#ip2 episode 001

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EPISODE ONE OUTLINE

It’s finally time to kick off Idol Project 2! Episode One will mainly focus around introducing each trainee to the viewers, watching them settle into their dorm, and getting a feel for their personalities. Each company’s trainees will put on a performance, as sort of an introduction to the skill each company has to offer.

TASKS

To earn points for your trainee, please complete the following tasks. These are not mandatory, and can be done at any time and still be counted.

Weekly Confessional: post an interview or confessional about how your character feels about finally being here, and moving into the dorm.*

Drabble: Write a short drabble (IC or OOC) about your trainee’s audition, or auditions if they had to go through multiple. How they were feeling, how they were received, if they felt prepared enough ect.

Threads: threads to do with the show can earn you points too. Para threads (200+ words) are worth more points than gif chats and one liners. Threads played out to their completion are worth even more points too; if you finish a thread, submit the link to the last post to the Idol Project blog.

Self Paras: self-paras to do with the show (ie practicing, dorm life, self reflection, performances, calls home) can also earn you points. These can be done as often as you’d like as long as you provide some variety in the content.

Weekly Challenge: Each company has prepared a performance for the first episode. Songs were picked by their CEOs, and they had to figure out the details on their own. Write a short para (IC or OOC) about your character’s reaction to all of this– be it just the practice, or the performance as well.*

Tasks can be completed at any time. Episode-specific tasks are indicated with a little ‘*’ above, so when you complete them (even if you end up doing it in a few weeks or something), be sure to mark it as ‘EPISODE ONE’, be it as a title or in the info before your self para or something like that. Any completed tasks and challenges can be tagged ‘rivalzipdone’

WEEKLY PERFORMANCE

For this week’s performance, as stated above, each company’s trainees will perform as a unit, showcasing what that company has to offer. The CEOs picked the songs, and after that it was up to the trainees to learn the choreography and the lines. This episode will act very much like the audition episodes on the real produce series’. The performances are as follows:

HIGHER RECORDS trainees will be performing Legacy’s “Jackpot” LIBERTY RECORDS trainees will be performing Journey’s “Shoot Me”*** MILLENIUM ENTERTAINMENT’S entrant will be performing DK’s “Shooting On Glass” NEW AGE MEDIA trainees will be performing Distich-B’s “Killing Me” SPOTLIGHT ENTERTAINMENT trainees will be performing TRAXX’s “Growl”

***Liberty Trainees have been given basic choreography for this song by a choreographer

A summary of episode one will be posted on May 24th

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Episode One aired on May 30, 2020, on MNet. Official rankings were posted online the next day.

Episode One’s aim was to introduce the trainees to the viewers, getting those watching at home acquainted with all 25 trainees as they entered their new dorm for the first time. Clips were show of each one of them training at their own company, and friends/family/coaches/anyone important to them giving words of encouragement in voiceover format as shorts of them entering the dorms and picking bunks are shown. There are a few trainees who branch out and acquire bunks around new people, but for the most part it seems like the boys are sticking around who they know. The host of the show enters to welcome them, dorm and show rules are put into place, a little tour of the shared living spaces (equipped with cameras) is given, and then the trainees are left to their own devices to practice the challenge they’d been given beforehand.

They’ve all been working on the songs assigned to them by their companies before coming to Idol Project, and are given a few days to keep practicing, more for the camera than anything. Most of what is being done onscreen is polishing. All the trainees share mealtimes and down time together, and a lot of friendships seem to be forming, but in true survival show fashion, some rivalries too. There seems to be a palpable tension between Minsuk and a lot of the other guys, be it because of his attitude, his skill, or both, but he does get along with his labelmate, Hyunjoo (which seems like enough for him)

Trainees practice right down to the last second, before being whisked away and dressed up by MNet stylists, until they look like re-creations of their sunbae groups in the era they’re performing. Higher’s trainees get to wear colorful suits. Liberty’s trainees get put in street fashion. New Age’s Trainees get illfitting dressclothes. Spotlight’s trainees get school uniforms. And Kiyoung gets to dress casual and trendy.

The companies perform in alphabetical order, so Higher’s Trainees perform first. While the song doesn’t necessarily seem to suit them, Hyunjoo and Minsuk both excel, and are clear standouts in the stage. When the stages are done, Minsuk is asked to do some freestyle, and nails it. Hyunjoo mentions in the confessionals that he was a little annoyed he didn’t get to show off too, but he says he doesn’t really care that much.

After that, New Age performs their song. Their performances are incredibly mixed-- Royi and Chen do amazing, and Junxi really seems to have great stage presence, but Raein seems to have a lot of trouble keeping up, and is noticeably behind the rest of the group. After the performance, Royi is asked to show off his vocals, and Chen his dance. They also ask Junxi about their experience, and why as a AFAB person who is a former girl group member, they decided to join this show. Junxi in their confessional admits that they are nervous to be putting themself on the line like this, but they want to prove that they are talented-- too talented to have been kicked out of their last group, no matter what they look like. 

Liberty is next. It is clear that these trainees are all vocalists or musicians, as their dance skill is limited.

Spotlight is the last full team to go, and when they enter, there is a lot of shock and whispering as the mentor team spot Eunsung. Yeong in particular reveals he used to train with Eunsung, and seems distressed to see him on the show. Considering it is his former group’s song, Eunsung perform’s Growl almost perfectly, and while he is the only real standout, Spotlight’s team was the best overall, with all of them working well together and no one lagging behind. After the performance, some of the mentors ask Eunsung about leaving TRAXX, and he freestyles a little for them.

Last is Kiyoung, the independent trainee. Before he begins, the mentors are shown talking about how they expect big things-- G1 was the independent trainee of Season One, after all, and she was incredible. But as soon as he opens his mouth, those expectations tank-- he is not a great singer, and spends his entire performance sitting on a stool. When asked to show some dance skills, he reveals he can’t dance. When asked about why he is here, he tells them that he is an acting trainee and he wanted to try something new.

The trainees are sent back to their dorm to get changed, and once they are in their PJs, they are brought into the dorm’s main room together to see the ranks that the judges assigned them. (the ranks will be posted shortly after this summary). Everyone is not surprised in the least to see Eunsung rank high-- Minsuk is seen commenting sarcastically about how Eunsung will be #1 for the whole show, because he has TRAXX-L’s voting for him. Kiyoung ranks low, and no one is surprised. When asked by the other boys how he feels, Kiyoung says that he can’t be embarrassed, because he did do bad, but he did his best, and he is looking forward to learning as the days go on.

The trainees go back to their bunks. The last shot of the episode is Raein playing his switch on his bed.