Episode 1 "Tan Binh Toan Nang – The Survival Phase": A "tough challenge" right at the First Performance

Kicking off a fierce battle with top-tier stages, where the "all-round" (toan nang) title will be strictly assessed and clearly meassure by international standards. With the guidance of All-Round Producer SOOBIN, the 11 members of the Promoted Rookie team entered the First Performance, facing off against the "monster" group 8TURN from South Korea.

Lesson from the first failure

From the very first moments, "Tan Binh Toan Nang 2025" demonstrated the class of an international-caliber music program. Instead of having established artists, the show offers something different with its main casts being "rookies" who have endured 100 days of relentless training to build a good foundation.

The Rookies enter the official phase

Supported by a professional production team, the names behind numerous top-tier stages recently, such as: Stage Director Dinh Ha Uyen Thu, Music Director SlimV, Lighting Director Long Kenji, Art Director Vi Khang, and Director of Photography Tran Quoc Vuong,... every performance, footage, and camera angle were pure spectacle, produced with great care to deliver an overwhelming sensory experience, true to the standard for stages on international music programs.

Music Director SlimV: "Regarding the music signature sound, SlimV still wants to bring new, trendy songs that retains a Vietnamese essence. I hope this will be a gateway for you to get closer to international artists."

The Korean group 8TURN with their "Leggo" performance

In episode 1, the Promoted Rookie Team performed the opening number "Đã đến lúc" (It's Time), remade to better suit the group's color, and the official competition entry "Exposure," produced under the direction of Training & Development Director Hyuk Shin. Meanwhile, 8TURN's opening number "Leggo" and competition entry piece "Walk it out" truly created explosive moments on stage.

With the "Walk it out" performance, 8TURN received 630 points, setting a tough Reference Point. Facing 8TURN's impressive achievement and formidable capabilities, SOOBIN and the Rookies devised a tactical plan to best leverage each member's strengths. This aimed to show respect for the opponent and their skill-level, but as this was the first “battle”, this also helps preserve the confidence, high spirits, and daring-to-engage, daring-to-compete attitude of the Top 11.

The program's international exchange competition format is briefly understood as: the international group will always perform first in the Performance Missions, and the audiences’ vote for them will be the "Reference Point" used as a benchmark to meassure the level of the Promoted Rookies.

The performance of "Đã đến lúc" by the Promoted Rookies

Despite raves from the audience “so lit, no different from an Mnet stage," Tan Binh Toan Nang is still met with an early defeat right at the start. This was quite a shock, but also a valuable lesson for the Vietnamese Rookie Team.

This failure is not just the outcome but also the most realistic measure of the "idol group" standard, forcing the Rookies to look back at themselves, know where they stand, and strive even harder to achieve the "all-round" (toan nang) title they are pursuing.

Upholding the value of discipline

During the practice for the 2 competing performances, due to personal morale reasons, Rookie Thai Le Minh Hieu refused to participate in the following class despite persuasion from the production team.

To ensure the overall progress of the performance and to create a deterrent according to the established requirements, the production team, after discussion, decided to cut Minh Hieu from the performance. This means Thai Le Minh Hieu did not participate in the competing performance and was "frozen" at the First Performance.

The explosive "Exposure" stage by the Promoted Rookies

SOOBIN shared frankly: "On this path, managing one's emotions and learning self-control is also a way to go far. I think this should not happen even one more time in your upcoming journey." Rookie Thai Le Minh Hieu also acknowledged this will be a lesson for him to learn to control his personal emotions in the future.

This reveals the strict discipline the show’s producer has set for the Rookies. The path to becoming an idol is harsh, because besides demanding talent, skills, or professionalism on stage, the young participants must also be "all-round" in self-awareness, discipline, attitude, and conduct in life. Young people often have their own personalities, but that personality must not affect others. The Rookies are all very young, and still have much to learn from very real clashes in life and in the process of working professionally.

Producer SOOBIN talks with Thai Le Minh Hieu about his morale during practice

Despite failing in the first round, the stage quality of Tan Binh Toan Nang still left a strong impression. The proof of great effort in the professional stages somewhat eased the disappointment and affirmed the potential of young Vietnamese talents.

Episode 1 ended with many layers of emotions, from the excitement and confidence of the Rookies for the new journey to the disappointment of stumbling in the very first round. However, the road ahead is still long and arduous, but these very lessons will forge a generation of truly "all-round" (toan nang) artists that All-Round Producer SOOBIN and the "Tan Binh Toan Nang 2025" program are searching for.