In an ambitious effort to stand out, Korean broadcasting giant MBC produced an outlandish, ‘Survivor’-esque program called ‘Wild Idol’, in which its contestants were forced to compete in the wild to debut as K-pop idols. However, the show failed to gain traction and the seven contestants who survived the program debuted to zero fanfare. The group of survivors, monikered “Tan”, had locked into a 30-month contract with MBC and a management company specializing in old-style Korean trot music and no K-pop industry experience.
‘The future is uncertain for this group.” “Can ‘Tan’ make it under a trot company?”
‘Idol in a Strange Company’ is a provocative documentary that indirectly criticizes mindlessly consumed K-pop audition shows and serves as a moment of self-reflection for their producers.
