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'Extreme Debut Wild Idol': Only 15 out of 44 contestants left after ‘cruel’ 1st round

A majority of the participants were eliminated in episode 3 of MBC's survival show 'Extreme Debut: Wild Idol'

‘Extreme Debut: Wild Idol’ is one of the many survival shows going on at the moment. To stay on top of the game, survival shows look for creative ways to stand out. However, the survival show format for creating K-pop groups is not a unique idea anymore. So productions come up with new concepts that sometimes might not be conducive for the end result. And many netizens feel that this is what is happening with MBC’s latest survival show after the first round was aired.

Calling it ‘cruel’, netizens were shocked that a majority of the contestants were eliminated in the first round itself. Only 14 were out of danger, out of a total of 44 participants. The 15th participant is still not entirely safe and will be given a second chance to stay in the show in next week’s episode. It has also been revealed that only the top 7 will win at the end of the show and get to debut in a new boy group. But the missions in ‘Extreme Debut: Wild Idol’ have been considered outrageous.

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Surviving in the wild

Survival shows in K-pop are mostly talent shows. Those who do the best and are voted by the audience win and get a chance to debut in K-pop groups. Several iconic groups like I.O.I, Enhypen and IZ*ONE have been made through such shows. However, MBC decided to go back to the original meaning of what a survival show is meant to be. For ‘Extreme Debut: Wild Idol’, they are taking the word survival literally and have dropped the contestants in the wild where they will have to 'survive' in the wild while they showcase their musical skills.

Netizens who watched the show commented that the boys did not have to do physical tasks like carrying tree logs in the middle of the sea to prove their worth as an artist. Korean netizens have been frank when they compared the show to military survival programs and called the missions irrelevant. So the show’s latest episode is not doing MBC any favors. After performing ‘Born to be Wild’, it was announced that only the top 14 would go on to the next round.

Most survival shows have 10 to 12 episodes which give the contestants a chance to prove their worth and secure screen time and fans. But initially, the audience was not allowed to know the names of the participants as they were referred by their numbers in 'Wild Idol'. Some were popular trainees and idols from underrated K-pop groups which is how fans could recognize them. Unfortunately, many unknown faces were eliminated before they could get enough screen time and show their talent.

The top 14 after the first round are Lim Joo-an (We In The Zone), Lee Chang-sun (leader of 24K), Park Gun-wook, Seo Sung-hyuk (maknae aka the youngest of Rainz), Jung Hyun-woo, Kim Hyun-yup, Kim Ki-joong (member of IM and UNB), Bang Tae-hoon (‘Cap-teen’ participant), Lee Jae-eok (‘UNDER19’ participant), Kim Ji-seong (NTX), Lee Jae-jun (C-Clown and leader of TREI), Kwon Hyung-suk, Ayno (VAV).

'Most evil elimination'

One user commented, “The first time I heard about this weeks ago, I knew it was a bad idea. Jesus they don't know what to invent anymore. Train your damn trainees right, make a documentary about their trainee life Idk buddy, make your own group without the tv reality concept and make them debut ffs.” Another user added, “This is the most evil Elimination ever that I've heard.” One wondered, “Whats this ep1 then finale.” One posted, “Saw this coming but if i understood correctly wild idol WHY WOULD U CUT 2/3S OF THE COMPETITORS HELLO.”

‘Extreme Debut: Wild Idol’ airs Thursdays at 9 pm KST on MBC’s channel.