Individual Performances

Following the group performances, we all headed backstage to prepare for our performances. The first 5 man group who had performed earlier had already been prepared so will perform while the rest of us get ready. The first person out was Sim Hyun-Shik who ended up performing 'Rolling in the deep' by Adele. He sang the song beautifully, and the choreography that he had made was elegant and emotional. Perfect for the song. The next performances were Seol Young, who performed 'Whistle' by Flo Rida. The performance was pretty good but lacked practice. His high notes were on the verge of breaking every time. Ho Jung then performed 'Blue Bird' by Ikimono Gakari. His performance was underwhelming, to say the least. There was very little energy in his performance, and the choreography seemed half-assed. It seemed as though he had spent more time arguing on behalf of Seol Young than he did practising. Akizuki Akira performed 'Feels so close' by Calvin Harris, while Hayashi performed 'Scream' by Usher. Hayashi's performance seemed to be the most popular of the first 5.

Following Hayashi's performance, the remaining five of us were now ready to go up. First was Nam Youngjae who performed 'I think you know' by TVXQ. His choreography flowed perfectly from one move to the next, highlighting not only his vocals but his control of his anatomical movements. DongBang then performed 'Heart Breaker' by G-Dragon. DongBang was already very popular in JYP. He is currently Korean-American at the company, which makes him a unique trainee. He is, alongside me considered one of the best dancers in the company. Infact, he is miles ahead of me. Even JYP is unable to criticise his dancing due to his ability being much higher. Whenever we ask him how he learnt to dance, all he tells us is that he has been dancing since he was 3 years old. he is now 18. That's 15 years of dancing, mixed with what seems to be his natural talent. His favourite group, as the audience will probably grasp from the number of times he's performed their songs is infinite. This is due to the amazing and intricate dances that they perform for their songs. DongBang and the backup dancers perform effortlessly. his movements are smooth, accomplished and well practised. It almost seems like he made up the choreography. Although his vocal and rap ability isn't the best, he has great breath control and stability so his singing is solid while performing. His range is not the best but is still better than average allowing him to sing the song without issue. By the time the song ends the crowd is jumping and bouncing along with the song and cheering him on. It's going to be hard to top DongBang's performance.

Following DongBang, Ra Chan-wook performs a surprising cover of Baek Ji Young's 'Candy in my ears' which goes down well with the audience of trainees. But we can see the discomfort and disappointment on JYP and the other trainer's faces. It seems like they disapprove of the choice. I can agree with them. Getting this late in the show and performing a song that is going to entertain but not show off your abilities as much is a sure way to get yourself put into the Last Stand. Upon finishing Chan-wook quickly leaves the stage. Kyu-Bong is up next and performs a cover of Eminem's lose yourself. He performs it well, and his English pronunciation is amazing for someone who doesn't speak a drop of English. However, his dance is lacklustre, and his vocals, which aren't bad, don't seem to be receiving much effort from Kyu-Bong. It seems to be enough to earn him safety this time around, but I worry that he will probably be under fire if he performs another song like this again.

Finally, it's my turn. I step onto the stage and get ready to perform. I had completely changed the original version of the song. I had slightly upped the tempo and switched the backing beat as well as the bridge to make it easier for me to dance to as well as show off my vocal range. The music starts and I begin to sing 'It Will Rain' by Bruno Mars. In the beginning, no one recognises the song but upon reaching the bridge some start to recognise the lyrics. The change in style beat there them off, making them think that it might have been an original. Once I reach the chorus everyone knows what the song is, and some are singing along. I finish up the song tidily. It's not my best performance, but it was certainly better than a lot of the other performances.

Once my performance had ended, the contestants all came back onto the stage and lined up as the trainees, trainers and JYP all voted. While this was happening JYP asked us some questions and provided some advice. Finally, the results had all come in and we were ready to see who would win. As well as who would be fighting in the next Last Stand. The results looked like this.

8th: Sim Kyu-Bong

7th: Seol Young

6th: Sim Hyun-Shik

5th: Nam Younjae

4th: Chu Jin-Ho

3rd: Akizuki Akira

"Ok, now can Ra Chan-Wook and Ho Jung please step forward?" JYP requests. At his words, the two boys step forward into the middle of the stage. "I will now announce 10th place" JYP calls.

"In tenth place is....." The drawn-out pause makes everyone more nervous. I can see both Chan-wook and Ho Jung shaking as they wait for the verdict.

"Ra Chan-wook" JYP calls the name. Chan-wook breathes a sigh of relief as Ho Jung kneels and slowly begins to cry. "Chan-wook. Don't breathe easy just yet. Both of you were absolutely shocking, and your song choice was poor. The only reason you got 10th place is that you put more effort into your performance, and seemed more practised. If Ho Jung had even put a little bit more effort in, I would have no regrets sending you to the Last Stand!" The statement from JYP instantly shuts Chan-wook up and made him go stiff. he bows to JYP "Yes PD-nim. I will work harder next time" he says.

"You had better!" JYP replies.

With that, the boys fall back as 1st and second are announced.

"In first place for this challenge is..."

Hayashi Roh's name appears on the screen.

We all cheer and go to hug him. DongBang is slightly disappointed but happy overall for Hayashi. "Well done to both of you, truly. DongBang, you put on a great performance with excellent dance. However Hayashi's overall performance was more polished and well-balanced, hence he won out against you. Continue to improve your vocals and rap, and soon you will be the one coming out on top" With that JYP ends the episode by thanking the audience and the camera. We are all sent home, and told to prepare for the next episode which wouldn't be filmed until December.