The glorious TOP7 that will write a new history of ‘Mr. Trot 3’ has been born.

According to Nielsen Korea, a viewership rating research company, the 11th episode of ‘Mr. Trot 3’ on TV CHOSUN that aired on the 6th recorded a nationwide viewership rating of 16.1%, breaking its own record again.

This is an overwhelming number equivalent to #1 on all channels in the same time slot including terrestrial, comprehensive, and cable, #1 on all daily programs on all channels, #1 on all entertainment programs aired on Thursdays, #1 on daily comprehensive programs, and #1 on all weekly entertainment programs on all channels. It was literally a ‘1st place sweep’. The peak viewership rating at the time soared to a whopping 17.1%. As it was the fateful TOP7 match, viewers‘ interest exploded.

The 11th episode of ‘Mr. Trot 3’ that aired that day featured the second round of the semi-finals, the final gateway to the finals. The second round of the semi-finals was the first-ever ‘Authentic Trot Battle’, where the fate of the 10 Trotmen was decided through a single authentic trot song.

This mission was successful not only because of the understanding and love for trot, but also because of the meaningful meaning of inheriting authentic trot. Accordingly, the 10 Trotmen chose one song out of a total of 150 authentic trot songs recommended by the 10 Masters and entered the battlefield with more trembling hearts than ever.

The special privilege that only the final winner of ‘Mr. Trot 3’ can enjoy was revealed, further fueling the passion of the Trotmen. ‘Mr. Trot 3’ master and top singer and hit composer Young Tak stepped forward as the composer of the winning song. Young Tak said, “I’ve watched the stages of all the contestants from the beginning until now. I think I can make a song that suits ‘Jin’ well,” he said confidently.

The winner of the second round of the semi-finals was Son Bin-ah, who recorded a total score of 1752 points. Son Bin-ah sang Bae Ho‘s last work, ‘The Last Leaf’, with a deep, low-pitched voice, giving goosebumps from the first verse. Son Bin-ah, who was acknowledged by the contestants as the best singer of the season, showed off her perfect singing ability with two changes. Master Lee Kyung-kyu, who is famous for being a Bae Ho maniac, gave a moving evaluation, saying, “It’s like Teacher Bae Ho has been reincarnated. I almost cried. Son Bin-ah recorded an incredible master score of 1489 points, and expressed her overwhelming emotions, saying, “I feel like I‘m having a “dream I don’t want to wake up from.”

Choi Jae-myung, Kim Yong-bin, and Cheon Rok-dam also took second, third, and fourth place. Choi Jae-myung selected Seol Woon-do‘s ‘I Only Loved You’ and captivated the hearts of women with his romantic voice and performance. In particular, his transformation that concealed the traditional Korean music singing technique was evaluated as impressive. Choi Jae-myung, who recorded 4th place in the master’s score, settled in the TOP7 with a national representative score of 277 points.

Next, Kim Yong-bin, who is the oldest active singer with 22 years of experience, showed off his knowledge worthy of a true doctor and decorated the stage with Goboksu‘s ‘A Life in a Foreign Land’ released in the 1930s. It is a song from 90 years ago, and the repeated rhythm continued for the 4th verse, but thanks to Kim Yong-bin’s unique control of dynamics, the stage passed by in an instant without a moment of boredom.

Cheon Rok-dam, who had once faced a bitter defeat with a traditional trot song, climbed the high mountain of orthodoxy with a stage of his all. Cheon Rok-dam passionately sang Kim Yong-im‘s ‘A Life Like Bucho’ with his solid singing ability and upgraded, well-structured breaking singing technique. Kim Yong-bin and Cheon Rok-dam earned the same master score of 1461 points, but the rankings were split as Kim Yong-bin was ahead by 1 point in the audience score.

Chun-gil, who tied for 2nd place with Kim Yong-bin in the first round of the semi-finals, suffered a significant drop in rankings due to a close mistake, tying for 6th place with Chu Hyuk-jin and barely making it into the TOP 7. Chun-gil sang Im Ja-ja’s ‘Tain’ with a heartbreaking voice, but made a mistake of missing the lyrics during the performance, which was disappointing. Chun-gil, who completed the stage with a fresh mind, received favorable reviews from Master Joo Young-hoon, who said, “Despite his mistake, he has the voice and breathing skills to sing authentic trot. It was the best performance so far.”

The final TOP 7 of ‘Mr. Trot 3’ have been confirmed: Son Bin-ah, Choi Jae-myung, Kim Yong-bin, Cheon Rok-dam, Nam Seung-min, Chu Hyuk-jin, and Chun-gil. Now, only the final stage remains where the new Trot Emperor, Jin‘s glory, will be revealed. What kind of performance will the Trot men with strong vitality who made it to 7th place out of 101 teams show on the final stage? There is growing curiosity about who will win ‘Mr. Trot 3’.

TV CHOSUN ‘Mr. Trot 3’, where the long-awaited finals will take place, will air at 9:30 PM on the 13th.

Photo courtesy of TV CHOSUN ‘Mr. Trot 3’

Jo Sung-woon, Donga.com reporter madduxly@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.