Origin and release year: South Korea (2024 – PROJECT 7)
MC: Lee Soo Hyuk
Panelists: Ryan Jhun, Lee Hae In, Ha Sung Woon, Bada Lee, RYUD
Guests/Special Directors: (G)I-DLE MiYeon, MAMAMOO Moon Byul, AB6IX Lee Dae Hwi, INFINITE Nam Woo Hyun, PENTAGON Hui, N.Flying Yoo Hwe Seung, Shin Youme
Warning! This article might contain spoilers!
Premiering on October 18th, 2024, PROJECT 7 is a high-stakes competition that invites 200 diverse contestants from around the globe to showcase their talent in hopes of forming a new K-pop boy group to be managed by a brand-new label created in partnership with SLL JoongAng, Studio Slam and YG Plus.
Other PROJECT 7 articles to check out: 13 Of The Most Anticipated “PROJECT 7” Survival Show Participants And Where You’ve Seen Them Before | PROJECT 7 Episode 1 And 2 Recap | PROJECT 7 Episode 3 And 4 Recap | PROJECT 7 Episode 7 And 8 Recap | PROJECT 7 Episode 9 And 10 Recap
UPDATE; Here are the final 7 members of the “PROJECT 7” debut group called CLOSE YOUR EYES!
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The competition has never been more difficult in PROJECT 7 as episodes 5 and 6 delivered a rollercoaster of emotions, from the heartbreaking first elimination to the electrifying new performances. As the show heats up, the remaining trainees face more and more pressure to prove that they deserve to stay, as the surprising twists and jaw-dropping talent remind us why this show has fans hooked. Ready to find out everything that happened in the last two episodes? Let’s get started!
“PROJECT 7” Episode 5 Recap
First Elimination Results
The first elimination in PROJECT 7 was a big turning point in the competition. The seven top trainees, who in addition to getting to the next round will also be getting a huge point bonus, included: Jeon Min Wook (BAE173 J-Min), Sakurada Kenshin, Kim Seong Min, Kim Si Hun, and Ma Jing Xiang, as well as newcomers to the Top 7, Jung Yeo Jun, and Suh Kyung Bae.
Compared to the first episode’s ranking, the Top 7 have stayed pretty similar, with the exception that Jung Yeo Jun and Suh Kyung Bae (Jung Yeo Jun specifically gaining a lot of attention online) have replaced Kang Min Seo and Kang Hyun Woo.
However, while some joined the top ranks, the elimination meant many others had to say goodbye to their time on the show. Some of the most shocking eliminations included Japanese contestant Tsujii Ryoma, who had performed as one of Jeon So Miʼs backup dancers during her ‘Fast Forward’ performance at the 2023 MAMA Awards and had gained a lot of attention going into the competition but, ultimately, did not make it through. Kang Hee Min, a debuted idol and former “PEAK TIME” contestant, was also eliminated, despite his experience in the industry. Other notable exits included models Kim Yoon Soo and Lee Hyo Bin, former PRODUCE X 101 contestant Choi Byung Hoon, influencer and debuted idol PICKUS’ Hyeon Seung, and actor Lee Do Kyung. For fans of the ‘We Must Love’ and ‘POP’ stages, the elimination was especially tough, as these teams saw the highest number of trainees leave the competition.
“PROJECT 7” Episode 6 Recap
Rival Match
With the elimination round done, the competition gets going again with an all-new mission: the Rival Match! In Episode 5, voters rearranged the remaining contestants into five new groups, named A1 to A5, through the ‘assembly vote’.
The trainee with the highest ranking in each group was then tasked with choosing six other trainees to form their team, which was labeled the ‘White Team’. Those left unchosen formed the ‘Black Team’, making them instant rivals. The “Rival Match” then pits the two teams within each group against one another, each performing a different song from the same iconic K-pop group. It is a showdown of skill, stage presence, and teamwork, designed to test the contestants—especially as winning or losing directly impacts the contestants’ rankings.
During the mission, the higher the ranking is for the winning team, the more 10,000 points will be added to their score; on the other hand, the lower the ranking of the losing team, the more 10,000 points will be deducted. The pressure is on as the contestants know that their performances in the ‘Rival Match’ could make or break their chances of staying in the competition.
For Group A1, the White Team performed RIIZEʼs electrifying ‘Boom Boom Bass’, while the Black Team took on the summer dance track ‘Memories’.
Group A2 faced off with MONSTA X tracks: the White Team delivered ‘Jealousy’, while the Black Team channeled the intensity of ‘GAMBLER’—thus pitting top contestants Kim Seong Min and Sakurada Kenshin against fan favorites like Ma Jing Xiang.
A3 heats up with Stray Kids, as the White Team rocked out to ‘Rock’, starring high-ranking trainees like Jeon Min Wook, Jang Yeo Jun, Bing Hua, and Seo Kyung Bae versus some of their strongest competitors in Kang Min Seo and Kim Si Hun from the Black Team, who countered with the vibrant ‘CASE 143’.
A4 brought to the stage NCTʼs flair, with the White Team tackling ‘Make a Wish (Birthday Song)’ and the Black Team grooving to ‘TOUCH’.
Finally, A5 had a TXT duel with the White Team performing ‘Iʼll See You There Tomorrow’, while the Black Team covered ‘Deja Vu’.
Following the performances’ release on YouTube, RIIZEʼs ‘Boom Boom Bass’ edged out ‘Memories’ in terms of fan views, though the difference wasn’t huge. ‘Make a Wish (Birthday Song)’ proved more popular than ‘TOUCH’. Meanwhile, Stray Kidsʼ ‘Rock’ gained more fan cam views than ‘CASE 143’. Among the TXT performances, ‘Deja Vu’ and ‘Iʼll See You There Tomorrow’ were almost evenly matched in views. MONSTA Xʼs ‘Jealousy’, however, swept ahead of ‘GAMBLER’ by a huge amount, gaining over 225k views in only two days!
Rival match Top 7 Rankings
By the end of Episode 6, the interim fan vote rankings saw a dramatic shakeup at the top. Sakurada Kenshin dethroned Jeon Min Wook, claiming the number one spot. Seo Kyung Bae climbed the ranks as well, securing third place. Meanwhile, Jang Yeo Jun held steady in fourth, followed closely by Kim Sung Min in fifth. Seong Seung Ho and Nam Ji Woonʼs breakthroughs into the Top 7 finished the top lineup. Meanwhile, former Top 7 contenders Ma Jing Xiang and Kim Si Hun were pushed down to eighth and ninth place. With the rankings constantly changing, it’s anyone’s game to win!
Rival Match Review
Personally, we thought the ‘Rival Match’ performances were so much fun to watch! Every team brought something unique to the stage, and it was clear the contestants had leveled up since the start of the show. That being said, we felt that the popularity gap between some of the songs was a bit unfair. For example, RIIZE’s ‘Memories’ versus ‘Boom Boom Bass’. While ‘Boom Boom Bass’ was a super successful title song with millions of streams, ‘Memories’, although a fan favorite, was a pre-debut song that the general public might not know! It wouldʼve been better if the song choices were a bit more balanced, to say the least.
As for the rankings— we were also really surprised to see Ma Jing Xiang and Kim Si Hun out of the Top 7. Overall, online, the interim rankings didnʼt sit well with a lot of global fans, so it is going to be very interesting to see how or if things are going to change in the next episodes.
What do you think about the new rankings? Who do you want to see break into the Top 7? What was your favorite stage of the ‘Rival Match’? Let us know in the comments!