Main Cast: Lee Seung-Gi, Jay Park, Tiffany, Lee Gi-Kwang, Kim Sung-Kyu, Shim Jae-Won, Ryan Juhn
Summary
The latest South Korean survival singing show, Peak Time, provides a second chance for lesser-known male-idol groups. Whether the group has experienced hardships from the pandemic, member changes / military enlistment, or have been disbanded, Peak Time offers an opportunity for 23 idol groups to boost their publicity as they showcase their talents to the rest of the world. Unlike other survival shows, Peak Time is the first idol audition show to have entire teams compete and the range of experience varies from first-time performers to decades of experience.
Only 23 groups were selected for the show, however at the end of Round 0 the judges created a 24th idol group from a group of solo performers after watching their individual performances. The 24 groups will compete each week for the top prize of 300 million Korean Won (approximately $228,168 USD), a full-length album, and an opportunity to tour the world under the “Peak Time” program name. Although competition is fierce for the coveted prize, surviving groups have an opportunity to work with experts in producing, performing, and visual directing to help them harness and refine their skills as they practice for each week’s competition. As with any survival show, the audience has an opportunity to vote for their favorite groups and provide their opinion on who should advance to the next round.
Thoughts
Despite there being numerous idol survival auditions, Peak Time is the first show to feature idols who have already debuted and practiced together. Since the members of each of the groups have all practiced and worked together, it’s interesting to see the differences in the level of skill and expertise between the groups. Although some would say the older, more experienced idol groups have an unfair advantage, the younger idol groups have more stamina and energy for each performance. Additionally younger groups are seen as more profitable and higher potential as they continue to evolve and enhance their performances.
Each episode of Peak Time is captivating as not only do you begin to appreciate the hard work and determination behind each performance, but the majority of the groups have wonderful performances and are incredibly entertaining to watch. Although the groups do covers of popular songs, it’s interesting to watch them add their own unique twist to each song. There are also a few groups that have amazing backstories that pull at your heart-strings yet deliver outstanding performances that leave even the judges amazed.
In order to help each group improve their capabilities, groups are forced to go outside of their comfort zones and undergo new experiences and themes. It’s crazy to watch how quickly the groups are able to change their image as they deliver wildly different performances from the previous episodes.
Overall, I would recommend watching Peak Time each week on Viki!
