“Cock” – Watanabe Junnosuke
You know how it works by now. So right off the bat we’re into the elimination revival game!
At 6am no less. Good morning boys. Those up for elimination are:
- Cha Nomuh
- Nag Rajun
- E Mazacon
- Kwen Sang Woo
- 5 Chanming
The pointless elimination challenge was… sorting mixed spices individually. Really.
Watanabe posted a few snippets to Insta too.
Which would have been a video repost but WordPress won’t let me do that so… sorry! Nag has real technique there at least.
This took… too long so they let them pause their efforts and then head to the marathon with everyone else.
The weather was lovely again. Two laps of the track with the food challenge at the sports centre instead of at the park.
Toppo unfortunately got stuck with fish sausages and spent a lot of time struggling to eat them and just generally sulking on the floor. Which is understandable honestly.
The guys who got stuck with the food were there for a while but Toppo was there the longest.
Also, you might have noticed that Chin Bonbon takes a longass time with his food constantly. As it turns out, he does competitive rowing and needed to get his weight down to be faster, so he dropped 50kg too fast and it kind of fucked up his stomach a little. He can’t eat large quantities of food or even eat food too quickly. He’s a really dedicated guy (who we all love).
For the second day in a row, Tansok arrived exactly as the morning chime played.
First place was Mazacon and dead last was Toppo. But, everyone waited for Toppo to come back before going off to have breakfast.
Breakfast was quiet, but still chattier compared to the first day! They all really like each other now.
However, Toppo did start crying a little. He felt bad about taking so long, being so chatty while eating the food and he might have read some mean comments too. He talks about it more in his interview later.
After breakfast, the guys on the chopping block went back to their spice sorting and everyone else went back to dance practise. They took so long that the camera feed got switched again.
But, after an hour and a half of sorting spices, the spice boys did it! No eliminations so far!! An audition camp first, if you ignore the fact that Bingbing just outright didn’t show up on the first day.
After a few hours, it was once again time for skit/performance time.
Up first is Team Kaupa (Mazacon, John Goku, Kwen Sang Woo, Wont Be Long).
It was some kind of “dick eating contest” which got no laughs. Thankfully this time the skits are just for points and don’t determine if you get to perform or not. So… they got to perform to new demo song “DD.”
They were good! A little out of time but still very entertaining.
Next up was Team Kinpuri (Ayuno K, Tasukukusu, Nag Rajun and Che Jiming). The skit was
That! It was that.
Their performance after was good too! They felt like a real early 2000’s boy group and the little bit with the two longest standing WACKchin boys was heartwarming.
Then we have Team Anushuu (Choi Tansok, Zonsyo, Cha Nomuh and Pe Youngn).
Their skit was trying to say the opening lines to STUPiD by BiS while drinking soda and then “the moment of miracle happens” and they all start belching really loud. The entire room was howling with laughter.
Out of every performance, they were the most in sync and had the most fun. Also, due to everyone in this team having such a cute charm and being very soft spoken, the chat has taken to sending them flowers.
Last was Team GNI (Kong Buh, T.O.P.P.O, Chin Bonbon and 5 Chanming).
Their skit was each body part makes a noise and then the crotch makes a DJ scratching sound. Nobody laughed and there was a really long, awkward silence after things were done. The author laughed though, because being a WACK fan slowly melts your sense of humor.
Their performance was kind of out of time and didn’t have much cohesion despite their vocal skill and Bonbon’s high energy.
The overall rankings were
#1 Team Anushuu
#2 Team Kaupa
#3 Team Kinpuri
#4 Team GNI
Anushuu were having the most fun and helped each other the most and Watanabe’s commentary for everyone else was just decending levels of “you need to work better as a team.”
Then came lunchtime, our goodboys at Anushuu all got the death sauce and they were struggling hard with it so the chat sent them all flowers and a lot of “good luck!” and “I love you!”
Some people have also taken to calling them the “Women’s Meeting Association” (婦人会).
Tansok took the longest and Pe came back to comfort him. Then Tansok puked. He’s fine tho.
After that escapade, it was time to practise more for the next performance: the teams could choose which song this time and if they wanted to change any lyrics/choreo. Also… the interviews!!
CHOi TANSOK
He’s trying to do better today than yesterday and trying to think of ways to improve, like offering his own opinion and feedback more. In his group they’re trying to do the same song but show themselves in a way that they haven’t shown before. He knows he usually isn’t popular with others and is thinking of how to get Watanabe and others to like him, but it’s clear he doesn’t have confidence in himself. But he wants to show that he can continue to change and improve every day more than the last. He wants to avoid talking himself down, and become a force that can push WACK forward.
5 CHANMiNG
They both feel that his expression and skills are getting better, but when he makes a mistake he always seems to look down and can’t recover. Watanabe said even though he’s improving, it seems like he’s still holding back a bit and feels like he can do more. Watanabe wants to see 5chan break out more and pull himself back from worrying about mistakes and avoid looking down when performing. 5chan said that since his group has members that have been together three times now that he hopes their teamwork will come across, and that his voice is suited to WACK music, so he wants Watanabe to listen to his singing especially.
TASUKUKUSU
He feels like the whole team has started falling apart a little bit from the disappointment of their last performance. They were so focused on getting first, they failed to really enjoy the performance. They want to be positive, but everyone has been struggling with their feelings. Since this is the last performance of the day, they’ve decided they want to do their best to really enjoy it this time. Tasuku wants to do his best to lift the mood, but feels like he’s putting effort in the wrong places and wasting energy. Watanabe said Tasuku doesn’t really stand out and wondered why that is. Tasuku said it’s probably the regret from not living up to his own expectations. It seems like Tasuku is getting wrapped up in his feelings of disappointment or frustration when his team doesn’t do as well and he’s not thinking hard enough about how to turn that around into a positive thing. Watanabe wants Tasuku to stop looking back and getting gloomy about results and look forward to make improvements. Since WACK started off at the bottom as losers, just like everyone else he needs to get focused on pulling himself up. Tasuku feels a lot of responsibility to the other auditionees because he was the reason this audition happened in the first place, so he is afraid to make mistakes. He has the feeling that if he messes up too much here, there might never be a chance for a men’s group in WACK, so he has that weight on him. Watanabe told him it’s fine to make mistakes, and really he needs those mistakes to learn from.
E MAZACON
He couldn’t smile at yesterdays performances, if today doesn’t go well he feels this might not be for him, he’s doing his best smiling and all and ends up messing up steps but he feels maybe he managed to show people something. He’s different from everyone, he can’t dance or sing and is helped by everyone so he cried when he felt their support. He realized how fun it was this audition. Watanabe asks how he wants to do things and Mazacon said in marathon he wants to set the pace and get first and in breakfast eat everything even if there’s edeath sauce. In performance he wants to perform with a smile and do lines and choreo right but also, be able to be someone that can convey the songs feelings through his expression. He asks Watanabe what he thought of the performance. Watanabe said it didnt feel he changed much actually. Changing is not an easy task: if you express something that’s not yourself then you’ll just be pretending to be somebody else. If he doesn’t actually do it and change the way he thinks, it’ll just kind of be like praising himself for thinking of doing something and not doing it. Watanabe then also said it’s not like he’s doing too much, but that kind of thing can be annoying to people watching and while he isn’t saying he’s annoying, it could become that if he keeps up the praising himself/boasting for nothing. Give your best.
PE YOUNGN
It was fun and the other day they got first place and he always thought he didn’t want to lose to anyone, but when the group became first it also became a battle with himself. Watanabe asked about the team and how he said something about wanting to show something great, but Pe gave up talking about it like it’s a secret to show off later. Watanabe says Pe is thinking too much with his head and it feels like there’s a disconection between Pe’s feelings and thoughts. You can’t know the results even if you think too hard about it. Pe agrees. It’s good to think but feeling is also important! If he can do taht he’ll be able to show a new side of himself, so Watanabe wants him to think about not thikning too much.
Pe mentions that Watanabe kind of looks like a scary person sometimes, but he’s not really that, which is surprising. Watanabe asks if thats an okay thing to have as his final words and Pe says yes, and Watanabe points out that he has to work hard
KONG BUH
His group placed last previously and he wants to turn things around to be first next time. Watanabe asks why he thinks he came last and he responds because the entire time they were practicing, they kept asking “is this okay? Is this okay?” and maybe that got in the way of having fun, because they were too nervous. Watanabe then says the end is coming and that line of thinking isn’t something they’d want in WACK, imagine doing that live after live!
CHE JiMiNG
How are things? It’s the last skit and he really wants to win, so they’ve been discussing things as a group. Watanabe mentions that Tasukukusu said Che was feeling really down, then Che admits that things don’t seem to be going well because of him. A few slip ups, maybe he’s tired but he really wants to give his best. Watanabe says that being first doesn’t always mean the same thing as literally winning and that Che needs to give more than his best, he said the same to Tasukukusu. If you aren’t going to give more than your best, then you aren’t allowed to be afraid of failure. You need to think about what to do, how to walk down a new road and no matter who; actors, singers, idols, everyone has to keep raising their own bar. You have to become Superman. Che admits that he’s not very confident about things and feels like Tasukukusu does, but it’s not that he doesn’t have any confidence whatsoever.
Watanabe asks if he has anything to say and Che says thank you for the past couple of days and for the remaining time, he’ll use everything he’s learned not only in the camp, but in throughout his entire life.
JOHN GOKUH
“How are things?”, Watanabe asks. He says they’re finishing up the choreo and learning the lines, it’s all good. Watanabe says that he’s changed a lot, he speaks clearer and his voice is louder. Have you noticed that you’ve changed? Goku says a little, because staff and Watanabe’s advice really resonated with him. Watanabe says he has to do more, of course you’ve changed already but there’s always more to do. He asks “can you do it?” and Goku says “yes!”
Is the current team okay? Goku replies that they are, but the one thing missing is the expression. They were smiley before but if they think more about the expressiveness of things, they’ll be able to create a better performance.
i ZONSYO
Zonny keeps laughing because of the comedy. Watanabe asks how things are going and he says that he wants to give his best. Watanabe says maybe he’s a little overconfident and Zonsyo says it’s not like that, but if he keeps doing his best he feels like he can give a good performance. In the afternoon, he felt sorry for making so many mistakes and troubling everyone. Watanabe says he could tell, because he’s an easy person to read and that when he slips up, it really shows with his expressions. It’s the last time, you’ll have to give your best.
Watanabe asks if there’s anything he wants to say and Zonsyo asks if there’ll be a general knowlege quiz like with the other camps. Watanabe says no and then Zonsyo says he’s a little disappointed, because he worked on studying. But instead, he’ll do his best with the death sauce.
CHiN BONBON
How are things? Chinbon feels they weren’t as good as yesterday and wants to do better in the evening performances. The team’s mood wasn’t good, they thought too much about choreo and how to look cool, so that ended up with focus on themselves instead of on the team. Watanabe says it showed, he could tell they had mixed emotions. Watanabe then says that each performance is unique, just like a real live show. If you do the same thing over and over, the audience will be bored. He then goes on to ask if they can give more than just casual like in the afternoon, and Chinbon says yes, of course.
AYUNO K
Ayuno admits he’s been trying his best to relax and not be nervous but when the time comes, it just isn’t right. He can’t not be nervous. Watanabe says Team Kinpuri feels like they’re all gloomy! Ayuno says he’s worried about how to perform the way he wants to, and Watanabe says that there’s a part of Ayuno that’s maybe being too soft. He needs to think more, always more, don’t be afraid of failure and aim for the next level. But if his leg hurts, it’s okay to not be at 100% but how do you take something like that and work with it, how do you work around it?
Watanabe asks if Ayuno has anything he wants to add, so he asks if he has anything good to say. Watanabe thinks that Ayuno, when he thinks that he can do it, he does just that – does it. He did during WACKchin. But Ayuno thinks it might have been a fluke and he’s worried that people would be rude to him. He starts crying a little at this point, but Watanabe says don’t worry too much about things. At the top, there are cool people, ugly people, all sorts of people at the top. Anything and anyone can be a success.
WONT BE LONG
How are things? During the third day, Wonby was able to perform with a lot of different people but there was still kind of a gloomy mood. But still, they have to have fun and have to give their best. Watanabe says that Wonby has a good balance of things without being too much but Wonby says that maybe its because he feels a little broken. Watanabe says that maybe he’s being pushed too hard and that might cause some strain if he’s surpressing himself. But how much are you surpressing yourself? Wonby says he gave 120% on the first day, 80% on the second and now about 70% on day three. Watanabe asks if he can give 95% next performance, but he’s kind of worried that he’s holding himself back too much.
Wonby then goes on to say he really does feel the love and support from everyone though. There are so many nice people from the staff to Watanabe to the members, and that makes him feel a little at ease. Watanabe says he can tell that he’s having fun too, but don’t worry, if he gets annoying, he’ll tell him. Maybe 95% will end up being 150%! Watanabe asks if Wonby has any closing questions and Wonby asks if he can see the men’s group yet. Watanabe says that he himself has changed his gear compared to the first day, and he’s thinking about who he’d like to manage more now.
CHA NOMUH
He feels like he’s already started to change throughout the audition, but also that kind of thing just isn’t really him. Watanabe talks about how he uses his body to express himself and he feels like there’s still some things that Cha Nomuh needs to accomplish, but his feelings have changed. He wants to keep that in mind during the next performance. Watanabe also says that the afternoon performance was good and that he seems relaxed and kind of together. Speaking to him, he can tell that “something” changed and that he knows both the staff and Cha Nomuh himself can feel it too.
Watanabe asks if he has anything to say and Cha Nomuh talks about how there’s people cheering for him. He didn’t know WACK before the audition, but he came to like both the agency and Watanabe during things. So of course, he wants to give his best so that more people like him too.
T.O.P.P.O.
Today, he felt like he couldn’t do much with the marathon or performance or even the votes and has a lot of regrets. He had confidence in his running, but he wasn’t good at it for the first few days. So when he thought about what he actually did do best, he felt like it didn’t show that much and Watanabe says it does show, don’t worry. Toppo says it feels like he just puts on a brave face and acts like he’s able to do things. Especially with song and dance, he knows he has a distinctive style with his dancing, but because of that he felt like he couldn’t really match the others. He felt like he gave his all, but it also feels like it wasn’t really the case. There isn’t much time left so he’s worried that all he can do is try, and nothing else. Watanabe says that it’s been 3 days of watching Toppo act cool, which is fine but you really do need to relax. Take the weight off your shoulders. If he changes the mood, he’ll be liked by even more people.
Watanabe goes on to say that it feels like there’s a hidden part of himself that Toppo is trying to protect, so by not showing it he’s just kind of ending up a little in the middle of things. Of course, during the later performance there’s the team, but Watanabe asks to show off his coolness without thinking too hard about things.
NAG RAJUN
Watanabe says the whole team is gloomy. Nag says it’s kinda bad because of that. When he starts to do things and gets kind of stiff, everyone follows suit. So it could keep being like that and the result would suck. Nag feels like what he feels is the right way never ends up being the right way. Watanabe asks if he feels like he’s able to work on that and Nag says they all are. They’re aiming for first. But instead of thinking about it, you have to actually do it. Watanabe says that Nag understands, there’s not just one right answer. When Watanabe thinks of successful boy groups, he thinks of Johnny’s and of course when it comes to success, there’s WACK too. But neither of these things were perfect from the start, they keep growing and getting better. So, how do you seize that? Watanabe says to think about the future, but to think about after that. Always give your best for the next performance but when it comes to answers, Watanabe himself still doesn’t know. Fans watching him now will probably become his first fans, and they aren’t wrong for liking what they see now, so keep giving your best.
Watanabe asks if there’s anythign Nag would like to add and he says that he realised by being here, all over again, how much he loves music. The past 3 years, he almost gave up and felt like he was drifting away, but now he’s back and this means the entire world to him.
KWEN SANG WOO
Sangwoo says he’s always last in the votes, but he knows how to get ahead. The problem is that there’s parts of himself he can’t change yet. He looks at Pe Youngn and sees how much Pe is just himself and he thinks that “this is what it really means to be yourself.” He wants to be himself too in the later performance. Watanabe says that he’s changed a lot from the first day already and then asks how the team is. Sangwoo says it’s not like his team is filled with people that know how to dance, but weirdly they can make that aspect work for themselves. That’s how to show yourself as a “real” idol group.
Watanabe says to remember that there’s not that much time left and asks if Sangwoo has something he’d like to add. Sangwoo says that at first he thought Watanabe would be super scary and shout at them, but he’s actually really nice and gentle, always offering advice, so he’s thankful for that. Watanabe then says that he should show that gratitude with a great performance.
And that was it for the interviews!
All of the performances were good, but Team GNI showed the absolute biggest improvement.
The rankings were
#1 Team Kinpuri
#2 Team GNI
#3 Team Kaupa
#4 Team Anushu
Anushuu fell hard because they thought about things too much! Unfortunate, but it happens.
After this it was time for dinner. Everyone was so lively that their energy knocked out the wifi for a little.
But… after this, the true spirit of WACK Audition Camps came to rear it’s head. Weird twists.
Watanabe announced that in lieu of him deciding who would be eliminated, the contestants would have to eliminate EACH OTHER from their teams. You can’t rock paper scissors it and if they can’t decide, then everybody gets eliminated.
Zonsyo wanted to drop out immediately but Pe stopped him and said to talk things out. Cha Nomuh said he’s staying, he can’t give up! Zonny went on to say that he’s changed a lot as a person, and wants to become somebody who supports others which is why he should go, to support his team. But Pe said that he’s been studying for a government job (Pe is REALLY smart in addition to being a talented artist and all around perfect person) so because he has a future that the others might not, he should be the one to go.
All of that took so long that they ran out of time. So, they all got eliminated.
The next group was more methodical and voted for Jiming.
Most of this was either them sat in silence or the guys just weeping quietly, but with one second left on the clock the votes came in for 5 Chanming.
Then finally, Wont Be Long asked his team to look him in the eyes and tell him that they think they can become a better idol than him. He also tried to volunteer to leave but right at the end, John Goku didn’t agree. So, everyone was out.
10 eliminations all at once.
…
……..
Not really actually.
After the psychological pain ended, Watanabe announced that this wasn’t actually about eliminating people, but getting them to tell each other “their true feelings.”
We do love a good drama (I want to die).
They were split into two teams for tomorrow:
Team “Dropout”
E Mazacon, i Zonsyo, Che Jiming, John Goku, Cha Nomu, Wont Be Long, 5 Chanming, Kwen Sang Woo, Pe Youngn and Choi Tansok
Team “Non Dropout”
Ayuno K, Tasukukusu, Nag Rajun, Kong Buh, Toppo and Chin Bonbon
They could choose any song to perform to. Any at all
And what happens on the final day remains to be seen.
But whatever happens, it will probably be stupid (good thing).
Today’s bonus fact is that MAEDA EMPiRE (EMPiRE’s manager) showed up and said that her favourite contestant is John Goku, which made him blush.
Our translators for today were Rachel Raisehell, Đorđe no Jinsei and Ganba Renai. And Korosarenai Karli downloaded Watanabe’s instagram stories but WordPress wouldn’t let me embed them into the blog post, misogyny honestly.
going going WACK 