The Battle Gets Real: Six Standouts Picked After Explosive Performances
The competition on SBS’s global survival show ‘B:MY BOYZ’ is heating up. In Episode 8, which aired on June 9, six trainees—Hyo, Seo Junhyuk, Ri Zhiwei, Moon Jaeil, Kim Junghoon, and Kai—were crowned the third round’s ‘TOP PICK’ finalists. The honor was handed out by special guests: the former Wanna One members Bae Jinyoung, Lee Daehwi (now with AB6IX), Ha Sungwoon, and Park Woojin (also of AB6IX).
Iconic Performances with a Twist
Round 3 threw the B:GINNERs (contestants) into a team-vs-team match format, remixing iconic Wanna One tracks like “Energetic”, “Beautiful”, “BOOMERANG”, and “Burn It Up”. Each duel had teams splitting performances by verses. Fierce face-offs like “Boomerang” 1st verse vs. 2nd verse added dramatic flair—and plenty of pressure.
The Boomerang round saw Bu+Hwal led by main dancer Moon Jaeil crush the opening, while Hwal+Merang, guided by center Kai, kept the energy burning in the second half. Even Lee Daehwi admitted, “I wondered if they might have outperformed us.”
Stage Presence, Chemistry—and Some Hard Goodbyes
From wave-heavy choreography to razor-sharp vocals, the third round proved to be a showdown of star potential. Judges praised everyone, but standout comments included Park Woojin calling Kim Junghoon’s center work “sharp,” and Bae Jinyoung declaring Moon Jaeil’s wave moves “incredibly sexy.”
The six final TOP PICKs were selected through a mix of fan votes and expert review—three from winning teams and three from losing ones. Hyo, who topped both judges’ and B:inUS (the show fandom’s) rankings, said, “I want to ride this momentum straight to debut.”
Unfortunately, four B:GINNERs were eliminated: Yang Seonghee, Choi Yohan, Ikuto, and William, who emotionally bid farewell with tearful hugs and heartfelt thanks to their teammates. “I’m honored to have even stood on that stage,” William shared.
Next Up: TVXQ Legend Match – Male Idol Camp Meets K-pop History
Get ready for a retro turn. For the upcoming Round 4, dubbed the K-POP Legend Match, teams will perform hits from none other than TVXQ (DBSK). With guidance from TVXQ’s own U-Know Yunho, trainees will tackle songs like “Rising Sun”, “Mirotic”, and “Keep Your Head Down”, each team assigned a different track and concept based on keywords such as ‘Addiction,’ ‘Connection,’ and ‘Dynamics.’
As a unique twist, all teams will also perform TVXQ’s debut song “HUG” in a shared ‘designated song match.’ The round promises to test not just dance skills and visuals, but K-pop stage storytelling across generations.
Fortunes Told, Futures Predicted
Just before the fourth round, the remaining contestants met with fortune tellers and tarot experts. Highlights? Kai was said to have “inherent idol energy,” while Hyo is predicted to hit peak fame by age 27. Sounds like the stars may be aligning for these rising K-pop hopefuls.
‘B:MY BOYZ’ airs every Saturday at 5:20 PM KST on SBS and streams globally via Netflix, ABEMA, WeTV, and Rakuten Viki. Additional content is rolling out across YouTube and social media—because let’s face it, the fandom never sleeps.
