| Open Theme: | "The Final Countdown" |
| Country: | South Korea Japan |
| Language: | Japanese Korean |
| Num Seasons: | 1 |
| Num Episodes: | 8 |
| Runtime: | 60 minutes (Youtube, Hulu) 30 minutes (Nippon TV) |
| Company: | Hulu Japan Hybe Labels Japan |
| Network: | Hulu Japan and Nippon TV (Japan) YouTube (all other regions) |
| Related: | I-Land |
&Audition – The Howling – is a Japanese and South Korean reality competition program that follows the formation and debut of the first boy group under HYBE Labels Japan.[1]
In the live finale on September 3, 2022, the nine members of &TEAM were revealed.[2] They debuted on December 7, 2022.
&Audition – The Howling – A 60-minute, uncut version of the show where 15 trainees move forward together towards their dreams; a documentary-style program where various performances and stories unfold as they aim for debut.
&Audition – The Howling – Final Round
&Audition – Live – A shorter 30-minute version of the show, serving as support to the main broadcast, where MCs and an audience watch together with viewers.[6]
On January 1, 2021, it was announced that Big Hit Japan would launch the "Big Hit Japan Global Debut Project" to search for artists to debut as a group in Japan and become active worldwide. Former I-Land contestants K, Nicholas, EJ and Taki were to take part as confirmed members of the group, joined by additional trainees determined through an audition program called "&Audition".[7]
On March 19, Big Hit Entertainment re-branded and re-structured into HYBE Corporation,[8] whereby Hybe Labels Japan would now be involved in the program and group's debut.[9] On the same day, an official Twitter account under the name "&AUDITION Boys" was launched for the four confirmed group members.[10] On April 26, 2021, K and EJ made a cameo in the music video for Enhypen's "Drunk-Dazed".[11] On November 4, Hybe Labels Japan shared that the "&Audition" program would begin airing in 2022.[12]
On January 18, 2022, Hybe Labels Japan announced the opening of YouTube channel "&Audition Boys",[13] and various videos and vlogs were uploaded. On March 9, the program was revealed to be titled &Audition – The Howling, and broadcast would start in July 2022 as the first phase of the Global Debut Project.[14] On May 30, the program's official website and social media accounts were opened, as well as the details of its broadcast date.[15] On June 4, themed profile photos of the 15 participating trainees were revealed.[16] [17] The signal song for the program, "The Final Countdown", and its music video were released on June 28.[18]
Special Advisor
Mentors
Performance Director
Producer and Sound Director
Special Producers
Producer information from the official &Audition website.
Color key:
| Final members of &TEAM | ||
| Eliminated in the final episode |
| 15 contestants | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K (ケイ) | Nicholas (ニコラス) | EJ (ウィジュ) | Taki (タキ) | Jo (ジョウ) | |
| Harua (ハルア) | Maki (マキ) | Yuma (ユウマ) | Fuma (フウマ) | Gaku (ガク) | |
| Hikaru (ヒカル) | Junwon (ジュンウォン) | Hayate (ハヤテ) | Yejun (イェジュン) | Minhyung (ミニョン) | |
A total of 15 trainees participated in the show—four confirmed members, who were previously contestants on the South Korean boy group survival reality show I-Land, and 11 new trainees.[20]
| Debut Trainees | K | ケイ | Japan | Tokyo | 21 October 1997 | 24 | Former marathon athlete and I-Land contestant; trained at EXPG Tokyo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nicholas | ニコラス | Taiwan | Taipei | 9 July 2002 | 19 | B-boy and former I-Land contestant | |
| EJ | ウィジュ | South Korea | Goyang | 7 September 2002 | 19 | Former Big Hit Music trainee, fencing athlete and I-Land contestant | |
| Taki | タキ | Japan | Unknown | 4 May 2005 | 17 | Background in locking, former I-Land contestant | |
| Trainees | Fuma | フウマ | Japan | Shizuoka | 29 June 1998 | 23 | Dancer, backup dancer, former n.cH trainee until 2019, Produce 101 Japan season 2 contestant (withdrew before program aired in early 2021) |
| Hayate | ハヤテ | Japan | Hyogo | 25 January 2001 | 21 | Appeared on JTBC's Stage K in 2019; ModelPress Mr High School Boy contestant in 2017 | |
| Junwon | ジュンウォン | South Korea | Jeonju | 21 April 2003 | 19 | Former trainee of iMe Korea and Biscuit Entertainment | |
| Yuma | ユウマ | Japan | Hyogo | 7 February 2004 | 18 | Former Johnny's trainee under Kansai Johnny's Jr from 2012; former Avex trainee from 2015 to 2018 | |
| Gaku | ガク | Japan | Nagano | 25 April 2004 | 18 | ||
| Jo | ジョウ | Japan | Kanagawa | 8 July 2004 | 17 | Junon Superboy Contest 2020 finalist, dropped out before finals presumably to become a trainee; basketball player | |
| Hikaru (Haku) | ヒカル | Japan | Gunma | 28 March 2005 | 17 | Ballet background; 2020 Japan Seifuku School Uniform Award winner | |
| Harua | ハルア | Japan | Nagano | 1 May 2005 | 17 | Formerly signed to Stardust Promotion new talent division | |
| Maki | マキ | Japan / Germany | Unknown | 17 February 2006 | 16 | Musical theatre background; previously part of a musical theatre company | |
| Minhyung | ミニョン | South Korea | Seoul | 27 January 2007 | 15 | Former Big Hit Music trainee | |
| Yejun | イェジュン | South Korea | Seoul | 28 April 2007 | 15 | Former Big Hit Music trainee, child actor; appeared in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo and Arthdal Chronicles |
Each round has a mission involving both an interim check and a performance. The trainees will be judged on vocal ability, performance and a special criteria that will change with each round. Based on evaluations of their performances, the trainees earn a certain number of &BALLs to fill the &RING. Only if they fill the &RING after four rounds can everyone advance to the final round; if they fail to fill the &RING, the planned group's debut may be cancelled.[21]
All trainees perform the theme song "The Final Countdown" together. The special criterion is teamwork.
Minhyung was unable to participate.
K, EJ, Nicholas and Taki all become leaders to four teams and prepare performances with four different concepts. The special criterion is each team's chemistry.
Junwon was unable to participate for health reasons.
| 2 | TXT－"Blue Hour (Japanese ver.)" | EJ | Fuma, Harua, Yejun |
| 3 | Monsta X－"Hero (Japanese ver.)" | Nicholas | Gaku, Hayate |
| TVXQ－"Something (Japanese ver.)" | K | Jo, Minhyung | |
| Taemin－"Sayonara Hitori" | Taki | Maki, Hikaru, Yuma |
The trainees split into three teams and perform songs by Seventeen. They are tasked with creating original choreography, interpreting the songs in their own styles, and contributing to the design of their stage outfits. The special criterion is creativity.
| 5 | "Call Call Call!" | C Riders | Fuma | Nicholas, Junwon, Minhyung, Yejun |
| "Home;Run (Japanese Ver.)" | Full Count | Gaku | EJ, Jo, Harua, Maki | |
| "Oh My! (Japanese Ver.)" | Wang Wang | Hayate | K, Taki, Hikaru, Yuma |
The trainees are divided into two teams. Each team is tasked with performing two BTS songs, one of which is a different arrangement to the original. The fourth round has two evaluations: one centered on vocals, and another solely on performance.
| 7 | "Film Out" | "Run" | A | Nicholas, EJ, Harua, Hayate, Jo, Junwon, Yuma |
| "Lights" | "Black Swan" | B | K, Taki, Fuma, Gaku, Hikaru, Maki, Minhyung, Yejun |
Junwon performed "Running with the Pack" while seated due to injury.
| 8 | "Melody" | K, Nicholas, EJ, Taki | Gaku, Yejun, Harua, Hayate, Hikaru |
| "Running with the Pack" | Fuma, Jo, Junwon, Maki, Minhyung, Yuma |
K, Nicholas, EJ and Taki's debut was officially confirmed after Round 4. The remaining five members were decided by a combination of criteria: producer evaluation (40%), special producer evaluation (30%), preliminary global voting (20%), and final live voting (10%).
The finale was broadcast live on September 3, 2022 from Tokyo. Bang Si-hyuk announced the name of the newly formed boy group to be &Team.
| Episode 8 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Nationality | ||
| N/A | K | ||
| N/A | Nicholas | ||
| N/A | EJ | ||
| N/A | Taki | ||
| 1 | Jo | ||
| 2 | Harua | ||
| 3 | Maki | / | |
| 4 | Yuma | ||
| 5 | Fuma | ||
| 1 | Jo | 24 | 26 | 20 | 6 | 76 | |
| 2 | Harua | 31 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 72 | |
| 3 | Maki | 36 | 25 | 6 | 3 | 70 | |
| 4 | Yuma | 32 | 22 | 8 | 8 | 70 | |
| 5 | Fuma | 22 | 19 | 18 | 7 | 66 | |
| 6 | Gaku | 23 | 12 | 16 | 5 | 56 | |
| 7 | Hikaru | 17 | 12 | 12 | 4 | 45 | |
| 8 | Junwon | 19 | 6 | 10 | 9 | 44 | |
| 9 | Hayate | 10 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 26 | |
| 10 | Yejun | 3 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 14 | |
| 11 | Minhyung | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 11 |
| Title | Year | Peak positions | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| JPN | |||
| "The Final Countdown" | 2022 | — | rowspan="3" |
| "Melody" | — | ||
| "Running with the Pack" | — | ||
| 'The Final Countdown' Official MV Shoot Sketch | Jul 5 2022 | |||
| 'The Final Countdown' Dance Practice | Jul 11 2022 | |||
| &AUDITION - The Howling - #1 Behind Sketch | Jul 12 2022 | Behind the scenes footage of Episode 1 of the program. | ||
| [&AUDITION] Mafia Dance Game | Jul 15 2022 | &AUDITION villagers must catch the four werewolves hiding among them. | <20 minutes | |
| &AUDITION - The Howling - #2 Behind Sketch | Jul 17 2022 | |||
| &AUDITION - The Howling - Balance Game | Jul 19 2022 | Individual quiz choice game | Short-form | |
| &AUDITION - The Howling - #3 Behind Sketch | Jul 24 2022 | |||
| [&AUDITION] Protect the king! | Jul 29 2022 | Eliminate other team's king before they eliminate yours. | <20 minutes | |
| &AUDITION - The Howling - #4 Behind Sketch | Jul 31 2022 | |||
| [&AUDITION] Pictionary | Aug 4 2022 | Groups of trainees guess the hidden trainee through hints by painting portraits | ~5 minutes | |
| &AUDITION - The Howling - #5 Behind Sketch | Aug 7 2022 | |||
| &AUDITION - The Howling - Press Conference Behind | Aug 11 2022 | Behind the scenes of the Tokyo press conference held in early July. | ||
| [&AUDITION] &MISSION in SNACK BAR | Aug 12 2022 | Three videos of five trainee groups playing games to win popular Japanese snacks. | <12 minutes | |
| &AUDITION - The Howling - #6 Behind Sketch | Aug 16 2022 | |||
| &AUDITION - The Howling - Trainee lookbook | Aug 18 2022 | Individual outfit videos | Short-form | |
| Hulu Masterpiece Theater '&AUDITION -The Howling-' | Aug 21 2022 | Hulu Japan exclusive | <40 minutes | |
| &AUDITION - The Howling - #7 Behind Sketch | Aug 21 2022 | |||
| &AUDITION - The Howling - Surprise Fan Event Part 1 | Aug 24 2022 | Hulu Japan exclusive | ||
| &AUDITION - The Howling - Surprise Fan Event Part 2 | Aug 24 2022 | Weverse live exclusive | ||
| [&AUDITION] Mission of &DESTINY | Aug 26 2022 | Completing missions determines their destiny in how and when they go home | <20 minutes | |
| &AUDITION -The Howling - Only on Hulu #1 | Aug 27 2022 | Hulu Japan exclusive; blind-folded member guessing game | <10 minutes | |
| &AUDITION -The Howling - Only on Hulu #2 | Aug 28 2022 | Hulu Japan exclusive; ishin-denshin telepathy posing game | <10 minutes | |
| &AUDITION -The Howling - Only on Hulu #3 | Aug 29 2022 | Hulu Japan exclusive; blind-folded pillow fight game | <15 minutes | |
| [&AUDITION] JAPAN SUMMER VACATION Part 1 | Aug 29 2022 | While in Tokyo practising for the Final Round, trainees go on a trip. | <20 minutes | |
| [&AUDITION] JAPAN SUMMER VACATION Part 2 | Aug 30 2022 | Trainees prepare a barbecue and share their &AUDITION memories. | <20 minutes | |
| &STORY - K, FUMA | Sept 24 2022 | Interviews with &TEAM looking back on &AUDITION. Hulu Japan exclusive. | <20 minutes | |
| &STORY - NICHOLAS | Oct 1 2022 | |||
| &STORY - EJ | Oct 8 2022 | |||
| &STORY - YUMA | Oct 15 2022 | |||
| &STORY - JO | Oct 22 2022 | |||
| &STORY - HARUA | Oct 29 2022 | |||
| &STORY - TAKI, MAKI | Nov 5 2022 | |||
| &TEAM Gakuen | Nov 12 2022 | &TEAM's first variety and talk show showing aspects leading up to their debut. |