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On June 22, R U Next? announced the celebrities who will be featuring on the show as coach and possible mentors. The lineup includes famous choreographers, first and second-generation idols, and even a former WANNA ONE member. From Street Woman Fighter participant Aiki to HYBE’s (former BIGHIT MUSIC) first-ever artist Lee Hyun, a wide range of artists have been roped in to judge the upcoming debut survival show.
The new female survival show is produced by HYBE LABELS and BELIFT LAB in collaboration with JTBC. The companies, except JTBC, were initially scheduled to release I-LAND 2, a female equivalent and sequel to I-LAND, which created the group ENHYPEN. However, despite a trailer release for I-LAND 2 in September, the companies went radio silent about it. The upcoming survival show is thus believed to be a replacement of the I-LAND sequel.
Celebrity coach lineup of R U Next? revealed: KARA's Park Gyuri, Kim Jae-hwan, and more
The upcoming debut survival show, R U Next?, has received both positive and negative responses. Although many look forward to the show because of HYBE LABELS’ star power attached to it, several people have criticized the company for allowing a contestant born in 2011 to participate in the show. The contestant lineup for the show was released a few days ago, and it generated a strong response against the reality show.
The company did not address the controversy but continued with teasing more details about R U Next? On June 22, official social media accounts of the reality show announced the list of celebrities who will serve as judges on the show. These include two iconic K-pop girl group members - KARA’s Park Gyuri and Girls’ Generation’s Sooyoung (who will also host the show).
R U Next? will also include famous singer Lee Hyun, also known as BIGHIT MUSIC’s first signed artist even before BTS and Aiki, a popular choreographer who got mainstream success through Street Woman Fighter.
Adding to the coach lineup roster is legendary K-pop group 2AM’s member, Jo Kwon, and the famous group WANNA ONE’s former member and current solo artist, Kim Jae-hwan.
All six coaches are versatile with a niche talent that will help young girls competing in the show to put their best foot forward. Their diverse backgrounds will help the contestants lead a path towards becoming global K-pop stars.
R U Next? under criticism for having a 12-year-old participant
Although all eyes are set on the premiere of R U Next? and HYBE LABELS’ next girl group, the show continues to be under heavy criticism for including a 12-year-old girl in the competition. A few weeks ago, the show’s official social media channels dropped profile videos and photos of all 22 participating females.
One contestant, the youngest, turned out to be a girl called ENA. She was born in 2011, as per her data in the profile video. Fans instantly took to Twitter to once again discuss the harsh realities of the K-pop industry and how unhealthy it was for a 12-year-old to participate in the survival show. Neither HYBE LABELS, BELIFT LAB, or JTBC have addressed the controversy yet.
Meanwhile, R U Next? will premiere on June 30 and air Friday at 8:50 pm KST.
