The Aug. 21 third episode hit a minute-by-minute peak of 4.5% (Nielsen Korea, Seoul metropolitan households) and continued its week-over-week climb in the key 20-49 demo with a 0.8%, finishing No. 1 among variety shows in its time slot. Even before premiere, the show’s short-form previews racked up a mega 5 million views, dominated online chatter and landed in Netflix’s Top 10 for Korean series ― and by episode three, it was already leading the 20-49 race in its hour.
Episode 3 centered on the “maknae” squad ― Halla (Lee Soo-ji), Park Ji-hyun and Nam Yoon-su ― plus manager Kim Won-hoon during a fried-chicken meetup. As soon as the food hit the table, Halla grabbed both drumsticks, flexing a fearless appetite. Kim grumbled that such behavior could get her “canceled from showbiz,” while Nam shot her a tender look from across the table. When he dropped a piece, Halla handed it back with a cheeky “It’s still good ― five-second rule,” triggering Nam’s memories of a first love and teasing a deeper backstory between the two.
The episode also unveiled the trot-idol team’s new single, "This Is My Fate" (literal title). Lee Kyung-kyu revealed, “This was originally meant for legends Namjin and Lee Chan-won, but I swiped it,” and brought in producer Jang Yoon-jung ― a.k.a. “General Jang.” The crew called instant hit, and Tak Jae-hoon lobbied hard for the opening line. But his take started with a gravelly throat-clear, and Jang kept flagging his over-stylized delivery.
By contrast, Choo Sung-hoon belted exactly the tone Jang wanted, stunning the room ― and Tak was promptly called back in for a humbling do-over. Halla lived up to her “MC Halla” moniker, dropping a clean rap that gave the track extra swagger, while Park Ji-hyun delivered pro-level vocals that earned Jang’s applause. The wild card was Nam Yoon-su and his notorious pitch problem, but Jang’s pinpoint producing got him over the hump, signaling a bona fide crowd-pleaser in the making.
Elsewhere, the members ran into veteran actress Kim Yong-rim at their shared lodgings. Startled by the group, Kim froze ― and a flustered Tak introduced her as “my girlfriend.” The Hollywood-scale reveal left everyone reeling, and when Halla asked for their pet names, Tak answered “Rimi,” delivering it with such comic earnestness that the room erupted.
Ahead of the team’s first live, Lee Kyung-kyu also dropped their official group name. Inspired by BTS ― with one extra B ― he christened them BBTS, short for “Ppongtan Sonyeondan,” a tongue-in-cheek trot spin on BTS. “Did I hear that right?” Tak deadpanned. As BBTS, the crew debuted "This Is My Fate" at a retro dance hall in Yeongdeungpo, thawing a chilly crowd with high-energy performance until the floor turned into a full-on dance party ― a successful coming-out for the project group.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)