The Enok Team from ‘Current King of Mask Singer 2’ secured the final 1st place after starting from 5th in the group round, shedding tears as they unfolded an epic tale of comeback with all team members advancing to the third round of the finals.
The 6th episode of ‘Current King of Mask Singer 2’, aired on the 7th, achieved a peak rating of 11.4% and a nationwide rating of 10.5% (according to Nielsen Korea), maintaining the top spot in viewership ratings across all programs aired simultaneously on terrestrial, general programming, and cable channels for five consecutive weeks, and continuing to dominate the variety show rankings on Tuesdays.
In this episode, the 3rd round trio battle and the 4th round ace battle followed the 1st and 2nd rounds of the previous week’s second round of finals. Only the top team from the second round could advance, while the remaining 20 contestants faced elimination, leading to a fierce battle among the current contestants.
First, the team that ranked 1st in the 1st and 2nd rounds of the second round, the Nataju Team (Nataju, Seongri, Choi Su-ho, Jeon Jong-hyuk, Yoo Min), performed ‘Tears of a Woman’ with Jeon Jong-hyuk, Choi Su-ho, and Yoo Min in the 3rd round. The three planned an emotional stage and practiced harmonizing, but received disappointing reviews for not being able to express Yoo Min's unstable pitch and the poignant lyrics properly, scoring 81 points from the celebrity judging panel.
The team that ranked 5th in the 1st and 2nd rounds of the second round, the Hwang Min-ho Team (Hwang Min-ho, Shin Seung-tae, Kim Soo-chan, Park Gu-yoon, Gong Hoon), performed ‘The Rotating Chair’ with Hwang Min-ho, Kim Soo-chan, and Park Gu-yoon in the 3rd round. Despite the song being filled with the passage of time, Hwang Min-ho appeared as a charming gentleman, while Kim Soo-chan and Park Gu-yoon humorously played the roles of subordinates, earning 107 points from the celebrity judging panel.
The team that ranked 3rd in the 1st and 2nd rounds of the second round, the Kim Jun-soo Team (Kim Jun-soo, Hwanhee, Shin Yu, Kang Moon-kyung, Choi Woo-jin), participated in the trio battle with the combination of Kang Moon-kyung, Kim Jun-soo, and Choi Woo-jin. The three chose ‘The Lost 30 Years’, which the original artist Seol Woon-do said was of the highest difficulty, and attempted a unique challenge by layering sounds and expressing the song in their own styles, but received feedback from Seol Woon-do that there was some disappointment, scoring 98 points from the celebrity judging panel.
The team that ranked 2nd in the 1st and 2nd rounds of the second round, the Jin Hae-sung Team (Jin Hae-sung, Kim Jung-yeon, Song Min-jun, Jae-ha, Yang Ji-won), had Kim Jung-yeon, Song Jung-yeon, and Jae-ha in the trio battle. The three completed an emotional stage with ‘The Fateful Relationship’, receiving praise for being “very easy to listen to,” and Kim Jung-yeon’s surprising vocal ability was highly praised, earning 102 points from the celebrity judging panel.
The Enok Team (Enok, Park Seo-jin, Noh Ji-hoon, Han Gang, Kim Kyung-min), who ranked 4th in the 1st and 2nd rounds of the second round, participated in the trio battle with Enok, Noh Ji-hoon, and Han Gang, who boast an average height of 181cm. While preparing for the stage with ‘18-Year-Old Soon-i’, the practice was interrupted due to differences in opinions between Enok and Noh Ji-hoon, but they unleashed their excitement on stage, earning 103 points from the celebrity judging panel. Combining the scores from the public judging panel, the results for the 3rd round of the second round were: 5th place Hwang Min-ho Team with 510 points, 4th place Kim Jun-soo Team with 522 points, 3rd place Nataju Team with 546 points, 2nd place Enok Team with 552 points, and 1st place Jin Hae-sung Team with 574 points.
Now, only the 4th round ace battle remains, where the celebrity judging panel's scores are doubled, allowing for a possible last-minute turnaround. The first performer in the ace battle was Choi Su-ho from the Nataju Team, who dropped from 1st to 3rd place. Choi Su-ho appeared in a black sheer traditional robe and took control of the atmosphere with a bold remark, “Is my face destined to be the king of the current king of mask singers?” He unleashed his hidden charisma and even performed a traditional rap he created himself, receiving 204 points from the celebrity judging panel. With comments like “I can’t even remember the original song” and “Do all your performances this way,” Choi Su-ho was moved to tears.
The Kim Jun-soo Team, which dropped from 3rd to 4th place, sent out their ace, the senior Shin Yu. Expressing his determination, “I have to give it my all,” Shin Yu sang ‘The Boat to My Hometown’, delivering an emotional performance with his luxurious voice that moved the tears of Gye Eun-sook. He received 223 points from the celebrity judging panel with the comment, “Shin Yu is indeed Shin Yu.”
The Jin Hae-sung Team, which took 1st place, saw Jin Hae-sung appear as the ace, revealing that he had lost 10kg. He stated, “I wanted to show everyone that I am making an effort,” explaining his reason for attempting to lose weight. He delivered a powerful performance of ‘The Flower of the Morning Glory’, captivating the hearts of the audience, but appeared somewhat exhausted, possibly due to the energy consumed in the first half, scoring 185 points from the celebrity judging panel.
The ace of the Enok Team, who rose to 2nd place, expressed, “I felt like my heart was shrinking,” revealing his pressure, but once on stage, he took control of the atmosphere with a passionate performance. Choosing ‘Regarding Romance’ arranged in a tango style, Enok showcased explosive vocal power and intense reactions that earned him a standing ovation, scoring 212 points from the celebrity judging panel.
Finally, the youngest participant, Hwang Min-ho, who was ranked 5th, took the stage as the ace of the Hwang Min-ho Team, showcasing his talent with the winning song ‘Mother’, which he intended to sing in the finals. Hwang Min-ho poured his heart into the performance, receiving high praise from the notoriously strict composer Yoon Myung-sun, who said, “This is a stage that drives people crazy,” and moved the master panel, including Lin, Lee Ji-hye, Jeon Yu-jin, Gye Eun-sook, and Yoon Myung-sun, to tears. Hwang Min-ho received a perfect score from all seven celebrity judges, achieving the highest score of 228 points from the celebrity judging panel.
The combined scores, including the celebrity judging panel's scores from the 4th round, were: Enok Team 1st place with 764 points, Jin Hae-sung Team 2nd place with 759 points, Nataju Team 3rd place with 750 points, Kim Jun-soo Team 4th place with 745 points, and Hwang Min-ho Team 5th place with 738 points. With only a 26-point difference between 1st and 5th place, the final scores, including the public judging panel's scores, resulted in: Enok Team 1st place with 852 points, Jin Hae-sung Team 2nd place with 831 points, Nataju Team 3rd place with 828 points, Hwang Min-ho Team 4th place with 824 points, and Kim Jun-soo Team 5th place with 816 points, causing a major upheaval in the rankings. The Enok Team, which was 5th in the 1st round of the second round, became the final 1st place team, and all team members advanced to the third round of the finals, shedding tears of emotion. Meanwhile, the remaining 20 contestants faced a harsh confrontation for elimination.
[Son Jin-ah, MK Sports Reporter]
