Four more contestants have been eliminated from “The Debut: Dream Academy,” the YouTube competition series building the next superstar K-pop girl group.
Seventeen-year-old Brooklyn (U.S.), 17-year-old Mei (Japan), 19-year-old Karlee (U.S.) and 21-year-old Iliya (Belarus) were all cut from the Hybe and Geffen Records series on Sunday. the label behind BTS. A docuseries about this project is expected to premiere on Netflix next year.
This elimination comes after the second of three missions that will take place throughout the series. For the show’s second mission, contestants went to the label’s training and development facility in Korea, which is where several well-known K-pop stars have trained. The 18 contestants were split into four groups with two groups performing Le Sserafim’s “Antifragile” and the other two performing Le Sserafim’s “Fearless.” Afterwards, the girl group behind those songs surprised the contestants with a prank.
Only 14 contestants remain after the second mission. That number will drop to 10 after the third mission. Afterwards, the final 10 will then perform at the live finale on Nov. 17, which is when the final members will be revealed and the name of the girl group will be unveiled.
The Hybe and Geffen Records series, which is being broadcast on YouTube, is a unique look into the formation of a K-pop girl group. Contestants were picked from 120,000 submissions that were sent in when the series was announced in November 2021. The original 20 contestants, who were unveiled by the labels in late August, have been training for the series over the past year.
After every mission, fans have the opportunity to vote for their favorite contestants via WeVerse and YouTube. In addition to fan voting, the series highlights a panel of experts who offer feedback and guidance to the musical hopefuls throughout the competition.
“The Debut: Dream Academy” won’t just create a new K-pop group. The series will also contribute to an upcoming Netflix docuseries. The currently untitled show will follow the audition program during which 20 performers from around the world were encouraged to pursue their musical dreams. The still-unnamed program is expected to debut in 2024.
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