Survival shows are competitions where K-pop trainees demonstrate their various talents and skills and compete against one another for a place in the debuting group. Trainees are judged on a variety of factors, including their charisma and charm, as well as their skills in singing, dancing, rapping, and other genres. The number of K-pop groups forming as a result of survival shows is rising now. However, not many groups had to compete in a survival show to make their debut in the earlier generation of K-pop. Check out the veteran K-pop boy groups that were formed through survival programs.

BIGBANG

The legendary K-pop boy band BIGBANG is regarded as a pioneer in many aspects of K-pop. They are said to be the first K-pop group formed through a survival program. “BIGBANG The Beginning” is a self-produced documentary series with 11 episodes by YG Entertainment. The series, which documented the formation of BIGBANG, was released in 2006. In the process, Hyunseung—who later made his debut with BEAST—was taken out of the debut lineup of BIGBANG.

2PM and 2AM

The documentary “Hot Blood” by JYP Entertainment shows the training process of the pre-debut boy group One Day. In the documentary, former member Jay Park got the most fan votes and was ranked at the top. It also features the elimination of three trainees from the group. By the end of the documentary, only eleven members remained. Later, One Day was divided into two groups: 2 PM, a seven-member hip-hop group, and 2 AM, a four-member ballad group.

VIXX

VIXX is another veteran South Korean boy group that was created by Jellyfish Entertainment through the 2012 survival reality program “MyDOL.” The show was aired from April 12, 2012, to May 31, 2012, on the Mnet channel. A group of 10 Jellyfish Entertainment trainees competed with one another through various activities and missions to make the debut lineup. Only six of those trainees were chosen, and they ultimately made their debut as members of the group VIXX.

WINNER

WINNER was formed by YG Entertainment through Mnet’s 2013 reality survival show “WIN: WHO IS NEXT.” The group’s name, WINNER, is derived from the show itself. There are 11 episodes in total. Here, YG trainees were divided into two teams. The members of WINNER competed as Team A against Team B, which was made up of other YG Trainees, later known as iKON. In the final episode of the program, Team A was announced as the "winner."

iKON

YG Entertainment loves survival shows, as all of their boy groups are the products of such competitions. iKON is another boy group that YG created from a survival program. To make their debut, iKON had to go through not one, but two survival shows. First, they competed and lost against WINNER as Team B in “WIN: Who Is Next.” Then members of Team B took part in the 2014 reality survival show “MIX & MATCH” along with three new trainees. As a consequence of the show, Jung Chan-woo, one of the new trainees, was included in the debut lineup.

MONSTA X

The K-pop boy group MONSTA X was formed by Starship Entertainment through the boy group reality survival program “NO.MERCY,” which premiered on the Mnet channel on December 10, 2014. There were 13 trainees in total. The trainees competed against one another in a variety of performances and tasks imposed by the judges in order to earn a position in the seven-member boy band known as MONSTA X. The show has a total of ten episodes.

SEVENTEEN

Seventeen is a thirteen-member South Korean boy band formed by Pledis Entertainment that made their debut in 2015. The members took part in "Seventeen Project: Big Debut Plan," a reality television program that aired on MBC from May 2 to May 26, 2015. This program's survival theme was "trainees versus Pledis," in contrast to other survival shows where contestants competed against one another. The show ended with the group’s debut showcase.

PENTAGON

Cube Entertainment created Pentagon as a result of the 2016 Mnet reality survival show "Pentagon Maker." Through M2, Mnet's digital content brand, the show was broadcast online. The team was based on five categories: vocal or rap, dance, talent, mind, and teamwork. Each participant was evaluated individually or as a unit. Yan An, E’Dawn, and Shinwon were eliminated from the competition; however, they were eventually summoned to join the debut lineup of the group Pentagon.

SF9

A South Korean boy group called SF9, which stands for "Sensational Feeling 9," was created by FNC Entertainment. It was FNC’s first dance boy group. The members of SF9 were part of FNC’s trainee system, “NEOZ School.” They participated in the Mnet reality survival show “Dance or Band” as the “NEOZ Dance Team” against the “NEOZ Band Team.” The show was broadcast from May 11 to June 29, 2016. The winning team, "NEOZ Dance Team," later made their debut as SF9.

IN2IT

IN2IT is a six-piece K-pop boy group. The group initially had eight members. All of the members were previously members of BOYS24, a pre-debut boy band formed by CJ E&M through the same-named survival show that was aired in 2016 on Mnet and tvn. There were 49 candidates overall, who were split up into seven units. Only eight of the contestants were selected for the debut lineup. They later made their debut as members of IN2IT in 2017.

WANNA ONE

Wanna One was created by CJ E&M as a result of the Season 2 of the popular reality survival show “Produce 101.” On April 7, 2017, the Mnet channel broadcast the first episode of the program, which ran through June 16 of the same year. A total of 101 trainees from various entertainment agencies participated as contestants on the show. Only 11 of those trainees were chosen by audience vote to make their debut as Wanna One and were announced on a live television broadcast.

It may be difficult for trainees and viewers to follow the entire process of a survival show, despite the fact that such shows help to form fandoms for groups even before their debut. Which way—with or without a survival show—do you prefer for a group to make their debut?