The premier aired on July 27, 2016, and the second season began in September, 2016. Lee Soo-geun and Jun Hyun-moo acted as the shows MCs.
Hit The Stage gave viewers a great opportunity to watch idols from both boy-groups and girl-groups in the Korean music industry, and get to see these talented performers showing off their dance skills. If you’d like to know more about Hit the Stage, check out this article!
Meet the Male Contestants
Taemin (SHINee)
Taemin is one of the members of SHINee, an idol group under SM Entertainment. Taemin’s real name is Lee Tae-min (이태민), and he was born in Seoul, South Korea, on July 18, 1993. Taemin discovered his talent for dancing when he was in the 6th grade and watched Michael Jackson to learn his dance moves. His parents finally knew that he had potential as a dancer, and sent him to an SM Open Weekend Audition Casting in 2005. Taemin passed the audition and was accepted to be a trainee for SM Entertainmnent. Taemin debuted as the youngest member (maknae) of SHINee at 14 years old and became popular for his great dancing. Taemin joined Hit The Stage as one of the participants and he amazed both the viewers and judges during his performance. On episodes 1-2, Taemin was ranked first, receiving a score of 189 from the audience and 5 votes from the judges. Check out Taemin’s performance on episodes 1-2, themed Devils:
for this number, Taemin was performing with Koharu Sugawara, who is a famous choreographer form Japan and also choreographed the dance moves for Taemin’s Japanese debut song, Solitary Goodbye. In the following episodes, Taemin didn’t appear anymore, and was replaced by another participant, Jang Hyun-seung.
Jang Hyun-seung
Jang Hyun-seung is a former member of the group of B2ST. He was known as the singer of the group and is signed under CUBE Entertainment. Jang Hyun-seung (장현승) was born in Naju, South Korea, on September 3, 1989. Jang Hyun-seung was a trainee at YG Entertainment for a year and four months, preparing to debut as a member of BIGBANG, but ended up being eliminated. After that, he met Yoon Do-joon and Yang Yo-seob, and the three of them made it together until they finally got into CUBE Entertainment, debuting with B2ST. After debuting as a member of B2ST, Jang Hyun-seung announced that he will officially leave the band on April 19, 2016, to continue his career as a soloist. 3 months after Jang Hyun-seung’s departure, CUBE Entertainment released a statement that he would be joining Mnet’s Hit The Stage as his first broadcast since leaving the group. Jang Hyun-seung joined Hit The Stage, replacing Taemin as a contestant on Episode 3. After his first performances on the episodes 3-4, Jang Hyun-seung reached sixth place, with a score of 138 from the audience and 5 votes from the judges. Check out Jang Hyun-seung’s performance on episodes 3-4, themed This Love:
Jang Hyun-seung’s performance received a lot of attention from both the live audience and the viewers, since he collaborated with Stephanie, a former member of the South Korean girl-group named The Grace. Both of them danced very passionately, as they brought the theme as lovers. On episodes 5-6, Jang Hyun-seung reached third place, with a score of 153 from the audience and 6 votes from the judges. Check out Jang Hyun-seung’s performance on episodes 5-6, themed Uniform:
On episodes 7-8, Jang Hyun-seung reached fifth place, with 159 Score from the audience. Check out Jang Hyun-seung’s performance on episodes 7-8, themed Crazy:
Unfortunately, Jang Hyun-seung stopped being part of Hit The Stage after the eighth episode, and didn’t make it to the final. There aren’t any statements to be found about why he quit the show.
Hoya (INFINITE)
Hoya is one of the ex-members of INFINITE. He was known as the lead dancer of the group and was signed under Woollim Entertainment. Hoya’s (호야) real name is Lee Ho-dong (이호동), and he was born in Busan, South Korea, on March 28, 1991. Hoya’s career started when he was still a high school student, and he dropped out of school to pursue his dream of being a singer. When he wanted to leave home, his father was against his decision at first, but accepted it after Hoya took the high school qualification exam and passed. Hoya was a trainee in JYP Entertainment, but ended up debuting under Woollim Entertainment as a member of INFINITE. In 2010, Hoya and his group-mates became idols, and he was positioned as the rapper and lead dancer. He was also included as a member of INFINITE H, a sub-unit of INFINITE. After 7 years as a member of INFINITE, Hoya announced his departure on August 30, 2017, and it was confirmed that he’d left Wollim Entertainment when his contract expired. A month later, Hoya signed a new contract under Glorious Entertainment, in September, 2017, and started his solo career in 2018. Hoya joined Hit the Stage before he left INFINITE. On episodes 1-2, Hoya reached the 2nd Rank, with a 159 Score from the audience. Check out Hoya’s performance on episodes 1-2, themed Devils:
On episodes 3-4, Hoya reached first place, with a score of 161 from the audience and 7 votes from the judges. Check out Hoya’s performance on episodes 3-4, themed This Love:
Hoya’s last performance on Hit The Stage ended on Episode 4, and he was replaced by a newcomer participant, ASTRO’s Rocky, on the next episode. There were no official statements about Hoya’s departure from the show.
Chang-jo (TEEN TOP)
Chang-jo was known as a member of idol group, TEEN TOP. He was positioned as a vocal of the group, and signed under TOP Media. Chang-jo’s (창조) real name is Choi Jong-hyun (최종현), and he was born in Chuncheon, Gangwon-do, South Korea, on November 16, 1995. Chang-jo’s career in the entertainment industry began when he was debuted with TEEN TOP on July 10, 2010. He was only 15 years old when he debuted, and he instantly became the maknae of the group. These days, Chang-jo often appears as an actor, playing main roles in television dramas and movies. Chang-jo starred in the movie Mak Girls (2015) as the lead role, and in some television dramas, such as Sweden Laundry (2014-2015), aired on MBC Every1, My Brother Disappeared (2017), aired on Naver TV Cast, and Criminal Minds (2017), aired on tvN. Chang-jo joined became a participant on Hit The Stage on the ninth episode. He earned 6 Score from the judges and placed in the 4th-7th Rank. Check out Chang-jo’s performance on episode 9, themed The Fight:
Chang-jo only performed once on Hit The Stage, on Episode 9 and there aren’t any further explanations why wasn’t he continued to the final episode.
U-Kwon (Block B)
U-Kwon is a member of the idol group BLOCK B. He’s positioned as a singer and the main dancer for the group. He signed under the label Seven Season, and his stage name is U-Kwon (유권). U-Kwon’s real name is Kim Yu-kwon (김유권), and he was born in Suwon, South Korea, on April 9, 1992. U-Kwon started his career in entertainment industry as a member of Block B and debuted with his fellow members in April, 2011. He also become one of a member of the group’s sub-unit, Bastarz, with B-Bomb and P.O. Besides being an idol, U-Kwon has also appeared as an actor in a short vampire movie, Q Chan, in 2016, and composed the song that was his first Japanese solo, titled “Painless” (痛くない). U-Kwon also appeared in many television programs, such as variety shows, dramas, movies, and musicals, as well as doing stage performances of the song that he composed by himself. The idol, who’s real name is Kim Yu-kwon, announced to the public that he’s in a special relationship with a model named Jun Sun-hye. U-Kwon joined Hit The Stage and he became well-known for having one of the best performance on the stage. On episodes 1-2, U-Kwon reached the 3rd Rank, with a score of 158 from the audience. Check out U-Kwon’s performance on episodes 1-2, themed Devils:
At first glance, the concept between U-Kwon and Hoya on 1st episode appeared similar. They were both costumed like the Joker, which caused some confusion among the judges, contestants, and viewers. U-Kwon only had one vote less than Hoya, putting him below his rival. On episodes 3-4, U-Kwon was ranked fourth, with a 142 Score from the audience. Check out U-Kwon’s performance on episodes 3-4, themed This Love:
On episodes 7-8, U-Kwon reached the 1st Rank with a 170 Score from the audience. Check out U-Kwon’s performance on episodes 7-8 , themed Crazy:
On the final episode, U-Kwon reached between the 4th-7th Rank, gained a score of 7 from the 8 judges. Check out U-Kwon’s performance on episode 10, themed Final:
