Star Once Trapped On A Survival Show Announces His Retirement At Just 30 Years Old
In 2021, China’s Produce Camp 2021 (also known as CHUANG 2021) aired, following the format of previous idol survival shows like Produce 101.
The trainees were eventually narrowed down to eleven, and they went on to debut as INTO1. However, several stand-out contestants, including a Russian trainee named Lelush, did not make the final group.
Lelush was born in Vladivostok, Russia, and eventually moved to Shenyang, China, in 2015, where he became fluent in Mandarin. Japanese entertainment company King Holdings initially contacted Lelush to ask him to translate for two Japanese trainees they sent to Produce Camp 2021.
Because of his visuals, the show’s producers asked Lelush if he wanted to participate and eventually convinced him.
Lelush lacked any traditional training and was initially ranked in the “F group” of the program. Despite having an initially positive viewpoint about participating, the difficult training left Lelush desiring to leave the competition.
Due to the contract he signed, he could not just leave the group. To make matters worse, the more he tried to get voted off the show by slaking off, acting uninterested, and even directly saying he did not want to debut, the more votes he received.
During the final episode, Lelush did not rank high enough to enter the group, much to his relief. Following the show, he has been active primarily as a model, though he does appear in some variety content and has released some music.
However, the star will soon be ending his time in the spotlight.
In late December, Lelush announced his retirement on his Instagram account, saying he would be saying goodbye to showbiz on April 1, 2025.
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With the date, it is possible it might be a long-thought out April Fools’ Day prank, however, given Lelush’s track record, it is likely he is serious.
