Korean Show

After 20 billion won was spent on “I-Land” to create ENHYPEN, doubt is cast on the upcoming season 2 

The outlook for BELIFT LAB’s girl group to be formed through “I-Land 2” is already skeptical.

CJ ENM and HYBE co-produced season 1 of Mnet’s “I-Land” to form the boy group ENHYPEN. However, while ENHYPEN has yet to secure public awareness in Korea 3 years into their debut, BELIFT LAB is forcibly preparing for a girl group through “I-Land” season 2.

i-land

“I-Land” is an observational reality show that shows the process of the birth of a next-generation K-pop idol group. Season 1 was aired from June to September last year. 23 participants competed to become members of a rookie boy group managed by BELIFT LAB. 

“I-Land” cost a total of 20 billion won to create a super-large complex space with a unique view of the world, and it took three years to produce. Producers including Bang Si Hyuk, chairman of HYBE, the father of BTS, Rain, the best dance solo singer in Korea, and Zico, an idol with top-notch producing skills, showed aspirations to nurture Korea’s best global idols.

However, “I-Land” recorded very poor ratings. Episode 1’s rating of 1.3% was the only one that exceeded 1% and the highest rating among the 12 episodes.  The average viewership rating was 0.3-0.4%. The last episode announcing the long-awaited debut lineup of ENHYPEN was only 0.8%. At that time, the number of overseas online viewers was gathered to some extent, but there was hardly any mention or reaction from domestic viewers, etc. 

I-Land enhypen

For idols, a strong Korean core fan base is important enough to determine the group’s overall success and popularity, but ENHYPEN still hasn’t achieved that. Even after their debut, ENHYPEN seems to be satisfied with the fact that the group has charted overseas and in Japan for a while while being ignored on their home country’s charts. 

In this situation, BELIFT LAB is again selecting idols in the same format as “I-Land”. This time it’s a girl group. “I-Land 2′ initially recruited applicants from September to October of last year, held auditions in 7 regions around the world, including Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Australia, Thailand, and the United States, and planned to broadcast in the first half of this year.

BELIFT-lab

However, in July, the production team of “I-Land 2” said, “We have decided to temporarily postpone the broadcast of ‘I-Land 2’. This is a decision to further advance the format of ‘I-Land’, which has been recognized for its excellence in the global market.” 

How will the girl group of BELIFT LAB show the steps of the “second ENHYPEN”?

Source: Daum

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