REALITY show Be the Next: 9 Dreamers, presented by MLD Entertainment PH, will premiere on TV5 in February. As a K-pop “survival” show, the program will have 75 potential “idols” from around the world vying for a spot in a nine-piece boy group.
The contestants, also known as “dreamers,” will go through an intense journey, guided by a panel of mentors and judges, to achieve their dreams of becoming global idols.
2NE1’s Sandara Park, who grew up in the Philippines, will be the host of the program. At the media launch held on Jan. 20 in Quezon City, she expressed excitement for the next generation of K-pop idols.
“I’m not a mentor, but as a host I will look at the dreamers as a fan. I won’t give them advice, but I’ll be a good ate (older sister) to them!” she told the press.
K-pop icons and heavyweights in the industry — many of whom were themselves contestants on similar K-pop “survival” shows — make up the lineup of mentors: AB6IX’s Park Woojin, Bang Ye-dam (formerly of Treasure), HORI7ON’s Vinci, Hyebin (formerly of MOMOLAND), choreographer Bae Wan Hee, and producer Bullseye.
The youngest and only non-Korean among the mentors, Vinci is part of the South Korea-based Filipino group HORI7ON that debuted in 2023. This newness to the industry will help him be a supportive mentor, he said.
“I think those with confidence, whose passion shows through their performances, are the ones I will look out for in the contest,” Vinci explained. “As a young artist myself, I have the insight to how to navigate towards their dreams.”
Park Woojin, who participated in a talent survival show in 2017 before debuting with AB6IX in 2019, aims to be “a helpful mentor.”
“I can share my experiences with them on how I survived those difficult times so that it may also help them to push through,” he said.
For Hyebin, what was important in her journey as a talent survival show contestant in 2016 (after which her group MOMOLAND was formed), was having “people who saw her talents.”
“I want to be a mentor who would recognize their talents and what they have within them,” she explained. “I want them to work hard and be sincere.”
The 75 contestants have already been selected. Their names and faces will be revealed to the public when the show premieres. Be the Next: 9 Dreamers will air on TV 5 on Saturdays at 7:15 p.m. and Sundays at 8:15 p.m. starting Feb. 8. — Brontë H. Lacsamana
