4-Part Series “Idol Battle” Pits Rookie Groups Against One Another

Cable channel Mnet’s new show, “Idol Battle – 2014 I’m a Star Too,” aired its first broadcast on January 16.

“Idol Battle” will air for four weeks every Thursday at 7:30 PM KST, directly after Mnet “M! Countdown” at 6:00 PM. Each episode will feature two rookie idol groups battling it out for a cash prize to be donated to charity in their name. 

PD Jang Choong Ik, who’s in charge of “Idol Battle,” explained the aim of the program. “It’s time to properly see the charms of the rookie idols who will lead the next generation of K-Pop. There are many groups debuting every year, and not all of them are able to show off their charms to viewers. ‘Idol Battle’ will be the chance for rookie idol groups with potential to show off their true talent and charm to the fullest, something they may have not been able to do through their performances alone.”

Original idol group g.o.d’s Danny Ahn will be the emcee for the program. The four-part series aired its first broadcast on January 16, and it featured Big Star and Boys Republic battling it out in a series of missions that spanned 12 hours. Both groups are five-members male idol groups. Hit maker Brave Brothers‘ ambitious project Big Star’s last release was a digital single, “Stand Alone,” while Boys Republic released their music video for “L.I.U” in December as well. The boys had to compete against one another in missions that tested their strength, self-promotion skills and ability to charm fans. Big Star eventually won out 3-2. 

Following Big Star and Boys Republic, we’ll be able to catch A-Prince and M.Pire, C-Clown and MYNAME, Hello Venus and 2EYES, face off in action-packed battles.

While “Idol Battle” pits two teams against each other each week, it’s less about who wins than about the exposure the rookie groups get, especially since it’s got “M! Countdown” as its lead-in show. Nevertheless, congratulations to Big Star! They won a cash prize of 3 million won (~US$2800) for donation.

“Idol Battle” airs on Thursday at 7:30 PM KST on Mnet.