Peak Time is what every idol show should be!
I have never watched a survival show because they all seemed really "reality-ish" and toxic which I hate and I only decided to give this a chance because I really like many of the judges and I have to say I love this. From the concept to the way the participants treat each other and how the production and judges seemed to treat them is all really amazing.The K-pop scene is a very cutthroat business and with so many idols debuting is really hard to make an impact, so what this show does is really amazing. Giving all these idols a second chance or a chance to be recognized is really amazing.
The first elimination was really heartbreaking but what the production did for the teams that did not make it is amazing! Giving them the songs/ choreography & clothes that they did not get to perform in is such a thoughtful gesture! Given that many of them come form really small agencies with little to no support, all those lessons they received can go a long way. I also noticed that they gave them the opportunity to showcase some of their talents and skills either by having to play some games, allowing some participants to MC something or participate in some outside segments. This will allow them to be noticed by some producers and maybe get casted in a variety show or maybe secure an MC position in a show further increasing their exposure in the future.
Peak Time really is what every idol show should be. It should put the idols first and give them all the necessary tools they need to succeed and make it!
Was this review helpful to you?
Peak level of conflicting feelings about this show.
It all went so well, until it did not. It’s hard to just ignore the issue that happened with the 23:00 team, since they dealt with it in the worst way possible. For the show that was created to give groups a second chance, to publicly shame them in this way was just gross. They could have easily given a written statement and moved on. So even if I loved the premise and many great elements, I cannot stop myself from feeling conflicted…I love a show that focuses on the idols that struggle to shine in the oversaturated market. So much talent and potential is being wasted simply because their companies might be too small to fight against the bigger ones, or they are not that good with marketing, or the team debuted at the wrong time, not being able to secure their place. This show gives them hope and chance to gain more fans, so even if they won’t win, they will still be in a better position than they were before they joined the competition.
Another aspect I for sure enjoyed were the mentors/judges. We’ve got solid feedback, words or encouragement and some funny jokes and interactions. They were not acting mean for the purpose of creating a drama and I could feel they truly cared about these idols. Ryan S. Juhn crying over shirtless men will be remembered as the most iconic moment in the kpop industry. Dude was truly sobbing.
The performances were great. It’s sad we did not get to see all the first round stages in the episode and could only check them on youtube channel, but I understand the time restrictions. I also appreciate that even the eliminated teams could keep the new songs produced for them, even if some of the songs were of questionable quality…
That said, the new songs and the round with them are actually the beginning of the issues I had. First of all, the way they decided which team gets what song was painfully ridiculous and unfair. The songs themselves were not that great either. Close to none of them was memorable.
Another issue with the production were the benefits - what a useless thing. In many occasions the benefits from different rounds had a different value - one time they had exactly zero impact on the ranking, next time they changed it completely.
The first elimination? A freaking joke - how many “fake” rankings can they show before we get to the one that actually matters? They could have used that screen time to show more behind the scene moments.
Overall, it was a nice show with a meaningful idea behind it, but I think they had too many budget restrictions. They did what they could to make it work and the efforts are obvious. Them having such a strong reaction to 23:00 team “scandal” might have also been a panic mode to make sure the program does not suffer any losses.
Was this review helpful to you?
This is what a reality show should be
Other than the very poorly-handled elimination of a group in Episode 10 (I think, and it was absolutely terrible. Public shaming at its worst), I loved this show. I'll be honest, the things that these guys that want to be idols have to go through is amazing, and it speaks to their passion, talent, and belief in themselves. There are so many idol groups out there, I can't even begin to keep them straight, and it's got to be so hard for them to progress if they are working for a smaller company.Judges: Awesome. I loved that they were constructive with their criticism and effusive with their praise. Also, they had judges that actually work in the business and know what they are talking about.
Music: For me, there were only a couple of memorable songs, but I loved what each team did with even the most difficult or mediocre song.
Behind-the-scenes: Sometimes I like this more than the actual performances. I like seeing the members interacting with one another and trying to learn the choreography or music.
Voting: The voting by the fans and the "benefits" that the teams received in the early rounds was very confusing. I'm math phobic, but it seemed very complicated to me. I did appreciate that the public was the deciding factor in the final winner, rather than the professionals.
The groups: Judging a two-person team against a team with nine members seems like comparing apples and oranges, but they did the best with what they had, I think. I have such admiration for each and every contestant that went on this show. They worked like crazy to get where they are. Every single team was so talented, and each team had different strengths, which was enjoyable to watch. I appreciated when each team got a song that was out of their comfort zone. Every time, without fail, they stepped up and made the song their own. When one of the judges said he wanted to know how to get one of the songs that day, that shows how good these guys are. I would have liked to have more background on how the groups formed, but I guess the couldn't do too much of that until the final six, when they told the teams' real names (and is it just a language barrier for me, but I thought the real group names were terrible!)
One of the groups was told by their CEO if they won they would get the prize money and he'd match it, and move them into a better dorm. Unfortunately they didn't win, but I hope the CEO does something for them, they did a great job.
I can't even imagine how stressful this whole process was for each contestant, all the new songs/dances to learn, injuries, plus the fear of being eliminated every week...I would have had a heart attack if it was me. I cried a lot watching this show, I was touched by their stories, I hurt for them when they got eliminated, and I was so happy for the winners. Plus, I always cry when I see others cry, and it happened a lot in this show.
It would be great if they could do a follow-up with the winning team (even the top six and their Korean tour), showing us how their lives change and I'd love to be able to watch them continue on this journey.
Being from the US, one thing I appreciated most about this show was the support that all the guys gave, not only to their own team members, but the other teams as well. They were always very positive about their performances, and respectful of one another. You don't see that in the US. Here, it's all about watching how people can stab each other in the back to get ahead. It's very refreshing to see respect in this day and age.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Exciting show
I really live the concept to give another chance to these idols who didn’t have a chance to shine brighter than others. A lot are very talented and all had to go through a lot of hardships. This show actually tells you how much the idol system is difficult and demanding, yet how much these guys work hard to achieve their dream!My heart aches for them while heating their stories and smile while watching their performance. Of course some characters are obnoxious, pretentious or play the victim card a bit too much while others can be too shy, too naive and cute for this cruel idol system! But all are there to make their dream come true and I can only be moved and inspired by that!
Furthermore, my biggest surprise was to see B.A.P Moon Jongup! Yes a B.A.P member in this show! B.A.P debuted at the same time than EXO and won best rookie award. Amazing talented group that was ruined by their company & the scandalous rumours from other companies, fans, etc. Moon Jongup was my bias in BAP & to see him trying since 2019 to maintain his dream alive after his group brings a lot of emotion! Really inspiring!
Was this review helpful to you?
What an enjoyable show!
There are lots of these kind of programms and I watched most of them mainly on MNET. I have to say this this on JTBC is like a breath of fresh air. The focus is on the teams and performances and less on drama, intrigue, evil editing, showing the same thing three times in a row.... the list of annoying MNET practises that everybody knows and hates.The judges on Peak Time have great chemistry and are really funny. I also really like the general format of the show - giving groups that just debut, have not been successfull (yet) or had to disband a chance to shine and find new fans. There was a elimination round at the beginning but it was done without a lot of drama, the performances that had at least one vote were aired the others were not aired. On MNET what gets aired and what not really doesnt make sense sometimes and often feels really unfair.
But the really lovely things was how much the different groups supported each other, in the mixed stages all these new friendships were made and the competitive element was held to a minimum. This will probably change now that the next round of elemination comes up - it is a competition but watching episode 3-6 you can easily forget.
The voting especially for fans outside Korea was really easy via the Peak Team Webpage. Even I managed to vote!
But the best thing are the fabulous performances. These are all idols, they are not trainees so the quality of the performances is so high. I found lots of new groups that I can support next to the ones I already knew.
I hope more people watch it and start supporting these incredible groups.
Was this review helpful to you?
This review may contain spoilers
Best concept ever
I knew of some of the groups that were on here and was sad to see some of them go. There is so much talent on here, and I love the concept of giving idols a boost and some screen time. I want to hug whoever the rapper was of 24K because he is so good and was my favorite in the group. I want to tell the baby idols that they have so much time because they are so young.I was really rooting for DKB and BAE173 because I had already listened to some of their music. I also was surprised Kingdom was on there because I thought they were semi-popular in kpop. I am really glad Vanner won. I cried. A lot of groups have the same backstory and aren't as lucky as they are. I had already heard of them before the show but hadn't listened to their music.
All in all, as far as survival shows go, this is my favorite.
P.S. The whole thing with team 23:00 was stupid and shouldn't have been a big deal. But that's the industry for you.
Was this review helpful to you?
Second opportunities are good
I really like the concept of the show and the opportunity they are giving not only to the artists but to fans and the whole world to know talented people giving everything to make their dreams to happen.They have an incredible cast, the judges are very objective but at the same time humble and emotional. Lee Seung Gi as good as always being a Master MC and the interaction among all the judges is worth to watch.
The cheers of the contestants to other groups makes the ambience joyful and easy. I can see they are supportive and not as competitive as other survival shows.
Was this review helpful to you?
