The scene has returned to a broad view of the main theatre. The stage is dark and the audience is practically vibrating with excitement. Then the curtains pull open to reveal Soul, standing calmly centerstage with a guitar.

A close-up cam in the audience finds a few peole already pressing their 'A' button in excitement. Another cutaway shot shows Jude wearing a blindfold and noise-cancelling headphones. A third shot shows the six contestnats not competeing sitting in the front row, each with their own voting remote.

Then the scene moves back to Soul, who clears his throat and grins out at the audience.

"Hello everyone! So glad you could come out tonight. This little number may be familiar to some of you." And with that he begins strumming.

Over the course of the performance several of the audience have pressed their 'A' buttons. The camera then focuses on the boys in the front row, some of whom shift rather nervously.

Hongsol looks at the others, and then nervously clears his throat. "I like that you picked a song I think most people know, it made the performance more personal. But..." He bites his lip nervously, but Soul gives him a grin and he finishes his thought, "There were a few points where you got a little too raspy and it sounded like your voice was more scratching than singing." he looks incredibly apologetic, but Soul nods thoughtfully.

Na Sanghyun speaks up next. "Well I'm far from a vocal expert so I'll just say that I loved your use of the guitar, it shows good diversity. For something negative, um, the shouting stuff was a little out of place I felt?"

Soul's repsonse isn't as warm as the one for Hongsol was, and Seongjun looks distincly nervous as he decides to speak next.

"Honestly I feel like this sort of style isn't the best for you. I know you've got awesome breath control but you didn't hear that at all in this." Seongjun quickly sinks back into his seat and looks over at KimQ hopefully.

The other dancer speaks up quietly. "I agree with Seongjun honestly, you have a gorgeous and unique RnB sounding voice, so I think if you'd given the songs more of a you sound instead of trying to mimic Crush the performance could have been that much more impressive."

Soul nods, his shoulders relaxing somewhat.

Danny and Koda look at each other, eventually deciding that Koda will go first with his thoughts.

"I didn't like the shouting stuff but I liked the rest!" The dancer says, grinning proudly after the 'analysis' is done.

Danny rolls his eyes. "The idea was solid and with your vocal tones it should have been wonderful but there was something in the execution that just felt off to me. Overall it was a solid performance but it left me feeling like it needed something more."

Soul nods, the frown back as he gives a little bow to the crowd, several of who start screaming that they loved him, which puts a smile back on his face as he waves at his fans. He then exits stage left, and Jude appears from stage right a moment later.

Several audience membesr scream excitedly and he flashes them a grin. The lights dim, and the audience quiets down as the music starts.

The six in front have to wait for the applause to calm down before they can start their critiques.

Hongsol smiles warmly up at Jude. "Awesome as always hyung. There were some placement problems in you mixed register, but honestly I wouldn't have noticed if I wasn't looking for it."

The two share a smile and several of the girls in the audienc scream. Na Sanghyun rolls his eyes in amusement while Seongjun pokes Hongosl teasingly.

Sanghyun then clears his throat. "So yeah I didn't even notice the placement stuff. If I were to say something bad it would be that it felt short. The came kind of abruptly and then it ended and I wished there was more."

Jude nods in agreement while Seongjun begins his analysis.

"Personally I thought some places were kind of breathy, and I agree that it did feel short. Otherwise great job as always hyung!"

KimQ waits for Jude to nod before speaking. "I think everything I'd want to say has been said already. Maybe one thing I'd nitpick was when you sang without any backup music. It felt a little awkward to me personally, like your voice and the music weren't quite on the same page in those few seconds just before and after the sound cut out."

Koda looks baffled as he speaks up. "I liked it. I mean, it was a slow song which is boring but you sounded good."

Jude laughs. "Thank you Koda."

Danny looks thoughtful as he speaks. "I agree with KimQ, there were certain areas that did feel a little awkward from a composition standpoint. Each individual aspect ws great, but sometimes they just didn't mesh and it pulled me out of the performance."

Jude nods again, and then gives a low bow as the audience is cued to applaud him off the stage.

There's a minute dedicated to showing audience members pressing their voting buttons, and there's one quick shot of the 'judges' voting as well, though it's angled so the viewer can't tell who's voting for whom.

An announcement then declares that the next pair is about to go. A moment later G walks onstage, calm and collected. He nods towards the soundbooth, causing the bit of applause that had started up to quickly die down as he began.

The audience is going absolutely nuts at the end of G's stage and he has to struggle a bit to get back up onstage away from the fans surrounding him.

Hongsol has to wait for a long minute before he can say anything. "I forgot how crazy charismatic you are onstage G, but was the swearing really needed?" He smiles awkwardly as some o the audience laugh. "I'd say great job with the stage presence, but I have to admit as someone who isn't as interested in rap the chorus got repetitive since you did it the same way every time instead of switch the flow or something." He laughs awkwardly. "But again I'm not a rapper."

"None of us are rappers but that was sick hyung!" Sanghyun seems to have been swept up in the excitement of the performance as he bounces a bit in his seat. "I thought getting up close with the audience was great and I'm going to be bopping to that beat for the rest of the day!"

Seongjun looks over at him with amusement. "We're supposed to say something positive and something negative about each performance." He shrugs when Sanghyun just stick his tongue out. "Just saying. For me I'm jumping on board the 'you were great with the audience' train but honestly I feel like if it hadn't been for that the song would have been kind of boring, no offense. It's like Hongsol said, you didn't change up your flow at all, it was just the same thing over and over again."

G nods, his lips thoughtfully.

KimQ again waits for acknowledgement before speaking. "Honesty I can't say I know anything about rapping, but I'll try to make my judgement a little different if I can. Personally I loved the begining. It was very basic, but very powerful and it made me excited for the rest. But it sort of felt like the song was all build and no - it never seemed to go anywhere, which was a letdown after the awesome start."

G looks genuinely surprised, and then grins. "I'll keep that in mind. You sure you're not a rapper?"

KimQ just laughs as Koda bounces up.

"I'm a rapper! And I'd say you did really good with the lyrics and getting everyone pumped up. But yeah, your flow got boring after a while." He then sits down proudly.

Danny laughs. "Actually KimQ stole my critique. The build up was amazing but didn't really pay off in the end, which was dissapointing after such a strong show."

G bows and the cued applause signals his exit stage left.

Xaris appears moment later, looking quite determined. He does take a moment to bask in the crowd's applause before starting them into an opening chant that he lauches off from.

The screams are interspersed with some fans still chanting "Do you" at the top of their lungs. Again Hongsol has to wait before he can start speaking.

"Again was the swearing neccessary?" He pauses for the audience's laugher. "But honestly I have the same nitpick for you as I did for G - the flow felt flat and repetitive. I know you didn't have much time to prepare this-"

"No time to prepare this." Xaris corrects, and Hongsol sighs.

"But it still would have been nice to hear some difference between choruses. Otherwise great use of the audience and the versus were actually really well done."

Na Sanghyun jumps straight in after Hongsol finishes speaking. "I actually agree that the chorus felt flat since it was just the same two words over and over again, but actually that's also my positive since you made up for it by getting the audience involved which was super fun!" He laughs and chants "Do you" a few times, joined by several people in the audience.

Seongjun rolls his eyes. "Unlike these guys I actually thought the sound and flow of the song were really good overall. My issue was you. You just kind of walked around on stage a bit but didn't really do anything. This is a powerful song, but you didn't seem to really be feeling it."

KimQ for once doesn't wait to speak as Xaris looks distincly annoyed. "The song was much more low-key lit than other rap songs and I actually think you did a good job with it. My one problem was that occasionally you'd make a sound almost like a whiny gasp into the microphone, which I know is a style, just not one I'm personally a fan of. So basically I don't really have anything bad to say." He laughs lightly and Xaris visibly relaxes.

Koda bounes up from his seat again, clearly still excited to actually know something about rapping. "The song was good but I thought the pump up with the audience could have been stronger." He sits back down with a thump and leans back proudly.

Danny shakes his head before he speaks. "Honestly the entire thing was well done, for the composition. However the song itself is awkwardly put together with some aspects just not working together at all, so you were at a disadvantage from the start working with a song like that. It take a very specific kind of rapper to pull off a disjointed but also somewhat flat rap song and you did a pretty good job with it overall."

Xaris does not look happy with Danny's critic but is shooed off the stage by the cued applause. Again time is dedicated to voting, though this time it doesn't even hint at who the judges have voted for.

Again and announcment starts the third duel, and Collin is out onstage before it's even finished. He clears his throat nervously before he begins.

The audience is screaming as he finishes, and the judges have mixed looks of surprise and pride.

Hongsol is smiling brightly as he begins his judging. "I was really surprised when you started singing Collin! I love that you showed us two of your charms, it definitely created a memorable performance. I do wish we'd seen more of your dancing though, as it was the strongest part of your performance but it felt too short to really show was you're capable of."

Collin nods agreement as Na Sanghyun speaks up.

"I also thought it was really cool that you showed two skills, but you have to admit your singing isn't as good as your dancing. Both parts were enjoyable though, if a bit short."

Seongjun is nodding as he begins speaking. "I feel like we'll all be saying the same thing, so I'll keep this short and just say 'what they said'."

Collin laughs.

KimQ looks thoughtful as he speaks. "I'll agree that both parts were very short, but actually I think what you showed of your dancing was quite impressive. It was simple and yet powerful, which only truly skilled dancers can pull off, so kudos. For something negative, since I don't think the length was detrimental at all, I'd say the fact the song you chose was so one-note that we didn't really get to see the full range of your vocal abilities."

Koda looks extremely excited as he begins talking barely moments after KimQ has finished. "Like he said, the dancing really was well done! Even the parts where you were just standing still, every part of your body was involved in the non-movement which shows high control that a lot of dancers take years to even begin to get. And the ending sequence was awesome to watch. I do wish there had been more,  I was really enjoying it!"

Everyone looks surprised as Koda leans back.

Danny snaps out of the shock and quickly gets to his own thoughts. "Well I was of the 'it was too short' club but after hearing what the actual dancers in the group have to say I'll just skip that part. My biggest peeve though was the change between the two parts was extremely abrupt, it shocked me out of the performance for a moment there. Otherwise it was a solie performance for both the singing and the dancing."

Collin bows his thanks and waves hopefully at the crowd as his exit applaus starts up.

Jihyun's entrance is confident, if a bit arrogant. He winks at the crowd teasingly before taking a pose just before the song starts.

All six judges are staring open-mouthed as the performance ends and the fans start freaking out.

Hongsol gets himself together after a moment and looks up to find a very amused Jihyun looking down at him.

"Like what you saw hyung?"

Hongsol clears his throat as the fans start screaming again. Jihyun kindly waves them quiet and tilts his head, waiting for the judges' comments.

Hongsol takes another breath before replying. "I have to admit something tells me this is going to be the most memorable performance of the night, that much is for sure."

Jihyun grins teasingly. "Why thank you hyung."

"I'm not done Jihyun, please let me finish. However I know for a fact that's not the best you can do in terms of dancing." He seems to not want to say anything else as he looks to Sanghyun, who shrugs.

"That was hot." He says it blunty and the girls start screaming again. "But honestly it was kind of boring. If it wasn't for the appeal factor it wouldn't have been anything special."

Jihyun frowns. "Ouch, guess I'm not giving you my number after all."

Sanghyun just laughs as Seongjun nervously states his opinion.

"I really liked that you used a prop, but you could kind of tell that it was completely improvised. It was all flash and no substance if you would. I enjoyed it though." He speed mumbles the last part but the audience catches it and goes nuts.

KimQ is the only one who seems unaffected by Jihyun's teasing. "Honestly Jihyun I'm dissapointed. As Seongjun and Hongsol both pointed out you used the shock factor to mask that this is likely one of the poorest performances I've seen from you. Your technique was sloppier than normal and your movements felt a bit hectic like you weren't sure what to do next. I can appeciate a good showman though, so I will say props for getting everyone this riled up."

The fans scream again to make his point and Jihyun grins proudly.

Koda seems like he doesn't want to say anything as he viciously glares at his lap.

Jihyun pouts cutely. "Aw, come on Gogo, don't you want to say anything?"

"It's my birthday next week!" He blurts out. Every stares at him as he finally looks up. "Also your technique wasn't very good now that I'm thinking about that." He looks back at his lap. "I'm going to be 21."

Danny pats him awkwardly on the shoulder. "Okay then Koda, we'll get you a cake. Anyway I thought the dance and the song actually matched really well, so even though the dance itself wasn't you level the performance was still quite impressive."

Jihyun nods, and his exit applause is the loudest so far as several fans mash their 'B' buttons over and over again.

Hongsol stands up to stretch. "Alright guys, ten minute intermission! The rest of the performances will happen after we stretch our legs a bit!"

The scene opens to show MC Hong chatting with several of the audience members.

"Jihyun's performance just blew me away like holy crap I love divas!" One of the girls gushes.

"Jude's voice is just to die for!" Another pipes up, pretending to swoon into another of their friend's arms.

The third friend laughs. "I liked G's performance the best personally, but from watching the show I like Xaris more as an actual person. It made that vote a lot harder to make."

"So who'd you vote for then?" Her friend was still leaning on her as she asked.

The girl giggled. "I'll never tell! Though actually I voted for Soul in the first round. Jude sounded awesome but Soul plays guitar and sounds awesome. Soul wins."

"Jude wins!" Her friend finally got off of her and the two began debating hotly.

MC Hong turns back to the thrid group member. "So did you vote for Jihyun then?"

She laughed. "Actually I voted for Collin! I figure Jiyun will get a lot of votes anyway, plus I'm actually a dancer so between the two Collin actually did better. That doesn't mean I'm not going to go home and watch Jihyun's performance on Youtube a few million more times though!"

The scene changes back to the theatre, apparently a few minutes later as it's nearly full, with only a few straglers darting in at the last minute as the lights go down and the curtains pull open. Kangjoo is already standing centerstage, and he smiles awkwardly at the applause he gets.

The applause after the performance is at least three times louder than it had been before it.

The break seems to have heralded a new judging order as Danny speaks up first.

"As the resident foreigner I have to say your English pronounciation was pretty good. It's always a gamble to sing an English song but I think you did a good job conveying the emotion in it. However the song itself is very toned-down, low-key if you would, and I feel like a more powerful performance could have better showcased your skills. All in all though it was solid."

Seongun pipes up next. "Personally I agree that you brought some good emotion to the table. However you vocals were kind of strained on some of the higher notes. I really like the song though so I have have no qualms about the choice."

Koda bounces up. "It was a ballad which is boring but it was in English which was cool."

Hongsol pulls his friend back into his chair while he gives his own critique. "I know you've heard this before in evaluations but you do strain in your higher register, and the switch through your mixed voice is tense. However the song itself was really well done. I know you've heard this from almost every other judge but you really did get the emotions down in your singing, which made it really nice to listen to even with some technical shakiness."

KimQ nods. "I couldn't have said it better. It wasn't mind-blowing vocally, but it was moving emotionally, and I feel like sometimes that's worth more than perfect technique."

Na Sanghyun looks thoughtful when it's finally his turn to talk. "I can't really think of anything else to say. Which maybe is my negative, the performance was really just one note, so there isn't much to talk about. Conversely it is that sort of song so really you executed it perfectly." He shrugs. "It depends on how you look at it."

Kangjoo nods in understanding and the applause as he exits gets him smiling.

Do Sanghyun walks out and heads straight for the audience as the music starts up.

Danny has an eyebrow raised in amusement as the applause dies down. "I never thought I'd see a vocalist interact with a crowd like he was a rapper I'll give you that." He jokes. "It was fun watching you interact with everyone, it gave your performance a personal feel. But I felt you relied to heavily on the backing track, your voice got lost at times."

Seongjun is already nodding. "And when it did come over, at the end part especially, it sounded like you were yelling a bit, which I didn't get since the first part sounded amazing!" He seemed content to leave it at that so Koda picked up with his review.

"I got bored." He says bluntly. "It sounded really pretty, but I got bored."

Hongsol sighs. "I believe what he means by that is what I noticed, which was that the song didn't go anywere. There was something resembling a build but it was so small and cut off so quickly I barely noticed it. However especially in the first sections your voice really shone, you can tell how much work you've put into it."

Do Sanghyun smiles at the compliment.

KimQ nods thoughtfully. "I actually rather liked that you kept to a softer sound, since I feel it better shows of your vocal style. Though I did feel the audience pandering got to be a bit much towards the end."

Someone in the crowd screams "Boo!" and both KimQ and Do Sanghyun laugh a bit.

"Of course," KimQ adds, "That is just my opinion."

Na Sanghyun grins up at Do Sanghyun. "So Sanghyun."

The man on the stage rolls his eyes with a small smile. "Yes Sanghyun?"

A few audience members laugh.

"Okay but seriously I thought you did a good job up there. You were engaging and friendly and those are both things you want to see in an idol. That said you did sound a little screechy on the belting at the end. Just a little bit."

Do Sanghyun nods and is applauded off as audience members and judges make their votes.

After a minute, Byunjae is announced on. Several girls near the back start screaming their heads off over the applause, and he smile shyly over at them, none of his early anger even faintly present. He then makes his way over to a piano, which has been sitting at the side of the stage since the break ended. The audience begins freaking out again as he settles at the keys and begins to play.

Danny looks like a proud parent as he makes his judgement. "Honestly I'm not sure I can come up with anything other than it was too short. It's so easy for softer songs to become boring but honestly I was entranced the whole time, you really have a gorgeous voice Byunjae-ah."

Byunjae beams happily.

Seongjun's review isn't quite as glowing. "You relied almost exclusively on your head voice. I would have liked to see you do something else, since being able to hit high notes doesn't automaticaly make you a good singer." He begrudginly adds a compliment onto the end. "The piano was a nice touch though."

Koda doesn't even try to mask his annoyance with Byunjae. "You sounded like you were whining into the microphone." He grumbles, and makes it clear he has no intention of saying anything nice.

Hongsol looks uncomfortable when his turn comes up. "I'll just translate Koda's I guess. He's right that you were really nasally in your head voice, and a little breathy as well."

"You're nitpicking!" Byunjae can't stop the angry accusation, and he quickly bites down on his lip the moment it comes out.

Hongsol continues to look awkward. "We're supposed to Byunjae. It honestly was a really nice performance, so there's nothing left to do but nitpick."

Byunjae nods in acceptance.

KimQ smooths thing over with his review. "The balance between your vocals and the piano was absolutely enchanting, so if you'd fixed your placement in your head voice there honestly would be nothing negative left to say."

Na Sanghyun ends with a glowing review for his friend. "That was amazing Byunnie! I wish there had been more of it, you've got such good technique and you're super talented too!"

Koda rolls his eyes as Byunjae flouces off to his exit applause. Na Sanghyun catches it and the camera zooms in on the two as they start bickering.

"Oh lay off Koda, just because he's going to bury your talentless boyfriend doesn't mean you have to be so petty."

"He shouldn't have challenged him in the first place! You don't even like him Sanghyun why are you even trying to defend him? He's a petty little brat, just like you."

"Guys, camera." Danny snaps. The two notice the lens focused on them and they both sink back into their chairs, glaring at each other vehemently.

An awkward air permeates the room as TJ walks on, and he pales considerably at the silence he's greeted by. Clearing his throat, he shifts nervously and then nods to the sound techs.

The audience seems to be cheering extra loudly when he finishes, and the look of utter relief that washes across his face for a moment only spurs more cheers.

Danny waits impatiently for the sound to die enough for him to being talking. "I have the opposite complaint as with Byunjae, your song went way too long. It stopped giving anything new after the first chorus. However," He sighs. "You did a good job right at the end, when your voice got a bit stronger. You should have been doing that from the start."

TJ looks surprised at the compliment, but he nods and gives a small smile.

Seongjun is beaming. "That was great hyung! It showed your full range which no one else has done. Though the shift between your voice spaces was kind of all over the place." He look apologetic as he adds the required negative comment.

Koda as usual doesn't bother with the rules. "Doyeon you were great! Seriously so much better than last month's evaluation!" He grins brightly and TJ actually gives a small laugh, some of the color coming back into his face as he relaxes slightly.

Hongsol smiles. "He's right. Your breath control was actually pretty good, but like Seongjun noted you were unstable when switching from your lower to your higher registers, which just comes with practice."

KimQ starts off with his critique. "I could tell you were really nervous up there, it would do you a lot of good just to be a little more confident right out of the gates. That said you were the first vocalist so far to show your full range with your song choice, which I really appreciated." He smiles up at TJ who flashes him a grin.

Na Sanghyun starts to say something, and then glances at Koda. He hesistates for a moment, and then speaks. "Well you and I both know we're the weak ones when it comes to talent. That was probably the technically worst performance of the night."

TJ nods with a small grimace.

Sanghyun sighs. "But, that said, I actually didn't get bored. The song was repetitive but you managed to keep my attention to the end. You have a nice voice, you just have to keep training."

TJ stares at him for a long moment, before breaking into a smile. "I could say the same thing about you Sanghyun. Thanks."

The applause is accompanied with 'awws' from some of the audience.

The voting takes longer than in previous rounds, but finally the next and final round of competitors are announced.

Doc walks on with some bravado, though it's half-hearted. He doesn't bother with the applause as he snaps to signal the music.

The fans do their usual freak out, and Danny launches straight into his review as quickly as he can.

"I've been informed we're over time so we're going to have to keep the rest of these short, sorry Doc."

Doc just shrugs.

"Anyway I again like the use of an English song, and your pronounciation was one point. However the head voice got excessive towards the end, I was relieved when you dropped back down your register."

Seongjun  for once has his own opinion. "Honestly you've always had this weird nasally non-technique that should sound bad but usually doesn't. But this song was not the right song to use it for. I think it would have been better if you'd used your lower register more than your falsetto personally."

Koda shrugs. "I thought it was fun, I like that song. But it did get too screechy right before the ending."

Hongsol nods. "I'd say that the consensus really, the performance itself was fun and enjoyable but you should have been a little more sparing with your falsettos and head voice, it really started to sound strained by the end."

KimQ waits to see if Doc wants to give any sort of acknowledgement, but when the singer just stares at him he quickly gets to his review. "Honestly i can't say anything different. It started off fun, ended up being too much. Falsetto is impressive only if you can control it properly."

Na Sanghyun hums agreement. "Since we have to keep it short I can only say ditto."

Doc shrugs and heads off before his cued applause has fully started up.

Ant comes on next, and looks a bit nervous. He catches KimQ's eye and seems to relax a bit before nodding slightly and launching into his performance.

The audience is going nuts and the judges are a mix of surprise and impressed amusement.

Danny's first comment seems to come more from the surprise section of these emotions. "I liked the sunglases." He jokes. "But actually I was really surprised, I thought you'd be singing."

Ant looks over at KimQ. "Well it was never explicitly said we had to match skills with the person we were challenged by."

Danny laughs a bit. "Fair enough. Honestly you did a great job by rap standards, you really had the audience involved and pumped up. I would have liked it if you rapped a bit more though, especially towards the end."

Seongjun looks thoughtful. "I'm trying to come up with some way of equating your and Doc's performances but really they're totally different. But anyway, I really liked that your were constantly moving. I think the other rappers were as well but you were, bigger, I guess. It was exciting to watch, it got me pumped up! The rapping itself felt a little throat-strain-y at times though."

Koda shrugs. "I liked it, it's jumpy! But you kept rapping on the same note."

Hongsol looks surprised as he gives his review. "Actually that was my nitpick. You didn't change tone even slightly in your rapping, and while you still got good emotion through with sheer intensity I would have like a bit more musicality within the rap."

KimQ looks thoughtful. "I really like that you went with your strengths for the challenge. You have a lot of power behind your rapping. However I actually found the extreme walking around to be a little bothering, like you had too much nervous energy and were trying to pace it away."

Ant nods, ducking his head a bit.

Na Sanghyun wraps up the reviews on a positive note. "While I agree that you were flat, you were still super exciting! I was definitely pumped up, heck I'm still ready to go! So great job honestly, that's what a rapper is supposed to do."

Ant gives a bow and is cued off by applause.

The judges all fiddle with their vote remotes as the screen zooms out. The background becomes fuzzy as words appear on the screen:

Who won? Find out next time on Twenty-One!