Even if you’re only a little bit into K-pop, you probably know the big name superstars who are beloved all over the country (and now perhaps the world). Not everyone has that level of mega success, but many are still quite well-known with large fandoms who help sustain their careers. However, the sad truth is that there are also dozens of groups who will never get the full recognition they deserve, commercially or artistically. Road to Kingdom really hammers this point home in their opening scene, showing big names like BTS and SEVENTEEN accepting music show trophies… and highlighting the lesser known idols standing in the background. While the participants of last year’s Queendom had varying levels of popularity, they all were somewhat established in the industry and familiar to the general public. Road to Kingdom has a different goal: as a prequel of sorts for the upcoming Kingdom (whenever that is), it’s a journey for underrated groups to show their potential – and maybe get that big break they’ve been waiting for.

Once upon a time, I used to do recaps of survival shows on this blog. I had so much fun covering Season 2 of Produce 101, and I enjoyed doing like one episode of The Unit and Mix Nine before I went on my first unexpected hiatus. Since I want to transition into making more original content, I decided that recaps would be a good start. So, I started watching Road to Kingdom a little while ago. Of course, I chose this particular show because I thought that Kingdom was going to air this year… so its delay kind of ruined my plans. (Thanks, MNET.) However, I decided to press ahead because I want to bring attention to the groups involved – in my opinion, most of them are still pretty underrated even with the show having aired. There’s a lot to take in if you’re not familiar with any of the show’s cast, so I decided to start with an introduction post before recapping the episodes in earnest. Fair warning: the following is super long!