SBS “K-Pop Star” Updates on Changed Format

SBS “K-Pop Star” gave an update on its new format which will take place in March once the show goes live. Park Sung Hoon, the show’s main producer, said, “We’ll trim down the final list to 10 contestants and air live from then. Every week, one contestant will be eliminated. After nine episodes, we’ll determine the final winner in the last week of April.”

Last week, JYP Entertainment, SM Entertainment, and YG Entertainment each picked 6 contestants, leaving the show with a total of 18 finalists after two casting rounds. In order to advance to the live stage, the contestants must pass the upcoming “Battle Audition.”

“Each contestant received training from their respective agencies and now they will compete against each other as their label’s representative. First place winners get an automatic pass, while third places will get eliminated. Second place contestants will have another one-on-one stage and only the winners will advance. We saw upsets and some strong contenders also went up against each other. We were planning to show live broadcasts starting from February 26, but it was just impossible to delete any scene from the ‘Battle Audition,’” the main producer said.

The voting process is also going to be slightly different from other audition shows, which in most cases, heavily rely on viewer votes. “No system is 100% perfect. But we’re trying to keep our core idea intact. The viewer votes will not comprise over 40% of the final outcome. Our intention is to feature as much expert evaluation as possible, and groom a K-Pop star under their guidance,” he added.

“It’s fun to see the final winner based on viewer votes. But that’s not what our program’s goal is. That doesn’t mean we can just ignore the viewers’ decision. We’re trying to figure out the right balance to keep our focus but apply viewer votes to a certain extent at the same time,” he continued.

“Once the final winner is determined, ‘K-Pop Star’ will be over. And you’ll get to see that person through promotional activities. As for the one’s eliminated, we agreed not to contact them until the show’s end. We asked other agencies to not contact them as well, but we’re getting a lot of inquiries,” he said.

Once the show goes live, it’ll have new MCs in Yoon Do Hyun and Boom. The three judging panel, Park Jin Young, Yang Hyun Suk, and BoA, will remain the same. They’re also considering online digital sales of all the songs. The first live broadcast will begin on March 4.