‘WIN’, which was aired for the first time, is arousing much attention across South Korea.
YG’s new survival program which determines the formation of its first boy group in 8 years, ‘WIN:WHO IS NEXT’, aired on August 23 for the first time, is arousing much attention.
The 11 trainees of YG Entertainment will be divided into Teams A and B for a fierce battle. Only one victorious group of the two will seize the name ‘WINNER’ to make a debut. At the recent production sneak preview, YG’s founder Yang Hyun Suk commented, “We can’t debut another boy group right after this one. We won’t be deceiving the audience like that.”
And that is exactly why this program is so cruel.
These 11 members have been training at YG for years to become singers. Many gave up in the middle of it as uncertain future and harsh training continued. Kim Jin Woo, the oldest in Team A and the oldest trainee of YG, said, “Every month, the members changed 7 or 8 times. I trained until late at night because I was afraid that I could become one of them.”
The losing team of this survival program has no future guaranteed. If they are lucky, they could be in a different group to make a debut or do so at a different agency. But the group might be completely broken up. As the viewers can see how desperate these trainees are, many commented the show is ‘brutal’ and they are ‘worried’ about the trainees.
For 10 weeks, the viewers will witness their harsh survival course and the process of training. They will become closer to the contestants after the 10 episodes, because the show is different to other auditioning programs that exhibit tens, hundreds and thousands of contestants. This is why the show appears even more brutal to the audience, when it actually only picks one team as the winner.
The pressure is weighing on the 11 trainees the most because this is not an individual game. They are in a team. One’s mistake can lead to a break-up of a team, and even affect their futures. The show will keep everybody on their toes.
Viewers commented, “There are some talented members in each Team A and B. Would be good to blend them together,” “Can’t both teams just make a debut, this is too cruel,” “It makes me nervous watching it, who should I pick?” and “Everyone looks so desperate.”
YG Entertainment’s founder Yang Hyun Suk divided his 11 trainees into Teams A and B and made them compete with each other. Group A consists 5 members including the ex-contestant of Superstar K2 and the recently debuted KANG SEUNG YOON, and the ex-contestant of K-Pop Star, LEE SEUNG HOON. The average age is 20 years old. Group B consists of 6 members with an average age of 17 years old, and among them is the then 12-year-old boy rapper B.I who featured in MC Mong’s ‘Indian Boy’, and K-Pop Star’s Koo Jun-hoe.
Apart from Mnet and tvN, ‘WIN’ will be aired on portal sites simultaneously, including Daum Mobile and Webpage. The program will be aired overseas beginning from September 17 in 10 countries including Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Cambodia, Myanmar, the Maldives, and Macau.
cr: YG LIFE