“Who did I just see?”
‘Current King of Masked Singers 2’ Hwanhee, Kim Junsu, and Kim Young-cheol stirred excitement with their mere appearance, heating up the ‘real-time chat room’ and ‘real-time ratings’.
The fierce battle of men aiming for the MBN Taegeuk mark, ‘Current King of Masked Singers 2’, is a national representative selection survival entertainment program to choose the top 7 ‘top-tier male active singers’ who will participate in the ‘Korea-Japan King of Singers Competition’ to be held in 2025, commemorating the 60th anniversary of Korea-Japan diplomatic relations. Since its first broadcast on the 26th, ‘Current King of Masked Singers 2’ recorded a peak rating of 8.7% and a nationwide rating of 8.0%, claiming the top spot in the same time slot across all channels, including terrestrial, comprehensive, and cable, and dominating the ratings for entertainment programs across all channels.
Moreover, Hwanhee, Kim Junsu, and Kim Young-cheol surprised everyone by challenging trot music, which was unexpected participants from other genres, creating a fresh shock both on-site and in living rooms.
◆ ‘Real-time rating 8.4%’ R&B veteran Hwanhee, “Even drinking water looks cool!” A stage of pure intention that let everything go! Emotional explosion
Hwanhee became the main character who ignited the ‘real-time chat room’ with an unexpected appearance in ‘Current King of Masked Singers 2’. When Hwanhee's name appeared on the screen during the first meeting, the active singers avoided it, thinking, “It must be a namesake,” but when Hwanhee appeared, they all stood up in shock, exclaiming, “Who did I just see?” Even MC Shin Dong-yeop expressed, “It was an amazing appearance, comparable to that of Lin.” In a situation where 31 out of 34 active singers considered Hwanhee the most formidable competitor, Hwanhee expressed his desire to sing trot for his mother, saying, “I want to challenge and learn,” moving the hearts of the active singers. In particular, when Shin Dong-yeop asked, “Weren’t you worried about being eliminated?” Hwanhee responded, “I have no regrets about what I chose. I will learn,” which drew cheers.
Looking tense while drinking water on stage also made everyone exclaim, “That’s cool.” Hwanhee chose Kang Seung-mo’s ‘Mujeong Blues’ for his first trot performance, and he poured his heart into singing, ensuring that his 26 years of R&B style did not come through, leaving the audience breathless. Ultimately, Hwanhee received an ‘all-in’ recognition from all 33 active singers, and Park Gu-yoon praised him, saying, “As expected, Hwanhee was Hwanhee.” The outcome of Hwanhee’s first challenge in trot, as he expressed his desire to learn, is drawing keen interest.
◆ ‘Real-time rating 8.4%’ 12-year veteran of Sogungga Kim Junsu, “You were my idol” faced elimination risk in the mid-term tally
The appearance of 12-year veteran of Sogungga Kim Junsu also delivered a shocking surprise, stirring the real-time chat room. Kim Junsu, who has made records by sweeping numerous competitions, was acknowledged by traditional music student Choi Soo-ho, who bowed at a 90-degree angle, proving Kim Junsu's influence. Kim Junsu stated, “Since it’s a Korea-Japan competition, I thought our sound should be among the top 7,” and after expressing his determination to challenge, he completed his performance of Ahn Jung-ae’s ‘Daejeon Blues’ with powerful sound and detailed expression, receiving applause.
However, despite the quality of Kim Junsu’s performance, the recognition buttons pressed by the active singers were only 27, leading to comments from the master panel that it was “100% suppression.” After the performance, Choi Soo-ho expressed, “You were my idol since high school. I almost cried listening to your sound,” but Han Gang commented, “It seemed like you were putting in too much effort,” expressing disappointment. Ultimately, Kim Junsu faced the risk of being among the three candidates for elimination in the mid-term tally, raising curiosity about whether he could survive the preliminaries and achieve his determination.
◆ ‘Real-time rating 8.7%’ 8-year veteran Kim Young-cheol, “Why do you keep treating this like an eliminated contestant interview?” Recorded the moment's highest rating
Comedian Kim Young-cheol emerged as an unexpected figure that surprised everyone, simultaneously holding the lowest number of recognition buttons and the highest momentary rating for the first episode of ‘Current King of Masked Singers 2’. In particular, when MC Shin Dong-yeop called out, “Kim Young-cheol!” before the first participant took the stage, he was startled and revealed, “I might not perform today after watching what others do,” which made everyone laugh. Kim Young-cheol revealed that his immortal hit song ‘Dda-reung’ has accumulated 13.57 million views, surprising everyone, and stated, “(But) I go to events more as a host than as a singer,” explaining that he wanted to show himself as a singer, which earned him applause. However, despite his lively performance that made MC Shin Dong-yeop dance and sing with his hit song ‘Dda-reung’, he was left in shock after receiving only 16 recognition buttons.
Moreover, after the performance, when Park Gu-yoon commented, “I was curious if you would show a transformation,” Shin Dong-yeop responded, “Are you saying you’re disappointed that you won’t get to see that?” Kim Young-cheol snapped back, “Why do you keep treating this like an eliminated contestant interview?” causing laughter. Although he recorded the lowest number of recognition buttons in the mid-term evaluation, support is pouring in for Kim Young-cheol, who led the lively party on stage, raising curiosity about whether he can survive among the fierce competitors.
The production team expressed, “We are grateful for the overwhelming interest and support after the first broadcast,” and added, “All the active singers who took the stage, including Hwanhee, Kim Junsu, and Kim Young-cheol, sang with sincerity and delivered emotions. Although the self-evaluation results showed impressive performances, please look forward to the final fate of Kim Junsu and Kim Young-cheol, who are currently candidates for elimination.”
[Ji Seung-hoon, Star Today Reporter]
