The first season aired from August 29 to October 31, 2019, every Thursday at 21:20 (KST).[1] For the season, Mamamoo finished in first place.[2]
The second season, dubbed as Queendom 2, aired March 31 to June 2, 2022, every Thursday at 21:20 (KST). For the season, WJSN finished in first place.[3]
Overview
The program is a comeback battle between 6 trending girl group acts, in order to "determine the real number one" when all 6 release their singles at the same time.[4] The winning act will have a comeback show only for them, showing the new song and their other hit songs, arranged however they want it. The comeback show is broadcast on Mnet and M2.[5]
The first and second seasons lasted for 10 weeks, both featuring 3 preliminary performances and 1 live comeback stage from each act. The Comeback Singles, which are newly produced songs of the six acts, are released a few days prior to the final episode. The digital points accumulated for the Comeback Singles and live votes for the comeback stages on the final episode, together with the accumulated points from the 3 preliminary rounds, were combined to determine the final winner.[6]
The first season's winner was Mamamoo; their comeback show happened on November 3, 2020 as the group made their comeback with their tenth mini album Travel.[7] The comeback show for the second season's winner WJSN took place on July 5, 2022 with their first special single album Sequence.
For the first season, the overall rankings are calculated out of a maximum of 100,000 points for each act, and distributed based on:
3 preliminary performances (35,000 points)
1st preliminary performance – 10,000 points
2nd preliminary performance – 10,000 points
3rd preliminary performance – 15,000 points
Digital points of the Comeback Singles performance (15,000 points)
Calculated from the time of release till 23:59 (KST) on October 28, 2019.
Text message votes of the Finale Live Comeback Stages – 50,000 points
For the preliminary performances, if one act gets a 6th place twice in a row, they will be eliminated from the show. This is also named the "Dishonored Step Down" (불명예 하차).
1st Preliminary Performances – Representative Hit Song Battle (Episode 1–2)
In the first preliminary performances, the six teams each perform one of their hit songs that is rearranged and different from their usual stages of the song. Before the performance, the six teams have ten minutes to arrange their cue sheet, which they must complete within the timing, otherwise, they will be deducted 1,000 points.[B] They are also allowed to forcefully rearrange the orders.
For the first preliminary performances, the points are calculated out of a maximum of 10,000 points for each contestant, and distributed based on:
For the Self-Assessment, each contestant has to vote for a team that they believe to have performed better than them (Up vote) and a team that they believe to have performed worse than them (Down vote). If a team believes that none of the other contestants performed better than them, then they may choose not to give an Up vote.
The Audience Judge Squad and the Special Judge Squad (which will consist of idol trainees for Round 1) are to vote for their top two teams after watching all six performances. The team that receives the most votes for the Special Judge Award will have all 2,000 points secured to themselves (Monopoly Rule). Meanwhile, the team that receives the highest number of votes from the on-site audience will receive 7,000 points, and the remaining teams shall receive the number of points in proportion to their number of votes from the Top 1 team.
Round 1 (Representative Hit Song Battle): Score Summary
2nd Preliminary Round: Cover Song Battle (Episode 3–4)
In the second preliminary performances, the six acts each performs a song from a fellow Queendom act, that is rearranged into a different style. Before the performance, the act that ranked first in the first preliminary performances get the priority to choose an act of their choice and cover of one of their songs in this round, the chosen act will also cover one of the songs from the chooser act. The same process is applied to the acts ranked second to sixth in the first preliminary performances, with the remaining two acts regardless of ranking that are not chosen becoming a pair to cover each other's songs. The act that ranked first in the first preliminary performances also get to arrange their cue sheet for this round. Each act must also perform a Queendom Quest, which are picked randomly, act that successfully completed the Queendom Quest, get one of the following benefits that are picked randomly:
Watch other acts rehearsal for a day (contestants are usually not allowed to watch the other acts rehearse)
Free Pass for Special Effects
Exchange Pass for one-time cue sheet position
Free Pass for 2nd Preliminary Performances song selection
Production Crew Chance
For the second preliminary round, the same points breakdown from the first round shall apply, wherein a maximum of 10,000 points can be earned, and the points are distributed based on:
For the Self-Assessment, each contestant has to vote for a team that they believe to have performed better than them (Up vote) and a team that they believe to have performed worse than them (Down vote). If a team believes that none of the other contestants performed better than them, then they may choose not to give an Up vote.
The Audience Judge Squad and the Special Judge Squad (which will consist of security guards for Round 2) are to vote for their top two teams after watching all six performances. The team that receives the most votes for the Special Judge Award will have all 2,000 points secured to themselves (Monopoly Rule). Meanwhile, the team that receives the highest number of votes from the on-site audience will receive 7,000 points, and the remaining teams shall receive the number of points in proportion to their number of votes from the Top 1 team.
3rd Preliminary Performances (Part 1) – Unit Round (Episode 7)
In part one of the third preliminary performances, the six acts each send a main vocalist and main dancer, to form a Vocal Unit and a Performance Unit. The vocal units will compete to gain points as a unit, while the performance unit will perform together but will compete for their respective groups' points. Before the performance, besides each act sending a main vocalist and a main dancer to the Queendom Workshop to practise for this round, the rest of the contestants would join the Queendom Workshop as supporters.[G] During the Queendom Workshop, each of the Vocal Units would undergo intermediate check, there after all of the contestants will each vote a Vocal Unit they think would be ranked first in the actual performance. In addition, during the Queendom Workshop, a Queendom Quest between the six acts will be played, with the winning act of the Queendom Quest getting to choose the Special Judge Squad for part two of the third preliminary performances.
For part one of the third preliminary performances, the points breakdown are calculated out of maximum of 5,000 points for each act, and distributed based on:
Vocal Unit
1st place – 2,500 points given to the unit's members' respective groups
2nd place – 1,500 points given to the unit's members' respective groups
3rd place – 500 points given to the unit's members' respective groups
Performance Unit
1st place (member with the most votes) – 2,500 points given to her group
Remaining members – Points calculated in proportion to the 1st place
The votes breakdown are calculated by the Audience Judge Squad who will each vote for their favorite Vocal Unit and favorite member of the Performance Unit.
In part two of the third preliminary performances, the six teams will each perform a song suggested by the audience. For the second part of the third preliminary round, the points are calculated out of a maximum of 10,000 points for each contestant, and distributed based on:
Assessment from the other Queendom acts – 1,000 points
Special Judge Squad (consisting of housewives from singing club) – 2,000 points
Audience Judge Squad – 7,000 points
with the Audience Judge Squad and the Special Judge Squad allowed to vote for two acts. The act that receives the most votes for the Special Judge Award will have all 2,000 points secured to themselves. For the assessment from the other Queendom acts, every act has to vote for an act that they believed to have performed better than them and also to have performed worse than them. A hidden rule is that an act also can choose not to vote for an act that is better than them.
In the finale live comeback stages, the six acts each perform a newly produced song live. Before the performance, the act that ranked first in the third preliminary round gets to arrange their cue sheet for the finale.
For the finale performances, the points are calculated out of a maximum of 50,000 points for each act, and distributed based on votes from the general public through text message, there are not any live audience voting. The team with the most votes gets 50,000 points, with the points for the remaining acts calculated in proportion of the number of votes received to the number of votes received by the 1st placed act.
There were no points breakdown announced for Finale Live Comeback Stage.
The points for the preliminary performances have been adjusted such that the 1st place act for each preliminary round gets the full points, and the points of the remaining acts would be calculated in proportion to the score of the 1st place act of each round.
For the second season, the overall rankings are calculated based on:
3 preliminary performance rounds
1st preliminary performance round – 10,000 points
2nd preliminary performance round – 10,000 points
3rd preliminary performance round – 20,000 points
Cumulative views and like counts of performance videos (full-version videos only; data of the first 4 days from upload would be counted)[O] – 5,000 points
Fan's Choice votes – 5,000 points
Digital points of the Comeback Singles calculated from the time of release until 23:59 KST on May 30, 2022 – 20,000 points
Text message votes of the Finale Live Comeback Stages – 30,000 points
During the preliminary performances, if an act ranks 6th place twice in a row, they will be eliminated from the show (Korean: 즉시 하차).
1st Preliminary Round: Representative Hit Song Battle (Episodes 1–2)
In the first preliminary round, the six teams will each perform one of their songs. They may choose how many songs to perform, and are also allowed to perform songs from their previous acts.
For the first preliminary performances, the points breakdown is calculated out of a maximum of 10,000 points for each act, and distributed based on:
For the Self-Assessment, every contestant has to vote for a team that they believe to have performed better than them (Up vote) and also to have performed worse than them (Down vote). A team may choose not to cast an Up vote if they believe that no team performed better than them. The Global Audience and Live Audience shall vote for their top two teams after watching all six performances. For each category, the 1st placed team gets the maximum number of points, while the remaining teams get the points based on the proportions of the votes obtained to the points obtained of the 1st placed team.
For the Self-Assessment, every act has to vote for an act that they believed to have performed better than them and also to have performed worse than them. A hidden rule is that an act also can choose not to vote (usually) for an act that is better than them. The 1st placed act gets the full 10,000 points, with each of the remaining acts getting points based on the proportions of the points obtained compared to the points obtained for the 1st placed act.
3rd Preliminary Performances (Part 1) – Position Unit Battle (Episode 6–7)
In part one of the third preliminary performances, the six acts are split into Vocal and Dance Units; each of the units work together to create a performance specific to the unit's type.
The maximum points an act can obtain is 5,000 points; 2,500 points maximum vocal and dance units each which are distributed based on:
1st place – 2,500 points given to the unit's members' respective groups
2nd place – 1,500 points given to the unit's members' respective groups
3rd place – 500 points given to the unit's members' respective groups
In Part 2 of the third preliminary round, the six acts will each perform a song suggested by their fans.
The maximum amount of points a team can obtain is 15,000 points, which are distributed based on:
Self-Assessment – 1,000 points
Global audience votes – 5,000 points
Live audience votes – 9,000 points
For the Self-Assessment, every act has to vote for an act that they believed to have performed better than them and also to have performed worse than them. A hidden rule is that an act also can choose not to vote for an act that is better than them. The 1st placed act gets the full 15,000 points, with each of the remaining acts getting points based on the proportions of the points obtained compared to the points obtained for the 1st placed act.
"Pool Party (Rollin' right now)" is a remix of Brave Girls's "Pool Party" and "Rollin'".
All tracks are cover versions with "Unnatural" originally sung by WJSN, "Pool Party" originally sung by Brave Girls, and "So What" originally sung by Loona.
On March 5, 2020, Mnet confirmed that Road to Kingdom (로드 투 킹덤) would begin filming in the middle of March, with the lineup to be confirmed.[43] It was confirmed to be aired beginning at the end of April, with the show being hosted again by Lee Da-hee and Jang Sung-kyu.[44] On March 20, Mnet confirmed the show's lineup would consist of Pentagon, ONF, Golden Child, The Boyz, Verivery, Oneus and TOO.[45] The show began airing from April 30 and ended on June 18.
On January 26, 2023, Mnet announced a spin-off of the series titled Queendom Puzzle, scheduled to premiere in the first half of 2023.[47] It premiered on June 13 and ended on August 15. Queendom Puzzle features 26 girl group members (originally 28)[48] who are in active or inactive Kpop groups competing to be in the final lineup for a new project girl group.[49]
On June 26, 2024, Mnet confirmed that Season 2 of Road to Kingdom, later titled Road to Kingdom: Ace of Ace, will be launched in the second half of 2024, and that the Road to Kingdom series would be re-branded as a standalone program, rather than a prequel to Kingdom.[50]
Notes
^Cheng Xiao, Mei Qi and Xuan Yi didn't participate in the entire show due to focus on China activities. Bona didn't participate in the 1st and 2nd rounds due to scheduling conflict with Twenty-Five Twenty-One. Dawon didn't participate in the entire show due to health issues.[11]
^(G)I–DLE was not present at the time of recording due to an overseas schedule, hence their order will have to depend on the other five teams.
^For the first round, the Special Judges consisted of idol trainees.
^For the second round, the Special Judges consisted of security guards.
^Through Queendom Quest, Lovelyz won the benefit of Song Selection Free Pass for the 2nd Preliminary Round, and therefore selected a song that is not by Oh My Girl.
^AOA's Seolhyun is absent due to schedule conflicts, and Oh My Girl's Jiho and Mamamoo's Wheein are absent due to health issues.
^Originally meant to perform 5th in order, Loona did not participate in the first round after three members tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the recording of the first round held on February 28; the group was hence automatically placed 6th. Loona performed at a later date prior to the second round.[13]
^Not to be confused as a mash-up of Hyolyn's "See Sea" and "BAE", the performance contains only the song "See Sea", with the "BAE" inserted on the title as Hyolyn's fandom name.
^Lee, Jae-eun (April 1, 2022). "'퀸덤2' 1회 방송 최고 시청률 1.4% 기록" ['Queendom 2' recorded the highest viewership rating of 1.4% on the first episode] (in Korean). Sports Kyunghyang. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022 – via Naver.
^Cho, Eun-mi (January 25, 2022). "태연, '퀸덤2' MC 확정.."진행자 넘어 다양한 역할 기대"[공식]" [Taeyeon, 'Queendom 2' MC confirmed.."Expect various roles beyond hosting" [Official]] (in Korean). Herald Pop. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022 – via Naver.
^Park, Soo-in (February 24, 2022). "이용진 '퀸덤2' 퀸 매니저로 합류, MC 태연과 호흡" [Lee Yong-jin joins 'Queendom 2' as Queen Manager and works with MC Taeyeon] (in Korean). Newsen. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022 – via Naver.
^Park, Seo-yeon (February 21, 2022). "'퀸덤2' 브레이브걸스→비비지, 걸그룹 6팀 공개..3월 31일 첫방송[공식]" ['Queendom 2' Brave Girls → Viviz, 6 girl groups revealed..First broadcast on March 31 [Official]] (in Korean). Herald Pop. Archived from the original on February 21, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022 – via Naver.
^Han, Su-ji (March 31, 2022). "우주소녀 보나(김지연), '퀸덤2' 출연할까..."1·2차 무대 불참"" [Cosmic Girls' Bona (Kim Ji-yeon) will appear in 'Queendom 2'..."Not attending the 1st and 2nd stage"]. Top Star News (in Korean). Archived from the original on April 2, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
^Kim, Ye-sol (April 7, 2022). "'퀸덤2' 효린, 투표 올킬로 1차 경연 1위... 꼴찌는 브레이브걸스! [종합]" ['Queendom 2' Hyorin, 1st place in the first contest with all-kill voting... Last place is Brave Girls! [Synthesis]] (in Korean). Osen. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022 – via Naver.
^Jeon, Hyo-jin (February 28, 2022). "이달소 하슬·여진·비비, 코로나 확진...오늘(28일) '퀸덤2' 녹화 불참 [공식입장]" [Loona Haseul·Yeojin·Vivi, confirmed with Corona...Today (28th) 'Queendom 2' recording absent [Official Position]] (in Korean). Sports Donga. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2022 – via Naver.
^Kim, Ye-sol (April 21, 2022). "'퀸덤2' 효린, 캣우먼+공중 퍼포먼스 이변 없는 만점 1위...브걸 꼴찌 [Oh!쎈 종합]" ['Queendom 2' Hyorin, Catwoman + Aerial performance 1st place without any surprise...Brave Girls Last [Oh! Strong Comprehensive]] (in Korean). Osen. Archived from the original on April 28, 2022. Retrieved April 28, 2022 – via Naver.
^"<퀸덤2> Part.1-1" [<Queendom2> Part.1-1] (in Korean). Genie Music. Stone Music Entertainment. April 1, 2022. Archived from the original on April 1, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2022 – via Melon.
^"<Queendom2>, Pt. 1-1 - EP". Stone Music Entertainment. April 1, 2022. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2022 – via Apple Music.
^"<퀸덤2> Part.1-2" [<Queendom2> Part.1-2] (in Korean). Genie Music. Stone Music Entertainment. April 8, 2022. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022 – via Melon.
^"<Queendom2>, Pt. 1-2 - EP". Apple Music. Stone Music Entertainment. April 8, 2022. Archived from the original on April 10, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2022 – via Melon.
^"<퀸덤2> Part.2-1" [<Queendom2> Part.2-1] (in Korean). Genie Music. Stone Music Entertainment. April 15, 2022. Archived from the original on April 15, 2022. Retrieved April 15, 2022 – via Melon.
^"<퀸덤2> Part.2-2" [<Queendom2> Part.2-2] (in Korean). Genie Music. Stone Music Entertainment. April 22, 2022. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved April 22, 2022 – via Melon.
^"<퀸덤2> 포지션 유닛 대결 Part.1-1" [<Queendom2> Position Unit Battle Part.1-1] (in Korean). Genie Music. Stone Music Entertainment. May 6, 2022. Archived from the original on May 6, 2022. Retrieved May 6, 2022 – via Melon.
^"<퀸덤2> 포지션 유닛 대결 Part.1-2" [<Queendom2> Position Unit Battle Part. 1-2] (in Korean). Genie Music. Stone Music Entertainment. May 13, 2022. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022 – via Melon.
^"<퀸덤2> 팬타스틱 퀸덤 1-1" [<Queendom2> Fantastic Queendom 1-1] (in Korean). Genie Music. Stone Music Entertainment. May 20, 2022. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022 – via Melon.
^"<퀸덤2> 팬타스틱 퀸덤 1-2" [<Queendom2> Fantastic Queendom 1-2] (in Korean). Genie Music. Stone Music Entertainment. May 26, 2022. Archived from the original on May 26, 2022. Retrieved May 26, 2022 – via Melon.
^"<퀸덤2> FINAL 신곡대결" [<Queendom2> FINAL New Song Showdown] (in Korean). Genie Music. Stone Music Entertainment. May 27, 2022. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022 – via Melon.
^"<Queendom2> Final – EP". Stone Music Entertainment. May 27, 2022. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2022 – via Apple Music.
^"<퀸덤2> 지나온 (Epilogue)" [<Queendom2> 지나온 (Epilogue)] (in Korean). Genie Music. Stone Music Entertainment. June 3, 2022. Archived from the original on June 4, 2022. Retrieved June 3, 2022 – via Melon.
^Lee, Seul (January 26, 2023). "엠넷, '퀸덤 퍼즐' 론칭 "상반기 방송...'퀸덤'과 차별화" [공식입장]" [Mnet launches 'Queendom Puzzle' "Broadcast in the first half...Different from 'Queendom'" [Official Position]] (in Korean). X-port News. Retrieved January 26, 2023 – via Naver.
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