Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE (2024) s01e01 Episode Script

1
Two minutes! Come on, everybody!
-Ladies, right this way.
-Wait, who's first?
-Just go.
-Can someone check my in-ears.
-I can hear you right now.
-Oh my gosh.
-Hello.
-Oh my goodness. I'm freaking out.
I'm so proud of you.
Now,
your votes have been tallied.
-We're gonna spend our lives together.
-Love you guys!
I love you guys so much!
-I'm so nervous.
-Let's go.
Can you guys
make some noise for KATSEYE!
Wow!
Two, three, four,
five, six, seven. Sha-ka-ka.
We're not moving on until
every single one of you gets this step.
I had the dream
to be in a girl group when I was 12
'cause that's when
I first discovered K-pop.
You're the first-ever class
of HYBE America Training and Development.
Queen, dance, rhythm of nobody else ♪
-You're a natural. That's what that is.
-Oh, thank you.
We had this vision
to take the "K" out of K-pop
and make it global.
Two of the biggest music powerhouses
are coming together.
The people that created BTS
are training our girls
with the K-pop methodology.
I'm just a girl from Slovakia.
It's the opportunity of a lifetime.
We're not
just in a training program.
Keep going this time. Yeah?
We're in this to become
a sensational, iconic, global girl group.
One more time. One more time.
We are looking to put six girls
in the group.
If you were to
let one of them go, who would it be?
Everyone is a threat.
Always in the back of our minds,
we remember it is a competition.
No, there's Somebody's wrong.
I don't believe in putting people
against each other to form a group.
They're starting to question,
"Do I even wanna be here?"
We're losing them.
Have a cry. I'll cry with you.
But if anybody can do it, it's you.
Let's go. You got this.
Bitch, go off.
Yeah, I know it's stupid ♪
I only want to die alive ♪
Never by the hands of a broken heart ♪
Oh ♪
There's a very fine line
between competitiveness and sisterhood.
Yes, work as a team,
but don't forget, like,
this is still about yourself.
I keep dancing on my own ♪
If I make the girl group,
that's when my life starts.
La, la-la, la ♪
Love me once
It's time to roll the dice ♪
It's been cool to see
all of the talent coming through.
- How many submissions did we get?
- We had over 140,000 submissions.
- One hundred and sixteen have advanced.
- Okay.
- Let's jump into it.
- Let's go.
Beaches, I need sunsets ♪
I want all that ♪
Big crib ♪
Emily is a dancer.
She did send over a video of her singing.
I put you first and you ignored it ♪
Set fire to my forest ♪
Her voice isn't awful.
Like, there's room to grow in it,
especially if she's that good a dancer.
You ain't cut like me
You can go argue with your mama ♪
If he tryna cuff ♪
-That's an easy yes.
-Damn. Yeah.
Girl dropped it. Come on.
Told me to drop my ego
No, I would never drop my ego ♪
It's just a little ego
It's just a little bit of ego ♪
I know my pocket's little ♪
- I think
- She's sick.
She's a great dancer.
-I actually believe her.
-Her charisma is through the roof too.
She's very respected in the dance world.
Like with all the choreographers.
I think we've seen
the super feminine.
We haven't seen masculine,
powerful females.
-Yeah. We need to get her.
-Yeah. I think I love her.
I think I love you.
Okay, Burbank girl.
- It's okay. I like her.
- Yeah. Same.
Cool. What's next?
- I really like her look.
- Yeah.
But she's not necessarily
technically great at dancing.
No. No, no, no.
She just has that, uh, what is it?
- You'd wanna watch her on stage.
- Yeah.
I'm in.
I know
our casting manager, Michelle,
she's looking everywhere
for the right candidates.
The most misunderstood thing
about casting is that it's easy.
When I tell people
that I'm casting for talent,
they'll say, like,
"Oh, have you been to Instagram?"
I'm like, "Yeah."
Every single day.
I'm looking for personality, skill-set.
Are they hungry for this?
What we're really looking for
is potential.
'Cause that's what the training
and development program's for.
After they audition, I take them to Missy
and she'll give me notes.
If this is something that is coachable,
and if so, how long will it take?
Or is this something that isn't workable
with the timeline that we have?
- We don't have any time.
- Yeah.
A year is gonna fly by,
but we have
a little bit of time to develop them.
And even that will be difficult.
- Mm-hmm.
- You know?
Building from the ground up
is so much pressure
because the potential
on this project is so extreme.
You have HYBE and Geffen,
two ginormous labels in the music industry
coming together to create
the next global girl group.
These girls are on their own journey
but doing it together.
They have control of their own fate
depending on how hard they work
and how bad they want it.
I don't think there's been a project
that's been done like this before.
Taking the K-pop method
of developing and training,
but doing it in pop music.
And it's real collaboration
and partnership with a label from Korea.
The Producer of the Year Award.
Bang is the chairman of HYBE.
He has a vast amount of experience
putting groups together.
He helped BTS grow from the ground up
and then into
one of the biggest bands of all time.
I'm sure
you've experienced this situation,
where you're instantly drawn into a person
who's on stage.
That's star power,
but it's hard to notice it in trainees.
Despite that,
the few successful producers
in this industry, like myself,
can identify it.
All you need is just one scene,
and you'll think,
"Oh."
"I could make something with this person."
This process isn't easy,
and it's really high stakes
and very stressful,
but I like to say that there's a reason
why someone says, "one in a million."
- Hi!
- What's up, man?
How are you?
Long time no see.
- Hi there, how are you?
- Hi, Adéla.
- It's been a month, hasn't it?
- It's been a while.
I want to thank you for finding the time
to, uh, to talk with me. Um
We enjoyed the chance to get to know you
through this audition.
After careful, careful review
with the team,
we want to congratulate you
on being selected to be part of
our training and development program.
What?
Wait, are you for real?
- Are you for real, though?
- Mm-hmm.
Oh my!
- Whoa! What? Really?
- Really?
You're serious?
You're not joking!
That's awesome! Oh my God.
Oh my God!
My whole family is waiting there. Wait.
I've been chosen!
My uncle You're seen in the mirror.
Okay. Okay. He's freaking out.
Oh my God!
Oh my God, thank you so much.
I'm so happy.
I'm just so happy. Thank you.
- Let's get it going, right?
- Yes. I'm so hyped. I'm so hyped.
Thank you so much.
Wow.
We'll figure out
relocation for yourself
to come to Los Angeles.
- Okay. Okay. Bye!
- All right, bye-bye.
It's gonna be fabulous.
We're gonna have
classes since eight till eight.
- Oh, wow. Twelve hours.
- You know? It's gonna be
Then Sid told me, "Don't worry,
it's not gonna be like a whole day."
"You're gonna have breaks."
And I'm like, "Okay, breaks."
And then she was like,
"30 minutes to have lunch."
I'm like, "Okay."
And really, I would rather be
At home all by myself ♪
Not in this room with people
Who don't even ♪
My family and I,
we're refugees from Belarus,
but currently, I live in Spain.
On my pillow, on my table ♪
Mm, life goes on like this again ♪
TikTok is like my little family empire
that I grow every single day.
Shawty gon' get that paper
Shawty tongue rip like razor ♪
I try to post daily
to continue to grow my audience.
And now I have
almost three million followers.
If you work like every single day
with no weekends at all
um, you can make it work,
and, uh, you can pay for, like,
this little apartment that we have
where, like,
I pay for food every single day.
It is a blessing to be able to support
my family, like, in the tough times.
And I really, really want them
to have everything
everything that I want to give them.
It's your life.
This is an adventure.
And life is always an adventure.
Either you get experiences from life,
or you don't get any, right?
Okay. Okay, don't cry.
I'm not.
This door to get recognized
and get this single thread of gold chance.
We're heading to LA. We're on our way.
Whoo!
When the trainees come to Los Angeles,
if they're 18 and older,
they'll live in a house together,
and if they're a minor,
they're gonna live
with a guardian or parent in the city.
Grab it! Ah!
Guys!
- I like it!
- I know.
- Yo!
- This is nice!
Wait. Wait, wait. We have eggs?
Yes! Eggs!
Oh my God!
- Hummus?
- We're blessed.
- Tiny water bottles.
- Tiny water bottles.
Who are the top bunk people?
I'm with lower bunk.
-I'm top bunk.
-I'm low bunk.
Raise your hand
if you're a top-bunk person.
Wanna do rock, paper, scissors?
Okay, is it out of three or just one?
It's just rock, paper, scissors, boom!
- No, just one.
- Girl!
Rock, paper, scissors, boom!
- Ready?
- Okay.
On scissors, boom.
Okay, on boom.
Rock, paper, scissors, boom!
When I was going downstairs,
I was like, this is too good to be true.
Like the way we're living, is like,
it's way too good to be true.
And the fact that it's Hollywood,
oh my God.
And the fact that I'm gonna be a trainee,
this is crazy.
To me, I just want, like,
the butterflies to fly.
I don't know how to explain it
other than that.
The people that we've selected,
they have a lot of potential.
They have a lot of star quality.
But obviously,
we have a lot of work to do.
In Korea, training and development
are what we call T&D.
It's like a sports training camp.
There's a rigorous schedule
so they can improve their skills quickly.
A lot of major K-pop groups
come out of a similar
training and development program.
Our girls will be training all day,
go back home,
eat, sleep, and then do it all over again.
We're bringing in the best dance teachers,
vocal teachers,
performance teachers
that can see the potential
in even a low skill set.
In Korea, they train for years and years.
Compared to that,
we are limited and shorter.
So, it's not gonna be easy.
At the end of each month,
a team of evaluators
will come in and watch them perform,
and evaluate them
on their dancing ability, vocal ability,
visual performance,
star quality, and attitudes in class.
Based on their scores,
we all weigh in and collectively decide
if we will eliminate anyone.
The goal of this program
is to develop their skills
to the point that
it's gonna make them superstars.
Hi, good morning.
First day of school!
I don't care!
Five, six, seven, eight.
- Whoo!
- My turn!
Oh my God!
I'm just excited
to be in this journey with you.
And finally be in the same room. It's
It's crazy. It's crazy.
Um, first thing first, like, priority.
Your body and mental health.
It's so important. Okay?
That's why we have each other.
So, talk to each other.
Yes!
All right.
In a crowded room, you're my decision ♪
What is that?
Oh, we been blurring the lines ♪
take it ♪
Won't you please ♪
Pour your loving over me ♪
All your loving over me ♪
Like a waterfall, baby ♪
We're training them to be unison
but at the same time, being unique,
being special in their own way.
Every person here has their thing.
There's trainees
who are much stronger in vocal.
There's trainees
that are more model-visual.
You have beginner-beginner,
can't even really remember choreography,
and then you have
close to pro-level dancers.
Emily is an amazing dancer.
She's the top dancer here.
She just has
so much control over her body.
Daniela snapped.
The day she walked in,
I was like, "Yep, that's it."
Adéla brings
a level of professionalism
that we don't have in anyone else.
I did ballet professionally
from, like, the age of three. So.
Megan has a lot of potential.
She isn't there yet,
but everyone should keep their eyes
on Megan.
For vocals, 100%, I'd go to Iliya.
By now, right now ♪
Iliya has natural, raw, God-given ability.
Wake up and want to hear so ♪
Sophia is a natural talent.
Very clean, very polished.
If you're feeling like you need
A little bit of company ♪
You met me at the perfect time ♪
Karlee can make you feel it.
It's one thing to hit the note.
It's another to be effective.
Star quality is confidence.
It's charisma.
It's that "it" factor.
There is this draw about Lexie.
She has what people kill for,
which is identity.
Marquise has this star quality
that makes the other girls giddy.
Abby, she is of lower skill set,
but she could care less.
And she does have a certain star quality
about her that is so undeniable.
Um
I think we also have some underdogs.
Brooklyn, dancing-wise,
she needs more practice,
but she's eager to learn.
With Ezrela, it's her own self-doubt
that she gets caught up in.
And if she will get out of her own way,
I truly believe she's a competitor.
One of the people that I really
love watching is Naisha,
especially when we do freestyling.
Naisha's so talented.
I love her vibe.
The struggle and the disconnect
is the technique,
and those muscles are not there yet.
We're asking a lot
of these girls,
but when you have
a one in front of your age,
this is the time
to stretch yourself all the way.
What rhythm did you mess up?
The spin?
Before that, yes, yes, yes.
-The spin and then the
-What rhythm did you do?
I did it too fast. I went
And what's the correct rhythm?
Exactly.
So, this is my view that
I wake up to every morning in Hollywood.
It's a lot different
from Colorado,
but there's good people watching.
Like, I see a lot of different things.
Like, yesterday, I saw someone breaking up
with their girlfriend down there.
And I saw a trash fire happen over there.
And it's just, you know,
these L.A. streets.
There's a lot a lot to watch.
I'm used to, like, the small-town life.
But I love doing things
that scare me a little bit,
so I competed for Miss Teen USA Colorado.
Abby Saltzman, 15, Miss Vail Teen USA.
I remember I would tell kids, like,
they'd be like, "What do you want
to be when you're older?"
And I'd be like, "A K-pop idol for HYBE."
And they'd be like "That's impossible."
I was on this group chat, and it was like,
"HYBE is making a girl group."
And I was like, no way. Like, no way.
And then I literally started
training from that day.
Twenty-year-old Abby,
I'd just like to tell you.
Everything will be okay.
You will be a K-pop star!
I started teaching myself dance
from YouTube videos.
But I had no clue,
really, what I was doing. Like
I'm a bit of the underdog here.
Like, I expected all the girls
to be really talented,
but I thought
there would be more girls like me
that had, like, a lot of potential
but hadn't been, like,
formally trained in something.
I'm kind of, like, in awe of everyone.
Like, I'm like, everyone is so talented
and so good at what they do.
I'm like,
I want to be like that.
Details, details, details.
Like it is so, so, so important
that individuality
is second and details are first.
So, my goal for the choreography
I'm gonna do for you this month
is details and being exactly the same
as each other, like little robots.
I'm going to get you so clean
that even your fingernails
are gonna have a place to go. Okay? So.
Six, seven, eight.
Yes. Five, six, seven, eight.
Ca, ca! Shoo!
All the way.
Watch your legs in the passé.
Everyone needs to tighten their core,
especially from,
like, literally your ovaries.
People just expect women
to be able to dance in heels.
They'll be like, you know, "I could just
throw heels on and do a routine."
It's It's not like that.
Like, good luck.
You're constantly forward on your toes,
so you're just straining your Achilles.
It's a lot to ask of your body.
When I was 19 years old,
I started working for Britney Spears.
I had industry experience,
but not on that level.
Like, Britney Spears, she's an icon.
I learned a lot
about the industry through her.
And being on that level, you've gotta be
better than you were yesterday.
Like, you have to.
That's good.
All those things are kind of like
what I'm trying to teach them
while in three-inch heels
and some of them have never even
worn heels before in their lives.
So I'm pretty sure you have
a dart board with my face
and you're throwing darts
probably at night.
Hey, girl, it's Nikky.
So, I just want to talk to you about
I just wanna be
completely transparent with you guys.
That you guys
- Suck.
- Suck.
Wow! Lexrela duo!
-Lexrela!
-Ahh!
I'm so sore. My leg hurts.
The sun does the trick.
She's getting that melanin.
Oh yeah.
You can never lack sun.
Yeah.
Gorgeous.
Naisha, we're going in now. Have fun!
I find a lot of power in water,
because water can
turn into so many things,
but it will never stop being
what it actually is.
I think I've always been very good
at adapting, um, myself
at a very fast pace,
because I lived in so many countries.
I was born in London,
raised in Switzerland,
Germany, Spain, and Balearic Islands.
I speak five languages. English,
Portuguese, Spanish, German, and Catalan.
Both of my parents are Brazilian,
and dancing and singing and rapping
is what I like to do the most.
I started dancing basically in the street
with some other, like, freestylers.
So I haven't really had the opportunity
to be, like, this studio dancer.
My biggest sacrifice
for being in the program
was for sure leaving my apartment
back in London.
All those things that I had to build
as a young adult
and then just come to a whole new
different place and start a new life.
Yeah, that's like a big sacrifice
because if this doesn't happen for me,
like, what am I going back to, you know?
So, first thing we're gonna do.
One at a time.
Because you're sitting in this seat,
you're first.
Did a full 180 ♪
Crazy ♪
Thinking 'bout the way I was ♪
Did the heartbreak ♪
Did a 180 ♪
One, two, yup? Three.
Let Let the chords guide your notes.
- Okay.
- So
I need to, like, train,
like, I'm the worst in the room.
Knowing how to play the game, in a way,
and knowing how to, like, mode.
Don't start caring about me now ♪
Stop for a second. So,
with the phrasing, your rhythms are good.
Well, each note
-Yes. Okay.
-is a breadcrumb for the next note.
Because sometimes what happens
is when you lock in, you sing in there.
But sometimes when you don't,
you don't You leave the key.
Yes.
Folks work hard.
Like, singing's a very vulnerable thing.
And I don't know if somebody's going home.
I honestly don't know.
I don't know if somebody's staying.
So what I've been trying to prep them for
is make it the hardest decision
this executive ever has to make.
Yo, you speak Portuguese?
Now you'll be hearing me
speak Brazilian Portuguese!
- Brazil?
- Yeah.
Okay. Everybody, when I ask you
where you're from, rep that.
There's a whole rhythmic
That's a whole different quality
we get to tap into. All right, cool.
Have a seat. That was good.
We'll be back. That was really good.
Adéla.
If you don't want to see me
Dancing with somebody ♪
Good.
And if you want to believe
That anything could stop me ♪
Stop. Good. That's good.
- So, have a seat. That was good, good.
- Thank you.
I really don't think there's anyone
that I don't find a big threat.
I think everyone is a threat.
Today, we're doing
a baseline assessment
of the girls' skill level
after the first few weeks of training.
Are we ready?
We are.
Yeah, we're ready.
Today's the day.
I'm not where you left me at all ♪
So, if you don't want to see me
Dancing with somebody ♪
Don't show up ♪
Don't come out ♪
Don't start caring about me now ♪
Walk away ♪
You know how ♪
Don't start caring about me now ♪
So, if you don't wanna see me
Dancing with somebody ♪
If you wanna believe
That anything can stop me ♪
Are you aware
that you're singing out of tune?
Son is a world-renowned choreographer.
He was the performance director
for BTS,
and he's coming over to Los Angeles to be
the creative executive for this project.
Based on Son's feedback from today,
we'll know what we need to work on
to really refocus them
and make sure they're ready
for their first end-of-month evaluation.
In Korea,
I was a performance director,
but on this project,
my role as an executive creator
encompasses more responsibilities.
So I feel a lot of pressure, but
I think I can do well.
It's really about
meeting the standards today.
Since this is also a stage,
forget their history or their progress,
this is the time for accurate feedback.
Even if they were good in practice,
if they don't do well today,
we need to tell them that.
We need that clear standard.
Yeah.
Since you're trying
to juggle too much,
you're missing out on the basics.
Regardless of the singing,
try to tone down on overall expressions.
Because it's a bit overkill and unnatural.
You only focus on your upper body.
You're losing sight of your lower body.
Use your entire body, not just your limbs.
You need to be swift, smooth, and light
in your limb movements.
I was honestly disappointed.
I had high hopes.
You lack basic skills.
So today,
we didn't go too harsh on you.
This session was more about
the objective assessment on each of you.
Practice singing more.
Talk to your teachers and practice a lot.
I'll see you next month.
I definitely feel
like I could have done better.
I feel like the nerves kicked in.
Coming from hip hop and just like,
being part of the culture
and the way we show off is different
from the way they want us to show off.
It's like you think you're doing enough,
but you need to like, no.
It's like you need to do even more.
I just wanna talk to you
before you guys leave.
You should be really proud of yourselves,
no matter what got said today.
And that said, it takes time
to build a mental strength
to endure the industry
that you're gonna go into.
This is It's just hard.
It's hard to work in this industry.
Um
But I think if this is
truly, truly, truly what you want,
if this is just stepping stones.
And that's what
we're trying to just work on,
a different skill set than just
singing and dancing.
This is the building of your backbone
in this industry.
So, yeah.
Take the notes, internalize it.
We come back tomorrow, we get better.
I was a competitive dancer,
so I can definitely understand the girls.
There's only six spots available
in the group,
so I feel a really big weight
trying to have that delicate balance
of being able to see the greater vision,
the greater goal, the business side,
but also having these really young artists
going after their dreams.
What the trainees don't know
is that training and development
will lead to a competitive survival show
where there will be fan voting
and eliminations.
Right now, we're not telling the girls
about the survival show.
There's going to be different stages
that lead to us
even getting to the survival show
or even them being selected
to be in the survival show.
So it's really important
they focus at the task at hand,
and right now, that's improving
their basic fundamental skills.
Five, six, seven, eight.
One.
Ha!
Oney and a two and a three and a four!
Yes!
My lady,
you're you're a performer. I love this.
You're such a performer. She's like,
"Even if I don't have the steps,
even if like I'm going to mess up,
I'm going to give you
a performance and everything."
Keep that. That's good.
-But switch sometimes.
-Okay.
You're giving me diva,
Beyoncé girls and everything.
-Now sometimes, chill.
-Chill.
Just chill. Like, sometimes
just do shoulder, a head.
- Just do nothing.
- Just that. It's enough.
Okay, so, you guys,
let's go over "Woman" just a little bit.
I had zero training in dancing.
And when we arrived here,
I was blown away by the schedule
and how much we have to work
and sweat all day long every single day.
I would rather have someone
who's lower skill set,
shows up here every day, like early,
wants to be here,
is putting in extra time after
Just because that drive,
okay, we can work with that.
Drop.
Whoa, what is that?
It's like
That's cool.
And jump out.
-Money.
-This is my favorite part.
Mummy don't know Daddy's getting hot ♪
doing something unholy ♪
Mmm, daddy, daddy, if you want it ♪
Drop the add'y ♪
Give me love, give me Fendi
My Balenciaga daddy ♪
You gon' need to bag it up
'Cause I'm spending on Rodeo ♪
Come on.
And he, he get me Prada ♪
It glows!
He always call me
'Cause I never cause no drama ♪
Could we have
the stuffed cinnamon sugar churros please?
And when you need it, baby
Just jump under the covers ♪
Could I get the kids
pretzel dog and fries?
Yes.
We haven't known each other
that long,
but like when you're going through
something so different, like this,
it makes you so close
to the people you're with
and we're with each other 24/7.
We can just relate to each other.
Before the program,
I didn't have a lot of girl friends,
but I'm actually learning
how to open myself up to these girls.
I'm gonna be honest, I
I'm not a big fan of K-pop
or I was not a big fan of K-pop
before I came here. I didn't really know.
I'm honestly a rap stan.
Like, all I do is listen to rap.
I started dancing when I was like,
literally two years old.
Hi, you guys. So, who is the boss here?
-Me.
-You're the boss?
A one.
Three. Five.
Side. One.
My mom,
she was born in Havana, Cuba,
and my dad is from Venezuela.
Both came to America
when they were younger
and they're both ballroom dancers
and they raised me to be a dancer.
I started training Dani
when she was about three years old,
and I taught her the bachata,
basic step in cha-cha-cha.
And she followed very, very well.
I was on
So You Think You Can Dance,
made the top ten for the kids season.
I've had more experience as a soloist,
but I'm still a team player.
Like that's literally the goal,
to be a part of this girl group.
I see parts of myself in Daniela.
She is a Latin American.
I'm a Latin American.
She has been dancing since she was little.
I've been dancing since I was little.
So, it's kind of like I understand,
you know, the weight
of how this could change Daniela's life.
Shine bright like a diamond ♪
I saw the light inside
So shine bright ♪
Tonight ♪
Abby, she has a very unique voice.
Bring the mic close.
She works at it,
and that is her superpower.
like diamonds in the sky ♪
Remember about that last note
Beautiful like diamonds in the sky ♪
Sky ♪
-Not too long, just a little. That's cool.
-Sky ♪
If there's a timing issue,
there's a pitch issue,
that's just something
we work out in sessions.
Your pitch has gotten a lot better.
You're tracking in the right direction.
You should feel good about that.
You deserve to be here.
Your folks worked hard to get you here.
Let's do this,
for yourself and for your folks.
-And for your teacher who believes in you.
-Yes.
I wanna learn
how to line my lips so bad.
Me too.
I just don't be knowing
I don't even think it works for me.
It'll be cute.
You should get some brown.
I think the braids
really helped me get into character,
and the fact that I got to just,
like, embrace it
has been very fun for me, and very new.
So, our eval is going to be in a week
and it's something I've been waiting for
ever since we started training.
I've been feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Always thinking, like,
"Am I really like good enough?
Am I doing good enough?"
It's just like frustrating moments where
I'm like, "Well, I think this is good,
but apparently it's not good enough."
Like, how can I
What can I do now, you know?
I've been rebuilding my life,
my whole entire life,
for the longest time.
So it just, like, it just makes it hard.
But I think the way I go on about my art,
hopefully it will take me places.
Oh, man. At this point,
I just want to settle down
and just like do what I'm good at
and continue to train, you know?
And it's just like very frustrating.
Like, sometimes, like you don't know.
You really might be sent home at any time.
I don't know about you guys, but I woke up
thinking about the evaluations actually.
While I was sleeping,
I had like butterflies in my stomach
because I was so, like, nervous.
Even if it's like a lot of people
we haven't seen yet and stuff, like,
we have practiced for like a month.
All the teachers are gonna, like,
be watching and stuff.
Like, it's scary.
Here, I feel like
it's the growth that matters.
Because this is just like,
we're learning every, every day
to become some,
like a better version of ourselves.
And I can really see, like,
do you see that?
I can really see that the muscles
are coming, the muscles are growing.
I'm so proud of us
for putting ourselves out there.
-To keep going, to really keep going.
-Yeah.
It's eval day,
and it's time to go.
You better eat it up, because you never
know when it's gonna be the last eval.
The thing that causes most anxiety
is when you just feel like
you want to be perfect.
Like, I don't know
what's gonna be the feedback.
It's really nerve-wracking too.
In my head,
I do a lot of self-talk.
"You know this dance. You know the song."
"You don't have to stress about it anymore
because you've practiced enough."
When I'm tryna have a good time ♪
'Cause I'm good now you ain't mine
Na, na, na, na ♪
The girls
are scored at evaluations
and then they're ranked from the highest
scoring to the lowest scoring trainee.
We really are looking at the girls
and comparing them
to current relevant artists,
so the highest scores need to be able
to stand up against the dancers,
the vocalists, the star quality
of artists we have right now.
Don't call me up
I'm going out tonight ♪
Feeling good
Now you're outta my life ♪
Chairman Bang
watches every end-of-month video
and he gives feedback on what we need
to work on to get better at.
Give me love, give me Fendi ♪
With any project,
I don't meet the trainees in person
before they debut.
I meet them afterwards.
Most people become fans
when they're watching content
such as music videos or shows.
Which is why I think that I should also
watch the trainees through the screens.
Conveying the accurate
on-screen experience is my priority.
And when you want it, baby
I know I got you covered ♪
And when you need it, baby
Just jump under the covers ♪
Mummy don't know daddy's getting hot ♪
At the body shop
Doin' somethin' unholy ♪
These grooves
are still foreign to your body.
We need to just
keep practicing the drills.
It is getting better,
so I'll give you that.
It felt like you're in the air. Floating.
Stay grounded is the next goal for you.
Mummy don't know daddy's getting hot ♪
At the body shop
Doin' somethin' unholy ♪
I see that you're
always improving little by little,
I know you're really trying
to do something energetically,
but the energy isn't touching me.
I like your journey.
Like, it's, you're getting there.
Not quite there yet, but I think you're
on your way to like figuring it out.
And I felt that today. I felt the spark.
I liked it.
I like your hair. Thank you. Good job.
The second part of
the evaluation process is heels.
The technique of
being able to dance in an elevated shoe
is just very difficult,
so only our top dancers
are allowed to perform in heels.
Take me down into your paradise ♪
Don't be scared
'Cause I'm your body type ♪
Just something that we wanna try ♪
'Cause you and I
We're cool for the summer ♪
That was great.
All of these tricks are so difficult,
and you do it with so much ease,
and you make it look like
anybody can do that.
I think we're to a point
where all the little nuances
of the in-between details
is what's gonna just make
your dancing even more mesmerizing.
Take me down ♪
Take me down into your paradise ♪
We're cool for the summer ♪
In the very beginning,
the hits were there,
but it looks really elementary and basic.
When you practice by yourself,
like, how do you practice?
Like, what do you do?
I don't like to
do it full out too many times, um,
because I feel like
I'll get tired more easily.
This is only one minute.
Like a show is like 90 minutes,
and it's starting maybe at 10:00 p.m.
You're so talented already,
we tell you this all the time,
but you can be so much better.
- Don't be afraid of working hard.
- Yeah.
I swear I'm happy
The more that I'm feeling alone ♪
I want you to make me feel
Like I'm the only girl in the world ♪
Now if we're talking body ♪
You got a perfect one
So put it on me ♪
Swear it won't take you long ♪
If you love me right ♪
We fuck for life
On and on and on ♪
There's just like a little too much
reservedness in what you're singing about.
I would just, like, really let go
and become the character.
Like, I know I'm sure
what you do in your own music,
the style doesn't always line up
with these songs,
but just put yourself
in a character of the song.
Havana, ooh na-na ♪
Half of my heart is in Havana ♪
There's somethin' 'bout his manners ♪
Havana, ooh-na ♪
He said there's a lot of girls
I can do with ♪
I knew him forever in a minute ♪
There's somethin' 'bout his manners ♪
Havana, ooh na-na ♪
Thank you.
I thought
you had some nice moments.
Just watch your pronunciation
on some of the "ooh na-nas."
It's just a little distracting.
It's so nice to hear you.
I could tell you were nervous
and you just fought through.
That is the win, okay?
Um, for all of you.
Everybody who gets up here
and feels like, "What the fuck?"
Excuse my language.
And you keep going, that's the win.
Keep going.
You're done?
And what about dancing?
A lot of our girls,
they're having a lot of anxiety
and nerves performing,
and so we need to work on
how they can learn
to control their emotions,
control their stress.
The biggest anxiety
must come from feeling unprepared.
They'll lose confidence,
and they'll get more nervous.
Moving on to Daniela.
She just needs
to work on breaking some old habits.
She came in, again, as a dancer,
but she's not a horrible singer,
so we definitely stressed to her
this month
that she needs to focus on vocal.
If it's nerves,
we work on controlling those
so that they don't overtake her hard work
that she put in all month.
And I think her attitude
is really good to call out
because she is scoring really high
and then on the lower end for attitude.
For Iliya, I'm concerned
about her musical theater
type of movement while she's singing.
She has her own
individual creativity
that I would love for her to tap into.
I definitely felt like Sophia
had improved a lot.
She's a very hard worker.
She's a natural-born leader, 100%.
Naisha has a great intention.
I think she takes this very seriously,
but it's translating through movement
in a way that's aggressive.
Multiple teachers have told her,
tone it down, and sometimes I feel like
she's so focused
on showing all her colors at one time
that she's not okay
with just drawing a square.
Abby, right now,
she struggles with finding rhythm
and being able to count to the music.
She does not have basic training.
Most of what she has learned of dance
is self-taught,
but she comes to the studio
half an hour before classes.
She comes on weekends.
She really wants to improve.
And she Yeah.
- She does.
- She does.
She is a very sweet girl,
but again,
given our timeline,
we're really concerned.
Actually,
it's not impossible,
but it's going to take time.
I think
one of the biggest risks
is us investing so much into this project
and then people feeling like it was just
something that money put together.
Personally, I feel like the stakes
for HYBE-Geffen are make or break.
I either think
it's the success of this label
or it's the end of the label,
in my opinion.
Hi, Abby.
Okay, Abby.
I really, really, really want you to know
that your work ethic
is 100% unmatched,
and I hope that you don't lose it,
but for this specific project,
our timeline and where your skills are at,
we just don't think
you can get there in time,
and I think it would be unfair
to keep you here, us knowing that.
I think it takes away
from other opportunities
that you could possibly be achieving.
You've always had the most positive energy
about you since you started.
I think you found your way
into the hearts of all of the girls
and all of the teachers.
You did nothing wrong,
and I do believe in you.
And I just think that
this chapter is closed.
Yeah. I know.
This is really hard for me,
because it's like, this has been my dream.
I know. And I don't think
you should give up on your dream.
I know it's gonna hurt, but you have
to know that there will be something else
and something else better
for you in particular, in time.
Yeah.
-Does that make sense? Okay.
-Yeah.
-But thank you for this opportunity.
-Oh, no, thank you for coming.
This has been like
the happiest part of my life.
I'm really sad it's coming to an end.
Yeah.
But it'll be okay.
No!
I love you.
- No, don't cry!
- Don't cry!
Oh, Abby!
Abby
Thank you, guys.
Abby.
Hey, everybody,
can I talk to Abby for a second?
Yes.
Hi.
I know. It's okay.
Okay. All right. Now.
You have grown
tremendous leaps and bounds.
One day, if I have a daughter,
I hope she tries as hard as you do.
-Thank you. That means a lot to me.
-You changed my life.
You changed mine because when I joined
the program, I had a really hard time,
and your positivity, like,
motivated me to keep going.
Like, it really
In the program, it really inspired me,
and I'm really thankful for that.
Lord knows I've had
I've had my share of ups and downs,
but I know in my heart,
this is where I belong.
And once you figure that out,
there's nothing or no one
that can stop you.
It's not "no." It's "not right now."
You're hard work personified.
This sucks, I know, but
-It's okay.
-It's going to be okay.
-Everything works out.
-Yeah.
-All right?
-Thank you.
- All right, mama. Slam.
- Slam.
-Take care.
-Bye.
Fuck.
Sorry.
Everyone here can dance,
everyone here can sing,
it's just some people
are not what they're looking for.
There's so many different factors.
It's just like,
if you get eliminated,
it doesn't mean you suck.
The reason why we're here
is because we're like puzzle pieces,
it just depends, if we all fit together,
which is the group.
So they can eliminate anytime.
They could suddenly be like,
"Actually this piece doesn't fit."
And then they're like
It doesn't mean the piece sucks.
Yeah.
It's okay.
After this elimination,
we now have 13 girls.
But we need 20
to get ready for the survival show.
So, casting continues.
When I first saw her,
I, like, instantly knew.
This girl is already a star.
And I went to her Instagram
and I DM'd her.
She's gonna be a great contender
for the program.
I have a gut feeling
I'm gonna be in the group.
Everybody asks me how I do it ♪
They say I look good ♪
I say I feel good ♪
They say they wanna know my secret ♪
I tell them it's big boss mentality ♪
And it goes something like ♪
I want it, I buy it ♪
I flaunt it, you want it ♪
I want it, I buy it ♪
I flaunt it, you want it ♪
I want it, I buy it ♪
I flaunt it, you want it ♪
I want it, I buy it ♪
I flaunt it, you want it ♪
On my flyest lately ♪
Higher than the fashion maybe ♪
I'm the model in your daydream ♪
Baby, I'm so hot they hate me ♪
Eyes on my strut
See me for coming the spot ♪
Got the Campbell typa walk
Chin like Kate Moss ♪
Catwalking like purr
Gotcha gawking at my purse ♪
Saw you add it to your cart
But you know I wore it first ♪
But you know I wore it first ♪
But you know I wore it first ♪
But you know I wore it first ♪
Eyes on my strut
See me for coming the spot ♪
Got the Campbell typa walk
Chin like Kate Moss ♪
Catwalking like purr
Gotcha gawking at my purse ♪
Saw you add it to your cart
But you know I wore it first ♪
I want it, I buy it ♪
I flaunt it, you want it ♪
I want it, I buy it ♪
I flaunt it, you want it ♪
But you know I wore it first ♪
But you know I wore it first ♪
But you know I wore it first ♪
But you know I wore it first ♪