Moral Of The Story with Stephanie Soo

Episode: Ready-To-Divorce Celebrity Couple Goes On “Divorce Reality Show” To Fix Marriage But Goes SO WRONG
Date: October 5, 2025

Overview

In this episode, Stephanie Soo (host) recounts to her husband the wild, viral scandals from the latest season of the Chinese celebrity divorce reality show, See Youe Again (also translated as "Goodbye Lover"). The show brings together three celebrity couples on the brink of divorce and attempts to help them salvage their marriages across 18 drama-filled days, culminating in a symbolic decision: drive away in RVs, stop and reunite—or drive off for good. However, this particular season goes completely off the rails, largely due to one couple: Lee (a famous singer) and his wife Mai, whose dynamic and behavior grip, exasperate, and infuriate viewers across the world. Stephanie dives in deep to explain what happened, why so many people are obsessed with Mai, and how this reality show turned marriage counseling into a global, unhinged spectacle.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Premise of "See Youe Again"

• See Youe Again is a Chinese reality show featuring three public-figure couples on the verge of divorce (02:29).
• Over 18 days, they try to rekindle their relationships via group activities, road trips, and therapy sessions, with final “RV drive” symbolism as a stay-or-leave decision (03:06).
• Each season brings new couples, but the 2024 season goes viral, not because of the expected high-drama pair, but due to an unassuming housewife, Mai (05:01).

2. The Three Core Couples: Cast Overview

• Yang Zi & Ava Huang
  • Yang Zi: Nepo baby, thinks he's the star; doesn’t know anything about his wife.
  • Ava: Famous, elegant actress beloved by viewers.
  • Their score on a marriage quiz is an abysmal 14 out of 60, lower than random strangers could get (28:39).
• The "Chill Couple" (Ge Zi & Liu Shuang)
  • Ge Zi: Influencer, well-liked.
  • Liu Shuang: Radio host, known for thoughtless remarks and calmness.
  • Considered “the normal couple” (08:09), their issues are comparatively minor.
• Lee & Mai
  • Lee: Singer of the classic Chinese hit “To Only Win Your Heart,” nerdy and logical.
  • Mai: Not a celebrity; became infamous after this show.
  • Their marriage seems loving, with traditions like re-proposals and extravagant gestures (e.g., building a house from Up) but is the real powder keg of the season (11:32).

3. Mai: Introduction, Early Sympathy, Shift to “Most Hated TV Wife”

• Early episodes show Mai as a super-supportive, selfless, possibly self-sacrificing housewife (13:31).
• Stephanie notes her initial confusion about widespread hate: “She sounds pretty normal… Why are people so mean?” (19:01).
• Red flags surface:
  • Mai admits she ranks herself last in her own priorities—husband, kids, parents, then her (18:40).
  • Her insecurity about her looks, especially compared to conventionally attractive co-stars and feeling out-of-place in entertainment settings (20:11).
  • Her raw vulnerability about feeling “embarrassed” for possibly embarrassing her husband (21:00).
• At first, much audience sympathy: “You’re doing so great, you need to love yourself more… the fact that her husband is in the entertainment industry doesn’t make it any better.” (24:20)
  • But seasoned viewers warn: “Just wait. Come back to this comment after a few more episodes.” (24:40)

4. Their Dynamic: Love or Guilt?

• Lee is logical, passive, and gentle; Mai is all emotion and can be intense, with unpredictable swings between affection, fretfulness, and dominance (22:41).
• Major conflict: Mai always says the opposite of what she means, full of “hidden messages”; as Stephanie puts it: “She just ends up doing some crazy, and I’m like, that’s wild” (22:41).
• Lee: “My core conflict with my wife is I think she's way too dominant… She intervenes in all aspects… even my career” (31:51).
• Mai denies being dominant, but her body language says otherwise (33:00).

5. Main Issues That Trigger Audience Outrage

a) Control, Nagging, and “Mommy” Behavior

• Manages all finances—even Lee’s money, giving him no allowance (34:59).
• Lee’s main complaint: She is “frugal to the point where it’s just too much”—refusing to buy ordinary basics for their expensive home (35:29).
• Constantly nags and lectures other couples, acting as “mom” to everyone, even other husbands—calling them “baby” or “honey,” micromanaging group finances, refusing to split daily budgets (58:00; 71:28).
• Lee: “Every purchasing decision cannot be made without her approval. I can’t make any single decision on my own. Which, again, is giving mother-son relationship” (39:03).

b) Communication Breakdown and Suffocating Martyrdom

• Often guilt-trips (“I’ve already used up all my love and energy, so there’s no one else I could ever love in this world…”) (37:52).
• Expects Lee to read her mind ("Do I deserve a coffee?"—but she means, go out and buy it for me) (126:43–129:22).
• Can’t express needs directly, but explodes if not understood (85:54).

c) Materialism in Disguise (“I’m Not Like Other Girls…” But Actually Wants Designer Bags)

• Brags about being “pragmatic, not materialistic,” but logs every gift her friends receive, complains Lee doesn’t buy her things—even though she returns the things he buys or refuses to tell him what she wants (90:42, 102:10).
• Wants a Chanel bag but says, “I don’t really want anything…” then later found reselling Chanel bags online for having too many (102:09).
• The infamous “Shanghai Green Rice Cake” incident: Lee spends an entire day flying from Beijing to Shanghai and back just to surprise her with every flavor of her favorite snack. Mai complains, “He didn’t even ask me if I wanted anything else from Shanghai… How simple-minded!” (92:59–94:20).
  • “She loves green rice cakes… he flew to Shanghai just for that. And that's all he did. He didn’t do anything after buying it. He came right back” (92:42).

d) Major Fights All Tied to Her Insecurities and Guilt (The Closet Incident)

• One of the biggest conflicts: She repeatedly claims there’s no space for her clothes when moving, Lee tries everything—eventually throws out all his own clothes in frustration, but she then says she barely remembers the incident (76:52–83:24).
• Her “solution” is always demanding more gifts and symbolic gestures, but never being satisfied—using acts of service as bartering chips for emotional validation (83:24–88:45).

e) Zero EQ With Others

• Constantly inserts herself into other couples’ business, lectures them, calls men “like children,” and expects praise for her martyrdom (68:52).
• People describe her as, “She bullies an entire group of people by herself” (109:40).

6. The Collective Suffering: Cast and Audience Reaction

• All three couples become aggravated by Mai: “Watching the others complain about Mai, Lee does step in to mediate. He says, ‘Why don’t we all just go back to our own places for the night?’… He gets the vibe. It’s not like he has no EQ. He has higher EQ than Mai” (64:41).
• Viewers share wild reactions online, e.g.,
  • “After this show, I have been losing sleep for three days. It is now 3 am… I think I am losing my mind.” (05:01)
  • “I was so infuriated by Mai that I was on heart rate medication for two days. Just the thought of her makes my chest feel congested.” (05:01)
• Stephanie and viewers feel “suffocated,” exhausted at watching them communicate, and incredulous that they’re often forced to side with the husband ("Usually on a divorce show… you’re siding with the wife, but this time I'm siding with the husband. I don't know which side is north anymore" (91:19)).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “This show, See Youe Again, has been airing for a few years and it's the 2024 season... it becomes a trending show because of this season… because of a woman named Mai. She's not even the celebrity... I saw comments of people saying, I am throwing up blood. Please tell me this whole thing is scripted.” – Stephanie (05:01)
• “Some netizens are saying, no. If you watch the whole season, it seems like Mai will drop these [problems] in moments to make him feel guilty… like how older generations treat their kids: 'Do you know what I did for you?'” – Stephanie (85:06)
• “[Mai] admits, I would rank myself last in terms of priorities. So it would be, Lee is her number one priority, then her kids, then her parents, and then her.” (18:40)
• “Do you even listen to me when I talk?” – Mai, in a public meal, when her husband doesn’t reply instantly (51:37)
• “You can just call me cheap. I can handle it.” – Mai, about her frugality (39:03)
• “He bought her a cake. He made her a PowerPoint of how much he loved her. He wore a bear costume, danced. And she said, 'It was just fine.'” (90:22)
• “He [Lee] flew to Shanghai to buy you rice cakes, came straight back… and that's all he did?!” (93:01)
• “If someone is trying to do something nice for you, when you point out the negative things… people are going to stop being nice to you. That’s just how people work.” – Teacher Zhang, marriage therapist (106:50)
• “I think it’s really great she came on this show, because now her ability to gaslight is no longer the sole burden of her husband. She is spreading her talents across the other couples… and now he has evidence!” – Netizen (117:30)
• “Do I deserve a cup of coffee?” – Mai, triggering an entire (non-)conversation and almost a fight (126:43)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• [02:29] — Introduction to See Youe Again’s format
• [05:01] — Netizens’ wild reactions to Mai and season’s viral infamy
• [10:09] — Lee & Mai: backstory, famous love gestures, early relationship history
• [15:34] — First warning signs: the “priority ranking” controversy
• [20:11] — Mai’s physical insecurities come out, admission of feeling like an outsider among “beautiful wives”
• [31:51] — “My wife is too dominant”: cracks begin to show
• [34:59] — The “helicopter mom” finances, Lee’s lack of any financial autonomy
• [39:03] — Trash can is a paint bucket; “call me cheap, I can handle it”; friends buying designer bags
• [51:37] — Public meal fight: “Are you even listening? That’s all you’re going to say?”
• [58:00] — Mai exerts control over group finances, called “baby” and “honey” to other husbands, netizens disturbed
• [68:52] — “Men are like children”: lectures wives about husbands, generalizes all men, group getting fed up
• [76:52]–[83:24] — The “closet incident”: endless drama over wardrobe space, Lee’s emotional breaking point
• [90:09] — Birthday celebration: bear costume, PowerPoint – “It was just fine.”
• [92:59–94:20] — The infamous “Shanghai green rice cake”: Over-the-top gesture roundly rejected
• [102:10] — "Not materialistic" but fixated on designer bags and friend’s gifts, found reselling Chanel for “too many bags”
• [106:50] — Teacher Zhang’s logic bomb, explaining why kindness dries up when nitpicked, met with blank stares and laughter
• [126:43–129:22] — Coffee incident: classic example of indirect, manipulative communication
• [131:06] — Stephanie’s assessment: “This is elementary school, bitch. This is nothing compared to what’s coming.”

Structure & Tone

• Stephanie’s tone: Conversational, animated, a mix of exasperation and morbid fascination. Regular bursts of laughter, analogies, and asides to her husband and the audience.
• Dynamic: The episode plays out as a story for her husband, blending recap, analysis, and personal reflection, with sharp netizen commentary woven in.

Conclusion

Stephanie ends the episode after Mai’s “do I deserve a coffee?” saga—promising that even wilder, more exasperating moments wait in part 2. The show and Mai’s relentless antics offer a lessonless lesson: how NOT to communicate in a relationship, and how the drive to “fix” a marriage on reality TV can quickly descend into collective marital hell. Whether Mai is a villain, a victim, or a symptom of deeper issues, she and Lee have become touchstones for viral armchair psychoanalysis, raising uncomfortable questions about gender roles, emotional labor, and the burden of expectation in marriage.

“This show should be studied. If it’s scripted, it should be studied. If it’s real, it should be studied. These people need to be studied.” —Stephanie Soo (07:37)

End of summary—let Stephanie know if you need part 2, or if you just need a nap after the “coffee incident.”