Saturday, September 19, 2009
One of my favorite things about going to other countries is that I often end up doing things that I would have never done back home. Like getting on TV for instance. My initial recruiter, Jason Cresswell from ASK Now sent me an invite to a filming of Superstar K. I wasn't quite sure what it was, but I knew it was some sort of televised show, and it was it free, so I was going.
My coworker Melissa joined me, and we went early, as only the first 200 people would be let in. We were in the first 80 and we had front row seats at the stage. As we quickly found out, Superstar K is the Korean version of American Idol. It was a live filming, and they wanted foreigners like us in the audience. Naturally, being in the front row meant we made it on Korean TV!
I've been trying to find videos online of the show, and I *just* found a website where I can download the entire show in 11 segments. I am in the process now of doing that, and if you want to watch it yourself and see if you can find me, click here. In the meantime you can watch the video Melissa and I did once we were seated inside the theater.
Before the show, there was a guy who came to get the crowd going and teaching us how to cheer. It was actually hard work cheering enthusiastically on queue over and over again! All the instructions were in Korean though, so all of us foreigners in the front rows were just looking around us and following suit with the rest of the crowd.
The show finally started, but we had to sit through the first half of a pre-recorded session during which each contestant told their own personal sob story or how they came to be on the show, and which involved a lot of tears (yawn) was all in Korean.
Then finally we got to the live performances. They all did ABBA songs, so all of us foreigners finally new what was up, and we cheered and danced and sang along and got some camera action. Then at the end, two people were voted off by the judges and it was big sobfest all over again. I kept rolling my eyes, and Melissa's finally asked me "Hilary, haven't you ever watched reality TV shows? This is what they do!" ...All I can say is thank goodness I grew up without TV!
The sob fest at the end of the show: the guy in white on the left was balling big time. The guy in the red hat and the girl in the white jacket and mini skirt had to leave the show:
I feel like I was there too!
I will tell you if I find you! lol!