I-LAND has mystified potential viewers since its initial announcement. From a logo that looked like an egg inside a box to a ridiculously enormous budget of 20 billion Won (five times that of the massively popular Produce 101), how this new idol survival series from CJ E&M and Big Hit Entertainment will turn out has been a huge question mark.

Premiering its first episode on June 26, I-LAND immediately introduced the four core celebrities at the center of the show. Actor Namkoong Min is the show’s “storyteller”, aka the host that guides the audience through the process. If you’ve watched Produce 101, he plays a very similar role to what Jang Keun-suk, BoA, Lee Seung-gi and Lee Dong-wook did.

Watching all of the contestants behind the scenes are the three producers: BigHit Entertainment CEO Bang Si-hyuk, international phenomenon Rain and prominent K-hip hop creator and performer Zico.

While it isn’t stated in the first episode, Rain and Zico will also act as trainers throughout the series. That leaves Bang Si-hyuk sticking out a little among the three. From the start, the series feels a little like an attempt to elevate his name in the public eye to the same level as those of other major entertainment company CEOs like Lee Soo-man and Park Jin-young. As long as the series itself is good, though, I personally don’t really mind it.

All 23 of the show’s trainee competitors are introduced in small groups, each of them reacting with various levels of awe and excitement at the huge, futuristic-looking cube building that is I-LAND. It makes you wonder how much of the 20 billion won budget was spent on just that building alone.

As the competitors arrive, there’s a that counter goes up with the arrival of each new person. However, as soon as it hits 12, it stops. Only being explained after all 23 trainees arrive, 12 is the number of people that I-LAND - the decked-out complex that includes various amenities like several practice studios, a fitness center, a medical center, a fully-stocked kitchen and more - is built to house. In order to determine which 12 competitors will get to initially stay in I-LAND, each group (or in some cases, individual) has to perform their prepared song in front of everyone before the rest of the contestants vote very publicly (by a show of hands) whether each individual trainee deserves to gain entrance into I-LAND.

Though none of the trainees really stood out as a complete packages, there were a couple that really shined in certain areas. Ni-ki, one of the international trainees on the show, showed a lot of power and skill in dancing, while Sunoo had a brilliant stage presence, making you feel happy every time the you saw a close-up of his face during his performance. And, of course, I have to give props to the group who took on a VIXX routine for their evaluation performance. That’s some guts!

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On the other end, a few trainees also stood out as, well, not so impressive. Seon’s “Lullaby” performance felt really stiff, which was a shame since he had the benefit of being the first person to perform. Ta-ki’s performance was also less than impressive, mainly because he just chose a song that didn’t fit his vibe. If you’ve got a cute appearance and a bright colored-windbreaker, EXO’s edgy hit “Monster” probably isn’t the best option.

During the initial voting, the number of people entering I-LAND could exceed 12 so, of course, it did. Of the 23 contestants, 16 were voted as “IN”, leaving I-LAND at 4 over capacity and sending the 7 who didn’t qualify to the GROUND, a secondary facility where the people who don’t make it into I-LAND will train. It’s much smaller, consisting of only a practice room, and is surrounded by a large barrier, giving it a locked-away feeling. To be honest, though, the greenery in the GROUND walls is a vibe that I personally think looks really nice.

The 16 contestants who made it through the first voting and into I-LAND got a brief look at the training dream land before being told that in two hours, they’ll all need to vote individually on which four trainees will be forced to leave I-LAND and join the 7 others in the GROUND. This time, individual voting is private.

Episode 2

Once everyone voted, the reveal was quick. Ta-ki, Sunoo, Sungchul and EJ were voted out of I-LAND and had to go down to the GROUND. Of all 11 trainees in the GROUND at this point, I felt especially bad for those four, since they got a taste of I-LAND before promptly getting kicked out.

Everyone got very little time to process the change before they were tasked with their first test: learning and performing the show’s theme song.

Along with info about the test, it was also revealed how I-LAND tests would be judged, and how trainees in the GROUND can earn their way into I-LAND. After each test performance, each I-LAND trainee receives an individual score from the producers and directors, which are then averaged out for an overall team score. How many trainees must leave I-LAND after each test depends on the team score they receive.

• 100%-96%: No one leaves

• 95%-91%: 1 person leaves

• 90%-86%: 2 people leave

• 85%-81%: 3 people leave

• 80%-76%: 4 people leave

• 75%-71%: 5 people leave

• 70% or below: 6 people leave

Replacements for those who must leave will be chosen from the GROUND by the producers, who get to see daily video performances from each GROUND trainee.

Both I-LAND and GROUND trainees are tasked with learning both the vocals and choreography for the series’ theme, “Into The I-LAND”. Since I-LAND trainees will need to perform the song as part of their test, they assign themselves specific parts to learn, while GROUND trainees only need to learn the overall choreography and song lyrics. In I-LAND, Ni-ki picks up the choreography VERY quickly, getting it down in what seems to be less than half an hour. In individual interviews, he said that he wanted Part 1. However, when the group came together to assign parts, he didn’t speak up, ultimately leaving the group to nominate Heeseung as the center.

After Part 1 was decided, Jay and others expressed interest in Part 2. While Jay didn’t get the part, he continued to try out for each part until finally getting Part 8. I really appreciated his dedication to trying out for every part, despite the awkwardness and embarrassment he no doubt felt after every time he lost. It’s the kind of diligence I like seeing in situations like this.

The difference between the I-LAND experience and GROUND experience are only further accentuated when you see how each group learns the choreography. Each trainee in I-LAND gets their own individual tablets, which lets them practice on their own, but doesn’t necessarily help build their teamwork. Meanwhile, GROUND trainees only get one tablet for all 11 of them, which makes picking up the choreography more of a team effort.

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When the time comes for the GROUND trainees to record their first batch of individual evaluations, they go about as you’d expect. If you’ve watched Produce 101, this group is similar to how D and F groups usually perform in their mid-way checkups. Some do well. Others freeze and ultimately ruin their one chance.

Meanwhile, the I-LAND trainees go through their own series of difficulties, eventually reassigning Part 1 from Heeseung to Ni-ki. They then get a surprise training session with Rain, who makes them dance the choreography, then sing through the song, then perform both together without any breaks between. It’s the kind of gauntlet that many if not all of these trainees have never been through, and it shows. Rain’s feedback makes the group question whether or not Ni-ki has the vocals needed for Part 1, but because they’re only a couple days away from their test evaluation date, the group decides to keep the assignments as-is.

When the 12 I-LAND trainees finally perform, none stand out as complete idol packages. Some like Jungwon and Geonwoo impressed me with their vocal capabilities, while others like Daniel pleasantly surprised me with their dancing. But no one really had great facial expressions, making the performance as a whole feel like it was missing something.

Clearly the producers and directors agreed, because the individual scores that came in for each trainee were LOW. All 12 scores were presented randomly and anonymously, which made me extremely curious as to who go what score. But it’s understandable why they only show the numbers. Otherwise, it would be too simple for the other trainees (or fans watching) to attach a “best” or “worst” label without doing any analysis or thinking on their own.

With the highest individual score coming in at a measly 75 and the lowest at a devastating 40, the team average ended up being 59, meaning that half of the I-LAND group are about to get demoted to the GROUND, and half of the trainees there will get to experience life in I-LAND. The I-LAND trainees must chose who goes to the GROUND, while the producers get to chose who will rise.

In suspenseful TV fashion, episode 2 end there, leaving it at a nail-biting cliffhanger. While I have my own personal hopes (promote Sunoo back to I-LAND!), I’m interested to see who is chosen to get kicked out.

Have you checked out I-LAND yet? What do you think of the newest idol survival series? Let me know in the comments.