5 K-pop groups you might not know were formed via a survival show

Mnet’s Produce series has become extremely popular over time for its survival show concept and, obviously, for the very talented groups, it has given the industry, namely, I.O.I, Wanna One, IZ*ONE, and X1. Seeing the popularity of these shows, many other survival shows came into being. Even after the whole voting scandal related to Prodoce series, Mnet’s Girls Planet 999 was quick to become successful and gave birth to Kep1er.

Something that often disheartens the fans is that all these groups, on average, have a contract of 1-2 years and then disband, following which the members go their own way. But what might surprise fans is that not all groups formed via survival shows are temporary, or the fact that entertainment companies have launched survival shows with participants being their own trainees in order to form a group.

Here’s a list of 5 K-pop groups you might know were formed through a survival show.

1. TWICE

In 2015, JYP Entertainment launched a survival show named Sixteen on Mnet in order to form the group we know today as TWICE. The format of the show was sixteen JYPE female trainees would compete with each other over the course of 10 episodes, and the remaining 7 till the end would make up the final lineup of TWICE. Something’s off, though, doesn’t TWICE have nine members? 

Taking into consideration both public votes and judges’ evaluations, the seven participants to make it to the final were – Nayeon, Jongyeon, Sana, Jihyo, Mina, Dahyun, and Chaeyoung. JYP announced that he would be adding Tzuyu to the final lineup keeping in mind her popularity among fans. Though Momo was eliminated earlier in an episode, JYP decided to bring her back and add her to the lineup as well, stating that the group needed a dancer like her in order to make TWICE a strong group overall. 

2. Pentagon

Cube Entertainment produced the survival show Pentagon Maker to introduce a new boy band. Every contender on the show battled against each other to secure a place in the final lineup. Three of the original ten trainees were subsequently eliminated leading up to the formation of the group Pentagon. But Cube decided to add the eliminated members making Pentagon a ten membered group consisting of Jinho, Hui, Hongseok, Shinwon, Yeo One, Yan An, Yuto, Kino, Wooseok, and E’Dawn.

Pentagon made its debut in October 2016 with the self-titled extended play. In November 2018, Cube Entertainment announced that member E’Dawn had departed the company and the group following his dating news, making Pentagon a nine-membered group.

3. SF9

FNC Entertainment formed their first ever dance boy group via the survival D.O.B, short for Dance or Band. The members didn’t really compete against one another in order to debut but rather to decide whether they debut as a dance-based group or an instrumental-themed group. 

SF9 finally made its debut in October 2016 with nine members – Youngbin, Inseong, Jaeyoon, Dawon, Rowoon, Zuho, Yoo Taeyang, Hwiyoung, and Chani – with the first single album Feeling Sensation.

4. Momoland

Momoland was formed through the survival show launched by MLD Entertainment called Finding Momoland in 2016. A total of ten trainees went against one another, and finally, seven trainees – Hyebin, Yeonwoo, Jane, Nayun, JooE, Ahin, and Nancy debuted as Momoland. 

Momoland debuted with the extended play Welcome To Momoland on November 10, 2016. It was after the debut members Daisy and Kim Taeha were added to the lineup, making Momoland a nine membered group. 

5. Boys24

Out of around four thousand applications, CJ E&M Entertainment shortlisted 49 contenders to participate in the survival show Boys24. Unlike other shows, Boys24 ended with 28 finalists, and the competition continued even after the conclusion of the show. Each group continued to take part in promotions while performing three to five times a week. 

Hwang Inho, Jung Yeontae, Kim Jinsub, Kim Sunghyun, Yoo Youngdoo, Isaac Voo, and Jin Sungho were selected by fans as the final group members in August 2017. Boys24 finally ended up as a nine-membered group, with wild card members Lee Inpyo and Han Hyunuk being added to the group.