R U Next?

*R U Next?*
R U Next?
	Promotional poster
Hangul	알유넥스트
Revised Romanization	Al yu negseuteu
Genre	Reality competition
Presented by	Choi Soo-young
Opening theme	"R.U.N" (전속력으로) by Suzy
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of episodes	10
Production
Running time	90 minutes;
Production companies	Belift Lab; HYBE; Studio JAMM (JTBC); Mushroom Company;
Original release
Network	JTBC
Release	June 30 –; September 1, 2023

R U Next? (Korean: 알유넥스트?; stylized in all caps) is a South Korean girl group reality competition series organized by Belift Lab and JTBC.^[1] The program debuted girl group Illit.

Promotion and broadcast

On June 1, 2023, JTBC and Belift Lab announced that they had begun filming for the new survival program R U Next?, which aims to create the agency's next global girl group. The contestants would be assessed through seven rounds.^[1] On the same day, Girls' Generation's Choi Soo-young was confirmed as the show's host.^[2] On June 7, the official Twitter, Instagram and Weverse accounts for R U Next? opened and the first set of promotional posters were posted. An article was also released on the same day confirming the show would be containing seven missions and would also air through Wavve and Netflix in South Korea and Abema TV in Japan from June 30, at 8:50PM KST.^[3] On June 9, former Miss A member and actress, Bae Suzy, was confirmed to sing the signal song for R U Next?. It was released on June 12 at 6:00PM KST.^[4] Profiles of the twenty-two contestants were revealed on June 16, with individual profile photos and introduction videos.^[5]

Final lineup

After the performances of the final round, the six-member final lineup was decided through a combination of votes and label consideration. The six winners - Wonhee, Youngseo, Iroha, Yunah, Minju, and Moka - were chosen to become members of ILLIT, the first girl group under BeLift Lab, and in turn, the third girl group to debut under Hybe after Le Sserafim and NewJeans.^[6] However, Youngseo left the pre-debut lineup which was announced on 5 January 2024,^[7] and hence the group was later confirmed to debut with the remaining five members.^[8] Illit debuted on March 25, 2024 and released their debut album, Super Real Me, with Hybe's chairman Bang Si-hyuk participating as producer of their album.^[9]^[10] The group's name "Illit" is the combination of the phrase, 'I will' and the word, 'it,' according to Hybe, which demonstrates the group's desire to go beyond their potential and strive to be what they want it to be.^[11]

Cast

Host

Choi Soo-young

Coaches^[12]

Park Gyu-ri
Lee Hyun
Jo Kwon
Kim Jae-hwan
Aiki
Vincenzo
Mandu

Guests

Baekho - special coach for Round 2 (Episode 2-3)
Jay Park – special coach for Round 3 (Episode 3-5)
Enhypen's Heeseung & Jungwon – special coach for Round 4 (Episode 5-6)^[13]
Woozi - special coach for Round 4 (Episode 5-6)
Shin Kung - special coach for Round 6 (Episode 9)

Contestants

	Final members of Illit pre-debut
	Eliminated in final episode
	Eliminated in fifth elimination
	Eliminated in fourth elimination
	Eliminated in third elimination
	Eliminated in second elimination
	Eliminated in first elimination
	Left the show

22 contestants
Wonhee (원희)	Youngseo (영서)	Minju (민주)	Iroha (이로하)	Moka (모카)
Yunah (윤아)	Jeongeun (정은)	Jeemin (지민)	Himena (히메나)	Jiwoo (지우)
Chanelle (사넬)	Jihyun (지현)	Funa (후우나)	Seoyeon (서연)	Hyewon (혜원)
Moa (모아)	Ruka (루카)	Yewon (예원)	Ena (에나)	Haseul (하슬)
Iris (아이리스)	Yuisa (유이사)

Profile

Name	Hangul	Nationality	Prior to R U Next?
Jiwoo	지우	Korean	Appeared in a YouTube content (2020), majored in Broadcast entertainment at Dongduk Women's University
Funa	후우나	Japanese	Former Nizi Project contestant
Moa	모아	Thai	Former P Nation and SM Entertainment trainee
Chanelle	샤넬	Korean-American	Former Yuehua Entertainment trainee Appeared on JTBC's Stage K in 2019
Yunah	윤아	Korean	Former Source Music, Fantagio. Stardium and TS Entertainment trainee
Minju	민주	Korean	Former YG Entertainment trainee
Jeongeun	정은	Korean	Former Source Music trainee and child actress
Moka	모카	Japanese	Former HYBE Labels Japan trainee
Jihyun	지현	Korean	Pre-debut member of HOWZ Former HOW Entertainment and Yuehua Entertainment trainee
Ruka	루카	Japanese	Former Cube Entertainment and Source Music trainee Pre-debut trainee lineup of Le Sserafim
Yewon	예원	Korean	Former Source Music trainee
Jeemin	지민	Korean	Former Source Music trainee
Hyewon	혜원	Korean	Former member of Little Cheer Girl
Youngseo	영서	Korean	Former Source Music and SM Entertainment trainee
Yuisa	유이사	Japanese
Wonhee	원희	Korean	Scouted by a HYBE employee at a bus station in February 2023 while visiting Seoul^[14]
Haseul	하슬	Korean-American
Iroha	이로하	Japanese	Former JYP Entertainment trainee
Iris	아이리스	Thai	Ballroom dancing
Himena	히메나	Japanese
Seoyeon	서연	Korean
Ena	에나	Japanese	Former HYBE Labels Japan trainee

Missions

Round 1: Tryout

Episode 1-2

The try out is the gateway to see if you have the potential to become a member. The trainees have been divided into 7 different units with 3-4 members per unit. The tryouts will be evaluated within each unit. Each unit will be evaluated by the coaches after their performances.^[15] The unit members will then each be divided into three levels: HIGH LEVEL (H), MID LEVEL (M), and LOW LEVEL (L).

Tryout mission results
Performance			Group	Contestant	Ranking
#	Artist(s)	Song(s)	Group	Contestant	Initial ^[b]	Level
Episode 1
1	Red Velvet	"Bad Boy"	Bad Me Girls (뱃미걸즈)	Jiwoo	5	L
				Jeongeun	8	H
				Chanelle	9	M
2	Itzy	"Dalla Dalla"	Powerful Kitties (파워꼬앙이)	Iroha	3	H
				Hyewon	13	M
				Jihyun	14	L
3	Aespa	"Dreams Come True"	16,200,000	Iris	16	H
				Ena	20	L
				Wonhee	00^[c]	M
				Seoyeon	00^[c]	H
4	(G)I-dle	"Tomboy"	I Want (아이원)	Moka	6	M
				Youngseo	7	H
				Moa	15	L
Episode 2
5	Apink	"Dumhdurum"	Not Shown	Funa	11	L
				Ruka	12	H
				Haseul	17	M
6	Miss A	"Bad Girl Good Girl"	MISS TOP	Jeemin	1	L
				Yunah	2	H
				Minju	4	M
7	Kara	"When I Move"	Not Shown	Himena	10	H
				Yewon	18	L^[d]
				Yuisa	19	M

Round 2: Death Match

Episode 2-3

The theme of the mission is the debut title tracks of the 4th generation idol groups of HYBE. Within the three levels formed, 2 units will be formed. Two units will perform together with the same song. The unit that wins will get a benefit of extra points. Starting from this mission, there will be eliminations. Trainees in the Low Level will become elimination candidates.^[16]

The coaches chose the 1st and 2nd places by level after Round 1. The 1st and 2nd place of each level has the advantage of choosing the members of their unit. In selecting the songs the Low Level team chooses first, however higher teams can push aside the lower ranking teams if they want to select the same song.

A mini mission was carried out to decide the killing part for each song. Each contestant will carry out an expression audition in front of a camera to see how well they can leave an impression with the first verse of their mission songs and test their expressive skills. The contestants will vote amongst themselves to choose who gets the killing part.

Each coach will give scores to the individual trainees from 1 - 100 (up to a total individual score of 700). The average of the individual scores will be the overall team score, where higher team score will be the winner for each song. The winning unit receives an extra 50 points added on their individual score.

Color key

Winning Team

Killing Part

Bold denotes the contestant who picked the team members.

Death Match mission results
Performance			Group	Result		Contestant
#	Artist(s)	Song(s)	Unit	Team	Individual^[e]	Name	Position	New Level
1	Le Sserafim	"Fearless"	MID - A	550.5	572	Minju	4	M
					440	Haseul	2	L
					626	Hyewon	1	H
					564	Wonhee	3	M
			LOW - B	536.33	540	Moa	5	L
					519	Funa	7	L
					550	Yewon	6	L
2	NewJeans	"Attention"	HIGH - A	589.5	581	Yunah	5	H
					603	Jeongeun	7	H
					599	Himena	6	H
					575	Seoyeon	8	M
			MID - B	527	517	Moka	2	L
					626	Chanelle	1	H
					438	Yuisa	3	L
3	Enhypen	"Given-Taken"	HIGH - B	550	607	Iroha	6	H
					591	Youngseo	5	H
					539	Ruka	8	M
					463	Iris	7	L
			LOW - A	545	552	Jeemin	3	M
					573	Jihyun	1	M
					606	Jiwoo	2	M
					449	Ena	4	L

Round 3: All-Rounder

Episode 3-5

The contestants will be divided into 3 units of 7 members each, regardless of their level. The three unit will be performing two different genres, heel choreography and hip-hop. Each song for the heel choreography will include a mission prop.

The units are formed around each levels' 1st place trainee, Hyewon, Seoyeon and Yewon. The three leaders will have the power to decide the parts and flow of the practice sessions. The heel choreo songs are decided based on a flexibility test and hip hop songs are decided based on 'Show me the SWF' freestyle dance and rap competition, where the winning unit will choose the mission songs for all the units.

After each performance, each coach will give scores to the individual trainees from 1 - 100 (the total of individual scores will become the final unit score). The winning unit receives an extra 100 benefit points and the second place unit receives an extra 50 benefit points.

Mission 1: Heel Choreo

Winning Team

Killing Part

Bold denotes the contestant who picked the team members and acts as the team's leader.

Heel Choreo mission results
Performance				Group	Result		Contestant
#	Artist(s)	Song(s)	Mission Prop	Unit	Team	Individual	Name	Position
1	Chungha	"Dream of You"	Cane	Yewon's Unit	3660	500	Yewon	7
						529	Wonhee	6
						613	Jeemin	1
						509	Ruka	4
						543	Moka	2
						504	Funa	3
						462	Haseul	5
2	f(x)	"4 Walls"	Fan	Seoyeon's Unit	3688	547	Seoyeon	5
						566	Minju	2
						505	Moa	4
						598	Jiwoo	1
						611	Himena	3
						413	Iris	6
						448	Ena	7
3	Girls' Generation	"The Boys"	Hat	Hyewon's Unit	4419	632	Hyewon	1
						613	Iroha	7
						636	Yunah	3
						657	Chanelle	2
						640	Youngseo	6
						616	Jeongeun	4
						625	Jihyun	5

Mission 2: Hip Hop

Winning Team

Killing Part

Bold denotes the contestant who picked the team members and acts as the team's leader.

Hip Hop mission results
Performance			Group	Result		Contestant
#	Artist(s)	Song(s)	Unit	Team	Individual	Name	Position
1	(G)I-dle	"My Bag"	Yewon's Unit	3862	569	Yewon	1
					600	Wonhee	2
					525	Ruka	5
					593	Jeemin	3
					580	Moka	7
					521	Funa	4
					474	Haseul	6
2	CL	"Tie a Cherry"	Seoyeon's Unit	3855	566	Seoyeon	2
					579	Minju	1
					569	Moa	5
					575	Jiwoo	3
					639	Himena	4
					453	Iris	7
					474	Ena	6
3	Lisa	"Money"	Hyewon's Unit	4254	605	Hyewon	4
					631	Iroha	1
					581	Yunah	7
					603	Chanelle	5
					634	Youngseo	2
					588	Jeongeun	3
					612	Jihyun	6

Round 4: The Specialists

Episode 5-6

Winning Team

Killing Part

Bold denotes the contestant who picked the team members and acts as the team's leader.

Vocal Battle Results
Performance			Result		Contestant
#	Artist(s)	Song(s)	Team	Individual^[e]	Name	Ranking	New Level
1	Baek Yerin	"Across the Universe"	3305	894	Jiwoo	1	H
				835	Yunah	4	M
				813	Jeongeun	5	L
				763	Wonhee	7	M
2	Taeyeon	"Spark"	3105	628	Yewon	8	L
				863	Minju	2	M
				838	Chanelle	3	M
				776	Seoyeon	6	L

Dance Battle Results
Performance			Result		Contestant
#	Artist(s)	Song(s)	Team	Individual^[e]	Name	Position	New Level
1	After School	"Bang!"	3897	938	Youngseo	1	H
				884	Iroha	3	H
				830	Hyewon	4	L
				577	Ruka	2	L
				668	Moa	5	L
2	Wonder Girls	"Tell Me"	4237	902	Jihyun	2	H
				862	Jeemin	1	H
				831	Himena	4	L
				853	Moka	3	M
				789	Funa	5	L

Round 5: Concept Game

Episode 7-8

This round consists of two missions, testing how well the contestants digest songs of different concepts that are represented through colors. The final results for this round is composed of 50% Color mission and 50% Black Mission.

Mission 1: Color mission

Starting from lower-ranked contestants to the higher-ranked contestants, the contestants choose their desired songs based on the color of the room, which indicates the concept of the song, as well as the artist pictured on the outside of a door. The higher-ranked contestants must push out a member if there are more than five people in a room.

Within each group, each contestant will each decide how the parts should be distributed. Each contestant in the group then votes on which distribution they think is the most ideal, which ends up being the final part distribution. The contestant whose part distribution is chosen will also be the leader.

Each coach will give scores to each individual contestant from 1 - 100 (up to a total evaluation score of 700). Each contestant's total score calculated will consist of 700 evaluation points from the coaches, 200 points from the on-site audience, and 500 points from the 2nd votes voting round. When each contestant's total scores are added together, there is a maximum of 4500 points possible to be scored per unit. The trainees will no longer be divided by the High, Mid and Low Zone from around 5 onwards, instead the top six contestants based on the combined results of Mission 1 and 2 would be ranked in the Next Zone (A.K.A Orange Zone) while those ranked 7th and below would be relegated into the Grey Zone, with those ranked the bottom three be eliminated.

Color key

Winning Team

Killing Part

Bold denotes the contestant whose part distributions were chosen and acts as the team's leader.

Concept Game mission Results
Performance			Group	Result		Contestant
#	Artist(s)	Song(s)	Team Name	Team	Individual^[e]	Name	Position	New Level
1	2NE1	"I Don't Care"	Green	3483	771	Youngseo	4	5
					649	Jihyun	1	11
					706	Jeemin	3	7
					815	Minju	2	3
					542	Hyewon	5	15
2	Oh My Girl	"The Fifth Season (SSFWL)"	Purple	3536	739	Wonhee	1	6
					738	Moka	2	10
					695	Chanelle	3	9
					742	Himena	4	12
					622	Seoyeon	5	14
3	Red Velvet – Irene & Seulgi	"Monster"	Red	3723	812	Jiwoo	1	2
					777	Iroha	4	1
					793	Yunah	2	4
					739	Jeongeun	3	8
					602	Funa	5	13

Mission 2: Black Mission

The second mission involves each team choosing one contestant as a representative and performing one song.

Color key

Winning Team

Killing Part

Bold denotes the contestant whose part distributions were chosen and acts as the team's leader.

Black Mission Results
Performance		Group	Result		Contestant
Artist	Song	Team Name	Team	Total Points	Name
Blackpink	"Shut Down"	Green	3910	7393	Youngseo
		Purple	3770	7306	Himena
		Red	3925	7648	Iroha

Round 6: Image Training

Episode 9

This round tests trainees potential with two teams competing against each other with original songs as well as performing two cover songs.

Color key

Winning Team

Killing Part

Mission Results
Performance	Group	Result		Contestant
Song	Team Name	Team	Points	Name	Position
"Pride"	Pride	5158		Jeemin	Center
				Chanelle	Main Vocal
				Yunah	Lead Vocal
				Jihyun	Sub-Vocal 1
				Youngseo	Sub-Vocal 2
				Himena	Sub-Vocal 3
"Scrum"	Scrum	5508		Jeongeun	Center
				Wonhee	Main Vocal
				Jiwoo	Lead Vocal
				Iroha	Sub-Vocal 1
				Minju	Sub-Vocal 2
				Moka	Sub-Vocal 3

Mission 2: Global Kpop Mission

Global Song Mission Results
Performance		Group	Result		Contestant
Artist	Song	Team Name	Team	Points	Name	Position
Ive	"Eleven"	Pride	4816		Youngseo	Center
					Yunah	Main Vocal
					Jihyun	Lead Vocal
					Jeemin	Sub-Vocal 1
					Chanelle	Sub-Vocal 2
					Himena	Sub-Vocal 3
Twice	"Feel Special"	Scrum	5390		Iroha	Center
					Jiwoo	Main Vocal
					Moka	Lead Vocal
					Wonhee	Sub-Vocal 1
					Minju	Sub-Vocal 2
					Jeongeun	Sub-Vocal 3

Round 7: Finish Line

Mission
Performance	Group	Contestant
Song	Team Name	Name	Position
"Aim High"	Aim High	Wonhee	Center
		Yunah	Main Vocal
		Jeongeun	Lead Vocal
		Moka	Sub-Vocal 1
		Himena	Sub-Vocal 2
"Desperate"	Desperate	Minju	Center
		Jiwoo	Main Vocal
		Jeemin	Lead Vocal
		Youngseo	Sub-Vocal 1
		Iroha	Sub-Vocal 2

Group mission

The group mission is the performance of the show's theme song. This marked the first and final time the ten finalists of the show get to perform together.

Mission
Performance song	Contestant	Position
"R.U.N" (original singer: Bae Suzy)	Minju	1
	Wonhee	2
	Moka	3
	Jeongeun	4
	Youngseo	5
	Himena	6
	Jiwoo	7
	Yunah	8
	Iroha	9
	Jeemin	10

Medley of Round 2 performances

This marked the return of all 22 contestants (consisting of the ten finalists and the twelve eliminated trainees) who performed a special medley of Round 2 performances, in their original teams from Round 2.

Medley of Round 2 performances
Performance			Group	Contestant
#	Artist(s)	Song(s)	Unit	Name	Position
1	Enhypen	"Given-Taken"	HIGH - B	Iroha	6
				Youngseo	5
				Ruka	8
				Iris	7
			LOW - A	Jeemin	3
				Jihyun	1
				Jiwoo	2
				Ena	4
2	Le Sserafim	"Fearless"	MID - A	Minju	4
				Haseul	2
				Hyewon	1
				Wonhee	3
			LOW - B	Moa	5
				Funa	7
				Yewon	6
3	NewJeans	"Attention"	HIGH - A	Yunah	5
				Jeongeun	7
				Himena	6
				Seoyeon	8
			MID - B	Moka	2
				Chanelle	1
				Yuisa	3

Rankings

	Final members of Illit
	Eliminated in final episode
	Eliminated in fifth elimination
	Eliminated in fourth elimination
	Eliminated in third elimination
	Eliminated in second elimination
	Eliminated in first elimination

Name	Ranking
	Initial^[b]	Ep. 1-2	Ep. 3			Ep. 5			Ep. 6			Ep. 8		Ep. 9		Ep. 10	Final
	Rank	Level	Score^[e]	Rank	Level	Score^[e]	Rank	Level	Score^[e]	Rank	Level	Score^[e]	Rank	Score^[e]	Rank	Rank	Final
Wonhee (원희)	00^[c]	M	614	10	M	1129	13	L	1292	7	M	1027	6	2595	7	1	1
Youngseo (영서)	7	H	641	5	H	1374	1	H	1404	1	H	1151	5	2719	3	2	2
Minju (민주)	4	M	622	9	M	1195	11	M	1301	6	M	1230	3	2955	1	3	3
Iroha (이로하)	3	H	657	2	H	1344	3	H	1362	3	H	1291	1	2695	4	4	4
Moka (모카)	6	M	517	18	L	1123	15	L	1256	9	M	955	10	2825	2	5	5
Yunah (윤아)	2	H	631	6	H	1317	6	H	1267	8	M	1167	4	2563	8	6	6
Himena (히메나)	10	H	649	4	H	1300	8	M	1083	12	L	828	12	2132	10	Eliminated
Jeemin (지민)	1	L	552	14	M	1206	10	M	1313	5	H	1023	7	2597	6	Eliminated
Jeongeun (정은)	8	H	653	3	H	1304	7	M	1093	11	L	1014	8	2414	9	Eliminated
Jiwoo (지우)	5	L	606	11	M	1223	9	M	1400	2	H	1248	2	2607	5	Eliminated
Chanelle (샤넬)	9	M	626	7	H	1360	2	H	1153	10	M	980	9	2104	11	Eliminated
Jihyun (지현)	14	L	573	13	M	1337	4	H	1339	4	H	869	11	1943	12	Eliminated
Funa (후우나)	11	L	519	17	L	1025	18	L	1067	13	L	808	13	Eliminated
Seoyeon (서연)	00^[c]	H	625	8	M	1163	12	M	902	15	L	688	14	Eliminated
Hyewon (혜원)	13	M	676	1	H	1337	4	H	1014	14	L	650	15	Eliminated
Moa (모아)	15	L	540	16	L	1124	14	L	901	16	L	Eliminated
Ruka (루카)	12	H	589	12	M	1034	17	L	894	17	L	Eliminated
Yewon (예원)	18	L^[d]	550	15	L	1069	16	L	772	18	L	Eliminated
Ena (에나)	20	L	449	21	L	972	19	L	Eliminated
Haseul (하슬)	17	M	440	20	L	936	20	L	Eliminated
Iris (아이리스)	16	H	513	19	L	916	21	L	Eliminated
Yuisa (유이사)	19	M	-	22	L	Eliminated

Global votes

First voting period

The first global voting period took place from June 23, 2023, at 12pm KST to July 5, 12am KST. Fans were able to vote for six contestants, once a day. 50% domestic and 50% global votes were converted into scores.

Color key

Top 6

1st Global Voting Announcement results
Rank	Contestant	Votes			Ranks
Rank	Contestant	Korean	Global	Total ^[f]	Korean	Global
1	Iroha	154,735	169,696	324,431	2	1
2	Youngseo	148,626	167,686	316,312	3	2
3	Minju	169,696	127,603	297,299	1	7
4	Wonhee	147,307	143,508	290,815	5	5
5	Jiwoo	84,965	157,209	242,174	9	4
6	Jeemin	147,996	90,465	238,461	4	12
7	Jihyun	112,236	116,094	228,330	7	8
8	Yunah	112,373	113,290	225,663	6	9
9	Ruka	71,753	143,145	214,898	10	6
10	Chanelle	49,214	164,710	213,924	17	3
11	Moka	99,172	106,905	206,077	8	10
12	Moa	61,810	96,222	158,032	14	11
13	Hyewon	44,765	80,463	125,228	18	13
14	Jeongeun	58,043	64,844	122,887	15	14
15	Funa	56,210	64,576	120,786	16	15
16	Himena	70,380	33,089	103,469	11	16
17	Yewon	68,013	29,705	97,718	12	17
18	Seoyeon	62,915	22,478	85,393	13	18

Second voting period

The second global voting period took place from July 7, 2023, at 12pm KST to July 20, 12am KST. Fans were able to vote for six contestants, once a day. 50% domestic and 50% global votes were converted into scores.

Color key

Top 6

2nd Global Voting Announcement results
Rank	Contestant	Votes			Ranks
Rank	Contestant	Korean	Global	Total ^[f]	Korean	Global
1	Minju	232,846	153,356	386,202	1	4
2	Youngseo	193,340	160,525	353,865	2	3
3	Jiwoo	80,096	232,846	312,942	10	1
4	Jeemin	168,129	129,709	294,838	4	7
5	Iroha	161,754	130,865	292,619	5	6
6	Wonhee	174,229	94,109	268,338	3	9
7	Chanelle	62,061	203,365	265,426	11	2
8	Yunah	122,722	132,125	254,847	6	5
9	Jihyun	110,208	95,008	205,216	8	8
10	Moka	115,522	86,531	202,053	7	10
11	Jeongeun	104,301	58,322	162,623	9	11
12	Hyewon	48,236	52,596	100,832	15	12
13	Funa	56,369	42,820	99,189	13	13
14	Himena	61,156	19,219	80,375	12	14
15	Seoyeon	53,261	8,126	61,387	14	15

Third voting period

The third global voting period took place from July 21, 2023, at 10:30pm KST to Aug 10, 12am KST. Fans were able to vote for six contestants, once a day. 50% domestic and 50% global votes were converted into scores.

Color key

Top 6

3rd Global Voting Announcement results
Rank	Contestant	Votes			Ranks
Rank	Contestant	Korean	Global	Total ^[f]	Korean	Global
1	Youngseo	818,558	699,344	1,517,902	2	4
2	Jeemin	775,050	700,580	1,475,630	3	3
3	Minju	844,882	600,985	1,445,867	1	6
4	Jiwoo	535,011	844,882	1,379,893	7	1
5	Yunah	618,807	662,204	1,281,011	6	5
6	Chanelle	383,808	804,517	1,188,325	11	2
7	Iroha	669,902	424,272	1,094,174	5	7
8	Wonhee	730,905	274,903	1,005,808	4	10
9	Jihyun	520,488	411,882	932,370	8	8
10	Moka	467,454	327,969	795,423	9	9
11	Jeongeun	454,860	231,360	686,220	10	11
12	Himena	323,735	183,275	507,010	12	12

Final Live Voting

Color key

Top 2

Label Pick

Final Live Voting Announcement results
Rank	Contestant	Votes
1	Wonhee	3,299,395
2	Youngseo	3,065,146
3	Minju	2,961,696
4	Jeemin	2,673,879
5	Iroha	2,569,421
6	Jeongeun	2,566,936
7	Yunah	2,512,654
8	Moka	2,111,375
9	Jiwoo	1,911,489
10	Himena	1,394,729

Discography

Singles

Title	Year	Peak positions	Album
Title	Year	KOR Down. ^[17]	Album
"R.U.N" (전속력으로)	2023	55	R U Next? Theme Song

Ratings

Average TV viewership ratings
Ep.	Original broadcast date	Average audience share
Ep.	Original broadcast date	Nielsen Korea (Nationwide)^[18]
1	June 30, 2023	0.678% (40th)
2	July 7, 2023	0.593% (40th)
3	July 14, 2023	0.418% (48th)
4	July 21, 2023	0.597% (39th)
5	July 28, 2023	0.453% (46th)
6	August 4, 2023	0.419% (48th)
7	August 11, 2023	0.39% (49th)
8	August 18, 2023	0.251% (62nd)
9	August 25, 2023	0.386% (45th)
10	September 1, 2023	0.5%
In the table above, the blue numbers represent the lowest ratings and the red numbers represent the highest ratings. This series aired on a cable channel/pay TV which normally has a relatively smaller audience compared to free-to-air TV/public broadcasters (KBS, SBS, MBC and EBS).

Response

R U Next, during its time of broadcast, gained a large fan following from South Korea and many other countries. The final episode was viewed in 182 countries and regions, and over 23 million votes were cast globally to select six contestants to join the debut lineup. During the broadcast of the show, its official TikTok channel accumulated over 800 million views, and the show's official accounts on other social media platforms attracted more than one million followers. The final lineup, consisting of Wonhee, Youngseo, Minju, Iroha, Moka, and Yunah, received good fan reception.^[19]^[20]

Despite its popularity among fans, there were several controversies surrounding the show. Among them were the selection of the debut lineup members, because the system of choosing the six members of the debut lineup, mainly two via fan voting and four via label pick, caused some dissatisfaction among viewers who felt the fan votes were not the main factor behind choosing the members of the debut lineup, and another reason was due to the elimination of some trainees who were among the most well-liked contestants by fans, who felt they deserved a chance to debut like the six winners.^[21]^[22]

In the aftermath, two of the eliminated trainees – Yewon and Chanelle – left Hybe and trained under Attrakt, and they became the new members of Fifty Fifty.^[23] Another one of the eliminated contestants, Jeemin, would join WakeOne as a trainee and compete in survival show I-land 2 in 2024, and after winning second in the finale, she is set to debut as a member of Izna, WakeOne's first girl group with a permanent contract.^[24]

Notes

^ A subsidiary of Hybe Corporation
^ ^a ^b The initial rankings were given out prior to the start of the show based on the trainees' monthly evaluations.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d Trainees with the rank 00 have not yet participated in monthly evaluations, therefore does not have a pre-show rank.
^ ^a ^b Yewon was absent for this round due to COVID-19, therefore was automatically placed in Low Level.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Individual scores of the winning teams include the benefit points gained in this round.
^ ^a ^b ^c Points were calculated using this formula: [Number of Korean Votes × (Overall Total Votes ÷ Total Korean Votes)] + [Number of International Votes × (Overall Total Votes ÷ Total International Votes)].

References

^ ^a ^b "하이브, JTBC 손잡고 새 걸그룹 론칭 'R U Next' 30일 첫방[공식]" [Hybe, JTBC join hands to launch a new girl group 'RU Next' First broadcast on the 30th [Official]]. Star News (in Korean). June 1, 2023. Archived from the original on June 19, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
^ "수영, 하이브 걸그룹 新 뽑는 'R U Next?' MC 발탁" [Sooyoung selects as MC for new Hybe girl group 'RU Next?']. ETNews (in Korean). June 15, 2023. Archived from the original on June 19, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
^ "하이브 새 걸그룹 누구?...'알유넥스트', 티저 영상 공개" [Who is Hybe's new girl group?...'RU Next', teaser video released]. Maeil Broadcasting Network (in Korean). June 7, 2023. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023 – via Naver.
^ "[단독]수지, 걸그룹 오디션 '알유넥스트' 시그널송 부른다" [[Exclusive] Suzy sings a signal song for girl group audition 'R U Next']. Maeil Broadcasting Network (in Korean). June 9, 2023. Archived from the original on June 19, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023 – via Naver.
^ "22인 베일 벗었다! 하이브 새 걸그룹 서바이벌 프로그램 JTBC 'R U Next?', 참가자 프로필 영상·사진 공개" [The 22-member veil has been taken off! Hybe's new girl group survival program JTBC 'RU Next?', participant profile video and photos released]. Star News (in Korean). June 15, 2023. Archived from the original on June 19, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
^ Yoon, So-yeon (September 3, 2023). "'R U Next?' winners form girl group I'LL-IT ahead of debut". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
^ "Hybe's new girl group I'll-It to debut as 5-piece without Youngseo". The Korea Herald. January 7, 2024.
^ Kim, Ju-yeon (February 13, 2024). "I'LL-IT, girl group from 'R U Next,' to debut under HYBE in March". Korea JoongAng Daily.
^ Cho, Yong-jun (February 21, 2024). "HYBE's latest girl group I'LL-IT to release debut album on March 25". Korea JoongAng Daily.
^ "Hybe's new girl group I'LL-IT to drop 1st album next month". The Korea Times. February 21, 2024.
^ "New girl groups to shake up K-pop scene". The Korea Times. March 3, 2024.
^ "박규리·이현·조권·김재환·아이키, '알유넥스트' 코치 합류 [공식]" [Park Gyu-ri, Lee Hyun, Jo Kwon, Kim Jae-hwan, Aiki, joined 'R U Next' as coaches[Official]]. Star News (in Korean). June 21, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
^ "ENHYPENメンバーのサプライズ登場も！HYBEの新サバイバル「R U Next？」3人の脱落者を発表". Kstyle. July 29, 2023. Archived from the original on August 26, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
^ "아일릿 원희, 1년만 데뷔 '깜짝'…"서울 구경 왔다가 길거리 캐스팅" ('편스토랑')[Oh!쎈 포인트] : 네이트 연예". 네이트 뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved May 14, 2024.
^ 기사입력: July 7, 2023 20:45. "'R U NEXT(알유넥스트)', 트라이아웃 결과 발표...원희ㆍ정은ㆍ영서ㆍ이로하ㆍ지민ㆍ에나ㆍ서연 운명은?". 비즈엔터. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
^ ""서바이벌 방송 역사상 최고 이변"...첫 탈락자 발표 (알유넥스트?)". 스포츠동아 (in Korean). July 14, 2023. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.
^
Circle Download Chart positions:
- "R.U.N": "Circle Download Chart – Week 24, 2023". Circle Chart. Archived from the original on November 4, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2023.
^ "알유넥스트? 시청률" [R U Next? ratings] (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023 – via Daum.
^ "Members of HYBE's new girl group I'LL-IT revealed". Manila Bulletin. September 2, 2023. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
^ "韓網熱帖／果然是顏值花田的HYBE新女團I'LL-IT！日本成員彩羽最小15歲". ETToday (in Chinese). September 2, 2023. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
^ "I'LL-IT ready to carry torch for next-generation HYBE artists". The Korea Times. September 21, 2023. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
^ "《R U Next?》女團組合 I'LL-IT 誕生！平均年齡 17 歲的她們即將於 9 月以甜美清新風格正式出道......？". Vague Hong Kong (in Chinese). September 5, 2023. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.
^ "Fifty Fifty unveils new members for fresh start as quintet". The Chosun Daily. August 9, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.
^ "Seven winners of Mnet's 'I-LAND' named, will debut as girl group izna". Korea JoongAng Daily. July 5, 2024.

External links

Official website (in Korean)
Production website at Mushroom Company (in Korean)

[labels-1] A subsidiary of Hybe Corporation

[initial-17] The initial rankings were given out prior to the start of the show based on the trainees' monthly evaluations.

[no_rank-18] Trainees with the rank 00 have not yet participated in monthly evaluations, therefore does not have a pre-show rank.

[yewon-19] Yewon was absent for this round due to COVID-19, therefore was automatically placed in Low Level.

[benefits-21] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Individual scores of the winning teams include the benefit points gained in this round.

[pts-22] Points were calculated using this formula: [Number of Korean Votes × (Overall Total Votes ÷ Total Korean Votes)] + [Number of International Votes × (Overall Total Votes ÷ Total International Votes)].

[Announcement-2] "하이브, JTBC 손잡고 새 걸그룹 론칭 'R U Next' 30일 첫방[공식]" [Hybe, JTBC join hands to launch a new girl group 'RU Next' First broadcast on the 30th [Official]]. Star News (in Korean). June 1, 2023. Archived from the original on June 19, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023.

[3] "수영, 하이브 걸그룹 新 뽑는 'R U Next?' MC 발탁" [Sooyoung selects as MC for new Hybe girl group 'RU Next?']. ETNews (in Korean). June 15, 2023. Archived from the original on June 19, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023.

[4] "하이브 새 걸그룹 누구?...'알유넥스트', 티저 영상 공개" [Who is Hybe's new girl group?...'RU Next', teaser video released]. Maeil Broadcasting Network (in Korean). June 7, 2023. Archived from the original on June 20, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023 – via Naver.

[5] "[단독]수지, 걸그룹 오디션 '알유넥스트' 시그널송 부른다" [[Exclusive] Suzy sings a signal song for girl group audition 'R U Next']. Maeil Broadcasting Network (in Korean). June 9, 2023. Archived from the original on June 19, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023 – via Naver.

[6] "22인 베일 벗었다! 하이브 새 걸그룹 서바이벌 프로그램 JTBC 'R U Next?', 참가자 프로필 영상·사진 공개" [The 22-member veil has been taken off! Hybe's new girl group survival program JTBC 'RU Next?', participant profile video and photos released]. Star News (in Korean). June 15, 2023. Archived from the original on June 19, 2023. Retrieved June 19, 2023.

[7] Yoon, So-yeon (September 3, 2023). "'R U Next?' winners form girl group I'LL-IT ahead of debut". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2023.

[8] "Hybe's new girl group I'll-It to debut as 5-piece without Youngseo". The Korea Herald. January 7, 2024.

[9] Kim, Ju-yeon (February 13, 2024). "I'LL-IT, girl group from 'R U Next,' to debut under HYBE in March". Korea JoongAng Daily.

[10] Cho, Yong-jun (February 21, 2024). "HYBE's latest girl group I'LL-IT to release debut album on March 25". Korea JoongAng Daily.

[11] "Hybe's new girl group I'LL-IT to drop 1st album next month". The Korea Times. February 21, 2024.

[12] "New girl groups to shake up K-pop scene". The Korea Times. March 3, 2024.

[13] "박규리·이현·조권·김재환·아이키, '알유넥스트' 코치 합류 [공식]" [Park Gyu-ri, Lee Hyun, Jo Kwon, Kim Jae-hwan, Aiki, joined 'R U Next' as coaches[Official]]. Star News (in Korean). June 21, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.

[14] "ENHYPENメンバーのサプライズ登場も！HYBEの新サバイバル「R U Next？」3人の脱落者を発表". Kstyle. July 29, 2023. Archived from the original on August 26, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.

[15] "아일릿 원희, 1년만 데뷔 '깜짝'…"서울 구경 왔다가 길거리 캐스팅" ('편스토랑')[Oh!쎈 포인트] : 네이트 연예". 네이트 뉴스 (in Korean). Retrieved May 14, 2024.

[16] 기사입력: July 7, 2023 20:45. "'R U NEXT(알유넥스트)', 트라이아웃 결과 발표...원희ㆍ정은ㆍ영서ㆍ이로하ㆍ지민ㆍ에나ㆍ서연 운명은?". 비즈엔터. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

[20] ""서바이벌 방송 역사상 최고 이변"...첫 탈락자 발표 (알유넥스트?)". 스포츠동아 (in Korean). July 14, 2023. Archived from the original on November 11, 2023. Retrieved November 11, 2023.

[23] Circle Download Chart positions:
"R.U.N": "Circle Download Chart – Week 24, 2023". Circle Chart. Archived from the original on November 4, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2023.

[24] "R.U.N": "Circle Download Chart – Week 24, 2023". Circle Chart. Archived from the original on November 4, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2023.

[24] "알유넥스트? 시청률" [R U Next? ratings] (in Korean). Nielsen Korea. Archived from the original on July 1, 2023. Retrieved July 1, 2023 – via Daum.

[25] "Members of HYBE's new girl group I'LL-IT revealed". Manila Bulletin. September 2, 2023. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.

[26] "韓網熱帖／果然是顏值花田的HYBE新女團I'LL-IT！日本成員彩羽最小15歲". ETToday (in Chinese). September 2, 2023. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.

[27] "I'LL-IT ready to carry torch for next-generation HYBE artists". The Korea Times. September 21, 2023. Archived from the original on October 25, 2023. Retrieved October 19, 2023.

[28] "《R U Next?》女團組合 I'LL-IT 誕生！平均年齡 17 歲的她們即將於 9 月以甜美清新風格正式出道......？". Vague Hong Kong (in Chinese). September 5, 2023. Archived from the original on November 4, 2023. Retrieved October 20, 2023.

[29] "Fifty Fifty unveils new members for fresh start as quintet". The Chosun Daily. August 9, 2024. Retrieved August 9, 2024.

[30] "Seven winners of Mnet's 'I-LAND' named, will debut as girl group izna". Korea JoongAng Daily. July 5, 2024.

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