Finally premiering on January 26, the new K-pop audition survival series has kicked off and is already leading us into the second week of the show with the Mnet Build Up Episode 2 Preview. The Korean reality competition series (빌드업: 보컬 보이그룹 서바이벌) , originally holding the title Build Up: Vocal Boy Group Survival, has been directed by Ma Doo-shik, best known for his role on the talent search show Superstar K. It features 40 participants encompassing K-pop stars, musical actors, and idol trainees. Notable contestants include the former DAY6 member Im Jun-hyeok, Jeon Woong of AB6IX, Lee Dong-hoon of A.C.E, WEi’s Kang Seok-hwa, and JUST B’s Bain.
Hosted by actor Lee Da-hee, the survival reality show has the ultimate aim for the four last-standing contestants to debut as members of a vocal boy group that will be signed for two years. The Build Up audition series has welcomed a star-studded lineup of mentors for the boys. This stellar list of regular judges includes seven South Korean celebs – Seo Eun-kwang of BTOB, solo artist Kim Jae-hwan, Solar of MAMAMOO, Wendy of Red Velvet, Baekho, Lee Seok-hoon, and Seungkwan of SEVENTEEN.
Mnet Build Up Episode 2 Release Date
The second episode is slated to release on February 2, 2024, Friday, at 6:30 PM KST.
Where to Watch Mnet Build Up Episode 2
The next episode will most likely be live-streamed on Mnet’s YouTube channel, in addition to being broadcasted on the South Korean network tvN and OTT platform TVING.
Watch the Mnet Build Up Episode 2 Preview / Trailer
Brief Build Up Episode 1 Recap
The episode commenced by introducing all the participants along with their respective voice categories. Subsequently, they engaged in playing voice files, and if a participant desired to “Build Up” with a particular voice, they had to press a button. Their evaluations were carried out by other contestants, and the outcomes significantly influenced their first mission. Lee Gwang-seok secured 32 votes, Park Je Up obtained 28 votes, and Kang Hayoon received 27 votes, placing them at the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd ranks, respectively.
Following this, the first mission was unveiled, named the PRE-4 mission. In this mission, participants would experience forming groups of four people. The first mission songs were disclosed, representing various genres such as Breath by Park Hyo-shin, If You by BIGBANG, Ditto by NewJeans, Beautiful by CRUSH, Such a Thing by Park Hwayobi, and more. Participants could select a song based on their ranking, posing a significant disadvantage for those ranked below 20. Half of the contestants performed during this episode, while the remaining performances were scheduled to continue on February 2 in the Round 1 contest for the remaining members.
List of Build Up Contestants
The Mnet Global Audition 2024 Build Up lineup consists of 40 contestants, revealed through different voice categories featuring 11 unique voices, 10 soul voices, 7 power voices, and 12 all-round voices. The unique voice category includes profiles of Musical actor Kim Seo-hyung, Wumuti (also seen on BOYS PLANET), UP10TION’s Lee Hwan-hee and Sunyoul, Singer-songwriter Taewoo, Lee Kwang-suk, AB6IX’s Jeon Woong, Hong Sung-won, Kang Ha-yoon, Neon, and Kwon Eui-bin.
In the Soul voices category, profiles of ONE PACT’s Jay Chang, NewKidd’s Lee Min-wook, WEi’s Kang Seok-hwa, Ma Jae-kyung, Jung Soo-min, A.C.E’s Lee Dong-hun, JUST B’s Bain, Kim Sung-jung, Park Joo-hee, and Lim Sang-hyun are included. The Power vocal category profiles Kim Min-seo, Park Jae-up, Choi Ha-ram, Lim Joon-hyeok, FAVE1’s Hyukjin, Jo Hwan-ji, and Yoon In-hwan.
The All-rounder voices category features profiles of CIX’s Seunghoon, M.O.N.T’s Bitsaeon, VANNER’s Taehwan, Hong Seong-joon, Jang In-tae, Jang Yoon-seo, PENTAGON’s Yeo One, JUST B’s Lee Geon-woo, Choi Su-hwan, KNK’s Jeong Inseong, Hwang In-hyuk, and Ji Yeon-woo.
Are you watching the new Mnet Build Up audition 2024 series these days? Let us know your favourite contestants so far in the comments section below.