I’m usually quite outdated when it comes to Chinese variety, but the many dance shows on the air finally got to me, and I can’t stop watching the dance offs online.
Huang Zitao has just shared a poster on weibo introducing himself as the MC for the upcoming Chinese version of Produce 101. It is produced by Tencent which has purchased the rights from its Korean counterpart. I guess this new entrant makes for even more intense competition between the main players, many of whom are current and former K-pop idols like Luhan, Victoria Song, Jackson Wang, etc.
The tricky part is that Produce 101 is the official franchise for the popular Korean show of the same name while Idol Producer featuring Lay was accused of copying its format. The two hosts have the connection of being bandmates in EXO as well. The male-centric Idol Producer seems to be doing well, and it remains to be seen whether the female-centric Produce 101 will be equally well-received.
Filming is expected to begin on March 23 with a possible premiere in April. Ella Chen, Jason Zhang Jie, Anson Hu, Wang Yibo of UNIQ and Show Luo are also reported to join.
Anonymous
This is so random, so they have 2 ver of the same show? And both hosts used to be bandmates…
Barb
Idol producer is very fun to watch. It's just boys and it's ending soon. The hosts are picked to draw in the idol demographic