Original subtitles

[upbeat music plays]

[Missy] We have a new contestant in Switzerland.

We are really excited about her potential.

She has great star quality,

but she is of lower skill set.

We sent a T&D staff member to help oversee her development.

We invest hugely in the girls that we bring here.

[Manon] Being inexperienced,

not having taken any dancing classes before,

I very much know that I'm not good at dancing yet,

so I'm really just getting thrown into that cold water.

[Missy] When new trainees come in,

I think more than anything, it affects the current trainees' mental.

There's only so many spots available in the group and they know that.

It shakes them for sure.

[Manon] I always wanted to be a star. That is the ultimate goal.

And I think that's what's gonna happen, eventually.

♪ Oh, we ain't flexin', babe We do what we do ♪

♪ Love me once I know you'll love me twice ♪

♪ Love me once It's time to roll the dice ♪

[in Korean] To understand K-pop,

that is, to understand a band with multiple members,

you should know this.

Every member has a unique role to play.

It'd be great if all the group members, five out of five or seven out of seven,

were the best dancers and the best singers,

but it's almost impossible to create that kind of team.

There is still a clear requisite.

Members must be at a certain skill level to make the band.

So a lot is at stake.

♪ A little bit classic Whole lot of savage... ♪

[Missy in English] We're in the first phase of dance training.

For the next month, we're focused on just the very fundamental skills.

[Sohey instructing]

Being a dancer is hard

as hell. [laughs]

We are basically both artists and athletes.

We express our creativity like artists, and we also train like athletes.

So much practice, conditioning.

[Nikky] It's physically demanding.

This is not a normal artist-in-development situation.

♪ Girls don't like girls who hate girls ♪

♪ In this world... ♪

Once you go down the vortex of K-pop, it is really hard to get out.

The attention to detail,

facial expressions,

and also the synchronization of the choreography.

It's a level that I've never seen before.

[Missy] The girls are nowhere near ready to get on a stage and perform as a group.

Obviously, we have a lot of work to do.

They don't feel like they're a unit. Boom.

They don't know how to work in formations.

This is what we need to work on.

I was a competitive dancer,

so I know what it takes to perform at such a high level.

Six, go shot, shot, boom, boom.

Because of the high level of dancing that's gonna be expected

from that K-pop world,

my role is to bring in the right people to guide the girls.

["Stand Up" by Tierra Whack]

We needed to bring in the right teacher

that wasn't gonna over-sexualize the girls,

but wasn't gonna give us Disney.

♪ Hold your head, hold your crown... ♪

Sohey's worked for every major artist.

Nicki Minaj, Britney Spears, Madonna.

I love girl groups. I love K-pop.

I used to dream being in a girl group...

[laughs] ...growing up.

I'm trying to build their confidence.

Daily reminder that you're that bitch.

Down, up, down, and settle. Hey!

Missy did such a great job forming this team.

Me, Nikky, and Jae, I think it's a perfect match.

Ka, ka, sharp, ga, ga, down. Up.

Nikky gives the fiery, feisty energy when she dances.

Sha, ga!

You have to have a backbone to deal with Nikky.

Missy is actually my sister.

If I had to describe me and Missy, I would say, like, fire and ice.

I'm definitely the fire.

But I'm more cold-hearted, so I don't know. Maybe I'm the ice.

I'm the oldest.

And I was the first dancer, so let's get that story straight.

I really, really have a lot of respect for her,

but there was definitely a point

where I felt like she was my biggest competition all the time.

'Cause truly, she was.

Let's go, yeah! Two, three, four, five.

Don't go early. Keep going.

[Missy] But our relationship works because of that.

Five, six, walking goes a walk.

[Missy] I know how she was trained. I know how she teaches.

So it just happened to be the right fit for this particular project.

[speaking in Korean]

Son is the choreographer of BTS, one of the biggest boy bands ever.

He gives us directions. What we need to work on.

["No More Dream" by BTS playing]

[Sohey] It could be footwork. It could be body roll.

Isolation. Waves.

So I was a little nervous coming into it, 'cause, like, he's the guy.

So this is really special to me.

I'm living my dream through them.

["S P A C E" by Amber Mark playing]

♪ I know it is hard to comprehend... ♪

[Missy] Over the last few months, we haven't had any eliminations.

We wanted to give the girls time to develop their skills.

♪ Why won't you let me be in my head... ♪

Whatever is best for their training, their development, and ultimately

that launch of them being huge public figures,

it has to be done the right way.

♪ Alone I need to be... ♪

[Missy] I think eliminations are the scariest things for them

because it sets in that this is real.

And there's a timeline,

and things are moving, and girls are disappearing.

As soon as that starts happening more frequently,

I think it's gonna really shake the girls.

["S P A C E" continues]

[song ends]

[Sohey] And a four. And a kick. And a drop.

Flip. Hair. Hair. Hip. Hip.

In this program, there's levels to dance.

Techniques, ability.

We collectively make a decision

if a person is ready to move up a level.

If you're good enough, you go up to A.

And there is no one in A.

There is a level A, but no one's in level A,

and we don't really know what it is

and what we need to do to get to level A.

[Lexie] We get put into levels based on our current skills

to be able to grow as much as possible.

[Brooklyn] The more you get better at dancing or learning the choreo,

then you can level up.

So your goal is to get to the highest level in everything possible.

I entered the program in level C, and I'm currently in level B.

[Sophia] I was first put in level C for dance.

And a month ago, I was placed in level D.

And that was because I needed to get my fundamentals and my basics down.

It's hard to say who you're in the most competition with,

because you never know when somebody's just going to pop up out of nowhere

and all of a sudden level up.

[Sohey] We score them at the end of month evaluation.

Score goes from one to ten.

Sometimes lower than that.

[Missy] We're looking at dance, vocal,

performance, star quality, and their attitude.

And then we take an average of those numbers and get an overall ranking.

That is how we figure out what levels and classes are best for them.

Some of the things that makes the difference

between a good dancer and a great dancer is rhythm,

their ability to form clean lines,

being able to control your face and your emotions

while moving at such a high level.

[Nikky] You have to be able to have all those things.

Seven, eight.

Hey.

And three, four, going down.

Really get down. Look how low, yeah?

Run. Run. Sophia, sometimes it gets like back here.

Just like eval. Here we go.

["Step On Up" by Ariana Grande playing]

♪ Step on up to this crazy love ♪

♪ Hey, I'm waiting... ♪

[Nikky] Ha!

♪ Standing here with my ladies ♪

♪ No shame in chasing ♪

♪ If we got what you like ♪

♪ Don't stop, keep moving ♪

♪ 'Cause I...

Whoo! Okay, Sophia.

-There's a lot of out of control moments. -[Sophia] Yeah.

So find it.

Um... [clears throat]

All three of you, I didn't believe it at all.

It felt like nothing, honestly. Yeah?

So that, that's your moment. That pop, pop, pop!

If you don't know what you're selling, nobody's gonna buy it.

So I want you to practice more. Let's say they sent you home tomorrow.

Would you feel like you could have practiced more?

If you feel that, even a little bit, even like a hair, you're not doing enough.

Keep going. Two, go. Three.

You look scared. You literally look like you're anxious.

Body roll.

Three, four, soft.

[Sophia] Being in level D, we covered a lot of the basics.

Once we have that and we move up to level C, we're now given choreography.

It allows me to focus on other things

such as adding my own sauce to it, my performance, my star quality.

You have to know the technique.

You have to know at least the basics, you know?

[Nikky] One and two, three, four.

I love... like, I love the challenge.

["Step On Up" playing]

♪ What you need, babe, is a number one ♪

[Nikky] Let me ask you, do you think that you should move down?

Do you think that you shouldn't be in level C Heels?

Yes, because I don't feel like I can spot perfectly

or I can land, and I make sure that I land.

I land, like, every five times, and then one of them, it's like, unsure.

[Nikky] Level D doesn't do heels.

So if you move down, you're not going to be doing heels at all.

[Iliya] But I really love heels.

I... I worked, and I'm willing to work even harder.

[Nikky] Okay. I want you to stay in heels. I think you're able.

But now, put in the work.

[Iliya] But I do. I will.

-You don't right now. -[Iliya chuckles]

You don't right now.

-[Iliya] But I do. -You don't.

How much do you practice? Don't lie.

I don't count the hours. But I did practice.

-[Nikky] So let's... let's do that. -Okay.

[Nikky] Let's figure out how to keep you in this level.

Okay? Here we go.

Go one, two, yes! Three, four.

With heels, the better technique you have, the quicker you're gonna move up.

That said, if you have really good technique

and don't have the confidence

and you don't have the drive and you're not competitive,

you're gonna go right back down.

Because at the top of the level B,

top of the pyramid, those girls are cutthroat.

And, um, if you don't have that, they're gonna eat you up.

♪ Control myself ♪

♪ Control myself ♪

♪ Control myself ♪

♪ Control my, control my, control my ♪

♪ Dirty water in my cup ♪

♪ Feeling like a million bucks right now ♪

♪ You know your friends should come ♪

♪ Mmm... ♪

The top girls in heels right now are Emily and Daniela, a hundred percent.

[music continues]

♪ And you know tonight I can't ♪

-♪ Control myself ♪ -♪ No, I just can't, yeah ♪

-♪ Control myself ♪ -♪ I just wanna let go... ♪

[Nikky] About 90% of female artists dance in heels.

We wanted our trainees having the capability to do that

'cause it's one more thing in their hat that they can pull out

and we want it to empower the girls.

♪ We might just need to dance it off... ♪

I always tell the girls that confidence is the number one thing.

[Daniela] I just feel good about myself when I dance in heels.

I feel empowered, and I feel, like, beautiful.

[Nikky] Wham, chicka, wham, chicka, sah.

[Megan] I love heels.

I feel like I've definitely been able to touch on my feminine side.

♪ I just really wanna dance The night away ♪

♪ Doesn't matter who's right Doesn't matter whose love... ♪

So, recently I got moved up to level B,

and it was the coolest, but scariest experience.

The jump is really different,

but I'm excited to show them something I haven't shown them before.

This month, I really want to get to a point

where I can be comfortable dancing in that level for sure.

[song continues]

[Nikky] One, fix your body. Get smart.

[clears throat] Get smart.

And they want you guys to start matching each other.

That's a whole entire skill that I need you guys to have,

and know that that's the name of the game with this program.

Four, five, six, seven.

Uh-uh. Don't be early. Four, five, six, seven. Sha!

Four, five, six, sev... Uh-uh, don't be early.

Don't be sorry. Just don't fuck up again.

Four, five, six, seven. Sha!

Four, five, six. Sha! Whoom!

You guys are laughing, but every single time, Emily is doing it.

And she's getting it every single time.

That, how she was doing it every single time and getting it every time,

and she wasn't laughing was why she's so great at dancing.

[Emily] So we're in my bedroom.

Sorry. I keep looking up there and giggling.

So we're in my bedroom. Um...

Yeah, it's my bedroom in L.A.

I have a bunch of pictures on here.

Some of them are of me and my friends and like me and my family.

This is when I won Dancer of the Year.

And then this is my inspo wall

of like what I want my life to be like. Like my dreams.

So obviously, pop stars, like we have Beyoncé.

I love Gwen Stefani. Like, I just like literally love her.

And just like artists that I love.

My parents were super supportive.

My dad's a big dance dad.

He would always drive me to all my auditions.

And when they found out we were gonna be in a global pop group,

it's like, I like, can't even comprehend it fully yet.

But I think they're just like super excited for me.

[chuckling]

-Okay, fine. -Even that's not bad. It's really good.

Well, we've done TikToks together, but my brand is like, cute.

-And your brand is like... -[man] Gen Z.

-[Emily] What? -[woman] Gen Z. One thousand percent.

[Emily] Stop!

-I am Mollee Gray. -And my name is Jeka Jane.

And we are Emily's like L.A. parents, we say.

Um, we've been her mentors since she was eight years old.

And now we say that she's our first teenager. [laughs]

[Emily] Mollee found me at a dance convention.

[Mollee] She was just a little tiny body, big head, full of energy.

I was watching her and was like, there's something special about this kid.

I need to work with her.

[Emily] She came up to me after class and was like, "Who are you?"

And she was like, "I want you to come travel and assist me."

[Mollee] We've always had like an extra room.

And we were just like,

"Can we steal your daughter basically? And help her dreams come true?"

She's been out here ever since.

All she wants to do is be on the stage.

We sit here and watch K-pop groups. She's like, "That's gonna be me one day."

-She used to just eat Cheetos every day... -And Taco Bell.

Taco Bell, every meal, every day.

And now she's like cooking her own meals and she's meal-prepping.

Doing something like this and making it would fulfill her a lot.

And my dream is for like her to look out into the crowd and see Jeka and I.

You know, I think that would be really...

[both] I'm gonna cry. [laughs]

[Mollee] How are you training differently

with the program versus how you were training

as like a dancer, like an industry dancer?

What's different about it?

Being the dancer versus being the artist.

For dancers, a lot of it was like to support the artist.

Especially in the industry.

If you want to do tour, if you want to do concerts,

all that, it's to perform with an artist.

[both] Right.

But now training, it's like,

no, you're not training to perform with an artist.

-You're training to be the artist. -Right.

I didn't really understand

what this program was going to mean to me when I first joined.

It doesn't matter how long it's going to take.

Just think like, at the end it'll all be worth it.

[Mollee] But you think about the people that you looked up to.

Yeah.

[Mollee] Like you get to do that now for the world.

Like that's freaking insane.

Like that's so cool, you know?

[upbeat music plays]

The goal of this program is to develop a global girl group.

And so we really are still traveling the world

trying to find the right pieces to this girl group.

The girls don't know it yet, but our goal is to have 20 contestants

before we introduce the girls to the public and start the survival show.

[Michelle] There is a lot of pressure on casting.

Obviously I would love to find the girls

as soon as possible, but it doesn't always work out that way.

♪ Don't need no ready, steady beau... ♪

She is searching far and wide

for the right group of girls that have this unique star quality.

It's an energy. It's a vibe.

It's confidence. It's charisma.

Usually people believe that skill is the most important part,

but for me, it's star power.

[Nikky] Step, and...

But go for again, from the beginning.

To finish the groove before you move on.

["Get That Money" by GloRilla feat. Niki Pooh playing]

Two on each side, just like in the choreo.

I feel like on that side, I have a feeling of what's right.

On this side, I'm still trying to figure out...

[Nikky] It's okay. It just takes time.

[song continues]

Manon has the star quality and the "it" factor.

But her skill set is lower than some of the girls that we currently have.

I've been training for three weeks. It feels like three months.

It feels like a long time.

Sometimes I forget that I'm not a professional.

Like, I can't have these high expectations. Yet.

♪ You can pretend you don't miss me ♪

♪ You can pretend you don't care ♪

♪ All you want to do is... ♪

[Michelle] I think the biggest hurdle

that Manon has in this program is her skill set.

But I think if she puts her mind to it

and does what she needs to do in practice, she can get there.

♪ ...if you want me to... ♪

I have, like, my top secret book here.

This is where, like, I write poems and lyrics.

I used to write songs.

This is probably one of my favorites.

How old was I when I did that? I don't know.

Seventeen maybe? I don't know.

But I'm into like drawing strange-looking women who smoke.

[upbeat music plays]

I modeled a little before. I was in a bunch of music videos.

And I post pictures of me on Instagram, and some of them blew up.

I found Manon on social media.

[Manon] I got a DM. She was like, "We really think you'd be a great fit."

"Why don't you do an audition?" And I was like... "No."

[laughs] It was just like...

At first I didn't believe it.

Then I did my research and I was like, oh, this is legit.

[on phone speaker] Hi, Michelle. This is Manon.

We talked a few weeks ago about the audition for Geffen.

I still would like to audition if it's still open...

[Michelle] I only was communicating through like text, video calls.

And when I saw her in person,

it was like an angel walked out of the elevator. [chuckles]

There was something about her aura that was so calming

yet so vibrant at the same time.

And that isn't something that you could put science or math behind.

It's just a feeling that you get.

I think she's gonna be a great contender for the program.

[Iliya] Wait, do they know that the new girl is coming?

-I think so, yeah. -Yeah.

A new bombshell will enter the villa.

[all laugh]

Maybe we're gonna be best friends.

But she can move in either the big room or to mine and Adéla's room.

There's also a space left.

Any of those rooms.

-[Iliya] Sorry, we don't have space. -Yeah.

[all laugh]

I'm gonna try not to lose it!

[laughs]

[man] So I'm super excited that we get to spend time together.

I really want to get to know you personally.

So I'm looking for presence.

As soon as you're out there, we feel it when you're in the moment.

So think about your intentionality.

Every decision you make when you come in to perform,

we are going to be looking at.

-So does any of that make sense? -[all] Yes.

[upbeat music plays]

[indistinct chatter]

[Missy] Humberto Leon is a fashion visionary.

I love working in fashion.

My role will be to really guide them on the visuals,

the hair, the makeup, the clothing.

Anything that takes a creative lens.

I'm just excited to see how they all could belong in this group together.

I have worked with everyone from like Chloe Sevigny

to Spike Jonze and Yoko Ono.

Yeah, so tell me everything about you.

I'm ethnically Indian, but I'm born and raised in Australia.

I know that my grandparents are completely opposing this,

but my parents are like, "We just want you to be successful."

"We want you to have a comfortable life."

I did ballet most of my life, nine hours a day.

My family at first, they were like a little bit apprehensive

to let me do it as a career.

Like they saw it as a hobby.

And then they were like, "Okay, we'll just let her do it."

I didn't get to graduate actually, because of this.

So I'm a high school dropout. [laughs]

[Karlee] My mom's from Korea, actually.

And so I grew up with a lot of Korean culture

and a lot of Korean music and Korean dancing and all of that.

I've never been away from home this long.

I think the first week I cried every single day.

I'm born and raised in Sweden. And my dad is from Chile.

[Humberto] Do you speak any Spanish?

I don't. I understand a little bit, but I don't speak it.

[Humberto] Does he speak it?

Yeah, but he left, so I couldn't really learn it.

[both laugh]

Lexie is like a Swedish fairy to me.

She's like this sing-song of a girl.

I think she's somebody who just knows how to work.

I have a little bit of two different personalities.

I'm either really upbeat and just like, party vibes.

Or really moody, like chill, like, I'm walking in the rain. [chuckles]

[Humberto] There is this duality to Megan.

She's so nerdy.

And then when she gets on stage, she's like a tiger.

Being themselves is the biggest unlock.

Ever since I moved here, I feel like this is why I'm here,

like, my path for life.

So, outside of my bedroom are these palm trees in Burbank.

And it feels almost kind of like home.

'Cause in Hawaii, we have palm trees.

And here out in Burbank, there's palm trees.

The connection is definitely there.

[giggles]

[woman] You're making Mommy all wet.

Growing up in Hawaii, the kids were introduced to arts at a very young age.

[Megan] I took singing lessons since I was six years old.

I took dance when I was four years old.

So I feel like everything I've done,

it's always been my dream to just be an entertainer of any sort.

I would come out to L.A. every weekend.

So I would have dance class on Friday, go straight to the airport,

and then fly back Sunday night and then go to school on Monday.

When I came to L.A., a lot of people did not have the aloha spirit.

It was definitely some getting used to.

You have to, um, press the play...

Yeah, enter.

[gentle music playing]

[giggles] Can you believe this? This is so long ago.

-There's no technique. -[laughing] There's no technique, yes.

[Megan] My relationship with my mom is really good.

I love her to death. She helps me through everything.

She is Asian, so she's really hard on me. [laughs]

Oh my God, what am I doing?

There's nothing going on on my face. I'm not performing at all.

You were not. [laughs]

My relationship with Megan is hot and cold at times.

You know, she is still a teenager, going through the normal teenage stuff.

Oh my God. Look at you guys, so young.

[laughing] Oh my God!

-Sohey would not be proud. -No, he would not.

[Sylvia laughing]

Add on top, the industry stuff.

It's a totally different level.

But she doesn't want to do anything else.

[Megan] Moving here out of nowhere was definitely hard.

But she's always just there for me.

All right.

This one's your future.

So this is past, present, future.

So let's just see.

Present. Prosperity begins.

Prosperity begins, yay!

So that means something good.

Something good to happen, yes!

So hopefully, this is something to do with your future,

which becomes my future. [laughs]

[Megan] I know. Maybe your new endeavor is that you're my manager.

-[Sylvia chuckles] -[Megan] My "momager."

[Sylvia] This is like a one-in-a-million chance.

And being in the industry for that long, Megan knew, like, this is it.

She set her goal, and she's going to go to the end.

[Megan] I feel like before I started, I was so naive.

All of the girls have so many talents and skills.

But it is your choice

if you're gonna be amazing, if you're gonna be a star,

or it's your choice if you're gonna be average.

My number one thing is I want to work on my confidence.

It will help me be better instead of bringing me down.

-♪ 2020 vision ♪ -♪ 2020 vision ♪

♪ City girls winning ♪

♪ Coppin' us both Shit bitch, we twinnin' ♪

Megan and Emily, I feel like I'm kind of their mom a little bit,

because, well, I just turned 19, so really we're just two years apart.

But whenever I'm struggling with things, they always help too.

But I definitely feel like I have more wisdom.

Hey, guys, we're at the concert! And it's so good!

-Oh my God, there's... -Oh my God!

[Megan] My friendship with Adéla and Emily is amazing.

They're my sisters.

Yeah, I definitely found my people.

Megan is definitely like a black cat,

and Emily would be the golden retriever.

Emily's always super happy and bubbly and giggly

and just, like... a little Powerpuff Girl.

And I just get to, like, hug them.

[Emily] I don't know, just the fact that they could go home.

There's always gonna be that bit of nervousness.

[Ezrela] I think that was definitely my turning point of getting better.

[Lexie] Ezrela's teaching me some Korean here. 'Cause look at the menu.

-It's like a little wood block. -[Ezrela] It's so cute.

[Lexie] It's so cute. Korean lesson.

Korean lesson with Lexrela.

One, two, three.

We are Lexrela.

That's really cute.

-It's really good. -It is great.

He said gizz... gizzard?

It tastes like chicken.

Then it's probably the chicken.

[both giggling]

This month is gonna be so good.

Nikky actually said to me, "Your dancing has gotten visibly better."

So she said it's just, like, technique that I need to work on now.

[Lexie] Yeah, and to be honest, I feel like Nikky made me grow mentally

and the person the most in this program.

They are on our asses, and they are like being harsh sometimes,

but it just makes us a lot better, you know?

-Skål! -Skål!

-Yeah. -Hey.

Look at that.

[Nikky] There. Don't add anything. Ta, ta-ta, shh, ka.

Very clean lines. Not this.

Look at that line. It doesn't look right.

Shhh. It's a problem to me that you don't know that detail. Like...

When I moved up to Heels B, Nikky really challenged me mentally.

[Nikky] You're like, right there, and it's totally up to you.

This period of moving up levels was really, really stressful for me.

But sometimes when I think I can't,

she's like, "You can do it, and that's why I'm on you so much."

My day-to-day life before I came here was very different.

For a really long time in my life, I was dance training.

Not near the level that we are right now,

but I moved up to high school, and I was just focusing on my exams,

and that's when I had to stop dancing.

It was really frustrating for me 'cause that was the main thing

that I could put my creativity into.

I was in a really dark place.

I didn't know what direction I should go.

You're serious?

And then I found out that I got in the program.

That was when this new chapter in my life started, and it was so exciting.

Like, finally, something's happening that will bring me true joy.

It's better in the sense of, you're doing the dance correctly.

But I'm not buying it, because you're not giving face.

[Missy] It's difficult to make sure that you're showing the proper emotion

while performing at a high level.

I really feel their faces are a muscle the same way their bodies are a muscle.

Beautiful girls, but no clue how to smile or use their eyes.

So I feel like we have a bunch of baby deer.

[Daniela] I get very exhausted, very tired.

So since my stamina is so low,

sometimes in class it might look like I'm not there in the moment.

I think it's just so much training, my body sometimes can't take it.

[upbeat music playing]

[Nikky] Megan, when she first came in,

I remember I was like, Megan, you are so boring.

But she keeps evolving.

She's talented, and on top of that, she's young.

But I would never tell her that, 'cause, like, why? [laughs]

You need to be hyper-focused on your body just so that it doesn't look chaos.

[Megan] I have a longer torso than some of the girls,

so it's definitely harder for me to move around.

Uh-uh. You do it again.

One, two. Shh.

It kills me, because Naisha's so, so, so talented.

The struggle and the disconnect is the technique.

[Naisha] I am a hip-hop dancer, and I come from hip-hop.

Those like small little details,

I... They just, like...

They're not there.

And you never know what the executives are looking for,

and you never know what the public wants.

[sighs]

I can clarify that.

[somber music playing]

[Sophia] This is like a game. It's like adrenaline at 11:00 in the evening.

We have this sheet that we have to fill up

when we book practice space at the studio.

We don't have a specific time that they release it.

I'm just on guard for them to be like, "It's up,"

and then I'm like... do it right away.

So, that's what it is.

It literally is like getting concert tickets,

because you want to get like the best seat in the house,

and then everybody else is fighting you for it.

[Iliya] I don't do that.

Because then I would have to come back and look at their eyes and say, "Sorry!"

-What? What? What? -[Sophia] The open practice thing is up!

-Girl. -[Iliya chuckles nervously]

[Sophia] Girl!

-I know. Let's go. -Wait. Okay.

Oh my God. Not my laptop. I have to do it on my phone.

Where's my phone?

Uh... Okay. No! They're already filling it up.

Okay. Studio A, 1:00 to 3:00.

11:00 to 12:00... Soph.

No! Ezrela got it already. Okay.

Oh my God. Adéla!

-Sorry about that. -[Lexie laughs]

-You're not sorry! -No.

[laughing] Not... Not a bit.

My name's Ezrela, but you can call me at Tuesday, 2:30 to 3:30, Studio A.

-[chuckling] -No, it's okay. Why...

[Ezrela] Adéla put her name in before mine, so I wrote, "How dare you?"

You erased my name!

If anything, you erased mine.

You took my space! It goes "Adéla, Adéla, Ezrela."

I put my name down in that one little square,

and suddenly I look, it says, "Ezrela!"

That's my space, rightfully so.

Also, I bought you a boba one time

and you were supposed to teach me Korean for that and you never did.

[Ezrela] I owe you a Korean lesson. I don't owe you my 30 minutes of Vocal A.

-I'm switching the price then. -[Ezrela] That wasn't the deal!

[soft music plays]

[chuckling] Hey.

[in Swiss German] Hello, Lena.

Hello, how are you?

How are you? Good. And you?

You look good.

Hey, I have news.

Is it bad?

It's good, I'm just worried about what you'll say.

I started training a few weeks ago.

It's a pop group for the US.

[both laugh]

But do you sing Korean in the end?

No, it's just Korean training.

I can go to LA.

And if I go through with this, I'll be gone for two years.

But, I mean...

You get a break, right?

-You don't get a break? -[Manon] For a week.

[Lena chuckles]

Are you serious?

-Alone? -Yes.

Okay.

[chuckling]

Are you happy?

Yeah, I mean, my little sister is going out into the big world.

-But it's something that you want. -Yeah.

I just have this...

I feel this immense panic for no reason.

What if it doesn't work out?

I would be so disappointed in myself.

Do you think I'll make it into the group?

I believe so. I hope so.

Not only hope, but I wish it for you because I know how much you want it.

But it might not work out.

And if you can't go on, you can always come back.

Okay. [chuckles]

[soft music playing]

-[indistinct chatter] -[girl in English] You're eating it too.

[indistinct]

-You said half of the onion? -[Lexie] Yeah.

-Should I take the skin off completely? -[Lexie] Yeah.

[Iliya] Does anyone know when she's coming?

Do we know what bunk she's going to be in?

No.

Not yet. We're deciding.

[indistinct]

We should ask them what they want to do.

That's what I'm saying.

Like, "You can sleep wherever you want, but..."

That's killing me.

[indistinct chattering, laughing]

It's daunting because, you know, you do want to make it into the group.

You know, you have that initial feeling of insecurity.

[Megan] It's definitely intimidating.

We never know like who they're gonna be

or like what their personality is gonna be like.

A new energy

is being brought up into this family that we've kind of created.

[soft music continues]

Thank you.

[girls screaming, laughing]

You're challenged! Stop!

[screaming and indistinct chatter]

[Naisha] Split! Split! Split!

[screaming]

Hi! I'm Karlee!

-You must be so tired. Oh my God. -I'm literally so exhausted.

-Hi, girl. -Nice to meet you.

Oh my God. I'm gonna... Nice to meet you.

Oh my God. How's everyone doing?

Fine!

I'm so tired. I had to wait ages for like my luggage, but now I'm here.

-Made it. -Yeah!

-Oh my God. -Ooh.

I'm so excited! I stalked you on Instagram.

-[Manon] No, you didn't. -Yes, I did!

-[Iliya] Oh my God! -[Manon] Oh my God.

-Your gorgeliciousness. I mean, just... -[laughs]

-I can't. Yeah. -[Manon] I can't. You're so cute.

Do you miss your friends at all?

[Iliya] The schedule is too busy to miss...

[Manon] Anyone?

-[Iliya] Yeah. -Wow.

Sometimes you don't even get a chance to talk to your family for weeks.

[Manon] Wow.

Like that's... I don't know, that's how it was with me.

But doesn't that get lonely a little sometimes?

[Iliya] Yeah, it does. But the girls make it better.

I feel like you girls are already such a family.

-You know? -Yeah, it's like a little family.

It really is. That's so cute.

Are there a lot of girls on the D level?

-'Cause I think I'm D in dancing for sure. -Yes.

[Manon] I had some training in Switzerland.

But I need so much more training.

[Missy] Uh, you're in level D Heels, so you won't perform it for end of month.

-But you'll still work on it. -Okay.

But do you need... I need to get you heels?

-I've got some. -[Missy] Okay.

-I don't know... -Can you show me before you leave?

Yeah. Absolutely.

What time do the girls wake up?

I think a lot of them get up at 6:00, 6:15,

'cause I think you guys are out the door at 7:15.

-[Manon] Oh my God. -[chuckles] Yeah.

[girls chattering]

-[Emily] Hi! -[Manon] Hi!

-I'm Emily. It's so nice to meet you. -Nice to meet you.

-[Emily] My gosh, you're so pretty! -Stop.

How was school?

The biggest thing is confidence. Believing in yourself. Performing.

Because if you have that from the jump, that's like the star quality.

Know what I mean? And when you have the training, that's fine.

You could be the best dancer ever,

but if you're dead in the face, nobody cares.

Boom. Boom.

Good.

[chilled music playing]

[Missy] So today is the end-of-month evaluation.

Where are we at skill set-wise?

I do see the Bs competitive with each other.

I think they push themselves.

I think that that's also what separates

some of the level B dancers and some of our level C dancers.

Is... I know we went through a time where we were saying our lower levels

are kind of approaching this, like, summer camp.

But that drive that only comes from within,

it's hard to light that fire for someone if they don't light it for themselves.

[people chattering]

Okay, ladies, we're gonna get started.

[music continues]

["Me & My Girls" by Selena Gomez playing]

♪ Drop down on a desert ride ♪

♪ Just outside the 95 ♪

♪ Never felt more, more alive ♪

♪ I've got my chicas by my side ♪

♪ And if we want it, we take it... ♪

[people applauding]

[in Korean] I wish there had been that explosive moment with music.

[in English] Some timing issues, might be nerves.

I don't know 'cause I've never seen you have those issues before.

But if it is nerves, we've gotta work on some things.

["Sauce" by Naika playing]

♪ Don't tell me you've tasted Anything like this ♪

♪ Don't tell me you felt This fire on your lips ♪

♪ Fenty Body Lava rubbin' on you Yeah, it rubbin' off... ♪

[Nikky] There's lack of control, absolutely.

So that's what's missing for me.

Okay? Good job, though.

I know that you're harder on yourself than we're harder on you.

But I really need you to know that you have things that you have to accomplish.

Thank you.

["Sauce" by Naika playing]

♪ Don't tell me you've tasted Anything like this ♪

♪ Don't tell me you felt This fire on your lips ♪

♪ Fenty Body Lava rubbin' on you Yeah, it rubbin' off ♪

♪ Steam in the shower you gonna wanna Put some ice on my body ♪

♪ I got the recipe ♪

[Sohey] Um...

I think I've seen you do better.

I appreciate the smile, but it felt a little forced.

I... I can tell you're not confident in your movements.

And there's so many details that was missing.

There's a lot of things.

There's a lot of things.

Let's... Let's focus on more details.

Yeah, it was... not there at all.

And I do believe in you. So keep working hard.

[Missy] Okay, ladies, you can come back at 2:45.

[people applauding]

-Today doesn't define the dancer you are. -Yeah.

You aren't just the score that you get.

The uncomfortable moments they're talking about, are this.

So you need to learn from your moment right now, okay?

This is the stuff that are gonna make you a better performer.

Learn how to control it, you know, welcome it.

Because this is something that's gonna make you grow.

["Black Horse" by Sarah Kinsley playing]

[Megan] You're getting a lot of critiques all the time.

It's definitely anxiety-inducing.

Because, you know, you just wanna be perfect sometimes.

[music continues]

[Son in Korean] Maybe you were too nervous or too focused on memorizing,

but you lacked facial variations, which was disappointing.

[Adéla in English] I've been getting mixed feedback.

I just feel like my confidence took another hit.

Maybe these bumps on the road will help me in a new way that I don't even know about.

Oh my God, I have no heels. Nikky, I forgot my heels. Oh, no!

I was disappointed.

It felt like a bone moved out of place.

Today I have to sit out because I have a hip injury.

And it is really frustrating

when your body isn't allowing you to do what you love to do.

This whole journey is very hard on everyone's bodies.

So yeah, sometimes you need to show that love to your body,

even though it sucks.

["Cut To The Feeling" by Carly Rae Jepsen playing]

♪ Cancel your reservations, No more hesitations this is on ♪

♪ Can't make it stop, Give me all you got ♪

♪ I want it all or nothing, No more in between, now give your ♪

♪ A chemical reaction Take me in your arms ♪

♪ And make me Ah-ah-ah, ah-ah-ah ♪

♪ I wanna cut to the feeling, oh yeah ♪

♪ I wanna cut to the feeling I wanna cut to the feeling ♪

[music fades]

[people applauding]

[Son speaking Korean]

[translator in English] I don't know what to say.

I gave you the highest score I've given here.

-[Son speaking Korean] -[translator in English] Great job.

[Son in Korean] Emily, I think it's time for you to take the next step.

You will be the first to move up to level A.

[all applauding]

[Emily in English] I don't know what level A is and what it entails.

I didn't think it was like something that could be...

reached.

I just feel so honored that Son believed in me.

I think I'm just ready for what's about to happen.

[Missy] Okay, so the top is the overall rankings,

and that is an average score of vocal, dance, natural charm, visual and attitude.

I put the girls in two groups, progressing and being stagnant.

And I do have Adéla, Emily, Megan all progressing,

where I feel like Lexie, Naisha, Iliya, Marquise stayed kind of stagnant.

Lexie and Naisha, they both definitely are talented and have natural abilities,

but there are corrections that their teachers have been giving them,

and they haven't corrected those things.

With Naisha, sometimes I feel like

she's painting such a beautiful picture with her movement

and all we need for her to do is make a square.

Can she execute this simple choreography in a clean way?

And so that is a really major concern for me.

[Keymo] What are your thoughts on Iliya?

[Missy] I think her skill set,

definitely low in dance, very low.

I think she has great work ethic.

To me personally, I would be really sad to see her go.

[Charlie] I was impressed with Adéla as well.

[Missy] Yeah.

I felt like her work ethic, it was amazing.

[in Korean] If you were to let one of them go,

who would it be?

[all laughing]

-[in English] Actually, I will say Iliya. -[Son] Mmm.

-[Keymo] Mine's Iliya. -Me too.

[Charlie] That's a couple.

[in Korean] I also made that note.

[in English] Iliya is more like a vocalist,

more TikToker rather than Idol, so...

Yeah. But she's gotten better. And her work ethic is great.

Yeah.

She has that star quality that is God-given

that I can't... I wouldn't let her go.

[Charlie] Should we decide now?

[in Korean] We need to select the final members from 30 people.

Is this the right time to be telling them,

"You failed, you must leave?"

[in English] I'm happy keeping everyone. We have another evaluation in three weeks.

They now know the scores and where they're ranking.

I think then we're gonna be better suited

to make an opinion about who needs to go home.

[Charlie] No eliminations for this round.

[in Korean] In order to be a successful group,

there must be at least one main dancer,

and she should dance at a professional level.

Only Emily made it to level A,

which brought the healthy competition I mentioned to fruition.

[in English] Today's a really hard day for me because...

I went to the doctor, and I fractured a part of my foot.

And I won't be able to dance for six weeks.

I don't even know how I fractured it.

It's just been hurting over time, as I've been dancing on it.

Like, I'm just scared...

because this is like, my job.

And my life.

[dramatic music playing]

I just feel like my boot is gonna send me home

because what I bring to the table has been taken away from me.

Oh my God. Oh my God, I literally...

["Can't Do It Like Me" by Feels Like feat. Ruby Jay playing]

♪ We pass the line, no waitin' ♪

♪ You in the line, no way in ♪

♪ VIP on the guest list ♪

♪ You outside gettin' restless ♪

♪ Check this ooh mow mow ♪

♪ They up on da girl For the too new style ♪

♪ Givenchy, Dolce & Gabbana ♪

♪ Louis V and Balenciaga ♪

♪ Heat the club up, feel like a sauna ♪

♪ Shut it down, then I am a goner ♪

♪ Back to the hotel, ooh nah nah nah ♪

♪ Presidential suite like Obama ♪

♪ I'm here for the drama ♪

♪ We go crazy, we go bananas ♪

♪ We get the commas ♪

♪ They just hating because they not us ♪

♪ Can't do it like me ♪

♪ I betcha can't do it like me ♪

♪ Can't do it like me ♪

♪ I betcha can't do it like like ♪

♪ Can't do it like me ♪

♪ I betcha can't do it like me ♪

♪ Can't do it like me ♪

♪ I betcha can't do it like like ♪

♪ Can't do it like me ♪

♪ Betcha can't do it like ♪

♪ Can't do it like me ♪

♪ Betcha can't do it like ♪

♪ Can't do it like me ♪

♪ Betcha can't do it like ♪

♪ Can't do it like me ♪

♪ Betcha can't do it like ♪

♪ Ooh, look what you done done ♪

♪ You stepped in it Right where my crew done run ♪

♪ Do it like me, that's coo coo hun ♪

♪ Cuz I supply the bread Talking buku buns ♪

♪ I'm here for the drama ♪

♪ We go crazy, we go bananas ♪

♪ We get the commas ♪

♪ They just hating because they not us ♪

♪ Can't do it like me ♪

♪ I betcha can't do it like me ♪

♪ Can't do it like me ♪

♪ I betcha can't do it like like ♪

♪ Can't do it like me ♪

♪ I betcha can't do it like me ♪

♪ Can't do it like me ♪

♪ I betcha can't do it like like ♪

♪ Can't do it like me ♪

♪ I betcha can't do it like me ♪

♪ Can't do it like me ♪

♪ I betcha can't do it like like ♪

♪ Can't do it like me ♪

♪ I betcha can't do it like me ♪

♪ Can't do it like me ♪

♪ I betcha can't do it like like ♪

♪ Can't do it like me ♪

♪ I betcha can't do it like me ♪

♪ Can't do it like me ♪

♪ I betcha can't do it like like ♪

[song ends]