Idol survival shows may be a dime a dozen in South Korea, but a new reality series is giving it a genre-transcending twist -- what if the judges had to choose between a dance group and a rock band?
That is the premise behind cable channel Mnet's upcoming show "d.o.b: Dance or Band" in which one of South Korea's leading management agencies, FNC Entertainment, will evaluate a dance-pop group and an idol rock band to determine which one of the two will debut within the year.
FNC CEO Han Sung-ho said Wednesday the series is a new experiment not just for reality TV but for himself since his agency has yet to come out with the male equivalent of AOA, its signature dance-pop girl group.
"(Filming this show) has allowed me to experience new things as a music producer," he said at a press conference promoting the show at a hotel in northwestern Seoul.
Over its 10-year existence, FNC has "specialized" in male rock bands that had the look of an idol group -- F.T. Island, CNBLUE and N. Flying to name a few -- but it has not yet made the plunge into the saturated market of producing a male dance-pop group that can compete with established acts such as EXO, SHINee and 2PM.
The upcoming survival reality show will finally give Han an excuse to seriously consider doing the latter.
"The team that people love will be the one debuting. I can promise you that," he stressed.
The contestants in "d.o.b" are 13 men who were accepted into FNC's new artist training program, NEOZ. Divided into two groups -- the NEOZ Dance and NEOZ Band -- they will fight for Han's favor as they complete tasks given each week.
NEOZ Band members said they have tried to ask other FNC bands that came before them for tips and tricks.
"We've had some of these band members watch our practice sessions, and they would comment on our performance by part," Kim Cheol-min, the vocalist for NEOZ Band, said. "They have suggested bands to emulate and taught us how to beat stage fright and communicate better with the audience."
There was a familiar face among the nine NEOZ Dance members -- Chanhee who had appeared on the tvN crime thriller drama "Signal" as the protagonist's older brother.
"I guess I made my TV debut with 'Signal,' but my dream has always been to become a singer," he said.
"d.o.b" premieres on Mnet at 11 p.m. Wednesday. (Yonhap)
