The first episode of SBS's new idol audition program 'Universe League' premiered on November 22 KST, introducing viewers to its 42 contestants.
On this episode, a handful of familiar faces for K-Pop fans as well as idol audition program fans created a buzz, including estranged former group mates who met on the show as rivals.
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
The two estranged former group mates, Cha Woong Gi and Jang Kyung Ho, had previously debuted together as members of the group TOO (later known as TO1). However, after Cha Woong Gi's decision to leave the group in 2022 due to health issues, the idol explained that he naturally grew apart with the majority of the TO1 members. TO1 went on to disband in December of 2023.
Notably, when asked about the other in their personal interviews, Cha Woong Gi commented, "I guess that hyung wants to try debuting again too...", while Jang Kyung Ho stated, "I don't know if there's really a need to talk about him."
Additionally on this episode, the 42 contestants were put into seven teams to showcase their skills in front of the program's team directors, including
WayV's TEN & Yangyang of Team Rhythm, BTOB's Changsub of Team Groove, and GOT7's Yugyeom and EL CAPITXN of Team Beat.
Of the 42 contestants, only 7 were chosen by each team's directors as their "starting lineup" (21 total). The remaining 21 contestants were then designated as "free agents" and benched, facing the threat of elimination.
However, later during the episode, it was revealed that the benched contestants would gain another chance at finding a team.
Meanwhile, SBS's 'Universe League' airs every Fridays at 11:20 PM KST.
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