Idol survival shows launched

A scene from "The Unit" / Courtesy of KBS

The Unit, Mix Nine premier

By Park Jin-hai

While the popularity of “Wanna One,” an 11-member project K-pop boy band, formed from an Mnet survival talent show “Produce 101,” is still drawing huge fandom, three broadcasters KBS, Mnet and JTBC, almost concurrently launched similar idol survival shows.

The die is cast for those shows, which all launched in the span of a week, and viewers are eyeing who will gain the next crown from “Wanna One.”

KBS’ competition show “The Unit,” premiering on Saturday, brands itself as an “idol rebooting” star-search program. Featuring K-pop superstar hopefuls as well as current K-pop act members, the show was designed for the purpose of giving second changes to those previously debuted as idol members but failed to continue their careers for any number of reasons.

Since they are not rookies, the members of “The Unit” are said to have better chances to show more experienced and quality performances. But the lack of fresh faces can be a weakness. In the first episode, former girl band April’s former member Hyunjoo appeared and told her story that she had to depart from the group for health reasons but she wants to chase her dream once again. Jun, a lesser known member of boy band U-KISS who joined as a new member in 2014, and former T-ara member Ahreum also appeared. Ahreum talked about the group's past bullying controversy, saying “I can't say they're completely false. Even family members fight.” She also talked about rumors she was possessed by a spirit that made her leave the group in 2013.

Former K-pop girl band Spica’s Yang Ji-won also said she worked a part-time fresh juice delivery job to make more money after the band was disbanded. The show’s first episode kicked off with 5 percent viewership, according to Nielsen Korea.

To keep up, JTBC’s idol survival show “Mix Nine” premiered on Sunday. The biggest selling point for the show is its boys-vs-girls survival audition system, where in the end the top nine male trainees will compete against the top nine female trainees to become the final winning K-pop group.

Under the direction of star producer Han Dong-chul, who created a series of hit music shows including "Produce 101," "Show Me the Money" and "Unpretty Rapstar" for Mnet, YG Entertainment CEO Yang Hyun-suk visits agencies across the country to find competitors. Prior to the program, the show unveiled some 400 competitors, heating up the mood for the show. Among the competitors, trainees who made their faces known to viewers and have gained their fandom through auditions of “Produce 101” and “Boys24,” and members of dissolved K-pop acts C-Clown and Speed. “With the speedy editing of director Han and the competition between the genders, the survival show is the perfect playground for viewers to stay on their toes,” said an official of a local broadcaster.

Before the two shows, Mnet also launched “Stray Kids,” a male idol debut project. Premiered on October 17, the show depicts every step of how JYP is recruiting and making the debut of the next K-pop boy band, in the same format of Mnet’s “Sixteen,” where its nine members clinched the chance to debut as a girl band “Twice.” What attracts the audience is the all-debut or all-fail format of nine JYP trainees. Through the show, they can build up their fandom, around the fans who have supported them for their debut.