Park Jimin (National Rep): Today's the day, our 17 trainees have practiced and practiced to put on their best performances for you. Are you ready?

The audience cheers loudly, holding banners and shouting for their favorite trainees.

Park Jimin (National Rep): Let's bring out our first team of vocalists~ performing Into The New World we have Team Starstruck!

The five girls make their way onto the stage, each wearing a softer styled blue or white dress.

Yang Li Mei (Yuehua // 10): We're the beautiful stars who strike at your hearts! Hello, we are Starstruck!

Park Jimin (National Rep): Do you have anything to say to the national producers?

Kang Hyunjin (SM // 13): Please enjoy our performance!! We've worked hard to show you our best tonight~

[ Team Starstruck // Into The New World ]

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

[ PORTRAYALS ]

**left to right in thumbnail**

goto moe ; yang li mei [L]

kim chaewon ; park sunhi

huh yunjin ; kang hyunjin [MV]

yabuki nako ; kim sora [C]

chiba erii ; choi seohyun [V]

[ MENTOR CAM ]

Jeon Jungkook (Vocal Mentor): I'm interested in this team... they seemed to be in a disagreement throughout the entire rehearsal period.

Tiffany Young (Vocal Mentor): I agree, they seem a little stiff, like they're not all comfortable with each other.

Kim Namjoon (Rap Mentor): To be honest, I'm not that surprised... put enough talented people together and there's bound to be conflict.

Jung Hoseok (Dance Mentor): I really like the arrangement of the song! A new take on a classic.

Kim Chungha (Dance Mentor): Even though they seem uncomfortable with each other, they each play to their strengths with the parts. I can practically hear the power in Li Mei's words and feel the emotions in Seohyun's voice.

Kim Hyuna (Rap Mentor): I feel like the two sub vocalists are performing even better than the leads and main just because they have fewer lines and need to make them count.

The room goes dead silent as they enter the high note section of the song.

Jeon Jungkook (Vocal Mentor): Woah... I wasn't expecting that from Hyunjin!

Kim Namjoon (Rap Mentor): I'd say she's definitely the hidden gem of the performance...

Jung Hoseok (Dance Mentor): But of course, it's up to the national producers to decide!

[ LET'S VIEW THE SCORE! ]

Choi Seohyun (IND // 16): Woah... first place??? No way!!

Kang Hyunjin (SM // 13): 166 votes... not too bad...

Kim Sora (JYP // 8): There was only one vote between second and third place, but honestly, I'm not even that mad! 165 is the most votes I've gotten in a mission....

Park Sunhi (PLEDIS // 4): Fifth place *sighs* I can do better... I know it.

Yang Li Mei (Yuehua // 10): That might say fourth, but 147 votes is way more than I expected~ and way more than I got last time!

[ ONSTAGE ]

Park Jimin (National Rep): Let's bring out the mixed team: vocal and rap... Team Ethereal performing Don't Know You!

Ethereal: From fantasies, reaching reality, we are Ethereal!

Park Jimin (National Rep): Before you begin, do you have anything to say to the National Producers?

Misae Nakamura (JYP // 2): Even though we might seem a little crazy, we've worked hard on this performance for you!

Charlotte Ashbourne (SM // 14): Let's go! Fighting!

[ Team Ethereal // Don't Know You ]

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

[ PORTRAYALS ]

**left to right in thumbnail**

kang hyewon ; roh yulhee [L]

han chowon ; charlotte ashbourne [V] [MV]

park minji ; misae nakamura [C]

yu minyoung ; hwang hayun [MR]

[ MENTOR CAM ]

Jeon Jungkook (Vocal Mentor): I'm actually pretty surprised at the color in Charlotte's voice... I think she has one of the most unique voices of all the trainees.

Kim Namjoon (Rap Mentor): Yulhee too... what she lacks in power she makes up for in technique. She has the best technique of all the rappers in my opinion.

Tiffany Young (Vocal Mentor): Misae sounds good as well, but the way she sings is a bit bright for this song, it sounds a bit out of place overall.

Kim Hyuna (Rap Mentor): Overall though, I prefer this performance over the Into The New World one.

Kim Chungha (Dance Mentor): Into The New World will always be a classic song, it's hard for anyone to perform it without emulating the original in some way.

Jung Hoseok (Dance Mentor): But with this song, I feel like the four of them have been able to make it their own.

Now the moment the two vocal mentors had been waiting for: the two high notes.

Jeon Jungkook (Vocal Mentor): Although it doesn't necessarily suit this song, Misae's bright tone will always be beneficial in hitting high notes like that...

Tiffany Young (Vocal Mentor): Woah... Charlotte though, I did not see that coming... I don't think she's ever had a chance to showcase her vocals like this...

Kim Namjoon (Rap Mentor): I think it's clear that she owns this song.

[ LET'S VIEW THE SCORES! ]

Roh Yulhee (SM // 5): Fifty votes might not seem like many, but it's still more than I earned in the last evaluation... it might not get me the benefit, but I'm still proud of it.

Misae Nakamura (JYP // 2): I'll be honest, since the last evaluation I've been off... even to this performance... I tried to do my best, but it wasn't enough...

Hwang Hayun (IND // 11): Lost by one vote, not surprised. Hey everyone, it's Hwang Hayun, always "almost... but not quite". But seventy votes is still good though, so I'm not complaining.

Charlotte Ashbourne (SM // 14): Omg no way! This is the best day ever~ seventy-one is my new lucky number!

[ ONSTAGE ]

Park Jimin (National Rep): I almost shed a tear for that last performance... but let's turn things up with a performance of Rhythm Ta by Team OneM!

Kim Herin (BigHit // 15): In one moment you'll be enraptured. Hello everyone we are OneM!

Park Jimin (National Rep): Do you have anything you'd like to say to the National Producers?

Bae Chowon (IND // 17): Ah... Writing raps is really hard, but we're happy to do it for you! Please enjoy our performance!

[ OneM // Rhythm Ta ]

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

[ PORTRAYALS ]

**left to right in thumbnail**

kang sihyeon ; bae chowon [V]

ki heuihyeon [ cathy ] ; lee suran [C] [MR]

ng sze kai [ shin ] ; kim herin [L]

[ MENTOR CAM ]

Kim Hyuna (Rap Mentor): Alright, now this is more of my style!

Kim Namjoon (Rap Mentor): Woah, Suran... I can't believe they wrote these themselves!

Jeon Jungkook (Vocal Mentor): They all have so much swagger, even though there's three of them, they fill the whole stage.

Tiffany Young (Vocal Mentor): Even though Herin doesn't have too many lines, she stands out clearly when she takes the center position.

Jung Hoseok (Dance Mentor): I think the group dance at the end was pretty solid.

Kim Chungha (Dance Mentor): A little distracting, but I think it did add to the performance.

[ LET'S VIEW THE SCORES! ]

Bae Chowon (IND // 17): Kind of love this for me... this is better than i thought... i mean it's not a first, but it's not a last so i'll take it.

Lee Suran (CUBE // 9): Those who work hard, reap the benefits! Thank you for the votes!

Kim Herin (BigHit // 15): It hurts... to have lead your group to the point of success, but also get the least votes... what did i do wrong?

[ ONSTAGE ]

Park Jimin (National Rep): Our final performance of the night... let's hear it for team 5 S🖤LS, dancing to Sorry Not Sorry!

Lee Chaerin (BigHit // 1): We 5 souls with one dream, hello everyone we are 5Sols!

Park Jimin (National Rep): Do you have anything you'd like to say to the national producers?

Shin Eunjin (IND // 12): We're sorry (not sorry) for showing you the best performance of the night! 5 S🖤LS Fighting!

[ 5 S🖤LS // Sorry Not Sorry ]

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

[ PORTRAYALS ]

**left to right in thumbnail**

lee chaeyeon ; park athena [MD]

ko yujin [ blonde hair ] ; shin eunjin

kwon eunbi ; lee chaerin [L] [C] [MD]

choi yena ; kwon choonchee

ahn yujin [ dark hair ] ; zhang weilan [V]

[ MENTOR CAM ]

Kim Chungha (Dance Mentor): Woah! That kick though! Athena!

Jung Hoseok (Dance Mentor): It's nice to see they took our suggestion of changing the choreography to heart...

Jeon Jungkook (Vocal Mentor): Okay... kind of a weird thing to point out, but Eunjin's hair when she flips it... that's a power move.

Kim Namjoon (Rap Mentor): This is a powerful performance, and now this song will be stuck in my head for the next week.

Kim Hyuna (Rap Mentor): Weilan has this sort of quiet energy when she performs girl crush concepts, like her stare could look through walls... the opposite from her personality offstage.

Tiffany Young (Vocal Mentor): And Chaerin just dropped into a split... what can this girl not do?

[ LET'S VIEW THE SCORES! ]

Athena Park (PLEDIS // 7): I'm not too surprised to have taken second, Chaerin is just too popular. But 315 votes is insane, thank you everyone!

Zhang Weilan (PLEDIS // 6): I feel like i'm always playing for third, but i guess that's the price of always being on the team with the avengers; someone's always more popular than you.

Lee Chaerin (BigHit // 1): Ahhhhh, thank you! Thank you! No matter how many times i see the number one i can't get over it!!

Kwon Choonchee (Yuehua // 3): I'm not really surprised, it seems like i never do well in these missions.

Shin Eunjin (IND // 12): Laugh if you want, but fourth is the best thing that's happened to me on this show. Sometimes it can be easy to lose hope, but those 275 people are telling me not to, so i won't. This is for you! *she blows a kiss*

[ SO WHO WILL BE EARNING THE BENEFITS? ]

<Earning the 20,000 vote benefit for placing first in their song>
-Charlotte Ashbourne

<Earning the 100,000 vote benefit for placing first in their skill>

for rap... Lee Suran with 165 votes!

for vocal... Choi Seohyun with 192 votes!

for dance... Lee Chaerin with 368 votes !

[ THE NEXT DAY ]

(this episode also introduces the next mission. for now, I've sorted you into temporary teams that the national producers have put you into. they were all chosen by me (or the "national producers"), except for the top trainees who got to choose, but they may reshuffle depending on the next elimination. btw all the reasons for choosing are "fan" comments and should not be taken literally! also all these songs are from real groups, but i didn't want to use the produce 48 ones because no shade most of them sound the same to me and i wanted to have distinct concepts, so just pretend they're not from groups!)

Park Jimin (National Rep): Congratulations to our top trainees! But, the work is not done yet, because each trainee will be organized into teams for the concept evaluation! For this mission, trainees will be performing songs written especially for Epanoui~

Let's introduce the songs:

A cute and summery concept with an emphasis on vocals and dance, the first song, produced by Sophiya and Nomasgood, producers of "FavOriTe" by Loona

and "Run Away" by Teen Top is called...

[ SUMMER DREAM ]

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

The second song is a retro fresh concept with repetitive lyrics and complex rap and vocal parts. Produced by LDN Noise, famous for producing several SM Entertainment tracks including "Firetruck" by NCT

"Four Walls" by F(x), "Monster" by EXO, and  called...

[ DUMB DUMB ]

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

The third song is a hard core girl crush with rap, vocal, and dance parts produced by Carolyn Jordan, Albin Nordqvist, and Louise Frick Sveen, well known for producing "Wake Me Up" by Twice, "Q&A" by Cherry Bullet...

and Épanoui's very own theme song "Pick Me" called...

[ GET IT ]

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Without further ado, let's reveal the teams! First: Team Summer Dream!

1. Misae Nakamura (Vocalist)
@justiceformisae says "Misae has the perfect voice and visual for a summer concept, the choice is a no brainer"

2. Kwon Choonchee (Dancer-Vocalist)
@chooniechoonie says "Um have you seen Choonchee's smile?? It practically says cute concept written on her forehead"

3. Yang Li Mei (Vocalist)
@limeinmyheart says "We've never seen Li Mei do a cute concept, but we know that she suits literally anything. She keeps getting on the girl crush/avenger team, so let's give her a chance to shine in a new concept!"

4. Kang Hyunjin (Triple Threat)
@cutiehyunnie says "Hyunjin is the master of cute concepts, you'd have to be blind to put her anywhere else"

5. Bae Chowon (Rapper-Dancer)
@queenchowon says "Chowon has the visuals to pull of any concept, and since she centered Hocus Pocus really well, i think Summer Dream could be a really good option for her"

Who'll join Team Get It and learn to master the girl crush concept?

1. Lee Chaerin (Triple Threat)
@diamond.chae says "Chaerin has proven herself the queen of girl crush. Don't you dare put her anywhere else"

2. Park Sunhi (Vocalist)
@heart.attack.sunhi says "Sunhi is the underrated star that y'all are missing. Stan the up and coming princess of girl crush and put her in team Get It!"

3. Lee Suran (Rapper-Dancer)
@stan.sur.an says "Get It needs at least one rapper that can spit actual fire. Who else than the rising rap legen Suran??"

4. Shin Eunjin (Vocalist-Dancer)
@your.busanprincess says "At first i thought all Eunjin could do was cute. Then I saw Sorry Not Sorry and knew she was meant for team Get It"

5. Charlotte Ashbourne (Vocalist)
@aussie.char says "Charlotte has the unique voice and visual to give everyone an actual girl crush"

6. Kim Herin (Rapper-Vocalist)
@ayo.herin.introduces says "She might be young, but i'm confident she would own this concept. Why? Because she owns every concept."

and last but not least, be ready for the bold members of Team Dumb Dumb!

1. Roh Yulhee (Rapper-Dancer)
@stanyulhee.stantalent says "Yulhee has been trapped in the realm of terrible concepts for too long, put her in team Dumb Dumb and you'll see what you've been missing"

2. Zhang Weilan (Dancer-Rapper)
@wee.woo.weilan says "Weilan needs to be in this group because she is the only one i think that could pull off singing "dumb dumb dumb dumb" repeatedly without sounding stupid"

3. Park Athena (Dancer-Rapper)
@one.and.only.athena says "Athena would absolutely kill this dance. This is the kind of dancing that she needs, Mnet, take notes."

4. Kim Sora (Vocalist)
@bunny.sora says "Sora is the visual and vocal queen this team needs. There no doubt about it."

5. Hwang Hayun (Rapper)
@hayuns.mixtape says "This is the cool concept Hayun has wanted from the beginning, Epanoui, be a doll and finally get her a concept where she doesn't have to wear pink!"

6. Choi Seohyun (Vocalist-Dancer)
@parlez.vous.scarlette says "Seohyun kind of gives off this vibe that she would actually prank you live on camera, because she's definitely done it. This song gives me those same vibes. It's meant to be."

Park Jimin (National Rep): But, like with all evaluations, there's a twist. You might notice that each song only has five parts, but some groups have five people. The next elimination will occur halfway through this evaluation, meaning... you might never perform the song chosen for you. If too many team members are eliminated, they'll have to be replaced by other teams with too many members. Those unlucky few will have to relearn a new song in time for your next live performance. But for now, get to know your team, because at this point in the competition:

teamwork is imperative.

[ GOOD LUCK TRAINEES! ]

[ END EPISODE ]