And just like that, seven young men from Dream Maker will be traveling to Korea to debut as global pop idols.
Related: With Dream Maker, The Philippine Finally Got Its Own Produce Series
It only felt like it was yesterday when we first got word that ABS-CBN and MLD Entertainment were teaming up for a reality show to find the next global pop group. The two companies assembled an all-star lineup of Filipino and Korean mentors and judges for a truly one-of-a-kind show on Philippine TV. The country’s version of K-pop survival shows saw contestants from all over the country show off their talent across weeks of television. And after months of competition that saw dozens of talented young men vie for the chance to live their idol dreams, we finally have our final seven trainees who are now on the path to stardom.
POP SHOWDOWN
After premiering in November 2022, Dream Maker came down to its final sixteen trainees during its recent finale on February 12. Fans voted vigorously for their faves to make it to the top seven, which is no wonder that most of the finalists received millions of votes. But before we got the dramatic reveal, the live audience and viewers at home were treated to performances from the trainees and special guests.
Darren Espanto and Bailey May performed Hit Me with some of the contestants. As a preview of their potential idol life, the contestants did collab stages with idol groups. K-pop boy group TFN went to the Amazon with the Dream Chasers. Some of the Dream Chasers performed Tiger with BGYO while the Lovey Dovey collab stage with BINI was giving our dream performance of NCT Dream and LE SSERAFIM.
MEET HORI7ON
All sixteen contestants did so well and deserved a finalist spot. But in the end, only seven were chosen. And it was Jeromy who made it out as the top-ranked finalist with more than three million votes. The other soon-to-be idols joining him are Marcus, Kyler, Vinci, Reyster, Kim, and Winston. As their prize, the seven-member group, who will be called HORI7ON, will now travel to South Korea where they will break new ground as they train and eventually debut as an idol group that promotes in Korea, the Philippines, and other parts of the world. (Think of it along the lines of XG.)
With that being said, let’s also not forget the nine finalists who sadly didn’t make the cut. They all have talent and have proven themselves worthy of the stage. Here’s hoping this won’t be the last time we’ll see Jay-R, Thad, Wilson, Prince, and the rest and we could see them either as soloists or in other P-pop groups. Stay tuned in the coming months as HORI7ON gets ready for their global debut which we feel will make for an exciting moment.
Continue Reading: Ranking Dream Maker’s Mission 3 Group Performances From Least To Most Slay
