| This article, Hidden Gems, is property of Himari Akari Sato |
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Hidden Gems : K-Pop Girl Group Project is a K-Pop survival show broadcasted on KPOP DAILY. 54 girls from South Korea, China and Japan were invited to become trainees on the show. While performing on stage, the contestants try to get the public's attention. By voting and elimination rounds, the top 9 is revealed to debut in the girl group GEMMA.
Background[]
KPOP DAILY announced the audition on their website. The audition was opened on KPOP DAILY's website after 5 months of the announcement. Girls from South Korea, China and Japan from age 15-25 were able to apply for the audition. 54 girls, 18 from each country would be accepted. There will a total of 9 girls debuting in the group.
Controversy[]
Before the show aired, netizens were not waiting for a show because of the bad relations between the three countries competing. Some Chinese trainees made posts about Korea's anti-Chinese sentiment and Japanese trainees posted about Korea's Japan boycott. Koreans wanted the show to be Korean only, without any participation of Chinese or Japanese trainees, but KPOP DAILY did not close the application for girls from China and Japan. The 50% Korean and the 50% international voting system, including Chinese and Japanese votes, did not sit well, especially by viewers from China and Japan. The system was later changed to 50% Korean, Chinese and Japanese votes and 50% international votes. Another, rather small controversy was about Taiwanese and Hong Kongese contestants being considered as Chinese contestants.
Trainees[]
The trainees were officially revealed on KPOP DAILY's website
| Name | Company | Nationality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kim Darin | PHX Entertainment | South Korean | Member of pre-debut group Cloud Aura. |
| Sun Rina | The Purple Label | South Korean | Former MATILDA and Former LIPBUBBLE Member |
| Tu Aeri | The Purple Label | South Korean | |
| Hae Juhee | The Purple Label | South Korean | |
| Seungeun | The Purple Label | South Korean | Former Starverse member. |
| Ji Seulgi | Olympus Entertainment | South Korean | Legacies trainee. |
| Kim Joeminn | Real Media | South Korean | |
| Kim Soyi | JGC Entertainment | South Korean | Participated on Get Lucky! |
| Pom Eunchae | JGC Entertainment | South Korean | |
| Jeon Eunji | JGC Entertainment | South Korean | |
| Kim Joomah | Cango Entertainment | South Korean | |
| Anh Jaena | Cango Entertainment | South Korean | |
| Moon Yaeli | Cango Entertainment | South Korean | |
| Lee Mira | Cango Entertainment | South Korean | |
| Lee Nayoung | Grand Note Entertainment | South Korean | Actress. |
| Rae Hyojin | DIAMOND Entertainment | South Korean | Member of trainee group DIAMOND Girlz. |
| Jang Yuna | Olympus Entertainment | South Korean | Member of pre-debut group Legacies. |
| Yi Nora | Olympus Entertainment | South Korean-Canadian | Member of pre-debut group Legacies. |
| Name | Company | Nationality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Min Wei | PHX Entertainment | Chinese | Debuted as a soloist in China. |
| Qiuru | The Purple Label | Chinese | Former Starverse member. |
| Qian Yimu | Individual Trainee | Chinese | |
| Xie Bai | SRD Entertainment | Taiwanese | |
| Lin Jiao | Zoumingqu Entertainment | Hong Kongese | |
| Xiao Miso | Real Media | Chinese | |
| Zhang Ju Xiu | DIAMOND Entertainment | Chinese | Member of trainee group DIAMOND Girlz. |
| Yvonne Bowen | JGC Entertainment | Chinese-American | Participated on Get Lucky! |
| Yang Jinghua | JGC Entertainment | Taiwanese | |
| Chen Da Chun | DIAMOND Entertainment | Chinese | Member of trainee group DIAMOND Girlz. |
| Xiao Moya | Cango Entertainment | Chinese | |
| Zi Sima | Cango Entertainment | Chinese | |
| Kako Dong | Cango Entertainment | Chinese | |
| Xing Tang | Cango Entertainment | Chinese | |
| Hao Xinya | Individual Trainee | Chinese | |
| Qiao Jinwan | Olympus Entertainment | Chinese | Member of pre-debut group Legacies. |
| Pang Wenming | CN Entertainment | Chinese | Member of Aphrodite Team CN. |
| Xie Fenfang | CN Entertainment | Chinese | Member of Aphrodite Team CN. |
| Name | Company | Nationality | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miyu Nakashi | Real Media | Japanese | Her stage name is Gary. |
| Momoka | PHX Entertainment | Japanese | Member of pre-debut group Cloud Aura. |
| Takagaki Reira | The Purple Label | Japanese | |
| Yasumi Narumi | The Purple Label | Japanese-British | |
| Wakao Mami | Source Entertainment | Japanese | |
| Urabe Kiyomi | JGC Entertainment | Japanese | Participated on EXTRA GIRL. |
| Tochikura Remi | JGC Entertainment | Japanese | |
| Alisa Yamada | JGC Entertainment | Japanese-American | |
| Koko Nagisa | Cango Entertainment | Japanese | |
| Momo Nagoya | Cango Entertainment | Japanese | |
| Sakamichi Fuka | Cango Entertainment | Japanese | |
| Yamagata Kanna | Individual Trainee | Japanese | |
| Sato Haruka | KCJ Entertainment | Japanese | Member of Kiwasa. |
| Nakano Izumi | JP Entertainment | Japanese | Member of Aphrodite Team JP. |
| Yamada Ayami | JP Entertainment | Japanese | Member of Aphrodite Team JP. |
| Sato Aratani | A12 Entertainment | Japanese | Member of Moonstar. |
| Watanabe Hana | Somnium Entertainment | Japanese | Soloist. |
| Takahashi Ichika | Somnium Entertainment | Japanese |
Haruna[]
After releasing the profiles for Team J, Harumi Hana (not to be confused with Watanabe Hana) was included in the list. However, after the first episodes were released, netizens noticed that Harumi Hana never showed up in the show, not in the introductions and she wasn't included in any performances, even not in the performances released as full version. It was revealed that she withdrew from the show because of transfer issues (DIAMOND Entertainment and Emerald Studios).