Alumnus Justin Yang wins on Chinese dating show ‘Fei Cheng Wu Rao’
UCLA alumnus Justin Yang won on the Chinese reality dating show “Fei Cheng Wu Rao (If You Are the One).” Yang only began learning Chinese in college but was able to stand in front of a panel that judged him based on looks and personality. The panel looked at clips of his life in college as well as his show performance.
Courtesy of Justin Yang
By Laurie Allred
Feb. 18, 2011 12:30 a.m.
Justin Yang and Jiang Yu compete on the Chinese dating show “Fei Cheng Wu Rao.” The two still keep in touch today.
Courtesy of Justin Yang
The thought of walking into a room full of thousands of foreigners, in front of a criticizing panel of women, may frighten even the toughest or most confident man.
But this scenario didn’t phase background actor and alumnus Justin Yang, who earned a degree in Asian American studies in 2007 and last month won one of China’s biggest dating shows, “Fei Cheng Wu Rao (If You Are the One).”
Yang, who currently studies at the University of Nanjing in a Johns Hopkins University joint program, was placed in front of a panel of 24 women who judged, evaluated and scored him based on his looks and personality. The first half of the show is solely based on looks; Yang received a 24 out of 24, a rare score on the show.
“Most people who are dressed nice get past the first round, but I did more,” Yang said. “I did my research ahead of time and found out who was successful.”
Yang, who only began learning Chinese in college, said he found that the most intimidating aspect of the show was answering the panel’s probing questions in Chinese.
As the show progressed, the panel of women watched clips of Yang’s life in college, giving them a sense of his personality. After, they asked him questions, with each answer earning a “yay” or “nay” rating that determined Yang’s score.
Yang was ultimately matched with No. 16, Jiang Yu, the woman he originally selected at the beginning of the show, and the two still keep in touch.
“After the show, we literally talked for five seconds. We went out, got dinner, got to know each other, but she had to catch a flight the next day,” Yang said. “She’s super down-to-earth, but I would say no to marriage.”
Gorden Chen, who also graduated in 2007 with Yang, said Yang was true to his personality on the show.
“I just thought his answers were him. He basically said how he was more traditional and has good family values,” Chen said. “What’s funny is how all these girls drop off like flies. I was kind of disappointed to see how girls these days don’t like that stuff.”
Kevin Chan, a 2008 alumnus and Yang’s friend, agreed.
“It’s awesome that he won and was brave enough to go on the show as a Chinese-American … and not have to present some fake or constructed image,” Chan said.
Yang, who was also a member of UCLA’s Association of Chinese Americans club, said that representing the Chinese-American community was important to him, and also made him different from other contestants.
“I can’t represent the entire (Chinese-American) population, only myself,” Yang said. “I’m super proud of being Chinese and being American, like the creativity and imagination, but also the work ethic and respecting your parents.”
Yang said shattering stereotypes of Asians in the entertainment industry is one of his goals as a background actor.
“In college, I tried out for “˜The Real World.’ I’ve never seen an Asian guy on “˜The Real World’ in all 25 seasons. The second round, I got cut, but at least I tried and put myself out there,” Yang said.
Even though “The Real World” didn’t work out, Yang has worked in background acting consistently on shows such as “Entourage,” “Californication” and “Glee.” He was even approached to be on “Survivor,” but he declined because it was his fifth year at school.
While working on the set of “Entourage,” Yang spoke to John Stamos, who encouraged him to pursue background acting.
“A part of me said I wanted to pursue my dreams, but my Asian side was saying I had to get a stable job. I can see myself doing it, but I also want to try settling down in China,” Yang said.
Yang also noted the sharp contrast between American reality television and Chinese reality shows.
“”˜Jersey Shore’ is mainly partying and drinking ““ it’s a car wreck you have to watch. In China, it’s different because it’s a communist country, and they have censorship. In America, you can see Snooki get punched in the face,” Yang said.
But overall, Yang said that his experience on “Fei Cheng Wu Rao” made him realize the importance of selling himself as an actor.
“Everything you do is sales,” Yang said. “I took advantage of the opportunities at UCLA. They’re always available. People just have to go after it.”
