&Audition – The Howling Explained

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.

Program synopsis

&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]

Background

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]

Producers

Special Advisor

Mentors

Performance Director

Producer and Sound Director

Special Producers

Producer information from the official &Audition website.

Special Guests

Contestants

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)

Profile

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]

!!Name!Japanese!Nationality!Prefecture / City!Date of Birth!Age !Before &Audition
Debut TraineesKケイJapanTokyo21 October 1997 24Former marathon athlete and I-Land contestant; trained at EXPG Tokyo
NicholasニコラスTaiwanTaipei9 July 200219B-boy and former I-Land contestant
EJウィジュSouth KoreaGoyang7 September 200219Former Big Hit Music trainee, fencing athlete and I-Land contestant
TakiタキJapanUnknown4 May 200517Background in locking, former I-Land contestant
TraineesFumaフウマJapanShizuoka29 June 199823Dancer, 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JapanHyogo25 January 200121Appeared on JTBC's Stage K in 2019; ModelPress Mr High School Boy contestant in 2017
JunwonジュンウォンSouth KoreaJeonju21 April 200319Former trainee of iMe Korea and Biscuit Entertainment
YumaユウマJapanHyogo7 February 2004 18Former Johnny's trainee under Kansai Johnny's Jr from 2012; former Avex trainee from 2015 to 2018
GakuガクJapanNagano25 April 200418
JoジョウJapanKanagawa8 July 2004 17Junon Superboy Contest 2020 finalist, dropped out before finals presumably to become a trainee; basketball player
Hikaru (Haku)ヒカルJapanGunma28 March 200517Ballet background; 2020 Japan Seifuku School Uniform Award winner
HaruaハルアJapanNagano1 May 200517Formerly signed to Stardust Promotion new talent division
MakiマキJapan / GermanyUnknown17 February 200616Musical theatre background; previously part of a musical theatre company
MinhyungミニョンSouth KoreaSeoul27 January 200715Former Big Hit Music trainee
YejunイェジュンSouth KoreaSeoul28 April 200715Former Big Hit Music trainee, child actor; appeared in Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo and Arthdal Chronicles
Note: Profile information from the official &Audition website, and ages based on the international age system and date of release (June 2022).

Concept

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]

Missions

Round 1: Group signal song mission

All trainees perform the theme song "The Final Countdown" together. The special criterion is teamwork.

Minhyung was unable to participate.

Round 2: Concept mission

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.

!Episode!Song!Team Leader!Team Members
2TXT-"Blue Hour (Japanese ver.)"EJFuma, Harua, Yejun
3Monsta X-"Hero (Japanese ver.)"NicholasGaku, Hayate
TVXQ-"Something (Japanese ver.)"KJo, Minhyung
Taemin-"Sayonara Hitori"TakiMaki, Hikaru, Yuma

Round 3: Seventeen legendary mission

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.

!Episode!Song!Group Name!Team Leader!Team Members
5"Call Call Call!"C RidersFumaNicholas, Junwon, Minhyung, Yejun
"Home;Run (Japanese Ver.)"Full CountGakuEJ, Jo, Harua, Maki
"Oh My! (Japanese Ver.)"Wang WangHayateK, Taki, Hikaru, Yuma

Round 4: BTS mission

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.

!Episode!Vocal Song!Performance Song Remix!Team!Trainees
7"Film Out""Run"ANicholas, EJ, Harua, Hayate, Jo, Junwon, Yuma
"Lights""Black Swan"BK, Taki, Fuma, Gaku, Hikaru, Maki, Minhyung, Yejun

Final Round

Junwon performed "Running with the Pack" while seated due to injury.

!Episode!Original Song!Debut Trainees!Trainees
8"Melody"K, Nicholas, EJ, TakiGaku, Yejun, Harua, Hayate, Hikaru
"Running with the Pack"Fuma, Jo, Junwon, Maki, Minhyung, Yuma

Final results

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%).

Result

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
NameNationality
N/AK
N/ANicholas
N/AEJ
N/ATaki
1Jo
2Harua
3Maki /
4Yuma
5Fuma

Full Results

!Rank!Contestant!Producer Evaluation Score!Special Guest Evaluation Score!Preliminary Global Evaluation Score!Final Global Evaluation Score!Comprehensive Evaluation Total Score
1Jo242620676
2Harua3117141072
3Maki36256370
4Yuma32228870
5Fuma221918766
6Gaku231216556
7Hikaru171212445
8Junwon19610944
9Hayate10104226
10Yejun382114
11Minhyung380011

Discography

Singles

TitleYearPeak positionsAlbum
JPN
"The Final Countdown"2022rowspan="3"
"Melody"
"Running with the Pack"

Related content and spin-offs

!Title!Release date!Notes!Duration
'The Final Countdown' Official MV Shoot SketchJul 5 2022
'The Final Countdown' Dance PracticeJul 11 2022
&AUDITION - The Howling - #1 Behind SketchJul 12 2022Behind the scenes footage of Episode 1 of the program.
[&AUDITION] Mafia Dance GameJul 15 2022&AUDITION villagers must catch the four werewolves hiding among them.<20 minutes
&AUDITION - The Howling - #2 Behind SketchJul 17 2022
&AUDITION - The Howling - Balance GameJul 19 2022Individual quiz choice gameShort-form
&AUDITION - The Howling - #3 Behind SketchJul 24 2022
[&AUDITION] Protect the king!Jul 29 2022Eliminate other team's king before they eliminate yours.<20 minutes
&AUDITION - The Howling - #4 Behind SketchJul 31 2022
[&AUDITION] PictionaryAug 4 2022Groups of trainees guess the hidden trainee through hints by painting portraits~5 minutes
&AUDITION - The Howling - #5 Behind SketchAug 7 2022
&AUDITION - The Howling - Press Conference BehindAug 11 2022Behind the scenes of the Tokyo press conference held in early July.
[&AUDITION] &MISSION in SNACK BARAug 12 2022Three videos of five trainee groups playing games to win popular Japanese snacks. <12 minutes
&AUDITION - The Howling - #6 Behind SketchAug 16 2022
&AUDITION - The Howling - Trainee lookbookAug 18 2022Individual outfit videosShort-form
Hulu Masterpiece Theater '&AUDITION -The Howling-'Aug 21 2022Hulu Japan exclusive<40 minutes
&AUDITION - The Howling - #7 Behind SketchAug 21 2022
&AUDITION - The Howling - Surprise Fan Event Part 1Aug 24 2022Hulu Japan exclusive
&AUDITION - The Howling - Surprise Fan Event Part 2Aug 24 2022Weverse live exclusive
[&AUDITION] Mission of &DESTINYAug 26 2022Completing missions determines their destiny in how and when they go home<20 minutes
&AUDITION -The Howling - Only on Hulu #1Aug 27 2022Hulu Japan exclusive; blind-folded member guessing game<10 minutes
&AUDITION -The Howling - Only on Hulu #2Aug 28 2022Hulu Japan exclusive; ishin-denshin telepathy posing game<10 minutes
&AUDITION -The Howling - Only on Hulu #3Aug 29 2022Hulu Japan exclusive; blind-folded pillow fight game<15 minutes
[&AUDITION] JAPAN SUMMER VACATION Part 1Aug 29 2022While in Tokyo practising for the Final Round, trainees go on a trip. <20 minutes
[&AUDITION] JAPAN SUMMER VACATION Part 2Aug 30 2022Trainees prepare a barbecue and share their &AUDITION memories.<20 minutes
&STORY - K, FUMASept 24 2022Interviews with &TEAM looking back on &AUDITION. Hulu Japan exclusive.<20 minutes
&STORY - NICHOLASOct 1 2022
&STORY - EJOct 8 2022
&STORY - YUMAOct 15 2022
&STORY - JOOct 22 2022
&STORY - HARUAOct 29 2022
&STORY - TAKI, MAKINov 5 2022
&TEAM GakuenNov 12 2022&TEAM's first variety and talk show showing aspects leading up to their debut.
Note: All content was released on the HYBE LABELS+ Youtube channel, unless otherwise stated, while shorter content was re-posted on multiple social media platforms.

Aftermath

References

  1. News: HYBE Labels Japan to begin boy band project show '&Audition - The Howling-' on July 9 . .
  2. Web site: 「&AUDITION」デビューグループ名は「&TEAM(エンティーム)」 - モデルプレス . 2022-09-03 . モデルプレス - ライフスタイル・ファッションエンタメニュース . 3 September 2022 . ja.
  3. Web site: HYBE「&AUDITION」は"協力型"オーディション、「15人がワンチームで成長する姿に注目して」. July 4, 2022. July 9, 2022. ja. July 31, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220731023332/https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/0fe2ec783f564d9082bd304cbe0aaa38b3f0e670. dead.
  4. Web site: HYBE LABELS JAPANのオーディション番組「&AUDITION - The Howling -」ファイナルラウンドが9月3日に生放送決定 . 21 August 2022 . Kstyle. 20 August 2022 .
  5. Web site: Frater . Patrick . 20 August 2022 . Scooter Braun Joins Japanese Talent Show '&Audition – The Howling' . Variety . en-US . https://web.archive.org/web/20220820152657/https://variety.com/2022/music/news/scooter-braun-japanese-audition-1235346493/ . 20 August 2022 . live .
  6. Web site: 『&AUDITION-The Howlingー』記者発表会ルポ!(3ページ目) . MORE Magazine . 4 July 2022 . Japan . ja .
  7. News: Lee . Gyu-lee . 1 January 2021 . Big Hit to launch boy band in Japan with audition show 'I-Land' contestants . . 1 January 2021 .
  8. BTS Label Big Hit Entertainment Plans Name Change to HYBE Corporation . .
  9. BTS's HYBE Has a New C-Suite, Including Scooter Braun . Rolling Stone .
  10. Web site: HYBE LABELS JAPAN、「&AUDITION boys」公式Twitter開設…ケイ・ニコラス・ウィジュ・タキの近況公開 . wow!korea . 5 November 2021 . ja.
  11. Web site: ENHYPEN's 'Drunk-Dazed': Fans spot I-LAND contestants K and EJ in MV .
  12. News: Hybe says 'boundless' is its future, shares plans for more diversified portfolio . .
  13. News: I-LAND出身K・TAKIら「&AUDITION boys」初の動画コンテンツ始動 オーディション番組が今年日本で放送予定 . Japanese . Modelpress Lifestyle Fashion Entertainment News モデルプレス - ライフスタイル・ファッションエンタメニュース . Japan .
  14. News: Boy band audition show by HYBE Labels Japan to air from July . .
  15. Web site: HYBE JAPAN初オーディション番組「&AUDITION - The Howling -」公式SNS開設 - モデルプレス . Model Press Japan モデルプレス . 9 March 2022 . ja.
  16. News: Trainees for the '&AUDITION – The Howling' HYBE Japan global debut project revealed . Manila Bulletin .
  17. Web site: HYBE LABELS JAPANのオーディション番組「&AUDITION - The Howling -」デビュー組4人と練習生11人の全15人をついに公開! . K Style News . 5 June 2022 . Japanese.
  18. Web site: 2022-06-27 . &AUDITION drops signal song, 'The Final Countdown' ahead of their long-awaited show premiere — watch . Bandwagon Music media championing and spotlighting music in Asia. . en.
  19. Billboard Staff . 2022-08-12 . BTS & TOMORROW X TOGETHER to Advise Contestants on '&Audition – The Howling' . 2022-08-21 . . en-US.
  20. Web site: Trainees for the '&AUDITION - The Howling' HYBE Japan global debut project revealed . Manila Bulletin . en-US.
  21. Web site: 「&AUDITION」"デビュー白紙"の可能性も…コンセプトミッション開始でEJチームに厳しい評価、本番結果は? - モデルプレス . 2022-08-11 . モデルプレス - ライフスタイル・ファッションエンタメニュース . 16 July 2022 . ja.
  22. Web site: 2022-12-02 . HYBE's first Japanese boy band &Team to hold debut showcase in Tokyo on Dec. 8 . 2022-12-13 . . en.
  23. Web site: 2023-09-02 . 「&AUDITION」出身HIKARU&GAKU「デビューメンバーになりました」HYBEレーベルズ公式動画で報告 - モデルプレス . 2024-01-12 . モデルプレス - ライフスタイル・ファッションエンタメニュース . ja.
  24. Web site: 2023-10-25 . HYBE LABELS JAPAN「24組」計5人のメンバーがベール脱ぐ - モデルプレス . 2024-01-12 . モデルプレス - ライフスタイル・ファッションエンタメニュース . ja.
  25. Web site: 판타지 보이즈 측 "계약 불발 유준원, 2번의 무단이탈과 계약서 수정 요구" [전문]]. Daum. ko. August 23, 2023. August 23, 2023.

External links