Pop Star Academy: KATSEYE (2024) s01e02 Episode Script
Episode 2
1
We have a new contestant
in Switzerland.
We are really excited about her potential.
She has great star quality,
but she is of lower skill set.
We sent a T&D staff member
to help oversee her development.
We invest hugely
in the girls that we bring here.
Being inexperienced,
not having taken
any dancing classes before,
I very much know
that I'm not good at dancing yet,
so I'm really just
getting thrown into that cold water.
When new trainees come in,
I think more than anything,
it affects the current trainees' mental.
There's only so many spots
available in the group and they know that.
It shakes them for sure.
I always wanted to be a star.
That is the ultimate goal.
And I think
that's what's gonna happen, eventually.
Oh, we ain't flexin', babe
We do what we do ♪
Love me once
I know you'll love me twice ♪
Love me once
It's time to roll the dice ♪
To understand K-pop,
that is, to understand a band
with multiple members,
you should know this.
Every member has a unique role to play.
It'd be great if all the group members,
five out of five or seven out of seven,
were the best dancers
and the best singers,
but it's almost impossible
to create that kind of team.
There is still a clear requisite.
Members must be
at a certain skill level to make the band.
So a lot is at stake.
A little bit classic
Whole lot of savage ♪
We're in
the first phase of dance training.
For the next month, we're focused
on just the very fundamental skills.
Being a dancer is hard
as hell.
We are basically
both artists and athletes.
We express our creativity like artists,
and we also train like athletes.
So much practice, conditioning.
It's physically demanding.
This is not a normal
artist-in-development situation.
Girls don't like girls who hate girls ♪
In this world ♪
Once you go down the vortex of K-pop,
it is really hard to get out.
The attention to detail,
facial expressions,
and also the synchronization
of the choreography.
It's a level that I've never seen before.
The girls are nowhere near ready
to get on a stage and perform as a group.
Obviously, we have a lot of work to do.
They don't feel like they're a unit. Boom.
They don't know how to work in formations.
This is what we need to work on.
I was a competitive dancer,
so I know what it takes
to perform at such a high level.
Six, go shot, shot, boom, boom.
Because of the high level of dancing
that's gonna be expected
from that K-pop world,
my role is to bring in the right people
to guide the girls.
We needed to bring in the right teacher
that wasn't gonna
over-sexualize the girls,
but wasn't gonna give us Disney.
Hold your head, hold your crown ♪
Sohey's worked for every major artist.
Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears, Madonna.
I love girl groups. I love K-pop.
I used to dream being in a girl group
growing up.
I'm trying to build their confidence.
Daily reminder that you're that bitch.
Down, up, down, and settle. Hey!
Missy did such a great job
forming this team.
Me, Nikky, and Jae,
I think it's a perfect match.
Ka, ka, sharp, ga, ga, down. Up.
Nikky gives the fiery, feisty energy
when she dances.
Sha, ga!
You have to have a backbone
to deal with Nikky.
Missy is actually my sister.
If I had to describe me and Missy,
I would say, like, fire and ice.
I'm definitely the fire.
But I'm more cold-hearted,
so I don't know. Maybe I'm the ice.
I'm the oldest.
And I was the first dancer,
so let's get that story straight.
I really, really have
a lot of respect for her,
but there was definitely a point
where I felt like she was
my biggest competition all the time.
'Cause truly, she was.
Let's go, yeah! Two, three, four, five.
Don't go early. Keep going.
But our relationship works
because of that.
Five, six, walking goes a walk.
I know how she was trained.
I know how she teaches.
So it just happened to be the right fit
for this particular project.
Son is the choreographer of BTS,
one of the biggest boy bands ever.
He gives us directions.
What we need to work on.
It could be footwork.
It could be body roll.
Isolation. Waves.
So I was a little nervous coming into it,
'cause, like, he's the guy.
So this is really special to me.
I'm living my dream through them.
I know it is hard to comprehend ♪
Over the last few months,
we haven't had any eliminations.
We wanted to give
the girls time to develop their skills.
Why won't you let me be in my head ♪
Whatever is best for their training,
their development, and ultimately
that launch
of them being huge public figures,
it has to be done the right way.
Alone I need to be ♪
I think eliminations
are the scariest things for them
because it sets in that this is real.
And there's a timeline,
and things are moving,
and girls are disappearing.
As soon as that starts
happening more frequently,
I think it's gonna really shake the girls.
And a four.
And a kick. And a drop.
Flip. Hair. Hair. Hip. Hip.
In this program, there's levels to dance.
Techniques, ability.
We collectively make a decision
if a person is ready to move up a level.
If you're good enough, you go up to A.
And there is no one in A.
There is a level A,
but no one's in level A,
and we don't really know what it is
and what we need to do to get to level A.
We get put into levels
based on our current skills
to be able to grow
as much as possible.
The more you get better
at dancing or learning the choreo,
then you can level up.
So your goal is to get to
the highest level in everything possible.
I entered the program in level C,
and I'm currently in level B.
I was first put in level C
for dance.
And a month ago,
I was placed in level D.
And that was because I needed to get
my fundamentals and my basics down.
It's hard to say
who you're in the most competition with,
because you never know when somebody's
just going to pop up out of nowhere
and all of a sudden level up.
We score them
at the end of month evaluation.
Score goes from one to ten.
Sometimes lower than that.
We're looking at dance, vocal,
performance, star quality,
and their attitude.
And then we take an average of
those numbers and get an overall ranking.
That is how we figure out
what levels and classes are best for them.
Some of the things
that makes the difference
between a good dancer
and a great dancer is rhythm,
their ability to form clean lines,
being able to control your face
and your emotions
while moving at such a high level.
You have to be able to have
all those things.
Seven, eight.
Hey.
And three, four, going down.
Really get down. Look how low, yeah?
Run. Run.
Sophia, sometimes it gets like back here.
Just like eval. Here we go.
Step on up to this crazy love ♪
Hey, I'm waiting ♪
Ha!
Standing here with my ladies ♪
No shame in chasing ♪
If we got what you like ♪
Don't stop, keep moving ♪
'Cause I
Whoo! Okay, Sophia.
- There's a lot of out of control moments.
- Yeah.
So find it.
Um
All three of you,
I didn't believe it at all.
It felt like nothing, honestly. Yeah?
So that, that's your moment.
That pop, pop, pop!
If you don't know what you're selling,
nobody's gonna buy it.
So I want you to practice more.
Let's say they sent you home tomorrow.
Would you feel
like you could have practiced more?
If you feel that, even a little bit,
even like a hair, you're not doing enough.
Keep going. Two, go. Three.
You look scared.
You literally look like you're anxious.
Body roll.
Three, four, soft.
Being in level D,
we covered a lot of the basics.
Once we have that and we move up
to level C, we're now given choreography.
It allows me to focus on other things
such as adding my own sauce to it,
my performance, my star quality.
You have to know the technique.
You have to know at least
the basics, you know?
One and two, three, four.
I love like, I love the challenge.
What you need, babe, is a number one ♪
Let me ask you, do you think
that you should move down?
Do you think that you shouldn't be
in level C Heels?
Yes, because I don't feel
like I can spot perfectly
or I can land,
and I make sure that I land.
I land, like, every five times,
and then one of them, it's like, unsure.
Level D doesn't do heels.
So if you move down,
you're not going to be doing heels at all.
But I really love heels.
I I worked,
and I'm willing to work even harder.
Okay. I want you to stay in heels.
I think you're able.
But now, put in the work.
But I do. I will.
You don't right now.
You don't right now.
- But I do.
- You don't.
How much do you practice? Don't lie.
I don't count the hours.
But I did practice.
- So let's let's do that.
- Okay.
Let's figure out
how to keep you in this level.
Okay? Here we go.
Go one, two, yes! Three, four.
With heels, the better technique you have,
the quicker you're gonna move up.
That said,
if you have really good technique
and don't have the confidence
and you don't have the drive
and you're not competitive,
you're gonna go right back down.
Because at the top of the level B,
top of the pyramid,
those girls are cutthroat.
And, um, if you don't have that,
they're gonna eat you up.
Control myself ♪
Control myself ♪
Control myself ♪
Control my, control my, control my ♪
Dirty water in my cup ♪
Feeling like a million bucks right now ♪
You know your friends should come ♪
Mmm ♪
The top girls in heels right now
are Emily and Daniela, a hundred percent.
And you know tonight I can't ♪
-Control myself ♪
-No, I just can't, yeah ♪
-Control myself ♪
-I just wanna let go ♪
About 90% of female artists
dance in heels.
We wanted our trainees
having the capability to do that
'cause it's one more thing in their hat
that they can pull out
and we want it to empower the girls.
We might just need to dance it off ♪
I always tell the girls
that confidence is the number one thing.
I just feel good about myself
when I dance in heels.
I feel empowered,
and I feel, like, beautiful.
Wham, chicka, wham, chicka, sah.
I love heels.
I feel like I've definitely been able
to touch on my feminine side.
I just really wanna dance
The night away ♪
Doesn't matter who's right
Doesn't matter whose love ♪
So, recently I got moved up to level B,
and it was the coolest,
but scariest experience.
The jump is really different,
but I'm excited to show them
something I haven't shown them before.
This month,
I really want to get to a point
where I can be comfortable
dancing in that level for sure.
One, fix your body. Get smart.
Get smart.
And they want you guys
to start matching each other.
That's a whole entire skill
that I need you guys to have,
and know that that's
the name of the game with this program.
Four, five, six, seven.
Uh-uh. Don't be early.
Four, five, six, seven. Sha!
Four, five, six, sev
Uh-uh, don't be early.
Don't be sorry. Just don't fuck up again.
Four, five, six, seven. Sha!
Four, five, six. Sha! Whoom!
You guys are laughing,
but every single time, Emily is doing it.
And she's getting it every single time.
That, how she was doing it every
single time and getting it every time,
and she wasn't laughing
was why she's so great at dancing.
So we're in my bedroom.
Sorry. I keep
looking up there and giggling.
So we're in my bedroom. Um
Yeah, it's my bedroom in L.A.
I have a bunch of pictures on here.
Some of them are of me and my friends
and like me and my family.
This is when I won Dancer of the Year.
And then this is my inspo wall
of like what I want my life to be like.
Like my dreams.
So obviously, pop stars,
like we have Beyoncé.
I love Gwen Stefani.
Like, I just like literally love her.
And just like artists that I love.
My parents were super supportive.
My dad's a big dance dad.
He would always drive me
to all my auditions.
And when they found out
we were gonna be in a global pop group,
it's like, I like,
can't even comprehend it fully yet.
But I think
they're just like super excited for me.
-Okay, fine.
-Even that's not bad. It's really good.
Well, we've done TikToks together,
but my brand is like, cute.
- And your brand is like
- Gen Z.
- What?
- Gen Z. One thousand percent.
Stop!
-I am Mollee Gray.
-And my name is Jeka Jane.
And we are Emily's
like L.A. parents, we say.
Um, we've been her mentors
since she was eight years old.
And now we say
that she's our first teenager.
Mollee found me
at a dance convention.
She was just a little tiny body,
big head, full of energy.
I was watching her and was like,
there's something special about this kid.
I need to work with her.
She came up to me after class
and was like, "Who are you?"
And she was like, "I want you to
come travel and assist me."
We've always had
like an extra room.
And we were just like,
"Can we steal your daughter basically?
And help her dreams come true?"
She's been out here ever since.
All she wants to do is be on the stage.
We sit here and watch K-pop groups.
She's like, "That's gonna be me one day."
-She used to just eat Cheetos every day
-And Taco Bell.
Taco Bell, every meal, every day.
And now she's like cooking her own meals
and she's meal-prepping.
Doing something like this and making it
would fulfill her a lot.
And my dream is for like her to look out
into the crowd and see Jeka and I.
You know, I think that would be really
I'm gonna cry.
How are you training differently
with the program versus
how you were training
as like a dancer,
like an industry dancer?
What's different about it?
Being the dancer versus being the artist.
For dancers, a lot of it was like
to support the artist.
Especially in the industry.
If you want to do tour,
if you want to do concerts,
all that, it's to perform with an artist.
Right.
But now training, it's like,
no, you're not training to perform
with an artist.
-You're training to be the artist.
-Right.
I didn't really understand
what this program was going to mean
to me when I first joined.
It doesn't matter
how long it's going to take.
Just think like,
at the end it'll all be worth it.
But you think about the people
that you looked up to.
Yeah.
Like you get to do that now
for the world.
Like that's freaking insane.
Like that's so cool, you know?
The goal of this program
is to develop a global girl group.
And so we really are
still traveling the world
trying to find the right pieces
to this girl group.
The girls don't know it yet,
but our goal is to have 20 contestants
before we introduce the girls
to the public and start the survival show.
There is a lot of pressure
on casting.
Obviously I would love to find the girls
as soon as possible,
but it doesn't always work out that way.
Don't need no ready, steady beau ♪
She is searching far and wide
for the right group of girls
that have this unique star quality.
It's an energy. It's a vibe.
It's confidence. It's charisma.
Usually people believe
that skill is the most important part,
but for me, it's star power.
Step, and
But go for again, from the beginning.
To finish the groove before you move on.
Two on each side, just like in the choreo.
I feel like on that side,
I have a feeling of what's right.
On this side,
I'm still trying to figure out
It's okay. It just takes time.
Manon has the star quality
and the "it" factor.
But her skill set is lower than some
of the girls that we currently have.
I've been training for three weeks.
It feels like three months.
It feels like a long time.
Sometimes I forget
that I'm not a professional.
Like, I can't have
these high expectations. Yet.
You can pretend you don't miss me ♪
You can pretend you don't care ♪
All you want to do is ♪
I think the biggest hurdle
that Manon has
in this program is her skill set.
But I think if she puts her mind to it
and does what she needs to do in practice,
she can get there.
if you want me to ♪
I have, like, my top secret book here.
This is where, like,
I write poems and lyrics.
I used to write songs.
This is probably one of my favorites.
How old was I when I did that?
I don't know.
Seventeen maybe? I don't know.
But I'm into like drawing
strange-looking women who smoke.
I modeled a little before.
I was in a bunch of music videos.
And I post pictures of me on Instagram,
and some of them blew up.
I found Manon on social media.
I got a DM. She was like,
"We really think you'd be a great fit."
"Why don't you do an audition?"
And I was like "No."
It was just like
At first I didn't believe it.
Then I did my research
and I was like, oh, this is legit.
Hi, Michelle. This is Manon.
We talked a few weeks ago
about the audition for Geffen.
I still would like to audition
if it's still open
I only was communicating
through like text, video calls.
And when I saw her in person,
it was like an angel
walked out of the elevator.
There was something about her aura
that was so calming
yet so vibrant at the same time.
And that isn't something
that you could put science or math behind.
It's just a feeling that you get.
I think she's gonna be
a great contender for the program.
Wait, do they know
that the new girl is coming?
-I think so, yeah.
-Yeah.
A new bombshell will enter the villa.
Maybe we're gonna be best friends.
But she can move in either the big room
or to mine and Adéla's room.
There's also a space left.
Any of those rooms.
- Sorry, we don't have space.
- Yeah.
I'm gonna try not to lose it!
So I'm super excited
that we get to spend time together.
I really want
to get to know you personally.
So I'm looking for presence.
As soon as you're out there,
we feel it when you're in the moment.
So think about your intentionality.
Every decision you make
when you come in to perform,
we are going to be looking at.
- So does any of that make sense?
- Yes.
Humberto Leon
is a fashion visionary.
I love working in fashion.
My role will be
to really guide them on the visuals,
the hair, the makeup, the clothing.
Anything that takes a creative lens.
I'm just excited to see how they all
could belong in this group together.
I have worked with everyone
from like Chloe Sevigny
to Spike Jonze and Yoko Ono.
Yeah, so tell me everything about you.
I'm ethnically Indian,
but I'm born and raised in Australia.
I know that my grandparents
are completely opposing this,
but my parents are like,
"We just want you to be successful."
"We want you to have a comfortable life."
I did ballet most of my life,
nine hours a day.
My family at first,
they were like a little bit apprehensive
to let me do it as a career.
Like they saw it as a hobby.
And then they were like,
"Okay, we'll just let her do it."
I didn't get to graduate actually,
because of this.
So I'm a high school dropout.
My mom's from Korea, actually.
And so I grew up with
a lot of Korean culture
and a lot of Korean music
and Korean dancing and all of that.
I've never been away from home this long.
I think the first week
I cried every single day.
I'm born and raised in Sweden.
And my dad is from Chile.
Do you speak any Spanish?
I don't. I understand a little bit,
but I don't speak it.
Does he speak it?
Yeah, but he left,
so I couldn't really learn it.
Lexie is like a Swedish fairy to me.
She's like this sing-song of a girl.
I think she's somebody
who just knows how to work.
I have a little bit
of two different personalities.
I'm either really upbeat
and just like, party vibes.
Or really moody, like chill,
like, I'm walking in the rain.
There is this duality to Megan.
She's so nerdy.
And then when she gets on stage,
she's like a tiger.
Being themselves is the biggest unlock.
Ever since I moved here,
I feel like this is why I'm here,
like, my path for life.
So, outside of my bedroom
are these palm trees in Burbank.
And it feels almost kind of like home.
'Cause in Hawaii, we have palm trees.
And here out in Burbank,
there's palm trees.
The connection is definitely there.
You're making Mommy all wet.
Growing up in Hawaii, the kids were
introduced to arts at a very young age.
I took singing lessons
since I was six years old.
I took dance when I was four years old.
So I feel like everything I've done,
it's always been my dream
to just be an entertainer of any sort.
I would come out to L.A. every weekend.
So I would have dance class on Friday,
go straight to the airport,
and then fly back Sunday night
and then go to school on Monday.
When I came to L.A., a lot of people
did not have the aloha spirit.
It was definitely some getting used to.
You have to, um, press the play
Yeah, enter.
Can you believe this?
This is so long ago.
- There's no technique.
- There's no technique, yes.
My relationship with my mom
is really good.
I love her to death.
She helps me through everything.
She is Asian,
so she's really hard on me.
Oh my God, what am I doing?
There's nothing going on on my face.
I'm not performing at all.
You were not.
My relationship with Megan
is hot and cold at times.
You know, she is still a teenager,
going through the normal teenage stuff.
Oh my God. Look at you guys, so young.
Oh my God!
-Sohey would not be proud.
-No, he would not.
Add on top, the industry stuff.
It's a totally different level.
But she doesn't want to do anything else.
Moving here out of nowhere
was definitely hard.
But she's always just there for me.
All right.
This one's your future.
So this is past, present, future.
So let's just see.
Present. Prosperity begins.
Prosperity begins, yay!
So that means something good.
Something good to happen, yes!
So hopefully, this is something to do
with your future,
which becomes my future.
I know. Maybe your new endeavor
is that you're my manager.
My "momager."
This is like
a one-in-a-million chance.
And being in the industry for that long,
Megan knew, like, this is it.
She set her goal,
and she's going to go to the end.
I feel like before I started,
I was so naive.
All of the girls
have so many talents and skills.
But it is your choice
if you're gonna be amazing,
if you're gonna be a star,
or it's your choice
if you're gonna be average.
My number one thing
is I want to work on my confidence.
It will help me be better
instead of bringing me down.
-2020 vision ♪
-2020 vision ♪
City girls winning ♪
Coppin' us both
Shit bitch, we twinnin' ♪
Megan and Emily, I feel like
I'm kind of their mom a little bit,
because, well, I just turned 19,
so really we're just two years apart.
But whenever I'm struggling with things,
they always help too.
But I definitely feel
like I have more wisdom.
Hey, guys, we're at the concert!
And it's so good!
-Oh my God, there's
-Oh my God!
My friendship with Adéla and Emily
is amazing.
They're my sisters.
Yeah, I definitely found my people.
Megan is definitely like a black cat,
and Emily would be the golden retriever.
Emily's always super happy
and bubbly and giggly
and just, like a little Powerpuff Girl.
And I just get to, like, hug them.
I don't know, just the fact
that they could go home.
There's always gonna be
that bit of nervousness.
I think that was definitely
my turning point of getting better.
Ezrela's teaching me some
Korean here. 'Cause look at the menu.
- It's like a little wood block.
- It's so cute.
It's so cute. Korean lesson.
Korean lesson with Lexrela.
One, two, three.
We are Lexrela.
That's really cute.
-It's really good.
-It is great.
He said gizz gizzard?
It tastes like chicken.
Then it's probably the chicken.
This month is gonna be so good.
Nikky actually said to me,
"Your dancing has gotten visibly better."
So she said it's just, like, technique
that I need to work on now.
Yeah, and to be honest,
I feel like Nikky made me grow mentally
and the person the most in this program.
They are on our asses,
and they are like being harsh sometimes,
but it just makes us a lot better,
you know?
-Skål!
-Skål!
-Yeah.
-Hey.
Look at that.
There. Don't add anything.
Ta, ta-ta, shh, ka.
Very clean lines. Not this.
Look at that line. It doesn't look right.
Shhh. It's a problem to me
that you don't know that detail. Like
When I moved up to Heels B,
Nikky really challenged me mentally.
You're like, right there,
and it's totally up to you.
This period of moving up levels
was really, really stressful for me.
But sometimes when I think I can't,
she's like, "You can do it,
and that's why I'm on you so much."
My day-to-day life before I came here
was very different.
For a really long time in my life,
I was dance training.
Not near the level that we are right now,
but I moved up to high school,
and I was just focusing on my exams,
and that's when I had to stop dancing.
It was really frustrating for me
'cause that was the main thing
that I could put my creativity into.
I was in a really dark place.
I didn't know what direction I should go.
You're serious?
And then I found out
that I got in the program.
That was when this new chapter in my life
started, and it was so exciting.
Like, finally, something's happening
that will bring me true joy.
It's better in the sense of,
you're doing the dance correctly.
But I'm not buying it,
because you're not giving face.
It's difficult to make sure
that you're showing the proper emotion
while performing at a high level.
I really feel their faces are a muscle
the same way their bodies are a muscle.
Beautiful girls, but no clue
how to smile or use their eyes.
So I feel like
we have a bunch of baby deer.
I get very exhausted,
very tired.
So since my stamina is so low,
sometimes in class it might look like
I'm not there in the moment.
I think it's just so much training,
my body sometimes can't take it.
Megan, when she first came in,
I remember I was like,
Megan, you are so boring.
But she keeps evolving.
She's talented,
and on top of that, she's young.
But I would never tell her that,
'cause, like, why?
You need to be hyper-focused on your body
just so that it doesn't look chaos.
I have a longer torso
than some of the girls,
so it's definitely harder
for me to move around.
Uh-uh. You do it again.
One, two. Shh.
It kills me,
because Naisha's so, so, so talented.
The struggle and the disconnect
is the technique.
I am a hip-hop dancer,
and I come from hip-hop.
Those like small little details,
I They just, like
They're not there.
And you never know
what the executives are looking for,
and you never know what the public wants.
I can clarify that.
This is like a game. It's like
adrenaline at 11:00 in the evening.
We have this sheet that we have to fill up
when we book practice space at the studio.
We don't have a specific time
that they release it.
I'm just on guard for them to be like,
"It's up,"
and then I'm like do it right away.
So, that's what it is.
It literally is like
getting concert tickets,
because you want to get like
the best seat in the house,
and then everybody else
is fighting you for it.
I don't do that.
Because then I would have to come back
and look at their eyes and say, "Sorry!"
- What? What? What?
- The open practice thing is up!
Girl.
Girl!
-I know. Let's go.
-Wait. Okay.
Oh my God. Not my laptop.
I have to do it on my phone.
Where's my phone?
Uh Okay. No!
They're already filling it up.
Okay. Studio A, 1:00 to 3:00.
11:00 to 12:00 Soph.
No! Ezrela got it already. Okay.
Oh my God. Adéla!
Sorry about that.
-You're not sorry!
-No.
Not Not a bit.
My name's Ezrela, but you can call me
at Tuesday, 2:30 to 3:30, Studio A.
No, it's okay. Why
Adéla put her name in
before mine, so I wrote, "How dare you?"
You erased my name!
If anything, you erased mine.
You took my space!
It goes "Adéla, Adéla, Ezrela."
I put my name down
in that one little square,
and suddenly I look, it says, "Ezrela!"
That's my space, rightfully so.
Also, I bought you a boba one time
and you were supposed to teach me
Korean for that and you never did.
I owe you a Korean lesson.
I don't owe you my 30 minutes of Vocal A.
- I'm switching the price then.
- That wasn't the deal!
Hey.
Hello, Lena.
Hello, how are you?
How are you? Good. And you?
You look good.
Hey, I have news.
Is it bad?
It's good, I'm just worried
about what you'll say.
I started training a few weeks ago.
It's a pop group for the US.
But do you sing Korean in the end?
No, it's just Korean training.
I can go to LA.
And if I go through with this,
I'll be gone for two years.
But, I mean
You get a break, right?
- You don't get a break?
- For a week.
Are you serious?
-Alone?
-Yes.
Okay.
Are you happy?
Yeah, I mean, my little sister
is going out into the big world.
-But it's something that you want.
-Yeah.
I just have this
I feel this immense panic for no reason.
What if it doesn't work out?
I would be so disappointed in myself.
Do you think I'll make it into the group?
I believe so. I hope so.
Not only hope, but I wish it for you
because I know how much you want it.
But it might not work out.
And if you can't go on,
you can always come back.
Okay.
You're eating it too.
- You said half of the onion?
- Yeah.
- Should I take the skin off completely?
- Yeah.
Does anyone know
when she's coming?
Do we know what bunk she's going to be in?
No.
Not yet. We're deciding.
We should ask them what they want to do.
That's what I'm saying.
Like, "You can sleep
wherever you want, but"
That's killing me.
It's daunting because, you know,
you do want to make it into the group.
You know, you have
that initial feeling of insecurity.
It's definitely intimidating.
We never know like who they're gonna be
or like what their personality
is gonna be like.
A new energy
is being brought up into this family
that we've kind of created.
Thank you.
You're challenged! Stop!
Split! Split! Split!
Hi! I'm Karlee!
-You must be so tired. Oh my God.
-I'm literally so exhausted.
-Hi, girl.
-Nice to meet you.
Oh my God. I'm gonna Nice to meet you.
Oh my God. How's everyone doing?
Fine!
I'm so tired. I had to wait ages
for like my luggage, but now I'm here.
-Made it.
-Yeah!
-Oh my God.
-Ooh.
I'm so excited!
I stalked you on Instagram.
- No, you didn't.
- Yes, I did!
- Oh my God!
- Oh my God.
Your gorgeliciousness. I mean, just
- I can't. Yeah.
- I can't. You're so cute.
Do you miss your friends at all?
The schedule is too busy to miss
Anyone?
- Yeah.
- Wow.
Sometimes you don't even get a chance
to talk to your family for weeks.
Wow.
Like that's I don't know,
that's how it was with me.
But doesn't that get lonely
a little sometimes?
Yeah, it does.
But the girls make it better.
I feel like you girls
are already such a family.
-You know?
-Yeah, it's like a little family.
It really is. That's so cute.
Are there a lot of girls on the D level?
-'Cause I think I'm D in dancing for sure.
-Yes.
I had some training
in Switzerland.
But I need so much more training.
Uh, you're in level D Heels,
so you won't perform it for end of month.
-But you'll still work on it.
-Okay.
But do you need
I need to get you heels?
- I've got some.
- Okay.
-I don't know
-Can you show me before you leave?
Yeah. Absolutely.
What time do the girls wake up?
I think a lot of them get up
at 6:00, 6:15,
'cause I think
you guys are out the door at 7:15.
- Oh my God.
- Yeah.
- Hi!
- Hi!
-I'm Emily. It's so nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you.
- My gosh, you're so pretty!
- Stop.
How was school?
The biggest thing is confidence.
Believing in yourself. Performing.
Because if you have that from the jump,
that's like the star quality.
Know what I mean? And when
you have the training, that's fine.
You could be the best dancer ever,
but if you're dead in the face,
nobody cares.
Boom. Boom.
Good.
So today
is the end-of-month evaluation.
Where are we at skill set-wise?
I do see the Bs
competitive with each other.
I think they push themselves.
I think that that's also what separates
some of the level B dancers
and some of our level C dancers.
Is I know we went through a time
where we were saying our lower levels
are kind of approaching
this, like, summer camp.
But that drive
that only comes from within,
it's hard to light that fire for someone
if they don't light it for themselves.
Okay, ladies, we're gonna get started.
Drop down on a desert ride ♪
Just outside the 95 ♪
Never felt more, more alive ♪
I've got my chicas by my side ♪
And if we want it, we take it ♪
I wish there had been
that explosive moment with music.
Some timing issues,
might be nerves.
I don't know 'cause I've never seen
you have those issues before.
But if it is nerves,
we've gotta work on some things.
Don't tell me you've tasted
Anything like this ♪
Don't tell me you felt
This fire on your lips ♪
Fenty Body Lava rubbin' on you
Yeah, it rubbin' off ♪
There's lack of control,
absolutely.
So that's what's missing for me.
Okay? Good job, though.
I know that you're harder on yourself
than we're harder on you.
But I really need you to know that you
have things that you have to accomplish.
Thank you.
Don't tell me you've tasted
Anything like this ♪
Don't tell me you felt
This fire on your lips ♪
Fenty Body Lava rubbin' on you
Yeah, it rubbin' off ♪
Steam in the shower you gonna wanna
Put some ice on my body ♪
I got the recipe ♪
Um
I think I've seen you do better.
I appreciate the smile,
but it felt a little forced.
I I can tell you're not confident
in your movements.
And there's so many details
that was missing.
There's a lot of things.
There's a lot of things.
Let's Let's focus on more details.
Yeah, it was not there at all.
And I do believe in you.
So keep working hard.
Okay, ladies,
you can come back at 2:45.
-Today doesn't define the dancer you are.
-Yeah.
You aren't just the score that you get.
The uncomfortable moments
they're talking about, are this.
So you need to learn
from your moment right now, okay?
This is the stuff that are gonna make you
a better performer.
Learn how to control it,
you know, welcome it.
Because this is something
that's gonna make you grow.
You're getting a lot of critiques
all the time.
It's definitely anxiety-inducing.
Because, you know, you just
wanna be perfect sometimes.
Maybe you were too nervous
or too focused on memorizing,
but you lacked facial variations,
which was disappointing.
I've been
getting mixed feedback.
I just feel like
my confidence took another hit.
Maybe these bumps on the road will help me
in a new way that I don't even know about.
Oh my God, I have no heels.
Nikky, I forgot my heels. Oh, no!
I was disappointed.
It felt like a bone moved out of place.
Today I have to sit out
because I have a hip injury.
And it is really frustrating
when your body isn't allowing you to do
what you love to do.
This whole journey is very hard
on everyone's bodies.
So yeah, sometimes
you need to show that love to your body,
even though it sucks.
Cancel your reservations,
No more hesitations this is on ♪
Can't make it stop,
Give me all you got ♪
I want it all or nothing,
No more in between, now give your ♪
A chemical reaction
Take me in your arms ♪
And make me
Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah ♪
I wanna cut to the feeling, oh yeah ♪
I wanna cut to the feeling
I wanna cut to the feeling ♪
I don't know what to say.
I gave you the highest score
I've given here.
Great job.
Emily, I think it's time
for you to take the next step.
You will be the first
to move up to level A.
I don't know
what level A is and what it entails.
I didn't think it was like something
that could be
reached.
I just feel so honored
that Son believed in me.
I think I'm just ready
for what's about to happen.
Okay, so the top
is the overall rankings,
and that is an average score of vocal,
dance, natural charm, visual and attitude.
I put the girls in two groups,
progressing and being stagnant.
And I do have Adéla,
Emily, Megan all progressing,
where I feel like Lexie, Naisha, Iliya,
Marquise stayed kind of stagnant.
Lexie and Naisha, they both definitely
are talented and have natural abilities,
but there are corrections
that their teachers have been giving them,
and they haven't corrected those things.
With Naisha, sometimes I feel like
she's painting such a beautiful picture
with her movement
and all we need for her to do
is make a square.
Can she execute
this simple choreography in a clean way?
And so that is
a really major concern for me.
What are your thoughts on Iliya?
I think her skill set,
definitely low in dance, very low.
I think she has great work ethic.
To me personally,
I would be really sad to see her go.
I was impressed
with Adéla as well.
Yeah.
I felt like her work ethic,
it was amazing.
If you were to
let one of them go,
who would it be?
- Actually, I will say Iliya.
- Mmm.
- Mine's Iliya.
- Me too.
That's a couple.
I also made that note.
Iliya is more like a vocalist,
more TikToker rather than Idol, so
Yeah. But she's gotten better.
And her work ethic is great.
Yeah.
She has that star quality
that is God-given
that I can't I wouldn't let her go.
Should we decide now?
We need to select
the final members from 30 people.
Is this the right time to be telling them,
"You failed, you must leave?"
I'm happy keeping everyone.
We have another evaluation in three weeks.
They now know the scores
and where they're ranking.
I think then we're gonna be better suited
to make an opinion
about who needs to go home.
No eliminations for this round.
In order to be
a successful group,
there must be at least one main dancer,
and she should dance
at a professional level.
Only Emily made it to level A,
which brought the healthy competition
I mentioned to fruition.
Today's a really hard day
for me because
I went to the doctor,
and I fractured a part of my foot.
And I won't be able to dance
for six weeks.
I don't even know how I fractured it.
It's just been hurting over time,
as I've been dancing on it.
Like, I'm just scared
because this is like, my job.
And my life.
I just feel like my boot
is gonna send me home
because what I bring to the table
has been taken away from me.
Oh my God. Oh my God, I literally
We pass the line, no waitin' ♪
You in the line, no way in ♪
VIP on the guest list ♪
You outside gettin' restless ♪
Check this ooh mow mow ♪
They up on da girl
For the too new style ♪
Givenchy, Dolce & Gabbana ♪
Louis V and Balenciaga ♪
Heat the club up, feel like a sauna ♪
Shut it down, then I am a goner ♪
Back to the hotel, ooh nah nah nah ♪
Presidential suite like Obama ♪
I'm here for the drama ♪
We go crazy, we go bananas ♪
We get the commas ♪
They just hating because they not us ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like me ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like like ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like me ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like like ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
Betcha can't do it like ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
Betcha can't do it like ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
Betcha can't do it like ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
Betcha can't do it like ♪
Ooh, look what you done done ♪
You stepped in it
Right where my crew done run ♪
Do it like me, that's coo coo hun ♪
Cuz I supply the bread
Talking buku buns ♪
I'm here for the drama ♪
We go crazy, we go bananas ♪
We get the commas ♪
They just hating because they not us ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like me ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like like ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like me ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like like ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like me ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like like ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like me ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like like ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like me ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like like ♪
We have a new contestant
in Switzerland.
We are really excited about her potential.
She has great star quality,
but she is of lower skill set.
We sent a T&D staff member
to help oversee her development.
We invest hugely
in the girls that we bring here.
Being inexperienced,
not having taken
any dancing classes before,
I very much know
that I'm not good at dancing yet,
so I'm really just
getting thrown into that cold water.
When new trainees come in,
I think more than anything,
it affects the current trainees' mental.
There's only so many spots
available in the group and they know that.
It shakes them for sure.
I always wanted to be a star.
That is the ultimate goal.
And I think
that's what's gonna happen, eventually.
Oh, we ain't flexin', babe
We do what we do ♪
Love me once
I know you'll love me twice ♪
Love me once
It's time to roll the dice ♪
To understand K-pop,
that is, to understand a band
with multiple members,
you should know this.
Every member has a unique role to play.
It'd be great if all the group members,
five out of five or seven out of seven,
were the best dancers
and the best singers,
but it's almost impossible
to create that kind of team.
There is still a clear requisite.
Members must be
at a certain skill level to make the band.
So a lot is at stake.
A little bit classic
Whole lot of savage ♪
We're in
the first phase of dance training.
For the next month, we're focused
on just the very fundamental skills.
Being a dancer is hard
as hell.
We are basically
both artists and athletes.
We express our creativity like artists,
and we also train like athletes.
So much practice, conditioning.
It's physically demanding.
This is not a normal
artist-in-development situation.
Girls don't like girls who hate girls ♪
In this world ♪
Once you go down the vortex of K-pop,
it is really hard to get out.
The attention to detail,
facial expressions,
and also the synchronization
of the choreography.
It's a level that I've never seen before.
The girls are nowhere near ready
to get on a stage and perform as a group.
Obviously, we have a lot of work to do.
They don't feel like they're a unit. Boom.
They don't know how to work in formations.
This is what we need to work on.
I was a competitive dancer,
so I know what it takes
to perform at such a high level.
Six, go shot, shot, boom, boom.
Because of the high level of dancing
that's gonna be expected
from that K-pop world,
my role is to bring in the right people
to guide the girls.
We needed to bring in the right teacher
that wasn't gonna
over-sexualize the girls,
but wasn't gonna give us Disney.
Hold your head, hold your crown ♪
Sohey's worked for every major artist.
Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears, Madonna.
I love girl groups. I love K-pop.
I used to dream being in a girl group
growing up.
I'm trying to build their confidence.
Daily reminder that you're that bitch.
Down, up, down, and settle. Hey!
Missy did such a great job
forming this team.
Me, Nikky, and Jae,
I think it's a perfect match.
Ka, ka, sharp, ga, ga, down. Up.
Nikky gives the fiery, feisty energy
when she dances.
Sha, ga!
You have to have a backbone
to deal with Nikky.
Missy is actually my sister.
If I had to describe me and Missy,
I would say, like, fire and ice.
I'm definitely the fire.
But I'm more cold-hearted,
so I don't know. Maybe I'm the ice.
I'm the oldest.
And I was the first dancer,
so let's get that story straight.
I really, really have
a lot of respect for her,
but there was definitely a point
where I felt like she was
my biggest competition all the time.
'Cause truly, she was.
Let's go, yeah! Two, three, four, five.
Don't go early. Keep going.
But our relationship works
because of that.
Five, six, walking goes a walk.
I know how she was trained.
I know how she teaches.
So it just happened to be the right fit
for this particular project.
Son is the choreographer of BTS,
one of the biggest boy bands ever.
He gives us directions.
What we need to work on.
It could be footwork.
It could be body roll.
Isolation. Waves.
So I was a little nervous coming into it,
'cause, like, he's the guy.
So this is really special to me.
I'm living my dream through them.
I know it is hard to comprehend ♪
Over the last few months,
we haven't had any eliminations.
We wanted to give
the girls time to develop their skills.
Why won't you let me be in my head ♪
Whatever is best for their training,
their development, and ultimately
that launch
of them being huge public figures,
it has to be done the right way.
Alone I need to be ♪
I think eliminations
are the scariest things for them
because it sets in that this is real.
And there's a timeline,
and things are moving,
and girls are disappearing.
As soon as that starts
happening more frequently,
I think it's gonna really shake the girls.
And a four.
And a kick. And a drop.
Flip. Hair. Hair. Hip. Hip.
In this program, there's levels to dance.
Techniques, ability.
We collectively make a decision
if a person is ready to move up a level.
If you're good enough, you go up to A.
And there is no one in A.
There is a level A,
but no one's in level A,
and we don't really know what it is
and what we need to do to get to level A.
We get put into levels
based on our current skills
to be able to grow
as much as possible.
The more you get better
at dancing or learning the choreo,
then you can level up.
So your goal is to get to
the highest level in everything possible.
I entered the program in level C,
and I'm currently in level B.
I was first put in level C
for dance.
And a month ago,
I was placed in level D.
And that was because I needed to get
my fundamentals and my basics down.
It's hard to say
who you're in the most competition with,
because you never know when somebody's
just going to pop up out of nowhere
and all of a sudden level up.
We score them
at the end of month evaluation.
Score goes from one to ten.
Sometimes lower than that.
We're looking at dance, vocal,
performance, star quality,
and their attitude.
And then we take an average of
those numbers and get an overall ranking.
That is how we figure out
what levels and classes are best for them.
Some of the things
that makes the difference
between a good dancer
and a great dancer is rhythm,
their ability to form clean lines,
being able to control your face
and your emotions
while moving at such a high level.
You have to be able to have
all those things.
Seven, eight.
Hey.
And three, four, going down.
Really get down. Look how low, yeah?
Run. Run.
Sophia, sometimes it gets like back here.
Just like eval. Here we go.
Step on up to this crazy love ♪
Hey, I'm waiting ♪
Ha!
Standing here with my ladies ♪
No shame in chasing ♪
If we got what you like ♪
Don't stop, keep moving ♪
'Cause I
Whoo! Okay, Sophia.
- There's a lot of out of control moments.
- Yeah.
So find it.
Um
All three of you,
I didn't believe it at all.
It felt like nothing, honestly. Yeah?
So that, that's your moment.
That pop, pop, pop!
If you don't know what you're selling,
nobody's gonna buy it.
So I want you to practice more.
Let's say they sent you home tomorrow.
Would you feel
like you could have practiced more?
If you feel that, even a little bit,
even like a hair, you're not doing enough.
Keep going. Two, go. Three.
You look scared.
You literally look like you're anxious.
Body roll.
Three, four, soft.
Being in level D,
we covered a lot of the basics.
Once we have that and we move up
to level C, we're now given choreography.
It allows me to focus on other things
such as adding my own sauce to it,
my performance, my star quality.
You have to know the technique.
You have to know at least
the basics, you know?
One and two, three, four.
I love like, I love the challenge.
What you need, babe, is a number one ♪
Let me ask you, do you think
that you should move down?
Do you think that you shouldn't be
in level C Heels?
Yes, because I don't feel
like I can spot perfectly
or I can land,
and I make sure that I land.
I land, like, every five times,
and then one of them, it's like, unsure.
Level D doesn't do heels.
So if you move down,
you're not going to be doing heels at all.
But I really love heels.
I I worked,
and I'm willing to work even harder.
Okay. I want you to stay in heels.
I think you're able.
But now, put in the work.
But I do. I will.
You don't right now.
You don't right now.
- But I do.
- You don't.
How much do you practice? Don't lie.
I don't count the hours.
But I did practice.
- So let's let's do that.
- Okay.
Let's figure out
how to keep you in this level.
Okay? Here we go.
Go one, two, yes! Three, four.
With heels, the better technique you have,
the quicker you're gonna move up.
That said,
if you have really good technique
and don't have the confidence
and you don't have the drive
and you're not competitive,
you're gonna go right back down.
Because at the top of the level B,
top of the pyramid,
those girls are cutthroat.
And, um, if you don't have that,
they're gonna eat you up.
Control myself ♪
Control myself ♪
Control myself ♪
Control my, control my, control my ♪
Dirty water in my cup ♪
Feeling like a million bucks right now ♪
You know your friends should come ♪
Mmm ♪
The top girls in heels right now
are Emily and Daniela, a hundred percent.
And you know tonight I can't ♪
-Control myself ♪
-No, I just can't, yeah ♪
-Control myself ♪
-I just wanna let go ♪
About 90% of female artists
dance in heels.
We wanted our trainees
having the capability to do that
'cause it's one more thing in their hat
that they can pull out
and we want it to empower the girls.
We might just need to dance it off ♪
I always tell the girls
that confidence is the number one thing.
I just feel good about myself
when I dance in heels.
I feel empowered,
and I feel, like, beautiful.
Wham, chicka, wham, chicka, sah.
I love heels.
I feel like I've definitely been able
to touch on my feminine side.
I just really wanna dance
The night away ♪
Doesn't matter who's right
Doesn't matter whose love ♪
So, recently I got moved up to level B,
and it was the coolest,
but scariest experience.
The jump is really different,
but I'm excited to show them
something I haven't shown them before.
This month,
I really want to get to a point
where I can be comfortable
dancing in that level for sure.
One, fix your body. Get smart.
Get smart.
And they want you guys
to start matching each other.
That's a whole entire skill
that I need you guys to have,
and know that that's
the name of the game with this program.
Four, five, six, seven.
Uh-uh. Don't be early.
Four, five, six, seven. Sha!
Four, five, six, sev
Uh-uh, don't be early.
Don't be sorry. Just don't fuck up again.
Four, five, six, seven. Sha!
Four, five, six. Sha! Whoom!
You guys are laughing,
but every single time, Emily is doing it.
And she's getting it every single time.
That, how she was doing it every
single time and getting it every time,
and she wasn't laughing
was why she's so great at dancing.
So we're in my bedroom.
Sorry. I keep
looking up there and giggling.
So we're in my bedroom. Um
Yeah, it's my bedroom in L.A.
I have a bunch of pictures on here.
Some of them are of me and my friends
and like me and my family.
This is when I won Dancer of the Year.
And then this is my inspo wall
of like what I want my life to be like.
Like my dreams.
So obviously, pop stars,
like we have Beyoncé.
I love Gwen Stefani.
Like, I just like literally love her.
And just like artists that I love.
My parents were super supportive.
My dad's a big dance dad.
He would always drive me
to all my auditions.
And when they found out
we were gonna be in a global pop group,
it's like, I like,
can't even comprehend it fully yet.
But I think
they're just like super excited for me.
-Okay, fine.
-Even that's not bad. It's really good.
Well, we've done TikToks together,
but my brand is like, cute.
- And your brand is like
- Gen Z.
- What?
- Gen Z. One thousand percent.
Stop!
-I am Mollee Gray.
-And my name is Jeka Jane.
And we are Emily's
like L.A. parents, we say.
Um, we've been her mentors
since she was eight years old.
And now we say
that she's our first teenager.
Mollee found me
at a dance convention.
She was just a little tiny body,
big head, full of energy.
I was watching her and was like,
there's something special about this kid.
I need to work with her.
She came up to me after class
and was like, "Who are you?"
And she was like, "I want you to
come travel and assist me."
We've always had
like an extra room.
And we were just like,
"Can we steal your daughter basically?
And help her dreams come true?"
She's been out here ever since.
All she wants to do is be on the stage.
We sit here and watch K-pop groups.
She's like, "That's gonna be me one day."
-She used to just eat Cheetos every day
-And Taco Bell.
Taco Bell, every meal, every day.
And now she's like cooking her own meals
and she's meal-prepping.
Doing something like this and making it
would fulfill her a lot.
And my dream is for like her to look out
into the crowd and see Jeka and I.
You know, I think that would be really
I'm gonna cry.
How are you training differently
with the program versus
how you were training
as like a dancer,
like an industry dancer?
What's different about it?
Being the dancer versus being the artist.
For dancers, a lot of it was like
to support the artist.
Especially in the industry.
If you want to do tour,
if you want to do concerts,
all that, it's to perform with an artist.
Right.
But now training, it's like,
no, you're not training to perform
with an artist.
-You're training to be the artist.
-Right.
I didn't really understand
what this program was going to mean
to me when I first joined.
It doesn't matter
how long it's going to take.
Just think like,
at the end it'll all be worth it.
But you think about the people
that you looked up to.
Yeah.
Like you get to do that now
for the world.
Like that's freaking insane.
Like that's so cool, you know?
The goal of this program
is to develop a global girl group.
And so we really are
still traveling the world
trying to find the right pieces
to this girl group.
The girls don't know it yet,
but our goal is to have 20 contestants
before we introduce the girls
to the public and start the survival show.
There is a lot of pressure
on casting.
Obviously I would love to find the girls
as soon as possible,
but it doesn't always work out that way.
Don't need no ready, steady beau ♪
She is searching far and wide
for the right group of girls
that have this unique star quality.
It's an energy. It's a vibe.
It's confidence. It's charisma.
Usually people believe
that skill is the most important part,
but for me, it's star power.
Step, and
But go for again, from the beginning.
To finish the groove before you move on.
Two on each side, just like in the choreo.
I feel like on that side,
I have a feeling of what's right.
On this side,
I'm still trying to figure out
It's okay. It just takes time.
Manon has the star quality
and the "it" factor.
But her skill set is lower than some
of the girls that we currently have.
I've been training for three weeks.
It feels like three months.
It feels like a long time.
Sometimes I forget
that I'm not a professional.
Like, I can't have
these high expectations. Yet.
You can pretend you don't miss me ♪
You can pretend you don't care ♪
All you want to do is ♪
I think the biggest hurdle
that Manon has
in this program is her skill set.
But I think if she puts her mind to it
and does what she needs to do in practice,
she can get there.
if you want me to ♪
I have, like, my top secret book here.
This is where, like,
I write poems and lyrics.
I used to write songs.
This is probably one of my favorites.
How old was I when I did that?
I don't know.
Seventeen maybe? I don't know.
But I'm into like drawing
strange-looking women who smoke.
I modeled a little before.
I was in a bunch of music videos.
And I post pictures of me on Instagram,
and some of them blew up.
I found Manon on social media.
I got a DM. She was like,
"We really think you'd be a great fit."
"Why don't you do an audition?"
And I was like "No."
It was just like
At first I didn't believe it.
Then I did my research
and I was like, oh, this is legit.
Hi, Michelle. This is Manon.
We talked a few weeks ago
about the audition for Geffen.
I still would like to audition
if it's still open
I only was communicating
through like text, video calls.
And when I saw her in person,
it was like an angel
walked out of the elevator.
There was something about her aura
that was so calming
yet so vibrant at the same time.
And that isn't something
that you could put science or math behind.
It's just a feeling that you get.
I think she's gonna be
a great contender for the program.
Wait, do they know
that the new girl is coming?
-I think so, yeah.
-Yeah.
A new bombshell will enter the villa.
Maybe we're gonna be best friends.
But she can move in either the big room
or to mine and Adéla's room.
There's also a space left.
Any of those rooms.
- Sorry, we don't have space.
- Yeah.
I'm gonna try not to lose it!
So I'm super excited
that we get to spend time together.
I really want
to get to know you personally.
So I'm looking for presence.
As soon as you're out there,
we feel it when you're in the moment.
So think about your intentionality.
Every decision you make
when you come in to perform,
we are going to be looking at.
- So does any of that make sense?
- Yes.
Humberto Leon
is a fashion visionary.
I love working in fashion.
My role will be
to really guide them on the visuals,
the hair, the makeup, the clothing.
Anything that takes a creative lens.
I'm just excited to see how they all
could belong in this group together.
I have worked with everyone
from like Chloe Sevigny
to Spike Jonze and Yoko Ono.
Yeah, so tell me everything about you.
I'm ethnically Indian,
but I'm born and raised in Australia.
I know that my grandparents
are completely opposing this,
but my parents are like,
"We just want you to be successful."
"We want you to have a comfortable life."
I did ballet most of my life,
nine hours a day.
My family at first,
they were like a little bit apprehensive
to let me do it as a career.
Like they saw it as a hobby.
And then they were like,
"Okay, we'll just let her do it."
I didn't get to graduate actually,
because of this.
So I'm a high school dropout.
My mom's from Korea, actually.
And so I grew up with
a lot of Korean culture
and a lot of Korean music
and Korean dancing and all of that.
I've never been away from home this long.
I think the first week
I cried every single day.
I'm born and raised in Sweden.
And my dad is from Chile.
Do you speak any Spanish?
I don't. I understand a little bit,
but I don't speak it.
Does he speak it?
Yeah, but he left,
so I couldn't really learn it.
Lexie is like a Swedish fairy to me.
She's like this sing-song of a girl.
I think she's somebody
who just knows how to work.
I have a little bit
of two different personalities.
I'm either really upbeat
and just like, party vibes.
Or really moody, like chill,
like, I'm walking in the rain.
There is this duality to Megan.
She's so nerdy.
And then when she gets on stage,
she's like a tiger.
Being themselves is the biggest unlock.
Ever since I moved here,
I feel like this is why I'm here,
like, my path for life.
So, outside of my bedroom
are these palm trees in Burbank.
And it feels almost kind of like home.
'Cause in Hawaii, we have palm trees.
And here out in Burbank,
there's palm trees.
The connection is definitely there.
You're making Mommy all wet.
Growing up in Hawaii, the kids were
introduced to arts at a very young age.
I took singing lessons
since I was six years old.
I took dance when I was four years old.
So I feel like everything I've done,
it's always been my dream
to just be an entertainer of any sort.
I would come out to L.A. every weekend.
So I would have dance class on Friday,
go straight to the airport,
and then fly back Sunday night
and then go to school on Monday.
When I came to L.A., a lot of people
did not have the aloha spirit.
It was definitely some getting used to.
You have to, um, press the play
Yeah, enter.
Can you believe this?
This is so long ago.
- There's no technique.
- There's no technique, yes.
My relationship with my mom
is really good.
I love her to death.
She helps me through everything.
She is Asian,
so she's really hard on me.
Oh my God, what am I doing?
There's nothing going on on my face.
I'm not performing at all.
You were not.
My relationship with Megan
is hot and cold at times.
You know, she is still a teenager,
going through the normal teenage stuff.
Oh my God. Look at you guys, so young.
Oh my God!
-Sohey would not be proud.
-No, he would not.
Add on top, the industry stuff.
It's a totally different level.
But she doesn't want to do anything else.
Moving here out of nowhere
was definitely hard.
But she's always just there for me.
All right.
This one's your future.
So this is past, present, future.
So let's just see.
Present. Prosperity begins.
Prosperity begins, yay!
So that means something good.
Something good to happen, yes!
So hopefully, this is something to do
with your future,
which becomes my future.
I know. Maybe your new endeavor
is that you're my manager.
My "momager."
This is like
a one-in-a-million chance.
And being in the industry for that long,
Megan knew, like, this is it.
She set her goal,
and she's going to go to the end.
I feel like before I started,
I was so naive.
All of the girls
have so many talents and skills.
But it is your choice
if you're gonna be amazing,
if you're gonna be a star,
or it's your choice
if you're gonna be average.
My number one thing
is I want to work on my confidence.
It will help me be better
instead of bringing me down.
-2020 vision ♪
-2020 vision ♪
City girls winning ♪
Coppin' us both
Shit bitch, we twinnin' ♪
Megan and Emily, I feel like
I'm kind of their mom a little bit,
because, well, I just turned 19,
so really we're just two years apart.
But whenever I'm struggling with things,
they always help too.
But I definitely feel
like I have more wisdom.
Hey, guys, we're at the concert!
And it's so good!
-Oh my God, there's
-Oh my God!
My friendship with Adéla and Emily
is amazing.
They're my sisters.
Yeah, I definitely found my people.
Megan is definitely like a black cat,
and Emily would be the golden retriever.
Emily's always super happy
and bubbly and giggly
and just, like a little Powerpuff Girl.
And I just get to, like, hug them.
I don't know, just the fact
that they could go home.
There's always gonna be
that bit of nervousness.
I think that was definitely
my turning point of getting better.
Ezrela's teaching me some
Korean here. 'Cause look at the menu.
- It's like a little wood block.
- It's so cute.
It's so cute. Korean lesson.
Korean lesson with Lexrela.
One, two, three.
We are Lexrela.
That's really cute.
-It's really good.
-It is great.
He said gizz gizzard?
It tastes like chicken.
Then it's probably the chicken.
This month is gonna be so good.
Nikky actually said to me,
"Your dancing has gotten visibly better."
So she said it's just, like, technique
that I need to work on now.
Yeah, and to be honest,
I feel like Nikky made me grow mentally
and the person the most in this program.
They are on our asses,
and they are like being harsh sometimes,
but it just makes us a lot better,
you know?
-Skål!
-Skål!
-Yeah.
-Hey.
Look at that.
There. Don't add anything.
Ta, ta-ta, shh, ka.
Very clean lines. Not this.
Look at that line. It doesn't look right.
Shhh. It's a problem to me
that you don't know that detail. Like
When I moved up to Heels B,
Nikky really challenged me mentally.
You're like, right there,
and it's totally up to you.
This period of moving up levels
was really, really stressful for me.
But sometimes when I think I can't,
she's like, "You can do it,
and that's why I'm on you so much."
My day-to-day life before I came here
was very different.
For a really long time in my life,
I was dance training.
Not near the level that we are right now,
but I moved up to high school,
and I was just focusing on my exams,
and that's when I had to stop dancing.
It was really frustrating for me
'cause that was the main thing
that I could put my creativity into.
I was in a really dark place.
I didn't know what direction I should go.
You're serious?
And then I found out
that I got in the program.
That was when this new chapter in my life
started, and it was so exciting.
Like, finally, something's happening
that will bring me true joy.
It's better in the sense of,
you're doing the dance correctly.
But I'm not buying it,
because you're not giving face.
It's difficult to make sure
that you're showing the proper emotion
while performing at a high level.
I really feel their faces are a muscle
the same way their bodies are a muscle.
Beautiful girls, but no clue
how to smile or use their eyes.
So I feel like
we have a bunch of baby deer.
I get very exhausted,
very tired.
So since my stamina is so low,
sometimes in class it might look like
I'm not there in the moment.
I think it's just so much training,
my body sometimes can't take it.
Megan, when she first came in,
I remember I was like,
Megan, you are so boring.
But she keeps evolving.
She's talented,
and on top of that, she's young.
But I would never tell her that,
'cause, like, why?
You need to be hyper-focused on your body
just so that it doesn't look chaos.
I have a longer torso
than some of the girls,
so it's definitely harder
for me to move around.
Uh-uh. You do it again.
One, two. Shh.
It kills me,
because Naisha's so, so, so talented.
The struggle and the disconnect
is the technique.
I am a hip-hop dancer,
and I come from hip-hop.
Those like small little details,
I They just, like
They're not there.
And you never know
what the executives are looking for,
and you never know what the public wants.
I can clarify that.
This is like a game. It's like
adrenaline at 11:00 in the evening.
We have this sheet that we have to fill up
when we book practice space at the studio.
We don't have a specific time
that they release it.
I'm just on guard for them to be like,
"It's up,"
and then I'm like do it right away.
So, that's what it is.
It literally is like
getting concert tickets,
because you want to get like
the best seat in the house,
and then everybody else
is fighting you for it.
I don't do that.
Because then I would have to come back
and look at their eyes and say, "Sorry!"
- What? What? What?
- The open practice thing is up!
Girl.
Girl!
-I know. Let's go.
-Wait. Okay.
Oh my God. Not my laptop.
I have to do it on my phone.
Where's my phone?
Uh Okay. No!
They're already filling it up.
Okay. Studio A, 1:00 to 3:00.
11:00 to 12:00 Soph.
No! Ezrela got it already. Okay.
Oh my God. Adéla!
Sorry about that.
-You're not sorry!
-No.
Not Not a bit.
My name's Ezrela, but you can call me
at Tuesday, 2:30 to 3:30, Studio A.
No, it's okay. Why
Adéla put her name in
before mine, so I wrote, "How dare you?"
You erased my name!
If anything, you erased mine.
You took my space!
It goes "Adéla, Adéla, Ezrela."
I put my name down
in that one little square,
and suddenly I look, it says, "Ezrela!"
That's my space, rightfully so.
Also, I bought you a boba one time
and you were supposed to teach me
Korean for that and you never did.
I owe you a Korean lesson.
I don't owe you my 30 minutes of Vocal A.
- I'm switching the price then.
- That wasn't the deal!
Hey.
Hello, Lena.
Hello, how are you?
How are you? Good. And you?
You look good.
Hey, I have news.
Is it bad?
It's good, I'm just worried
about what you'll say.
I started training a few weeks ago.
It's a pop group for the US.
But do you sing Korean in the end?
No, it's just Korean training.
I can go to LA.
And if I go through with this,
I'll be gone for two years.
But, I mean
You get a break, right?
- You don't get a break?
- For a week.
Are you serious?
-Alone?
-Yes.
Okay.
Are you happy?
Yeah, I mean, my little sister
is going out into the big world.
-But it's something that you want.
-Yeah.
I just have this
I feel this immense panic for no reason.
What if it doesn't work out?
I would be so disappointed in myself.
Do you think I'll make it into the group?
I believe so. I hope so.
Not only hope, but I wish it for you
because I know how much you want it.
But it might not work out.
And if you can't go on,
you can always come back.
Okay.
You're eating it too.
- You said half of the onion?
- Yeah.
- Should I take the skin off completely?
- Yeah.
Does anyone know
when she's coming?
Do we know what bunk she's going to be in?
No.
Not yet. We're deciding.
We should ask them what they want to do.
That's what I'm saying.
Like, "You can sleep
wherever you want, but"
That's killing me.
It's daunting because, you know,
you do want to make it into the group.
You know, you have
that initial feeling of insecurity.
It's definitely intimidating.
We never know like who they're gonna be
or like what their personality
is gonna be like.
A new energy
is being brought up into this family
that we've kind of created.
Thank you.
You're challenged! Stop!
Split! Split! Split!
Hi! I'm Karlee!
-You must be so tired. Oh my God.
-I'm literally so exhausted.
-Hi, girl.
-Nice to meet you.
Oh my God. I'm gonna Nice to meet you.
Oh my God. How's everyone doing?
Fine!
I'm so tired. I had to wait ages
for like my luggage, but now I'm here.
-Made it.
-Yeah!
-Oh my God.
-Ooh.
I'm so excited!
I stalked you on Instagram.
- No, you didn't.
- Yes, I did!
- Oh my God!
- Oh my God.
Your gorgeliciousness. I mean, just
- I can't. Yeah.
- I can't. You're so cute.
Do you miss your friends at all?
The schedule is too busy to miss
Anyone?
- Yeah.
- Wow.
Sometimes you don't even get a chance
to talk to your family for weeks.
Wow.
Like that's I don't know,
that's how it was with me.
But doesn't that get lonely
a little sometimes?
Yeah, it does.
But the girls make it better.
I feel like you girls
are already such a family.
-You know?
-Yeah, it's like a little family.
It really is. That's so cute.
Are there a lot of girls on the D level?
-'Cause I think I'm D in dancing for sure.
-Yes.
I had some training
in Switzerland.
But I need so much more training.
Uh, you're in level D Heels,
so you won't perform it for end of month.
-But you'll still work on it.
-Okay.
But do you need
I need to get you heels?
- I've got some.
- Okay.
-I don't know
-Can you show me before you leave?
Yeah. Absolutely.
What time do the girls wake up?
I think a lot of them get up
at 6:00, 6:15,
'cause I think
you guys are out the door at 7:15.
- Oh my God.
- Yeah.
- Hi!
- Hi!
-I'm Emily. It's so nice to meet you.
-Nice to meet you.
- My gosh, you're so pretty!
- Stop.
How was school?
The biggest thing is confidence.
Believing in yourself. Performing.
Because if you have that from the jump,
that's like the star quality.
Know what I mean? And when
you have the training, that's fine.
You could be the best dancer ever,
but if you're dead in the face,
nobody cares.
Boom. Boom.
Good.
So today
is the end-of-month evaluation.
Where are we at skill set-wise?
I do see the Bs
competitive with each other.
I think they push themselves.
I think that that's also what separates
some of the level B dancers
and some of our level C dancers.
Is I know we went through a time
where we were saying our lower levels
are kind of approaching
this, like, summer camp.
But that drive
that only comes from within,
it's hard to light that fire for someone
if they don't light it for themselves.
Okay, ladies, we're gonna get started.
Drop down on a desert ride ♪
Just outside the 95 ♪
Never felt more, more alive ♪
I've got my chicas by my side ♪
And if we want it, we take it ♪
I wish there had been
that explosive moment with music.
Some timing issues,
might be nerves.
I don't know 'cause I've never seen
you have those issues before.
But if it is nerves,
we've gotta work on some things.
Don't tell me you've tasted
Anything like this ♪
Don't tell me you felt
This fire on your lips ♪
Fenty Body Lava rubbin' on you
Yeah, it rubbin' off ♪
There's lack of control,
absolutely.
So that's what's missing for me.
Okay? Good job, though.
I know that you're harder on yourself
than we're harder on you.
But I really need you to know that you
have things that you have to accomplish.
Thank you.
Don't tell me you've tasted
Anything like this ♪
Don't tell me you felt
This fire on your lips ♪
Fenty Body Lava rubbin' on you
Yeah, it rubbin' off ♪
Steam in the shower you gonna wanna
Put some ice on my body ♪
I got the recipe ♪
Um
I think I've seen you do better.
I appreciate the smile,
but it felt a little forced.
I I can tell you're not confident
in your movements.
And there's so many details
that was missing.
There's a lot of things.
There's a lot of things.
Let's Let's focus on more details.
Yeah, it was not there at all.
And I do believe in you.
So keep working hard.
Okay, ladies,
you can come back at 2:45.
-Today doesn't define the dancer you are.
-Yeah.
You aren't just the score that you get.
The uncomfortable moments
they're talking about, are this.
So you need to learn
from your moment right now, okay?
This is the stuff that are gonna make you
a better performer.
Learn how to control it,
you know, welcome it.
Because this is something
that's gonna make you grow.
You're getting a lot of critiques
all the time.
It's definitely anxiety-inducing.
Because, you know, you just
wanna be perfect sometimes.
Maybe you were too nervous
or too focused on memorizing,
but you lacked facial variations,
which was disappointing.
I've been
getting mixed feedback.
I just feel like
my confidence took another hit.
Maybe these bumps on the road will help me
in a new way that I don't even know about.
Oh my God, I have no heels.
Nikky, I forgot my heels. Oh, no!
I was disappointed.
It felt like a bone moved out of place.
Today I have to sit out
because I have a hip injury.
And it is really frustrating
when your body isn't allowing you to do
what you love to do.
This whole journey is very hard
on everyone's bodies.
So yeah, sometimes
you need to show that love to your body,
even though it sucks.
Cancel your reservations,
No more hesitations this is on ♪
Can't make it stop,
Give me all you got ♪
I want it all or nothing,
No more in between, now give your ♪
A chemical reaction
Take me in your arms ♪
And make me
Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah ♪
I wanna cut to the feeling, oh yeah ♪
I wanna cut to the feeling
I wanna cut to the feeling ♪
I don't know what to say.
I gave you the highest score
I've given here.
Great job.
Emily, I think it's time
for you to take the next step.
You will be the first
to move up to level A.
I don't know
what level A is and what it entails.
I didn't think it was like something
that could be
reached.
I just feel so honored
that Son believed in me.
I think I'm just ready
for what's about to happen.
Okay, so the top
is the overall rankings,
and that is an average score of vocal,
dance, natural charm, visual and attitude.
I put the girls in two groups,
progressing and being stagnant.
And I do have Adéla,
Emily, Megan all progressing,
where I feel like Lexie, Naisha, Iliya,
Marquise stayed kind of stagnant.
Lexie and Naisha, they both definitely
are talented and have natural abilities,
but there are corrections
that their teachers have been giving them,
and they haven't corrected those things.
With Naisha, sometimes I feel like
she's painting such a beautiful picture
with her movement
and all we need for her to do
is make a square.
Can she execute
this simple choreography in a clean way?
And so that is
a really major concern for me.
What are your thoughts on Iliya?
I think her skill set,
definitely low in dance, very low.
I think she has great work ethic.
To me personally,
I would be really sad to see her go.
I was impressed
with Adéla as well.
Yeah.
I felt like her work ethic,
it was amazing.
If you were to
let one of them go,
who would it be?
- Actually, I will say Iliya.
- Mmm.
- Mine's Iliya.
- Me too.
That's a couple.
I also made that note.
Iliya is more like a vocalist,
more TikToker rather than Idol, so
Yeah. But she's gotten better.
And her work ethic is great.
Yeah.
She has that star quality
that is God-given
that I can't I wouldn't let her go.
Should we decide now?
We need to select
the final members from 30 people.
Is this the right time to be telling them,
"You failed, you must leave?"
I'm happy keeping everyone.
We have another evaluation in three weeks.
They now know the scores
and where they're ranking.
I think then we're gonna be better suited
to make an opinion
about who needs to go home.
No eliminations for this round.
In order to be
a successful group,
there must be at least one main dancer,
and she should dance
at a professional level.
Only Emily made it to level A,
which brought the healthy competition
I mentioned to fruition.
Today's a really hard day
for me because
I went to the doctor,
and I fractured a part of my foot.
And I won't be able to dance
for six weeks.
I don't even know how I fractured it.
It's just been hurting over time,
as I've been dancing on it.
Like, I'm just scared
because this is like, my job.
And my life.
I just feel like my boot
is gonna send me home
because what I bring to the table
has been taken away from me.
Oh my God. Oh my God, I literally
We pass the line, no waitin' ♪
You in the line, no way in ♪
VIP on the guest list ♪
You outside gettin' restless ♪
Check this ooh mow mow ♪
They up on da girl
For the too new style ♪
Givenchy, Dolce & Gabbana ♪
Louis V and Balenciaga ♪
Heat the club up, feel like a sauna ♪
Shut it down, then I am a goner ♪
Back to the hotel, ooh nah nah nah ♪
Presidential suite like Obama ♪
I'm here for the drama ♪
We go crazy, we go bananas ♪
We get the commas ♪
They just hating because they not us ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like me ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like like ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like me ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like like ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
Betcha can't do it like ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
Betcha can't do it like ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
Betcha can't do it like ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
Betcha can't do it like ♪
Ooh, look what you done done ♪
You stepped in it
Right where my crew done run ♪
Do it like me, that's coo coo hun ♪
Cuz I supply the bread
Talking buku buns ♪
I'm here for the drama ♪
We go crazy, we go bananas ♪
We get the commas ♪
They just hating because they not us ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like me ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like like ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like me ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like like ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like me ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like like ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like me ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like like ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like me ♪
Can't do it like me ♪
I betcha can't do it like like ♪