Here's What Waiting Rooms Are Really Like For Some Idol Groups On "M Countdown," According To A Former K-Pop Idol

When it comes to Mnet‘s weekly music show M Countdown, fans cannot get enough of seeing their favorite idols perform to audiences worldwide. Yet, one criticism of the show has been the fairness and treatment of idols and waiting rooms. In some cases, fans have also discussed the unfairness of allocating rooms to idols.

M Countdown waiting room (note: Dreamcatcher isn’t mentioned) | @*hf_dreamcatcher/ Twitter*

Former Blady member Tina (now more commonly known as Soobin or Christine Park) recently released a video on her YouTube channel, discussing everything about K-Pop and choreography. In particular, she spoke about the relationship between idols and professional dancers.

During the video, Tina explained that when she was an idol, her least favorite music show was M Countdown because of the situation with waiting rooms.

It was the setup of waiting rooms for rookie idols, and those who are still rising in popularity, which she thought seemed unfair.

Rookie idols and dancers will be sharing one huge room, almost like a conference room with just like barricades for each group and stuff. So, you’ll be mixed with idols and dancers.

— Tina

Although it might not seem too bad, considering she used the word “large” when describing the rooms, this would not consider the size of the rookie idol groups or the dance crews.

She also added that it was sometimes difficult to prepare for performances and that it drained her energy because she was surrounded by so many people who all had different ways to prepare.

It is not surprising that rookie idols are not prioritized as much as veterans. Music Bank director Han Kyuong Cheon explained how they allocate fitting rooms. In K-Pop, the idea of seniors and juniors is fundamental, which seems to apply to the waiting rooms.

The artists who made their debut earlier are assigned first. This is followed by those who made their debut later.

— Han Kyuong Cheon

Yet, he also added that the size of the fitting rooms is fixed, and it is this quality that is the primary way to determine which idol has which room. If a group or artist has many members or backing dancers, these idols would be prioritized for the bigger spaces.

If this was something taken into consideration for all music shows, then the explanation from Tina that groups will share with dance groups in a crowded space should not be happening. Hopefully, this has improved, and rookies have enough room to prepare comfortably.

You can watch the whole video below.