Episode 8 of "Anh Trai Vuot Ngan Chong Gai 2026": Nha Benh Bong's performance moves the audience to tears with a profound message about childhood memories

MAIN SUMMARY:

Finalizing Lineups for Performance 3: The final pieces of the 6 Houses are officially revealed, ready to step together into a new journey with surprising collaborations, promising to deliver a series of explosive, visually stunning, and emotionally rich performances on the stage of Performance 3.

Theme & Competition Rules: Performance 3 officially opens with the theme "Vong xoay ngua go," leading the teams into a new competition with distinct challenges and tactics. In this performance, the Houses will go through two rounds—the Pursuit Round and the Collaboration Round—thereby not only showcasing performance skills, but also calculating strategies and coordinating smoothly to gain advantages for their House.

Nha Benh Bong takes the audience on a train ride rich in Vietnamese essence, returning to the pure realms of childhood memories and reliving familiar things seemingly forgotten amidst the hustle and bustle of modern life. Through each visual, melody, and story recreated on stage, the performance serves as a reminder for everyone to take a quiet moment to reconnect with the "inner child," where simple joys, dreams, and the most authentic emotions of every person are preserved.

Experimenting with a New Musical Color: Hoang Ton makes a distinct impression with a fresh Performance showcase, presenting an image quite different from his familiar musical style. As one of the vocalists gifted with a beautiful tone and a rare wide range, Hoang Ton's voice carries a distinctive timbre, reaching high notes without shrillness while maintaining warmth, full resonance, and clear articulation in the lower register. Hoang Ton often makes optimal use of his vocal strengths through high-register phrases, dynamic melodies, and intricate vocal runs. However, in this transformation, the topline melody penned by Hoang Ton himself reveals an unexpected harmony with Mew Amazing's musical flavor while still preserving his own identity. This was no small challenge, as the two inherently possess contrasting musical colors: Hoang Ton leans toward R&B/Pop with a smooth, emotional, and alluring quality, whereas Mew Amazing stands out with a fresh, quirky, funky, and high-energy vibe. Beyond his vocal abilities, the male artist also demonstrates stage flexibility, stage mastery, and a willingness to explore a completely new style, showing his readiness to innovate and break out of his comfort zone in Performance 3.

Nha Quy Tu and their total transformation from melody to performance

DETAILED CONTENT OF EPISODE 8

Continuing the tension from the member recruitment phase across the Houses in Episode 7, Episode 8 of Anh Trai Vuot Ngan Chong Gai witnessed the completion of the final puzzle pieces for each team. The three Houses appearing in Episode 8, Nguyen To, Quy Tu, and Benh Bong, entered the Pursuit Round and delivered diverse performances in tone and style, ranging from explosive choreography and music to poignant reflections on childhood.

Entering Episode 8, the Houses needed to recruit two final members from the remaining 12 free Anh Tai to complete their lineups for Performance 3. Leader Ha An Huy shared: "Personally, I still want to work with Dai Nghia again, because Dai Nghia brings so many great qualities to the table; having the luck to continue working together would be a form of recognition from him toward our team. And I want at least two of the previous members whom I trust the most to be in my new group." Responding to Ha An Huy's expectations, Dai Nghia admitted having slight hesitations since he and Huy had just worked together in the previous Performance. However, after being persuaded by the team members about crafting a daring showcase with a fresh personality, he agreed to join Leader Ha An Huy's House.

Leader Ha An Huy recruits members

The members of Leader Huynh Lap's House also agreed to recruit one Producer and one versatile Anh Tai to establish a well-rounded lineup. Leader Thai VG shared that Nha Hop Luc's direction for this Performance would lean toward hip-hop and rap. During the recruitment process, he encountered considerable difficulty convincing the final pieces, as the free Anh Tai all had their own individual directions and desired to experiment with different musical colors. Similar to Thai VG, Ha An Huy struggled to persuade the remaining member needed for his House.

When recruiting Anh Tai Hoang Ton, Leader Mew Amazing expressed a strong desire to take a gamble with him to create a breakthrough performance for this round, given that both had previously had opportunities to write music together. Leader Cheng also had clear, specific directions: "Our group is missing someone for concept staging and a really strong vocal. Therefore, the team is looking to recruit Phung Minh Cuong and Jun, Hoang Ton, or Dong Hung." During the pitch, Cheng noted that Phung Minh Cuong possesses years of stage performance experience, ensuring he brings creative "tricks" to the table.

Concluding the intense recruitment phase, the final lineups of the Houses were established as follows:

Nha Benh Bong: Huynh Lap (Leader), Thom Da LAB, Jun Pham, Ho Dong Quan, and It’s Charles.

Nha Quy Tu: Mew Amazing (Leader), BB Tran, Thai Le Minh Hieu, Hoang Ton, and Neko Le.

Nha Hop Luc: Thai VG (Leader), Dinh Manh Ninh, Trinh Thang Binh, Nguyen Van Chung, and Tung Mint.

Nha Nguyen To: Cheng (Leader), Duy Khanh, K.O, Toki Thanh Tho, and Phung Minh Cuong.

Nha Ruc Ro: Hoang Dung (Leader), Will, Thanh Duy, Tho Da LAB, and Hoang Rob.

Nha My Man: Ha An Huy (Leader), Thuan Nguyen, OSAD, Dai Nghia, and Dong Hung.

Announcement of the Theme and Rules for Performance 3

After finalizing the member lineups of each House, "The Carousel" was announced as the official theme for Performance 3. Looking from the outside, it might seem as though the horses are constantly moving forward, but in reality, a carousel merely rotates along the exact same orbit. The purpose of Performance 3 is not only to convey the wish for the Talents to move forward, but also the longing for them to return to where all their dreams originally began. And right from here, a new fairy tale unfolds once we find enough courage to reach out to our childhood dreams.

Discussing more about the theme, Dinh Manh Ninh shared: "If you look at the theme from a broader perspective, a carousel feels like it is moving and standing still at the same time. It moves around its own axis. And sometimes that makes Ninh wonder whether all this time, I’ve been riding on a carousel without finding a way out." He continued: "Ninh thinks this will be a performance where, alongside new brothers, I can unlock my full potential with things I had never imagined before."

Alongside this, stepping into the "The Carousel" theme, the Talents will face fiercer battles as the rules of Performance 3 are unveiled. In this performance, the 6 Houses will have to undergo two rounds of competition. The first round is called the Pursuit Round featuring 6 X-songs. This will be a chase-style competition based on a round-robin format. The First House pursues the Second House, the Second House continues to pursue the Third House, and this loop will carry on, concluding only when the Sixth House pursues the First House.

Once the Pursuit Round concludes, the Houses will advance to the Collaboration Round. Based on the previous pursuit circle, the houses will be paired up and form alliances. The allied houses will stand on the same front line. After both rounds conclude, the total score of each house will be calculated from the performance score in the Pursuit match, the Collaboration match, and additional score components to be announced by the organizers according to the rules.

Following the discussion and strategic calculations of the Talents, the performing order for the Pursuit Round was decided as follows: Nguyen To House – Quy Tu House – Benh Bong House – Hop Luc House – Ruc Ro House – My Man House.

Pursuit Performance 1: Nha Nguyen To kicks off the round explosively with the song "We win this game"

Nha Nguyen To (Cheng, Duy Khanh, K.O, Toki Thanh Tho, Phung Minh Cuong) opened the show with the performance "We win this game." The act evoked the image of teenage boys burning with youthful energy, always carrying a fighting spirit to pursue their ambitions. Sharing more about the song's message, Toki Thanh Tho expressed: "When I was a kid, I only wished to grow up quickly so I could do whatever I wanted without being forbidden by anyone. But once I became an adult, I realized that adults have plenty of worries too, and it is precisely those worries that make us lose our carefree innocence. Standing on this stage, Toki hopes the audience can catch a glimpse of their childhood selves, the days when we were still innocently playing and harbored so many dreams and aspirations."

Nha Nguyen To opened the show with the message to always stay carefree and pursue your ambitions just like in your childhood days

During the process of completing the song, Cheng shared that he, along with his teammates Toki Thanh Tho and K.O, composed it in a single day and night, followed by numerous revisions afterward.

Phung Minh Cuong brought a unique touch to this performance by applying his circus performance experience to the stage. He proposed incorporating the Cyr wheel (circus iron hoop) into their act, which received enthusiastic support from the members. Phung Minh Cuong also stated that both he and his teammates went through intensive rehearsals to deliver the most complete performance to the audience.

Phung Minh Cuong once again brought circus arts to the stage alongside his brothers in the Nha

Commenting on the rival’s performance, Mew Amazing praised: "Looking at every moment in the song, everything brings back childhood memories—from the clowns on stilts to the video game screens with directional buttons, and right up to when the brothers wore those outfits. It gave Mew the feeling that every single frame in this performance could take you right back to your childhood memories."

Concluding the match, Nha Nguyen To achieved a notable score of 2290, marking the relentless efforts of the members.

Pursuit Performance 2: "Chi mot dem duy nhat" by Nha Quy Tu sets the Anh Trai Vuot Ngan Chong Gai stage ablaze

Nha Quy Tu (including Mew Amazing, BB Tran, Thai Le Minh Hieu, Hoang Ton, and Neko Le) brought to the audience the song "Chi mot dem duy nhat," carrying a message about the longing to shine. The song’s content aims to convey self-worth and beauty, rising above social ridicule and criticism. Mew Amazing shared: "When receiving the prompt 'The Carousel,' the first thought was that we would have to write a song about childhood. So, beyond the obvious associations like going to the park, playing games, etc., is there anything else in our childhood that made us who we are today? That was when we suddenly remembered that back when we were little, we used to hear sounds coming from vehicles mounted with loudspeakers, driving through the neighborhood announcing 'One night only – one night only.' For us, those were the very first introductions to the world of entertainment. Regardless of whether those shows were elaborate or rudimentary, watching those artists perform on stage and knowing that this was a 'one night only' opportunity for them nurtured our souls, allowing us to hone our craft and stand on the stage as artists right now. And having become performing artists ourselves, we also inspire the people down there, which is just like the image of a carousel."

Mew Amazing’s first time as Leader successfully delivers an explosive performance with a message about the yearning to shine

During the process of finalizing the performance, Mew Amazing shared that the hardest part when working on the beat was finding lyrics that fit well and suited each member of the Team. The Talent added that he did not want to be overly biased toward his own musical taste, so he greatly needed support from Hoang Ton - someone of equal artistic weight - so that both could balance each other out. In addition, BB Tran's red carpet concept for this act was considered a staging idea well aligned with the message the song aimed to convey.

An eye-catching red carpet concept from BB Tran

What made this round special was Hoang Ton's proactive effort to reinvent himself. He shared: "In previous rounds, I was somewhat predictable to the audience, and perhaps viewers haven't seen me give it my absolute all. Therefore, this round I want to step out of my comfort zone, and Ton hopes the audience can see something novel in me." With support from Talent Thai Le Minh Hieu, Hoang Ton quickly mastered the "tough" choreography, confidently delivering an explosive performance to the audience.

Pursuit Performance 3: The childhood train takes the audience back to nostalgic memories

In this round, Nha Benh Bong (including Huynh Lap, Thom Da LAB, Jun Pham, Ho Dong Quan, and It's Charles) successfully won over the audience with a song carrying a profound message about the train of childhood. The performance transported viewers back to pure childhood memories, allowing them to reconnect with familiar things that seemed long forgotten amid the hustle and bustle of life.

Speaking about the song's message, Huynh Lap shared: "This song acts as a train taking all the adults who are grappling with life's hectic pace back to their hometowns. Returning to our hometown means returning to that realm of memories where childhood was lively and joyful—something we might have inadvertently forgotten because of our busy lives." It's Charles added: "Sometimes we want to rediscover our innocence to find the motivation to keep moving forward, and this song embodies that exact spirit."

Nha Benh Bong takes the audience on a train of memories

The lyrics for this song saw a seamless collaboration between It's Charles, Thom Da LAB, Jun Pham, and Ho Dong Quan. It's Charles also shared that the creative process was far from easy, as he and Thom Da LAB had to spend hours brainstorming to find the right lyrics and melody for the track: "The two of us kept listening to the beat over and over, microphones in hand, constantly recording every idea that popped into our heads. Then we picked up the guitar to play and feel it out together, but in the end, it still wasn't quite right."

In this round, Huynh Lap reinvented himself compared to previous times by passing the fast-flow rap section to other members and proactively taking on a different rap part in the song, which he noted happened to fit his artistic style perfectly.

Two versions in a single frame reenacted by Anh Tai Thom (DaLAB)

Jun Pham also shared that this was the gentlest performance for him since the beginning of the show, thanks to the nostalgic childhood colors it brought. Adding to the relaxed spirit of this round, Ho Dong Quan opened his heart: "My brothers and I want to bring true healing energy to the stage. It is no longer just a performance, but a retelling of our childhoods, taking the audience and all the Anh Tai back to the time that was most beautiful and poetic to us." The performance succeeded in moving the audience to tears and spreading a deeply touching message.

Episode 8 of Anh Trai Vuot Ngan Chong Gai 2026 concluded with the following provisional results: Nha Nguyen To achieved a score of 2290 and held their ground after Nha Quy Tu failed to successfully pursue them. Next, Nha Benh Bong earned the King Fire Badge after successfully pursuing Nha Quy Tu. Following three explosive performances from the three Nha under "The Carousel" theme, the upcoming Pursuit stages promise to deliver even more surprises in the next broadcast.

Source: 1Production