they only covered the round-trip expenses and provided food and accommodation."
Regarding the content of the performance, Joy denied that it was deliberately arranged by the program team, "My husband wants to cheer me up. Although our lives have challenges, our relationship is good, we stick together and want to share our happiness with everyone." Regarding the suspicion of deliberately stirring emotions through their story, Joy said she never anticipated what questions the judges would ask, "They ask, I answer, I never thought others would shed tears for our story."
Now that the "China's Got Talent" program has aired, Joy said her life hasn't changed at all, "Our story is nothing special, neither is our performance, everything is very ordinary, I don't know why we suddenly attracted so much attention, it's quite overwhelming."
Playback
The "Spiderman" couple moved the judges and audience
Li Bingbing and Annabelle Choi "cried red-eyed"
On the 22nd, the fourth episode of this season of "China's Got Talent" was broadcast. After two changes in judges, the program's ratings reached new heights, achieving a 3.1% rating in 26 cities across the country, making it the highest-rated program during the same period nationwide. In this episode, a couple performing "Throwing Leeks" became the most discussed contestant by the audience.
When they stepped onto the stage of "China's Got Talent," Zhang Haijun held a few leeks and appeared in a Spiderman costume, claiming he was there to protect his wife. When the three judges pointed out his limited talent and asked his wife Joy to perform alone, Joy showcased surprising vocal skills. It was at this moment that the two recounted their story: Originally, Navy and Joy met 10 years ago. Joy, studying voice, was a third-year university student, while Navy was an uneducated unemployed youth. The two fell deeply in love at first sight, and Navy started setting up a street stall outside Joy's university and vowed to be "Spiderman" and protect his wife for life. Navy's determination moved Joy, and Joy decided to drop out of school, ignoring her family's opposition, and married Navy. Accompanied by their uncle and aunt, they ate a meal, which served as their wedding. Currently, the two still rely on street vending to make a living. On stage, upon hearing his wife successfully advancing, Navy broke down in tears, and the touching scene of the two embracing amidst tears moved both Judge Karen Mok and the audience, becoming one of the high points of the night's program ratings.
After watching the performance of the "Spiderman" couple, many netizens said they were "moved to tears." During the broadcast of the program, Karen Mok once again expressed via Weibo: "A girl falling in love with you has nothing to do with wealth, education, or background; the only condition is that she 'loves' you." This statement by Karen Mok and the video of the "Spiderman" couple were widely shared, and celebrities also joined the "tearful army" -
Li Bingbing (Weibo): "Before sleeping, I was moved beyond myself, tears streaming down my face... Love forever..."
Annabelle Choi (Weibo): "I actually watched it while boarding... Now my eyes are red, everyone thinks something happened. I wiped away tears at the airport, too moved."
Screenwriter Yu Zheng (Weibo): "Very moved, love doesn't ask if it's worth it!"
Revelation
"This is a scam, they are actors"
Netizen discussion: Young hearts were hurt
However, while everyone was expressing their feelings of being moved to tears by this couple, some netizens pointed out that before "China's Got Talent," this couple had already appeared on Shandong TV's "Chinese Got Talent." Additionally, some netizens provided evidence via video, showing that they also acted in a short video clip, where Zhang Haijun was always dressed as "Spiderman." According to the analysis of netizens, their "street vendor" identity was fake, they are not grassroots, "they are actually extra actors from Northeast China," suspected of deceiving the audience's sympathy and tears.
Yesterday, posts revealing the identity of the "Spiderman couple" sparked heated discussions among netizens on various forums. Regarding their suspicion of fabrication, netizens said they "felt deeply hurt." One netizen said: "While watching the program, I was truly moved by this couple, thinking they had a tough life. Now hearing it's fake, I feel very sad - don't play tricks like this!" "My young heart has been hurt again." "What can we still believe?" "Don't know if it's their own fabrication or if the TV station deliberately found someone to stir emotions?" "If they have real talents, why not perform directly, but instead show off their emotions and backgrounds?"
However, some netizens took a reserved stance, believing that everyone should watch their performance with a tolerant attitude, "Why should grassroots make life difficult for grassroots? It's rare to have a pair of grassroots contestants who perform well, let's just let them be." "Maybe they have several identities, sometimes they sell goods on the street, sometimes they act in plays, it's no big deal."
Expert Analysis
"Fabrication" makes us feel stupid
After the rumors of the "Spiderman couple's" identity fabrication were reposted on various forums, why did netizens react so strongly? Analyst Hu Shen zhi from Guangzhou Sunflower Psychological Counseling Center told our reporter that deep love leads to deep hatred, "No one wants to be deceived, fake things make us feel stupid."
Speaking about the reason why emotional stories in "China's Got Talent" gained widespread attention, Mr. Hu said: "Chinese people are emotionally reserved, but everyone also yearns to express emotions. If there is no such opportunity in life, one hopes to release emotions through TV programs, which is also one of the reasons why emotional programs have a large market." However, Mr. Hu believes that the high ratings and attention of "China's Got Talent" are not entirely due to emotional manipulation, "This program helps common people realize their dreams, making the audience in front of the TV feel involved - they help us achieve our wishes, thereby gaining psychological satisfaction."
Precisely because of the involvement while watching TV, the audience cannot tolerate being deceived by the contestants, so their first reaction to hearing about fabrication is very strong. Mr. Hu said: "Fake things make us feel stupid, which is something no one can accept."