A Recap of I-Land Episode 7: The Official Final 12
Finally, I-Land made its grand return with the start of Part 2 on August 14th! After two weeks of waiting, fans have been patiently anticipating Episode 7, as it was time to announce the remaining 6 trainees that will join the others into fighting to debut.
If you need a refresher of Part 1 of I-Land, you can check out this article here!
This episode made me cry more than once. And honestly, it was more out of happiness. We’ve watched all 23 of the boys grow and show off their great potential as future idols. They all have shined bright in their own way and deserved to debut. However, this wouldn’t be a survival show if all 23 of those trainees could debut.
Before diving into the reveal of the final 12, Episode 7 actually starts with something a lot of fans have been waiting for, a BTS appearance. It was teased in the last episode, so it was to be expected. While I was waiting for direct interaction with the trainees and BTS, I think the show still did a great job in including the worldwide idols.
BTS entered the scene by touring the I-Land dorms, Which is made specifically for the trainees to practice.
The boys were obviously amazed by the interior of I-Land. They voiced their amazement while checking out the practice rooms, the living quarters, and even their pantry full of snacks. J-Hope proved how much of a fan of the show he is because he recalled sections of the dorm along with his members.
Viewers also get to see some changes to the I-Land interior, such as a new numbering system and intricate badges that will be important to Part 2.
Finally, the time has come! The part of the show where the viewers will see who has made it into the final 12.
As the scene plays out, we see Bang Si Hyuk, Son Sung Deuk, Pdogg, Wonderkid, and DOOBU at the table, ready to greet the trainees. We first see the trainees that were revealed to have made it from the last episode of Part 1.
The six trainees that have initially passed were Sunghoon, Jungwon, Heeseung, Jay, Jake, and K. Each trainee gets introduced by Namgoong Min, and they have their own visual teaser that plays out with the boys’ voicing their concerns and dreams. We also see the countries that have voted for them the most. Bang PD and the directors gave their compliments and praise for the six.
Afterward, the Grounders have been brought in to reveal the remaining six survivors through global voting.
With a fantastic amount of votes brought in, the Grounders that have survived into Part 2 were Niki, Daniel, Sunoo, Geonu, Taki, and Hanbin!
All the boys have their sorrowful farewells with words of encouragement to one another. It was then the final 12 went back to the dorms to officially begin Part 2 of the competition.
Once returning, our participants get more information about what Part 2 has in store for them. They learn that they will go through four more tests, in which Tests 1 and 3 are decided with Producers’ choice, and Tests 2 and 4 will be based on global votes. Part 2 will now be an individual competition between the 12.
The final lineup will consist of seven members, in which the seven badges the viewers have seen earlier symbolizes.
There will also be a number ranking system that will help determine the final debut lineup. The higher the ranking, the closer one is to debuting. Those also high on the list also get special advantages that could help in future tests.
Here is the first ranking based on global votes:
- Sunoo
- Daniel
- Heeseung
- Sunghoon
- K
- Jay
- Jungwon
- Jake
- Niki
- Taki
- Geonu
- Hanbin
Their first test is revealed, and there will be three units of four competing against each other. It was shown that the team that wins the highest score from this test would get immunity from elimination. The producers will choose one trainee to be eliminated.
Much to the participants’ surprise, BTS has popped up on the screen for them. The boy group noted how amazing the dorms were and went on to explain the first test, which will consist of the I-Landers singing their songs. The songs chosen were ‘I Need U’, ‘DNA’, and ‘Fake Love’. The BTS members gave the trainees tips and notes on how to perform each song perfectly.
To help decide how the units will be decided, there will be a mini-mission of a freestyle Dance battle between the I-Landers. Judged by Bae Yoon Jung and Son Sung Deuk, the boys will be going against each other one-on-one.
From the dance battle, Taki won first place with his explosive dance moves. K won second place, and Jungwon has gotten third. Taki, K, and Jungwon are then deemed the leaders of each unit.
As Taki won first, he will be able to choose either his members or his desired song first.
Before we see the units form, the trainees were let off to discover the gifts BTS has left them on the second floor of the dorms. Additionally, another video with BTS popped up, and the I-Landers found out the group read the concerns they have written before. BTS proceeded to give the boys advice based on their concerns. Some concerns included worries on leadership, homesickness, and even the problem of getting wrinkles while looking up. BTS answered each concern genuinely and from their own experience.
Just before the episode ends, it was revealed that Taki decided to choose his members for the unit first, Heeseung, Sunghoon, and Sunoo. K, as second place, chose ‘DNA’ as his unit song, and Jungwon chose ‘I Need U’ for his group. Taki was then left with ‘Fake Love,’ notably the hardest song to perform out of the three due to its high notes.
Viewers get a small teaser of the ‘Fake Love’ unit’s practice session and see how much they’re struggling to perform the song.
In next week’s episode, the I-Landers will prepare for the BTS Test and perform the three BTS songs!
For sure, this episode was a wild roller coaster from start to finish. However, now, it is only the beginning for the I-Landers to compete for their chance to debut.
What are your thoughts on Episode 7 of I-Land? Have your top picks made it to the final 12? Make sure to catch the next episode on August 21st and go participate in voting for your I-Land trainees on Weverse.
