‘Singer Gain’ who has lost his original intention, what are he missing?

[Reporter Park Soon-woo]

▲ <Singer Gain 3> The eliminated contestants are performing a special performance with judge Lim Jae-beom in the final episode.

ⓒ JTBC

JTBC’s entertainment program

<Singer Gain 3> conducted online voting from the beginning of the broadcast. As a result, it was a system that was only reflected in the finals, but fans rushed to vote for the singer they supported. Even if the amount reflected in the results is small, it can be a problem if the process is not fair. The reason why fairness issues arise here is because among the participants, there were several singers who already had fandom. A singer who already has a fandom, whether hundreds or thousands, is bound to have an upper hand in such voting.

If a fandom is naturally formed during a broadcast, it can be accepted as a positive process, but in cases where a fandom already exists, it is questionable whether it is right to grant participation qualifications. Even if there is a fandom, public awareness is low, so the singer’s position may feel unclear. ‘Sugar Man’ In a situation where Joe is present, it would not be possible to unconditionally prevent these singers from appearing. If so, sufficient consideration needs to be given to what kind of screening process must be used to obtain fair results, but this does not appear to be the case.

The judges’ evaluation was tied, and noises came out every time.

<Singer Gain> has insisted on using 8 judges since season 1. The judges are divided into junior and senior judges and are evaluating the performance. Unless it is a point system, the even number system is bound to cause various problems in a one-on-one competition. I was lucky enough to avoid it until now, but this season, the problem was fully revealed. In particular, ties of 4 to 4 occurred frequently, so additional discussions had to be held, and there was constant noise every time. There were many cases of failure even after putting on the best performance.

In particular, there were many cases where they were driven into a fierce competition structure from the beginning, being conscious of viewership ratings. If this structure is repeated in auditions where one-on-one confrontations are the main focus, victims are bound to arise and viewer fatigue also builds up. Even if you perform well on stage, you may fail, or even if you do not perform well, you may advance to the next round. Even if the choice was made directly by the participant, it is bound to be difficult for viewers to understand the result.

It is acknowledged that due to broadcast time, it is not possible to transparently capture the entire discussion process of the judges. However, it is not easy for viewers who have to understand the results only through edited screens. No matter what decision you make, it can be problematic. It would have been better to increase the number of judges or reflect the opinions of viewers and audience members, but

Are judges who reveal their personal preferences fair?

▲ ​Singer Hong Isak <Singer Gain 3> Selected as the winner, her fellow singers are congratulating her.

ⓒ JTBC

This situation continues even in rounds where there is an audience. The audience can only watch and have no opinion on the results of the contest. Online voting, which was implemented from the beginning, also has no effect. In addition, if a person was eliminated, they were immediately excluded from the online voting rankings, making those who had been voting hard for their favorite singers feel discouraged. I wonder if there was even a need to so bluntly exclude it from the rankings.

If there are loopholes in the system, the review must be fair, but did the judges really conduct a fair review according to clear standards? There were quite a few cases where they openly revealed their “fan sentiment” rather than conducting a screening. Most of those singers advanced to the next round without difficulty. It was the same in the repechage match, but when the successful candidates were announced, the reason for selection was not explained. A series of situations occurred that left viewers with the misunderstanding that the judges made their decision based on personal preference rather than how great the stage was.

In a program where only the judges’ wishes are reflected in advancing to the top 7, it is questionable whether it is really desirable to actively reveal such personal preferences. Judges may also have their own tastes and preferences, but shouldn’t they at least refrain from showing such behavior as much as possible on broadcast? There were quite a few cases where the production team and the judges looked at each other differently. If you look at the editing, you can see who the production team paid attention to, but unfortunately, there were cases where the judges were not paying attention and were eliminated early. In the case of the final special stage performed by the eliminated contestants, it was strange that some faces were not visible. I have a lot of regrets about not being able to be delicate until the end.

“Singer Gain 3” , singers who seem to have lost their original intention should not be ignored.

The production team and judges must deeply understand the purpose of the program called ‘Unknown Singer’ and show a judging process appropriate to it, but as the season progresses, they lose their original intention and cannot see any differences from other auditions. Now that Season 3 has ended, we have to look back and see why this audition received so much support from viewers.

It seems necessary to check whether the singers who went through this program are taking the path of becoming famous singers after the program ends. I would like to check whether the winner-takes-all system, which gives the ever-increasing prize money to only the first place, is really right.

The reason viewers were so enthusiastic about <Singer Gain> in the first place was because it was a program that gave people another chance in Korean society, which does not tolerate mistakes or failures. They must have loved it because it is a program that shows hope that even if you fall, you can get up again and take on challenges.

In a time when it was difficult to have a dream, I was moved and glad to meet people who had a dream and were working hard. It seems that a major overhaul is needed to see if this point has been forgotten as we reach Season 3. Why was this program planned? What is this program trying to say to viewers? What is the philosophy that <Singer Gain> must establish and uphold? There is an answer to the fundamental question.