A Recap of I-Land Episode 11: Refreshing VS Explosive & The Last 9 I-Landers

We are one episode away from the survival show’s grand finale and our debut lineup! Time sure does fly by when you’re patiently waiting for the next episode of I-Land. The latest episode aired September 11, 11 PM KST.

After a sad goodbye to the last eliminated I-Lander, Taki, a situation arises where ‘Chamber 5’ is one member short. As Sunoo was crowned 1st from last episode’s global votes, he gets the benefit of choosing a new person from ‘Flame On’ team. In the end, ‘Flame On’s’ very own leader, Sunghoon, was chosen to join the cute song! Sunoo noted that Sunghoon was a contender to be a part of ‘Chamber 5’ from the very beginning and his hard-work and wide spectrum of charms would be a great fit to the team. However, this change could make or break ‘Chamber 5.’ The two teams only has 5 days left to prepare for their performances and Sunghoon has to learn from scratch.

Sunghoon definitely didn’t seem in his right mind as the reality hit him. The ‘Chamber 5’ team get into practicing to get Sunghoon up to speed. They hit a wall, as Sunghoon can’t shake his strong aura from ‘Flame On.’ His dance was way too intense for the soft performance.

‘Flame On’ team also face some complications. Not only do they need to switch around some parts, they have lost their leader. It becomes inevitable for K to take the position. The oldest member has had a lot of growth since leading from the Chemistry Test. Along with watching Sunghoon’s different style of leading until then, K vowed to lead the team with a more open-minded attitude.

There already seems to be a positive change the viewers could see from K. ‘Flame On’ team are able to bring up their thoughts and suggestions to the performances and have a lively mood while practicing. While they are having more fun as they practice, they are definitely improving with K as the new leader.

As time passes, ‘Chamber 5’ have shown some improvement too. As Sunghoon got himself more familiar to the dance, the smoother their practices have become. However, as Son Sung Deuk came in to evaluate the boys, they received a bad review. He mentioned how everything seemed too forced and unnatural. The performance would be much better if they could convey real joy while performing the dance, but nothing could show with their lack of energy and facial expressions. All of ‘Chamber 5’ are at a loss after hearing Son Sung Deuk’s critical words.

Jake, specifically, showed his disappointment after the harsh evaluation. He couldn’t help but feel he has returned to step one after all he has done on I-Land, after not impressing Son Seung Deuk. At least, good friend, Sunghoon was there to cheer up and give a promise that they could work on their dilemmas together.

Not gonna lie, my heart melted at this moment.

As Son Sung Deuk went to check out ‘Flame On’ team’s progress, the mood is different. As the five poured out everything into this performance, it impressed Son Sung Deuk, which is a first. Each of the boys have gotten high praise, except for one. Unfortunately, Hanbin gotten criticism for not showing more intensity and power into his dance, which ruin the balance from his teammates.

The viewers get a much needed break from the intense practices and get a segment of the I-Landers cleaning their dorm. We see a cute moment of the 10 of them dancing to BTS’s Dynamite and getting their much needed lunch with pizzas and a fun Q&A game.

Afterwards, 1st, 2nd, and 3rd placers, Sunoo, Heeseung, and Jay were rewarded with the opportunity to call whoever they want: 1st place gets three calls, 2nd place gets two, and one call for 3rd. Sunoo takes the initiative to use his first call to ring up one of the eliminated trainees, Jaebeom. Along with the rest of the I-Landers, they were able to have a much needed conversation with him. Afterwards, the three were able to have their calls with their family. With words of support and witty jokes shared, Heeseung, Sunoo, and Jay were able to gain a lot of energy from the people they love dearly.

While the boys prepare for their upcoming test, the surprising results of the global votes from last episode still brings a lot of worry to some. While Jay rightfully rose into 3rd place, a lot of usually high-ranked I-Landers have been pushed down. This time around, Sunghoon left his comfortable 3rd place space and Jungwon lost his I-Land badge for the first time.

Niki brought up his concern of not fulfilling the wishes of his fans. He hadn’t rose above 7th place once since Part 2 began and the weight in his chest seemed far too heavy to bare. He has a lot of lingering regrets, so he told himself that he will be working extra hard for this mission. He wanted to show his worth and how valuable he will be for the debut group.

Hanbin had been struggling with the ‘Flame On’ choreography and felt that he was dragging the group. He has Niki help him bring more power into his moves. After trying and trying again, his worry about being eliminated this time around rises. While he felt happy reaching 4th place in the global votes, he was the more concerned about the producer’s evaluation. He wanted to show the directors and producers that he could improve himself and show a perfect performance.

Even the top ace, Heeseung, seem to be on edge as well. He shared his anxiety over the future of debuting with Jay. The two of them entered I-Land with a lot of confidence and after all the hardships they faced on the show, it’s obvious that everyone got worn out.

Finally, the day of the Concept Test have arrived! The producers will be grading the I-Landers individually and their scores will determine the rankings. Whoever they graded the lowest will leave I-Land forever.

The ‘Chamber 5’ team are up first to perform.

Here’s the full version of the ‘Chamber 5’ performance:

The group showed off their cute bubbliness in this performance and it was such a nice change to what we usually see in I-Land. I-Land should have implemented more differing songs into the competition so we can see the determination of the I-Landers. Watching ‘Chamber 5’ was like a breath of fresh air in the middle of all the intense songs they always perform.

Sunoo, Jake, and Sunghoon gotten high praise for their great facial expressions, while as Heeseung and Jungwon seemed to have lacked in their expressions in the song.

Up next was ‘Flame On.’

Here’s the full version of the ‘Flame On’ performance:

They hit their concept right on the nose and emitted a powerful performance! The five gotten a shower of compliments on the amazing stage. For Hanbin, while he did also show a good performance, the producers’ noted how he hasn’t been able to show a new side of himself test after test. Bang Sihyuk also brought up how Hanbin’s voice didn’t seem to match along with the others.

The 3rd survival announcement followed right after the producers’ have made their decision.

Based on their individual grades for the performances, the ranking is as follows:

1. K
2. Niki
3. Sunoo
4. Heeseung
5. Sunghoon
6. Jay
7. Jake
8. Daniel
9. Jungwon
10. Hanbin

With the new ranking, K is the new first rank and Niki gotten his highest rank at 2nd! It’s heartwarming to see how these two have been so motivated to work hard on their mistakes and improve that the producers were able to see that in them. It was much deserved after their journey in this episode.

Sadly, Hanbin is the one eliminated from this round. It was so saddening to see Hanbin smile through it all while he must be devastated for this elimination. Just as Bang Sihyuk said, Hanbin already showed his great potential by competing against so many talented people. He was able to make it to the semi-finals and garnered so much fans during his time on I-Land. At least, with that thought in mind, he could keep that smile on his face.

Your positive attitude and cute smile will be missed, Hanbin!

The next episode is the very last one before we get to see our final group become reality! It will be the most exciting yet as it will have TXT and BTS as guests. The last episode will also be done live, so the viewers will get to see it all come down in real time. Watch the final episode on September 18th, 8 PM KST!

Also, don’t forget to vote for your favorite boy for debut on Weverse. Every vote counts!