"1deungdeul" gathered audition stars from first-generation standout Superstar K2 winner Heo Gak to the most recently aired The Ballad of Us winner Lee Ye-ji, all under the hosting of actress Rhee Minjung.
MBC held a press conference for the new entertainment program "1deungdeul" on the morning of the 11th at Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. At the event, MC Rhee Minjung and Boom attended and, together with PD Kim Myung-jin, who directed the program, and PD Chae Hyun-seok, they discussed "1deungdeul" under the moderation of announcer Park So-young.
"1deungdeul" is an entertainment program where an audition final showdown determines the best of the best among the ultimate winners who emerged from the fierce competition of numerous music auditions over the years. The gathering of past audition stars and the hosting by actress Rhee Minjung have generated particular anticipation.
PD Kim Myung-jin opened about the program by saying, "We are currently recording. We are in rehearsal in Ilsan," and explained, "It seems perfectly suited for an audition final showdown. There have been so many audition programs in Korea, for more than 10 years. We thought it would be fun to gather only the winners and pick the best among the best. Only those who placed exactly first in auditions can appear. It is a program that ultimately selects who the real number one is."
PD Kim Myung-jin, who previously presented travel entertainment shows such as "It's okay if they don't fight" and "It's okay if they rest well," said about presenting a program different in tone from his earlier works, "I haven't tried deserted island shows either. It's a field I didn't know much about because I grew up in the city. But I was of the mind to make a program that meets the public's expectations. I wasn't someone who always watched auditions closely. If I do a program I don't know well, I think I'll pay attention to people's expectations."
So what criteria were applied in casting the participants? PD Kim Myung-jin said, "Casting wasn't easy. In fact, only one person decided at once. The others deliberated. We met some, and some, when we met, seemed anxious. They didn't want to go back into that flame. Surprisingly, only one person said, 'This would be fun!' Some were persuaded through their managers, and typically the casting process took about one or two weeks."
He added, "The casting criterion could only be 'winners.' The most important criterion was recognition. We thought that if we put them together and there were few people viewers would know, it wouldn't be entertaining, so we mainly assembled people viewers would likely recognize. We organized it around whether the program or the singers were famous."
He said, "We want to talk about and promote the singers too, but the first broadcast structure is 'appearance.' Please understand parts we can't disclose. It's officially the first episode lineup. The one everyone will be most curious about is Heo Gak — he will appear. Lee Ye-ji will also appear. If Heo Gak is first-generation, isn't Ye-ji from the more recent generation? Also, Park Chang-geun, whom MBC doesn't know well, will appear. He is a singer aimed at middle-aged audiences and was interesting. The rest are all famous people too."
What kind of No. 1 does the program aim for? PD Kim Myung-jin asserted, "sincerity," and said, "At first I thought the important thing was not what I do but the performers, so I looked at the attitude they took. We have completed two recording sessions. The recording currently happening in Ilsan is the later one. Sincerity is really important because the singers were under a lot of stress. Old memories resurfaced. As they competed among themselves, it showed signs of overheating. They brought increasingly stronger songs. During camera rehearsal yesterday, everyone worked so hard. The charm of this program is sincerity."
Boom also chimed in, "I didn't expect it to this extent; the rehearsal time and volume are enormous. Because they compete with each other, we had to limit instrument, lighting setup, and music arrangement to five minutes."
Moreover, many entertainment programs from broadcasters other than MBC are mentioned in "1deungdeul." PD Kim Myung-jin confessed about IP issues, "There were many difficulties," and frankly admitted, "Resolving copyright issues was very hard. The production team sent official letters. There were things that were absolutely impossible. We persistently persuaded some broadcasters and succeeded with some after convincing them, and it cost a lot of money. But some places had agreements with MBC. Terrestrial broadcasters were fine, and where it didn't work, some logos were slightly altered in the footage. Mnet's 'Voice Korea' couldn't be cleared, so we could only write the name and couldn't use the footage. There was no contact target in the country for that. Aside from that, we tenaciously worked it out and resolved most things. We legally paid what we had to pay. It was difficult."
Boom, who has experience hosting other audition programs, said, "MCs don't have voting rights because they can develop feelings for people met on auditions. I'm enjoying the music more. Unlike other auditions that go through preliminary rounds, here the first stage is already the final. The musical aspects are so perfect. Auditions ultimately aim for the final, but the people here have already surpassed that final and won first place, so there is more moving emotion and stage quality. I felt again that the fiercest fight is among the winners. While working on the program, I think the winners' mindset might be the fiercest among the programs I've done."
PD Kim Myung-jin even added, "The winners are so fierce. We are considering adding more winners. There are winners who want to participate. The number of winners will increase. Second-place finishers are also contacting us, but that's not allowed. The competition will become even fiercer. The singers don't know, only the production team does," heightening expectations.
Among them, Rhee Minjung, who is challenging music entertainment for the first time through "1deungdeul," said, "I have loved audition programs since I was young. I have watched without fail since Superstar K first aired. I even went to a Sing Again concert. I thought that if I were an MC, I could listen to the songs I love without getting tired. At home, I kept listening to only the 'mom's finger' song until I was tired of it. There were healing moments, and many stages warmed my heart. I immediately said 'okay' and am enjoying the healing," she said with a laugh.
PD Chae Hyun-seok revealed the behind-the-scenes story of casting Rhee Minjung, saying, "She was so beautiful. Personally, I had been a long-time fan. Since she was taking on MC duties for the first time, I thought she could add freshness in image and visuals among people not commonly seen in traditional competitions, so I asked her to join. I had also heard that she usually liked singing and auditions. I felt she fit the context of our program, so I made the request."
PD Kim Myung-jin also said, "In a word, it's dignity. When I first went to ask her to appear, I saw sincerity and dignity. She really loves songs. When we met to cast, there were people who knew more than we did. We were surprised talking with them. They knew why something would be fun and why something wouldn't. So we actually asked her even more."
Rhee Minjung added, "As a medium, music is something I listen to on the radio, but the best is to go to a concert and watch. I really like being able to enjoy only this music loudly. Just as many shows judge food they haven't tasted, listening live at the venue is explosive and great, and if viewers at home also listen and the stage becomes one of the best, even if it's not the winner it will be talked about a lot and the stage itself will be widely mentioned and become an issue. We call the audience members the 'eardrum group'; they can vote, but viewers at home can also cheer. I think the time we enjoy is precious, so of course their intensity, competition, and sincerity are good, but there aren't many programs where you can actually hear good music. In that sense, the points that will make this program more enjoyable are not only me and Boom and many people's reviews, but I think the stages will remain for a long time."
Regarding the winner benefits, PD Kim Myung-jin frankly admitted with a laugh, "We had two days of meetings because of that. Nothing worked. It's just an honor. We couldn't decide how much money to give. We decided to just make a nice trophy and give it."
PD Chae Hyun-seok emphasized, "Because we gathered only winners and rank them, the fact that I beat that singer on this stage could affect their career more than large prizes like massage chairs or cars."
Boom also added, "They all already have massage chairs, cars, and prize money at home. It also ties directly to concerts. Second-place finishers talk about benefits first, but winners are different," and PD Kim Myung-jin added, "Also, since they have fans, they try harder on stage so as not to be embarrassed in front of their fans."
Most of all, "1deungdeul" has no judges. Regarding the teaser video appearances by Park Jin-Young, Cha Taehyun, and Yoon Jongshin, PD Kim Myung-jin said, "They are mentors for the performers, so we took comments asking them to talk about strengths. There are no separate judges. Judging these people themselves would be strange. 'I Am a Singer' wasn't really judging either. Exactly 300 audience evaluation panel members decide by vote. Among the 300 there are no judges. There are just ordinary 'eardrums' who talk about their impressions."
PD Chae Hyun-seok said, "Because they have already been winners, we felt judges were unnecessary. Usually there's a structure with judges seated in the front, but in our show the winning singers sit together and prepare their stages in real time, so that aspect seemed interesting." Boom added, "The evaluations there are terrifying. Even winners evaluate each other."
PD Kim Myung-jin also said, "The program is clearly seasonal. We are planning a next season for second-place finishers. There were many second-place finishers we felt were a pity. Lee Hi and John Park, for example, were second-place. I'm not joking; if it goes well we'll consider it. We clearly discussed with the company that it will be seasonal. It will run about 10 to 12 episodes. After several rounds, like in soccer's Champions League, it heads toward picking the final winner at the end."
Finally, PD Kim Myung-jin said about Rhee Minjung's tears in the teaser video, "Whenever Rhee Minjung cried, that performer ended up winning first place — a strange thing happened. We called it 'tear prophecy' among ourselves."
Rhee Minjung said, "I usually get deeply absorbed in music. After the first recording, I thought I should not cry during the second recording. From a listener's perspective it's fine if I just listen, but my eyes turn red and it's hard to say 'next stage,' so I held back, but there were still stages that made me cry. The emotions the singers conveyed hit me very strongly. Hearing it live was even stronger, like something digging into my heart. I came prepared today too, but I don't know what will happen."
"1deungdeul" will air its first episode at 8:50 p.m. on the 15th as a special during the Lunar New Year holiday, and thereafter will be broadcast every Sunday at 9:10 p.m.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Lee Dae-sun, provided by MBC.
[OSEN]