ENA ‘The Scout’
ENA ‘The Scout’ burst with authenticity from its very first broadcast.
On the 8th at 8 p.m., the first episode of ENA's growth-oriented music project ‘THE SCOUT : A Star Reborn’ (hereafter ‘The Scout’) featured not only the first meeting of the ‘Masters’Lee Seung-chul, Kim Jae-joong, Wendy, DAY6 Young K (Young K), and Choo Sung-hoonbut also the unveiling of 17 muses, signaling a dazzling start. Additionally, the contestants’ ‘Final Preliminaries’ and the full-fledged ‘Scout Stage’ were revealed, heightening immersion. As a result, signs of ‘one-pick’ rivalries and emerging fandoms have already appeared, sparking heated reactions in and out of the music scene.
Having prepared ‘The Scout’ for a full two years, Lee Seung-chul opened the show by saying, "It is the story of starlets created by stars. I will find the single brightest star." At the subsequently revealed ‘Final Preliminaries,’ Lee's signature ‘fact bombs’ were present, but they carried a very different meaning as a foundation for growth rather than judgment. First, musical actor Choi Ha-ram appeared and belted out "You Fool," and Lee offered a spot-on assessment: "Without a piano you are clumsy, but at the piano you give off a Terius vibe." Next, Yang Tae-seon, formerly of TRCNG, performed his prepared dance, but when he hesitated to the track the production played right after, Lee delivered a blunt solution: "You are someone who cannot dance. Let's not dance." By contrast, to Park Jun-sung he offered active coaching"Your vocal tone and vibrato are good. Grow your hair out and learn piano"and praised him, saying, "You are the best of the ones I have seen so far." He also threw out a powerful piece of advice to Kim Yoo-shin"Do not sing praise music for the time being"bringing the house down.
After the laughter-and-tension-filled preliminaries ended, Lee Seung-chul met the Masters for the first time. Having met Kim Jae-joong, Wendy, Young K, and even the ‘Stamina Master’ Choo Sung-hoon, Lee explained the ‘rules’: from the 17 muses selected through a blind test, each Master chooses the participants they want and trains four of them. He then showed the Masters videos of the muses ‘unleashing their talent,’ kicking off a ‘preliminary scouting round.’ Regarding the youngest, Cho Yong-hwan, Lee marveled, "I heard his concert tickets sold out in 45 seconds," and he piqued curiosity by introducing Cho Yoon-chan as "a quirky kid." When Jin Hyun-jun appeared, Kim Jae-joong said, "I saw this guy on Shortsa 100-impression video!", and Young K applauded Lee Jin, who performs as the singer-songwriter ‘Neon,’ saying, "He sings the best." Lee Seung-chul rated Cha Sol-bin's potential highly"He practiced piano for just a month and came here"and Kim Jae-joong raised expectations by making an early ‘one-pick’ declaration for Kwon Ui-bin.
Next, the ‘Scout Stage’ held at the Anseong, Gyeonggi set was unveiled. With the four Masters and 21 expert directors across composition, visuals, style, physique, and more, the 17 muses took the stage to offer their first greetings. Lee told the Masters, "From now on, we are rivals competing over whose muse will win," throwing down a fierce gauntlet. On the ‘Scout Stage,’ after each muse finished, the Masters had first pick; if multiple Masters gathered, the muse chose their Master.
First up, ‘Gong Yoo look-alike’ Kim Dong-won chose Roy Kim's ‘Ursa Major’ and presented a sweet vocal, and Wendy pointed to growth potential, saying, "There is a wall you need to break through." The ‘elementary-schoolers' president’ Cho Yong-hwan opened with a phone narration and a bouncy performance that drew all eyes, and Wendy acknowledged his distinctive flair, saying, "Being cute is also a skill." The ‘Nam Joo-hyuk boyish version’ Park Jun-sung sang Tim's ‘As Much as I Loved.’ Kim Jae-joong commented, "You have everything you need when you sing. But for now it still feels like a handsome church oppa doing well at karaoke," and Young K delivered an active scouting line: "You will be very popular. You just need to relax. I will tell you how if you join our team," prompting laughter.
Lee San, whose mother is from Peru, followed Hyukoh's ‘Tomboy’ by picking up a guitar and exuding a unique sensibility, and Lee Seung-chul made a timely appeal: "I like it." Kwon Ui-bin chose WOODZ's ‘Drowning’ and showcased an expansive vocal, though a rough throat left some regrets. Even so, Kim Jae-joong sent a strong love call: "He was my one-pick. Let's do this together." Lee Jin staged a unique performance with Somdef's ‘Slippery,’ and Young K showed affection, saying, "He sings extremely well. However, he is stiff. I can help," as other Masters joined in, creating a tug-of-war atmosphere. Last to appear, Cho Yoon-chan overwhelmed everyone with a powerful aura even before starting to sing. In response, Kim Jae-joong revealed his ‘fan-heart’: "What is that vibe? It feels like the members of Eve are standing in front of us. I love that cocky slant in his posture." But the episode ended there, exploding curiosity for the next installment.
Right after the broadcast, viewers poured out explosive reactions: "There are so many real gems", "Thank you for the feast for the eyes and ears", "A music variety I can finally get immersed in again", "I did not expect much but it is so fun", "It feels sincere", "As expected, when Lee Seung-chul grinds away for two years, it really is different", and more.
Meanwhile, in the ‘pre-vote’ results revealed at the end of the episode, Kim Yoo-shin recorded a 11.54% viewer vote share to take first place, proving a strong presence. ENA's growth-type music project ‘The Scout,’ which combines the 17 muses' unique charms and explosive skill with the Masters' chemistry, airs every Friday at 8 p.m.
