On June 26, Friday, the first episode of "I-LAND" was live online for fans to tune in. As soon as the first episode hit, people were immediately caught by trainee Lee Heeseung, a Big Hit Entertainment trainee, who opened up about his feelings on training alongside the members of TXT.
When Lee Heeseung first appeared on the screen, "Genius Producer" Zico was immediately impressed with his visuals. He pointed it out and commented that he finds him very handsome.
Fellow panelist and judge, "K-Pop Genius" Rain, also said he was impressed by Lee Heeseung, saying that this trainee is his style. He also commented on his long training period. He is one of the contestants with the longest training time - 3 years and 1 month.
Bang Si Hyuk informed the other panelists of this too, saying that he actually is a trainee from Big Hit Entertainment. This led Lee Heeseung to talk about his experiences during that time.
During the time Lee Heeseung entered Big Hit Entertainment, he trained alongside TXT as they prepared to debut and it is being speculated that he could have had a chance to debut with them. He said, "When I first got into the company, there was a debut team called TXT. We trained together for a long time." They spent those years training together and have become close friends.
He ended up not making the final cut and TXT debuted without him. He expressed that he wanted to be able to congratulate them sincerely because he was friends with the members, but his inner turmoils prevented him from being able to do so.
He chose to pursue "I-LAND" in the hopes of being able to achieve his dreams. He said, "My goal here is to make my debut. I'm going to put my all into it."
Viewers sympathized with Lee Heeseung, who watched his friends debut without him and still want to cheer them on. Prior to the first episode, Heeseung was already popular with fans for his impressive glow-up from before he started training to now.
"I-LAND" is a reality show created by Mnet in partnership with Big Hit Entertainment. The show follows the creation process of the next-generation of K-Pop artists. The show has been designed and built to develop and produce the perfect K-Pop group. It has been called a "colossal structure; a groundbreaking system for the future superstars to 'live, train, and perform.'"
The show has been in the works for three years, according to their official website. Auditions were held from March 2019 in Seoul, the United States, Japan, and more. The auditions were open for males born between 1997 and 2008. The show's final lineup will debut in a group under Big Hit Entertainment.
"I-LAND" has two levels: I-LAND, which is the debut team, and GROUND, a place for those who fall short of making the cut. The show has been compared to "SIXTEEN," as it is similar to the show's Major and Minor teams. The trainees must survive and rise above the challenges to break free from the GROUND and reach I-LAND. The finalized team will make their debut and be able to stand on the global stage.
