"Match to Marry 2" heated up Thursday night with the bold and honest flirting of its participants.

In the 3rd episode of the SBS show "Match to Marry 2" aired on July 9, the love lines shifted as the men made their choices following the dates picked by the mothers. The episode recorded a peak viewership rating of 2.2% (based on Nielsen Korea, Seoul metropolitan area), proving its popularity.

The scene-stealer who provided the biggest laughs and plot twists was none other than participant Lee Kang-hyun's mother. Lee Kang-hyun suffered the pain of being a "three-time zero-vote woman" after failing to receive a single vote for the third consecutive time. While enjoying a chicken and beer date with her mother in the lonely dorm where all other participants had left for their dates, Lee Kang-hyun could not hold back her sadness and cried, saying, "I'm sad because I'm afraid you'll look at me with pity."

At that moment, instead of being swayed by her daughter's tears, Lee Kang-hyun's mother shocked the studio by delivering a powerful, "extremely T" (logical) dose of brutal honesty, saying, "Wake up." She continued, "It is sad, but it doesn't break my heart. So don't hang yourself and cry just because you weren't chosen," keeping her daughter's mental state in check with cold and realistic insight. Watching this on screen, MC Seo Jang-hoon burst into laughter, saying, "I really like the mother. She said exactly what I wanted to say," and gave her a double thumbs-up.

Meanwhile, a romance was born as one participant completely melted the other's heart with sincere comfort. Kim Dong-young had his first 1-on-1 date with Yang Ha-yoon, an oriental medicine doctor who had given him the humiliation of zero votes in the first impression choice. Kim Dong-young saw through the inner feelings of Yang Ha-yoon, who was unable to take care of herself while looking after others, and offered warm sincerity, saying, "Are you taking care of your own happiness? Let's find a way to be happy together."

Moved by Kim Dong-young's consideration, which fully understood her, Yang Ha-yoon burst into tears and opened her closed heart, saying, "I'm curious about you, Dong-young." At the dramatic synchronization of the two's emotions, MC Kim Yo-han cheered, "I told you they would end up together."

On the other hand, the direct approach of Kang Shin-woo, who is non-religious and only has eyes for "Pilates studio owner" Kim Da-hye, easily overcame even the barrier of religion. For Kim Da-hye, who considers faith important, Kang Shin-woo brought laughter by promising to attend dawn services, saying, "I can go to church just for the fact that we can be together." In particular, he surprised Seo Jang-hoon once again with his confident remark, "I feel like I'm holding onto you too much. Please talk to other people and see how great of a person I am."

Amidst the unpredictable whirlwind of emotions, "Match to Marry 2," which raises expectations for what kind of turmoil will arise next week as the actual specs of the men are set to be revealed, airs every Thursday at 9 PM. 

(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)