The “R U Next?” Contestants Reveal Their Role Models — And One K-Pop Idol Has An Overwhelming Majority

HYBE and JTBC are set to premiere their new survival show R U Next? to find members to debut in BE:LIFT LAB‘s newest girl group.

The poster for “R U Next?” | Weverse

Ahead of the show’s debut, the contestants shared more about themselves through TikTok videos. In particular, in each video, each contestant shared information like their hobbies, MBTI, and their role models.

The compilation of profile videos | @runext_official/TikTok

Amongst the list of stars picked as role models, which also included some Western stars, and of course, a long list of veteran idols, including SEVENTEEN, IU, Suzy, (G)I-DLE‘s Soyeon, and many more.

| @runext_official/TikTok | @runext_official/TikTok | @runext_official/TikTok

Many were even surprised when they saw that NMIXX‘s Sullyoon and NewJeans‘ Haerin had been picked, especially as the two are still rookies and debuted much later than the others.

| @runext_official/TikTok | @runext_official/TikTok

While the videos were posted a few days ago, it has recently gained attention after netizens noticed one idol was overwhelmingly picked as a role model amongst the contestants.

It wasn’t surprising that amongst the 22 contestants, eight of the choices all came from BLACKPINK!

Members of BLACKPINK | @sbskpop/Twitter

In particular, five of those specifically chose Jennie, who was the overall most popular pick. Of course, the idol has gained attention since she debuted in 2016, but it seems like it not only relates to fans, but Jennie has become a role model for those aspiring to be in the industry.

BLACKPINK’s Jennie | @jennierubyjane/Instagram

The contestants who picked Jennie were Moka, Yewon, Jeemin, Jiwoo, and Jihyun.

| @runext_official/TikTok | @runext_official/TikTok | @runext_official/TikTok | @runext_official/TikTok | @runext_official/TikTok

When all the videos were posted, within the comments of the five videos, netizens couldn’t get over how many of the contestants had chosen Jennie. Although it wasn’t surprising as Jennie is a huge star, the variety of picks for the other contestants meant such a strong number of picks for the idol wasn’t expected.

When the videos were shared, one Korean forum pointed out that Jennie must be the ideal role model for HYBE trainees. In particular, Jennie has seemingly done it all, whether it’s within the idol industry, becoming a global ambassador for top designer brands, or now her acting debut with The Idol.

Your browser does not support video.Jennie always rocks her performances with BLACKPINK | Inkigayo Your browser does not support video.Jennie is a global ambassador for Chanel | Chanel/YouTube Your browser does not support video.She is also starring in HBO’s “The Idol” | HBO 

With the new generation of idols ready to make their mark on the industry, it will be interesting to see how the veterans will showcase their influence on the future of K-Pop.