It's not just the Judges that are watching contestants closely. There's also representatives of the agencies keeping score as back-up. These include previous year's finalists (front row)
What happens next
Season winners are asked to chose the agency they would like to join. They are then trained up to make their 'debut' into the Kpop scene. The process is a way of life. A rigorous routine including language, dance and voice follows, culminating in the debut and hopefully a string of top 10 hits!
What we see
Each week we are given a carefully crafted episode that blends performance with an insight into the competitors dreams, challenges and sacrifices. Participants are drawn from all over the world, and this creates an opportunity to focus on the struggles necessary to get to the top. Common themes are isolation, food, language, doubt and anxiety. We see contestants overcome these problems with advice from their judge/mentors.
Season 2 winners Akdong Musician from Mongolia were standout performers in their heats, with a new sound, catchy rhythms and a kooky look. Perfect Kpop material.
Snippets
Kpop Star Survival Audition is not like any talent show we have here in Australia. The show airs on winter afternoons and is actually a reality show, more about the struggle to be invited into an Agency's stable than about singing. There are prizes on offer, but the ultimate prize is to be taken into one of the big agencies in Korea and mentored by one of the celebrity Judges. The series culminates in early April with 9 live stadium shows, each one eliminating one of the top 10 'Survivors'.
Judges Yang Hyun-suk: YG Entertainment, Park Jin-young: JYP Entertainment & You Hee-yeol: Antenna Music loom over the contestants and deliver strong judgements weekly