#yun junghwan

[kpop-bbg]

[catch-me-hello]

YG Treasure Box, Episode 6:  Now things get kind of awful.

We’re halfway through the trauma, folks!  Haruto and Junkyu will face their own challengers at some point, Yoshi will have learned by now that no one saw him rap, and CEO Yang has been revealed to be the most withholding father since Tywin Lannister!  Fun Fact:  South Korea does offer universal mental health care, but the idea of therapy is so stigmatized over there, not many people use it.  Whoo-hoo!  All set for Episode Six?  Let’s gooooo!

We pick up where we left off.  The announcer will introduce two new challengers to face Haruto and Junkyu.  Did BlackPink choose these challengers?  Nope!  CEO Yang did!  Because of course he did.  The first challenger is one of the Japanese trainees, Keita.

In all seriousness, there is a special place in my K-pop heart for Keita.  This kid has been through the survival show wringer, even after debuting with Ciipher and EVNNE.  He’s been smart enough to get his songwriting and composing credits throughout his career, one of the most business-savvy things you can do in the music business.  And if that isn’t enough, his K-pop profile says his personality type has morphed from ENFP to ISTP.  What does that mean?  Not a clue!  On to the battle!

Wait, CEO Yang is going to go ahead and tell us the second challenger’s name.  It’s Jang Yun Seo, a non-Treasure member who will go on to try his hand at acting after this.

Haruto is getting his game face on.  Junkyu looks like he’s ready for some fun.  I love that these two opposite personalities will be in the same group.

Keita will challenge Haruto, and Yun Seo will take on Junkyu.  We get a flashback, but let’s just establish that I won’t be recapping the flashbacks anymore unless they’re important.  The first battle is Yun Seo vs. Junkyu, and the song is “Beautiful” by Crush. 

Oh my God – those beautiful high notes Junkyu can hit have me floating on air.  What a voice.  Yun Seo really tries, but his voice is unsteady, and he doesn’t have Junkyu’s charisma.  He looks and sounds nervous.  Junkyu looks like he was born to be on the stage.  Yun Seo doesn’t have that star quality and hasn’t been training long enough to at least fake confidence  I hope acting is working out better for him.

When the song ends, Yun Seo knows he’s lost.  I see it on his face.  Junkyu chooses the gold card, and I’m surprised to see it’s the audience vote.  I’m not surprised to see the audience chose Junkyu.  And not that we asked, but CEO Yang also chose Junkyu.  Yun Seo takes it well and returns backstage.

Haruto and Keita is the matchup I really want to see.  These are both talented rappers.  This should be interesting.  At the time of this show, Keita has been training for five years and Haruto for two, but Haruto is currently ranked first on Team J and gets better reviews.  I would argue this puts them on equal footing.

The song is “OYeah” by OLNL.  Showtime.

This feels like a real rap battle.  It’s exciting.  I like Haruto’s rapping better, but Keita has more charisma.  His dancing flows better with the music, which Haruto’s moves are a little stiff.  But again, I think Haruto’s the better rapper, so this is tough.  I’ll understand how the vote goes either way.

Haruto chooses the gold card.  It’s the audience card, and they choose Keita. 

Everyone looks stunned, especially the trainees backstage, who were sure it would be Haruto.  Keita now gets to join Treasure 7.  Haruto is stunned but keeps it together, blinking back the tears and keeping his head up.  He then finds out that the CEO card went for him instead of Keita.  Just the random choice of a card determined his fate.  Sometimes I really hate these shows.

We now have a new Treasure 7 team.  Keita, Mashiho, Junghwan, Yeon Gue, Yoon Bin, Junkyu, and Yedam.

CEO Yang takes the mic and tells them that in the next round, they’re going to narrow it down to Treasure 6.  I can’t help wondering why he hasn’t chosen to eliminate a few trainees if he’s determined to make this group smaller.  WE know Treasure will wind up being ten, but he doesn’t.  There’s no point in keeping so many of these trainees around.

Whatever the reason, we’re moving on.  The show cuts to a few days later.  Treasure 7 enters a bit convention center and sits in front of a big TV screen.  The screen lights up with a message saying today’s the day they will be narrowed down to six.  The only ones guaranteed spots are Yedam, Junkyu, and Yoon Bin (our Zero/O-Wave guy).  They were the top vote-getters from the previous battle.  One of the remaining four will go back to being a regular trainee.

Now things get weird.

Each of the Top 3 has to choose a partner to go on a date with at a nearby amusement park.  Yedam chooses Yeon Gue.  Yeon Gue reacts with a strangely forced smile, and I have to wonder if he’s as weirded out by this as I am.

Junkyu chooses Keita.  Keita is disappointed because he wanted to be paired with Yedam.  Is that why Yeon Gue wasn’t so thrilled?  He wanted to be someone else’s date?  What exactly is going on here?

Before we get to see who the third pair of dates is, we watch the current two couples enjoying the rides and walking around with selfie sticks.  During these dates, Keita’s voiceover keeps complaining about how he wishes he were with Yedam instead, and I’m starting to wish Junkyu had chosen someone else and left Keita’s ungrateful ass back at the convention center.

As they walk around, Keita asks Junkyu why he chose him.  Junkyu says he’s seen Keita perform really well on the show.  Keita actually tells us in a voiceover, “I hope Yedam thinks like that.”

Seriously, what is going on here?  Why are they are amusement park dates?  Why is Keita suddenly obsessed with Yedam?  And what does any of this have to do with putting a K-pop group together?

I guess the others were on dates too, and the odd one out had to wander around the park by himself, because now they all return to a meeting place, and now the Top 3 must choose new dates.  Oh, goodie, Keita!  Maybe Yedam will pick you now!  And if he does, what exactly do you hope will happen?

Are they trying to test the chemistry between these guys?  The chemistry can’t be anything but awkward when they’re being told to look like they’re having fun on camera. 

Anyway, Yedam is choosing his next date, and he chooses Keita.

Squee, I guess. 

Junkyu chooses Mashiho, and Yoon Bin chooses Yeon Gue.  That leaves Junghwan to wander around the amusement park by himself, because this makes all kinds of sense.

We now follow Yedam and Keita.  Yedam asks Keita, “Out of the top three, who would you like?” and Keita says, “You, Yedam,” and now I just feel vaguely uncomfortable and want to give these two some privacy. 

Okay, from what the translators are finally telling me, each of the Top 3 will choose someone they want to team up with in an upcoming battle, and the one not chosen will have to go back to being a trainee.  Again, this is NOT the way to put a musical group together, but I’ve been screaming that into the void ever since I started doing these recaps.

Anyway, now it’s time for our Top 3 to choose their partners.  The four to be picked are stationed throughout the park, and each Top 3 person will have to go up to them and choose them.  I feel like I’m watching a finale episode of The Bachelor. 

First up is Yedam.  Junkyu is worried Yedam will pick the one he wants.  Joy of joys, Yedam chooses Keita.  Keita legit looks like he’s accepting a marriage proposal.

Now Junkyu goes looking for his partner.  Both he and Yedam have awkwardly walked past Yeon Gue, who is stationed in the middle of a walkway, looking forlorn and hoping to be chosen.  I’m honestly surprised no one in the general public has stopped him to ask if he’s okay or needs medical attention.

Seriously – the producers have him standing in the middle of the walkway, so the Top 3 have to awkwardly approach him and mutter apologies as they walk by.  The other three trainees waiting to be picked get to wait in areas away from foot traffic, but poor Yeon Gue has nowhere to go and nowhere else to look, and he seriously looks like he’s lost and wants his mommy.  I can’t believe this show did this to him.

Both Yedam and Junkyu laugh uncomfortably and mutter something vaguely pleasant as they walk past him, and I am cringeing so hard, my face is in the keyboard.  Yeon Gue, sweetie, just give the balloon to a kid and go play Skee-ball.  Make them come looking for you if they really want you.  Screw the show producers. 

Junkyu chooses Mashiho, who waiting in an empty food court by himself, relaxing and having a soda.  Now only Junghwan and Yeon Gue are left to be chosen.  Yoon Bin has to pick one of them. 

He passes by Yeon Gue, muttering, “sorry.”  If I were Yeon Gue, that would be the breaking point.  I’d grab a bus back to my parents’ house and plan a slasher movie-inspired revenge, picking off the YG employees one by one.  This show set him up to be embarrassed like this in public, wearing bunny ears and carrying a balloon.  He looks like a kid just realizing no one is coming to his birthday party.

Yeon Gue walks over to the railing of the walkway, fighting back tears.  Not only does he have to go back to being a trainee, he’s been cruelly humiliated on television.  I really hate this.  No wonder Tumblr Treasure fans tell me they can’t bear to watch this show.

We suddenly cut away to the larger group of 21 trainees being gathered in a huge room.  I don’t know where this is or why we’re here.  They stand in front of a small stage, and suddenly the announcer from the last battle is here, saying there’s going to be another battle.  The trainees need to pair up in teams of two.  That leaves one out, and he will be paired up with rejected trainee Yeon Gue, unless Yeon Gue really has thrown himself over the amusement park railing.  Where is he, anyway?  He’s not in this room.

Turns out the show has psyched us out.  We see the footage again of Yoon Bin walking past Yeon Gue and saying “sorry.”  Then, as Yeon Gue sadly walks over to the railing, Yoon Bin doubles back and sneaks up behind him.  He’s choosing Yeon Gue after all.  But Yeon Gue is still embarrassed and keeping his face buried in his hands.  Yoon Bin is jumping and laughing, but Yeon Gue can’t just emotionally switch gears like that. 

This is officially the worst show I’ve ever recapped.

Yoon Bin is still laughing, and I can’t even blame him because he was probably told to pull this prank by the show’s producers.  Meanwhile, HERE is where the show made Junghwan wait:

I want to fly to Seoul and burn the YG building to the ground.

We return to the stage area, and a downcast Junghwan joins the remaining trainees.  And it just doesn’t stop.  The announcer says he will pick random trainee names out of a box, and each one will choose the one they want to team up with.  It’s a popularity contest, and someone will not be picked and will have to be on someone’s team by default.

I pretty much fast-forward through this while part of my soul dies.  Even though I’m racing through it, I can see that future Treasure member Jae Hyuk keeps to himself, afraid to volunteer to join a team for fear of being rejected.

Want another Fun Fact?  When Treasure does the reality dating show Shining Solo, Jae Hyuk is the only member of his team who doesn’t get a jewel.  Why doesn’t YG Entertainment just literally kick this kid down a flight of stairs?  They clearly want to.

Jae Hyuk finally does team up with Si Yun, a trainee I can’t find anywhere in my notes.  Si Yun will go on to debut with a band called Ampers&one.  I’ve vented about K-pop’s obsession with ampersands before and will not go back into it now. 

We get a long segment of the trainee teams rehearsing for the battle.  Finally, all the trainees gather on what looks like an upper level of a parking garage. 

This is where they learn that three of their teams will be chosen to compete against the Top 6.  It will be Treasure 6 vs. 22 Trainees.

We get an aerial shot and finally see that they’re on top of a building.  This is a dramatic setting.  It’s a great location for a rap battle.

The announcer tells us we’re getting special celebrity judges.  They are the K-pop group Winner, and they will be judging the procedings in a conference room for some reason.  They review footage of all the teams rehearsing so they can pick the three teams that will challenge Treasure 6.

Winner, far from the action.

Back up to the roof.  The first of our challenger teams will be Seung Hun and Byoung Gon, neither of whom will wind up in Treasure.  The second duo will be future Treasure guy Doyoung and partner Do Hwan, who will also wind up in Ciipher, along with Keita.  Our last challenger team will be two Treasure guys, Jeongwoo and Haruto.  I still don’t know how all of this is going to work, but at least we know who’s involved.

But the announcer says we’re not done yet.  This battle will be an elimination round.  One trainee from each unit will be eliminated, “no matter what.”  Does he mean all the units, or just the ones competing?  The way the trainees are reacting, I think it’s all the units.  Otherwise, the ones who aren’t competing would be safe. 

I also thought we were going to do the battle here on the rooftop, but suddenly we move forward to later that night at the training center.  So why were we on the roof?  What was the point of filming up there?  Did YG get evicted from their building?

Okay, so now we’re at the training center.  Our trainees are upset that this is an elimination round.  We get flashbacks about how they all became friends and started training together.  We have about eight minutes left in this episode, and I think we’re just running out the clock.

Now suddenly we cut to Kobe, Japan.  We see Yoshi putting flowers on his father’s grave and speaking to him.  (His father passed away when he was in junior high.)  I’m not posting a screenshot of this because the whole segment feels really invasive.  I will just post this picture of Yoshi and his dad because it makes my heart so happy:

Yoshi is now the only man of his family, looking out for his mom and sister while chasing his dream.  He tells us that even when his mom is sick, she still has to work because her husband is no longer there to help.  He’s desperate to debut so he can take care of her.

We move forward to D-Day.  The stage is set up like a boxing ring.

We might get one battle in before the episode ends, which should finally lighten the mood.  Our trainees are very nervous.

The announcer steps into the ring.  He tells us that the eight units that weren’t chosen to compete now must battle to determine which one gets eliminated.  Okay, so this isn’t just going to be the three pairs battling the Top 6.  I’m so confused.

Our first team gets into the ring, and it’s Yoshi vs. Mahiro.

These two are old friends, and now they’re competing for one of them to be eliminated.  Mahiro will go on to do the Produce 101 survival show and then debut with a Japanese boy group called BUGVEL, so he’ll be fine when he gets eliminated.  I just want to finally see Yoshi perform.

They’re doing “B-Day” by iKON.  Let’s do this.

Holy shit, Yoshi is an amazing rapper and dancer.  He owns the stage.  That sweet, shy, soft-spoken kid turns into a full explosion of energy onstage.  Mahiro is a talented singer, but I can’t take my eyes off Yoshi.  The camera just loves him.

In the audience, Haruto breaks down in tears, knowing one of his friends up there is about to be eliminated.

CEO Yang is the sole decider on these battles.  He praises them both, saying they are like twins and have a great chemistry.  But he has to choose only one survivor.  He says the eliminated one should return to the YG branch in Japan and keep practicing hard.

The survivor is Yoshi.  One step closer to being able to provide for his mom and sister.

The rest of the trainees are crying, especially the ones from Japan.  They have to mourn the loss before they can congratulate Yoshi. 

Yoshi and Mahiro go backstage and say goodbye.  Then Mahiro gets on the elevator and leaves.  Hang in there, my guy.  You will debut eventually.  Hopefully Produce 101 won’t be as brutal as this show.  We end the episode with Yoshi sobbing outside the elevator, and I’m emotionally exhausted.

I’m a completionist when it comes to these recaps, I’m going to keep going with this show.  But afterwards, I’ll need something more uplifting to watch while I wait for Boys Planet 2.  If you have any ideas, let me know in the comments, and tell me where I can stream it.

My God with this show.  See you next episode.

[taaaaangi]

Asahi's live was so healing. Kahit wala akong maintindihan, kahit may times na tahimik lang siya tapos nakatingin lang sa camera, kumakalma ako. Hindi ako bothered na bakit siya tahimik ganon. Yun yung silence na gusto ko. Sobrang kalmado niyang tao pero sobrang chaotic din haha. Ang considerate pa niya kasi hindi niya pala sinabi sa members kung anong oras siya mag live kasi alam niyang pagod silang lahat (kakauwi lang nila galing Japan). Naka father mode pa naman si Jihoon kanina hahaha siya talaga nag spill na hindi daw nagsabi si Asahi kung anong oras siya mag live kasi ayaw niyang maging burden sa members and gusto niyang magpahinga na lang sila ganon, pero nalaman nila Jihoon kaya pinuntahan nila si Asahi sa studio niya with cake. Pinagalitan pa nga hahaha ang cute. Plus, the mother of Treasure, Hyunsuk, bought Asahi a gift after they performed at Summer Sonic in exchange of Taeyang's and Kendrick Lamar's performance. Super fan pa naman ni Hyunsuk ni Kendrick pero pinagpalit niya talaga para lang bilhan si Asahi ng Jersey :((((( if this isn't family love then what is it? I'm so soft for this. Plus, si Junghwan, gustong gusto bilhan si Asahi ng gift kaya nagmadaling kumain para lang bumili and super hands on sa pagpili ng gift. plus japanese yung language kaya medyo mahirap din kay Hwannie pero knowing na tinuturuan naman siya ni Asahi mag japanese, naitawid niya ang pagbili ng gift hahaha. Ang daming ganap talaga this past weekend ng woosahi and sahwan pero wala akong mahagilap na harusahi moment :( Wala din nabanggit na binigay na gift ni ruto kay Asahi. Ang crumbs ko lang sa harusahi yung laging "buddy/partner" ang tawag ni ruto kay asahi. yun lang. miss ko na yung brotherhood nila.

Also, one thing I loved about Sahi's live pag nag ppiano na siya. Asahi + Piano + raw vocals= chef's kiss talaga. Sobrang therapeutic siyang pakinggan. And knowing na wala siyang unreleased songs kasi pag gumawa daw siya ng kanta, nirerelease/sinasama agad sa release kaya ayon *flex*. So, feeling ko yung songs na nasa tmap yung kay Mashi, Ruto, and Yoshi mga unfinished songs na hindi na niya natuloy/matuloy for whatever reason.

P.S Asahi the rapper is back. Bona Bona hyunhayo part yung ni-rap niya hahahaha dagdag collection nanaman ng main rapper things ni Asahi. Next album, baka pwedeng may rap na din si Asahi hahahaha

yun lang, eto talaga yung pinaka highlight ng araw ko. Treasure na talaga yung last kong i-stan. I really wish that I also have the bond and brotherhood they have. Nakaka inggit. Yung may mga taong nandyan for you aside from your family. Masaya kasi sa feeling that you know there's someone who got your back always.

[aquablues-archive]

JUNGHWAN ▸ BLUE SKY (220626)

[kpopmultifan]

BDC has released a set of “Night” concept photos for their upcoming 1st single album “Blue Sky” which is scheduled to be released on June 15th.

[flopsmp3]

(210702) MOONLIGHT - JUNGHWAN

[an-unfamiliar-name]

:: MOONLIGHT :: BDC ::

[peachnyeonghoe]

BDC _ MOONLIGHT | 스페셜클립 | Special Clip | Performance | 김시훈 홍성준 윤정환 | 4K

[zhaozi]

[twoofstuff]

*∘✧ If you used, reblog or like ✧∘*

[kpop-bbg]

[catch-me-hello]

YG Treasure Box, Episode 9:  We are now at DEFCON Catastrophe.

Welcome back.  It has been suggested to me that I should not encourage my readers to spam Yang Hyun-Suk of YG Entertainment.  I have taken that suggestion under advisement but make no promises.  The man eliminated Asahi from the show.  This cannot stand.

Moving on.  We’ve got some team battles to look forward to.  Battles without Asahi in them, which is an affront to all that is good in the universe.  But fine.  Let’s do this.  (through gritted teeth) Welcome to Episode Nine.

We’re jumping right into the team battles, as a new stage is being built.  And we will have fans in the audience!  Real fans, not just YG employees!  FINALLY!

I love the fans and the energy they bring to these shows.  This is going to be awesome.  We have our ice castle stage, which looks bigger than before.  Our announcer welcomes everyone, and we’re starting with a performance by the Treasure 5 Team.  Of course, it’s the “Going Crazy” signal song.  Let’s goooooo!

It’s a high-energy start, but I’m ready to battle.  We learn that the 300 fans in the audience will be the Treasure Makers, voting for their favorites.  They will be voting with those little calculator-things.  (I miss the light stick voting devices from Boys Planet.)  We find out that nine trainees will be eliminated today, leaving eleven finalists.  I wonder if CEO Yang is still determined to get a final group of five.

We’re starting with Team 1, consisting of future Treasure members Hyun Suk, Jihoon, and Yoshi, along with Yeon Gue and Do Hwan.  We get a flashback, where we learn that YG has chosen the songs for the teams, and the teams have to pick from the list.

Right away, I’m excited about the BTS and EXO songs.  But Hyun Suk, who usually has impeccable taste, chooses the Wanna One song “Boomerang.”  I’m not a Wanna One fan, but I hope this team can make that song work.

The rest of the flashback shows the Boomerang Team struggling to put a performance together, which is all part of the Flashback Formula.  We get a scary moment when Jihoon lands on his knee and needs medical attention. 

He insists he’s fine.  I’m sure he is.  Now for the battle!

I watched this twice.  They performed this song better than Wanna One.  You’d never know Jihoon had hurt himself.  And again, I get to hear Yoshi rap.  This is my new favorite performance of the whole show.

The audience votes for their favorites.  Now it’s time for CEO Yang’s feedback.  He says it was more amazing than he expected.  Given how frenzied the audience is, he probably can’t give any criticism or the fans will drag him off the platform and beat the crap out of him with their signs.  K-pop fans will defend their biases by any means necessary. 

We’re getting the voting results already for this team. 

They get 647 votes.  That seems kind of low for an audience of 300 who are allowed to vote for five members each, but I never know how this works.  For now, Team Boomerang is in first place.

Next up, it’s the team doing EXO’s “Growl.”  The future Treasure members are Junghwan and Jaehyuk, and the others are Seok Hwa, Jong Seob, and Yun Seo.  Right away, we learn this is the underdog team.  None of them were picked by Byoung Gon or Hyun Suk for their teams.  They were left over and put together by default.

Thankfully, they get a kickass song.  I’ve seen “Growl” performed on almost every show I’ve recapped, and it’s always a huge crowd pleaser.  But strangely, none of the teams wanted this song, and this team isn’t happy about being stuck with it.  Are they kidding?  Or is this part of the Flashback Formula?  They can’t be serious about not wanting to do this song.

Okay, as they go through rehearsal, I see it’s because it’s a difficult song to do, especially with the falsetto. At first, I think it’s all part of the manufactured drama of a survival show.  But then Jaehyuk runs into the bathroom in tears after being scolded by both the vocal and dance coaches.  Maybe this song is too much for this young team.  It’s a beast idol song, and they’re just kids.

Or maybe I’m being tricked by the Flashback Formula again.  We watch Jaehyuk practice and improve.  He’s going to give a great performance, isn’t he?  They’re all going to be great, right?

Let’s find out.

They’re not quite beast idols yet, but they definitely pulled it off.  The audience screams are deafening.  CEO Yang looks abolutely delighted.  Not bad, kids.

The fans recover enough to cast their votes.  CEO Yang tells them this was the team with the least training – holy crap, they’ve only been training for six to eight months, and they just pulled THAT off?  Give them ALL the votes.

Well, no.  They get 607 votes, putting them in second place.  What is up with these fans?

Time for Team 3, who has chosen the iKON song “Dumb and Dumber,” meaning that they will unfortunately be referred to as “Team Dumb and Dumber” for the rest of the episode.  Do not tell me the producers didn’t do that on purpose.  Along with Byoung Gon and Yoon Bin, the team includes future Treasure members Mashiho, Junkyu, and Doyoung.

We get a flashback.  We’re getting the opposite of the Flashback Formula.  The dance and vocal coaches praise them to the skies at the midpoint evals.  I’m suspicious.  What is this show trying to pull?

Flashback over.  We never get a flashback where everything goes perfectly.  What is going on here?

No time to dwell on it now.  Let’s watch Team Dumb and Dumber!

It really is a dumb song, but it’s a perfect performance.  Confetti rains down on the fans.  The group even dances out into the audience.  It’s wild and fun, and not a single thing goes wrong, WHICH STRESSES ME OUT.  I’ve never seen this before.  A perfect flashback followed by a perfect performance.  That never happens.  The other shoe must be about to drop.  One of the guys is giong to fall off the stage during the voting, right?  Someone will slip on the confetti?  Suddenly decide K-pop isn’t his thing and leave to join a monestary?  WHAT HORRIBLE THING IS ABOUT TO HAPPEN?

CEO Yang wonders if Treasure 5 could possibly beat this group.  I know – they’re going to get a terrible score!  That must be it. 

We finally see the score.  And wow.

It’s 864.  They’re in first place.  I’m astonished.  Mark your calendars, K-pop fans.  This perfect journey will never happen again on a survival show.  I’m pretty sure this was an accident, and a show editor is getting fired for this.

So now all that’s left is Treasure 5.  Bang Yedam looks STRESSED.

To review:  this team has future Treasure members Yedam, Jeongwoo, and Haruto, as well as Seung Hun and Keita.  They’ll be doing my favorite of the four songs, “DNA” by BTS.  We get a flashback, and since the last flashback really messed me up, I have no idea what to expect.

We get some drama.  Yedam has to miss a lot of rehearsals because of tests at school.  When did he have time to study?  Do the other trainees not go to school?  Something must be up.  I think Yedam is really sneaking off to plan his solo career.

We cut to a confessional with Yedam.  He’s stressing out over trying to fit school in with the show.  This hasn’t come up before for him or any of the other trainees.  He says he’s worried. 

The group’s midpoint eval is with the group Winner.  Yedam arrives an hour early to catch up.  And, of course, he memorizes the dance in 30 minutes.  Wait, no.  That’s not how the flashback formula works.  He’s supposed to do badly at the evals and get yelled at, and we’re supposed to wonder if he can pull it together in time for the battle.  This show is so messed up, it can’t even do flashbacks right.

“Yedam is a genius,” says Doyoung.  Fine.  He’s a genius.  I give up.  Then, I swear to God, we get the members of Winner in a confessional, and they call Yedam a genius.  I think my brain is actually breaking.

Showtime.  Let’s see Yedam the Genius get a thousand votes by himself and have BTS rush onto the stage and beg him to join their group.

Honestly?  It wasn’t that great.  The other teams were full of energy of fire.  This team did the steps well, but it just looked like they were going through the motions.  I know the CEO will love it, and they’ll get ALL the votes, but I’m disappointed.  It just felt low energy.  The audience is screaming its collective lungs out, so I guess I’m going to be the lone dissenter here.

The votes come in.  CEO Yang gives Yedam the highest praise, because of course he does.  He also singles out Seung Hun for praise, which is all that poor trainee has ever wanted, so I’m happy for him. 

The announcer drags out the wait for the final vote and then cuts to commercial.  The crowd sounds like it’s about to riot.  When we come back, we finally find out the Treasure Team score.

It’s 812.  The Treasure Team doesn’t get first place – Team Dumb and Dumber does.  I feel a little vindicated. 

This means no one from Team Dumb and Dumber will be eliminated.  They all take their places on the Finalist platform.  That’s five spots taken, six spots left.

Only three from the second place team – Treasure 5 – can take the platform.  Two will be eliminated.  And just like on No Mercy’s finale, they’re not going to do eliminations with the audience there.  The announcer tells the fans to watch the show to see who the finalists are.  The fans find it hard to leave and start shouting for CEO Yang’s attention, demanding that all the trainees be allowed to debut.  Aha – entitled behavior!  Now they’re acting like Americans!

Finally, the audience leaves, and we can get on with this.

Back to Team Treasure 5, from which two will be eliminated.  So who’s surviving?  (Hint:  There are three future Treasure members in the group.)  They are Yedam, Haruto, and Jeongwoo.

Yedam, Haruto, and Jeongwoo

This is really hard on Keita and Seung Hun, who have been trainees at YG for years, and now another opportunity is gone.  I know they’re both going to debut eventually and be okay, but I really feel for them right now.  Keita is keeping that bright smile on his face, but Seung Hun looks ready to give up.  The screen text tells us he’s been a trainee for nine years.  We see a camera guy standing next to him, zooming in on his tears, and I just want to give that guy a hard shove off the stage. 

In a confessional, Seung Hun asks, “What do I do with my life now?”  Kid, get over to C9 Entertainment.  You’ll find your CIX bandmates there.

Ugh, this industry.  Okay, let’s move on.

Time to inflict emotional trauma on Team Boomerang.  Only two will become finalists, and there are three future Treasure members in the group:  Hyun Suk (don’t you dare cut him), Jihoon (don’t cut him either), and Yoshi (seriously, I WILL KILL YOU).

Survivor 1 is Hyun Suk.  He’s been in tears this whole episode and now almost crumples to the floor.  I can’t imagine what our guy is going through.  He barely manages to make it to the platform.  Survivor 2 is Jihoon.  Which means that our sweet K-pop anime vampire and badass rapper Yoshi gets eliminated.  My heart is breaking along with his.

Hyun Suk, Jihoon, and Yoshi

Only one more spot on the podium, and we still have two future Treasure members waiting, Junghwan and Jaehyuk. 

Future Treasure maknae Junghwan gets through.  Jaehyuk, who cannot seem to catch a break ever in his entire career, is eliminated. 

Junghwan and Jaehyuk

The eliminated trainees leave.  Our eleven stand on the platform.  The announcer tells us that YG’s new group is among these eleven.  Oh, no it isn’t.  I can’t wait to write the final wrap-up essay explaining the total dumpster fire that finally led to the 10-member group we know, love, and take fashion advice from.

The announcer asks our CEO how many will be in the final group.  CEO Yang says that his decision has been changing every day.  Just the kind of decisive thinking we want from a CEO.  He’s finally decided the group will have seven members.  No, it fucking won’t. 

Sorry, I am fed up to here with our CEO, especially since I spent all that time trying to subliminally implant the number 10 in his head all last episode.  Up10tion just sent me an invoice, and I don’t want to talk about it.  We end the episode here.  We have eleven finalists, seven of whom have absolutely no idea what kind of debut is in store for them.

We have a lot of ground to cover over the next few days.  There’s the final episode of this show and the wrap-up, and in between all that, Starship Entertainment has a new survival show starting on YouTube.  I want to recap that one as it happens.

We’ll be talking a lot.  See you soon.

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[kpopmultifan]

BDC has released a set of “Blue” concept photos for their upcoming 1st single album “Blue Sky” which is scheduled to be released on June 15th.

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BDC SPECIAL SINGLE 'MOON WALKER' CONCEPT PHOTO #2

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TEN PROJECT Part 2 - Lee Eunsang & BDC 'Hole In Your Face' Behind