Where Are They Now?

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Vs: Where Are They Now?

Cali | January 22, 2018

With Venus having released their special goodbye MV, and all of us still mourning their breakup, I decided to look back at the show that created them, and it got me thinking: Where are the other contestants now? I've gone on the hunt to locate all eighteen girls, and as a one-year annivesary gift to our girls in Venus, here's what I've found:

Lee Jaelyn

I'll be honest I'd kind of forgotten about Jaelyn. Whoops! But for those who are wondering where this cheeky dancer ended up, she's back with SM Entertainment! She's been in several videos with the SM Rookie girls and rumor says she's set to debut with them later this year!

Jin Hyojin

She might have only been in three episodes, but Hyojin definitely made an impact on me! Since being eliminated from Vs Hyojin has featured in one of Jessica's songs, and of course she recently was on UPRS, where she did quite well, even reaching the semi-finals!

Seo Jina

I mostly remember Jina as being Natchaya's friend than anything else, but since being shockingly eliminated in the twist double elimination of episode two she's picked herself up and plowed on. She was added to Asia Bridge's girl group Berry Good and has released a number of OSTs in the past year.

Nam Yujin

I'll be honest, I mostly remembered Eugene because of her friendship with Minah during the show (And they still talk about each other, how cute is that?? <3). But I believe she's now best known for being the lead rapper and vocalist of the monster rookie group Loona! Yujin was debuted as a member of the group in July of last year with a solo promotional song.

Olivia Sonada

Oh dear Olivia. Easily one of the most contested eliminations, many fans of the show believe that Olivia was purposely trapped by Hiroko and left to be cut. But it turned out to be for the best, as only two months later in February Hama Entertainment debuted her in their girl group El8te.

Kim Yeeun

Oh Yeeun my love. I was really rooting for her during the show, but things have worked out for this lovely vocalist. Along with fellow contestant Jaelyn, Yeeun has been confirmed in the lineup of the SM Rookies, and is said to be debuting later this year, something she's confirmed on her social media site. She also released a duet with her sister on STATION in November of last year!

Kwon Kyungmi

Kyungmi unfortunately is still stuck in trainee land with no clear debut in site, unlike the other Vs contestants. From the little I've been able to find, she is still with YNB and she's still in contact with best friend Yoonhee of Venus fame. It's too bad they never got to meet on any shows though, they were my OTP <3

Choi Aerin

Another controversial elimination from the show, Aerin was definitely a well-liked contestant, but not enough to get her into the final fight. But things have been going well for the young rapper. She featured on Hyojin's Semi-Final track for UPRS and Simtong has confirmed that she'll be a full-time participant on the show in the next season. Aerin herself has hinted at a possible solo debut sometime soon, so we'll keep our eyes out!

Akiyama Hiroko

Hiroko was one of the more interesting contestants to watch on the show, and yet her abrupt elimination two episodes from the finale is not as contested as some of the others on this list. Hiroko said herself that she wasn't well-liked, but she made it quite far despite that and certainly left an impression. She has debuted as a soloist under RBW and while she's not a sensation like MAMAMOO she's certainly doing well for herself.

Team One
These five came so close to being Venus, and many fans are still asking "What if?" Instead they went back to their companies and all five have debuted to reative success in the past year.

Yoo Shisae

The reluctant leader, who grew into her role wonderfully, Shisae was the last of Team One to debut, but it was well worth the wait! GM's trio of talent debut in late August of last year with the song Freedom, which did exceptionally well on the charts, in no small part thanks to Shisae most likely. Check it out:

Kim Miyeon

It couldn't have been easy for Miyeon to come so close once again to winning a survival show, just to fail at the last obstacle. However this beauty queen took it in stride and has remained actively supportive of Venus on her social media site, and even went out of her way to see the girls when Venus and Dorothy were promoting at the same time! Check out Dorothy's debut here:

Shin Ahri

The first of Team One to debut, Ahri was added last minute to HappyFace's group DreamCatcher and has been quite successful since. She may have been the quiet one on the show, but she's certainly gotten louder since debuting! Check out her killing it in Chase Me:

Kang Kaerin

LIke Hiroko, Kaerin has also appeared as a solo act on the music scene. She's taken a Daivichi route and so far has only released ballads, not that we're complaining. She's also been slaying on Immortal Song each week with her breathtaking covers. Check out her debut with MC Sniper:

Oh Jiwon

Jiwon stunned when she released a solo debut in October of last year. Most netizens hold that she isn't truly talented enough to hold up as a soloist. However, how can you complain when her debut absolutely slayed? Jiwon's solo landed her a Top Twenty spot on most major shows and billboards, so on that haters!

The team came together again this past summer for a special stage of BoA's "One Dream" and it was a tease of what could have been. Here's the performance if you missed it:

Venus
Now for the big question: What's next for the girls of Venus? After an insanely successful year there are high expectations for these five, and their companies have promised to deliver.

Lee Minah

Venus's much-loved leader will be a part of Cowl Entertainment's reformed group Various, which will be redebuting under the name Angels. It has not been stated if Minah will continue her leader role with Angels, but either way fans are excited that this sweetheart is getting a permanent debut.

Kang Hoon

This surprise wild card came out of nowhere two episodes before the final to steal a spot in the final lineup - and our hearts. Though she didn't get much time to shine on the show, Hoon has proven herself snarky and quite talented at banter in her time debuted, and it's not a big assumption to think she'll be quite active on shows in the future! LOEN has confirmed that Juna is already working on a solo debut set for February, so expect this beauty back soon!

Yang Jakyung

We missed her on Produce 101, and thank goodness for that - we wouldn't have gotten her special brand of humor on Vs otherwise! Named the Pun-isher by fans, Jakyung did an excellent job as the second main vocalist for Venus, and she'll be doing the same with Soulstice's new seven member group, set to debut sometime this year! So look out, Jakyung will be back to punning in no time!

Natchaya Sirisukha

Ah Natchaya-Not-Nat, we'll miss our love-hate relationship with you. The Venus visual and sometimes rapper had a habit of rubbing people the wrong way, and yet she always comes out on top. She's also probably one of the only people we know who isn't censored when she swears on shows. Maybe because she does it in Thai? This feisty girl won't be out of the spotlight for long - NAP has confirmed a girl group will be debuted within the next six months, and Natchaya will be back to pushing the limits of KNetz comfort.

Lee Yoonhee

And finally our dear maknae. Yoonhee has already been participating in shows even while promoting with Venus, and she's confirmed she'll continue her acting career without pause as she plays a supporting role in an upcoming comedy show "My Wife's Lover". But don't fret for those who love her adorable voice: she's also confirmed that she'll be continuing to train as an idol! And there has been talk that SidusHQ is planning a girl group for her to debut in sometime this year! While it's not set in stone, at least we know we'll still be seeing plenty of our littlest angel in the upcoming year!

And as a final farewell to our Goddesses of Love, a remembrance of all their amazing songs last year:

Painkiller:

Pretty Pretty:

Easily:

Blah Blah:

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Viollium #1 Aug 26, 2017 05:52:07

Chapter 16: Viva's SoC
Act I: \/s
Scene 6: Thicker Than Water

WAIT HOLLUP IF WE'RE SEEING EUGENE GO WE GOTTA KNOW WAI

FITE ME INHO

NO WAIT

Vs!Inho go fight DoD's Inho

Let this happen

The Eugene mourning squad is honestly so relatable, it hurts. Minah's desperately bright denial (reminds me of a certain optimistic maknae named Baekhyun, mmm?) already hit like a truck, but Kyungmi's confession honestly felt the most personal. As much as I liked Eugene, I must admit that a big reason for that was how she got along with the fluffy line. It's almost like getting into a fandom purely for the ship; we lose sight of the individual in the process. It's weird, catching myself thinking that way, but good job to Kyungmi (and a certain author!!) for the Thought Provocation.

Yasss Aerin and Jiwon calling out the "typical girl" comments. I'm appreciating Miyeon a lot despite how high she has her walls up. Even if her support of others is clearly beneficial to her, she doesn't end it there and completely neglect Minah when the girl is upset. Heck, she even defends her by steering the topic away from Nat Being Nat. I love you, Nat, but Miyeon did good here. (Though this Nat vs Jiwon thing is so adorably sports anime with this weird one-sided rivalry and helping each other grow… or Jiwon helping Nat grow… eh, close enough)

"Those two cooperating would be a force to fear" Miwon Miwon Miwon I sail this ship even if only as a platonic queen ship. Hiroko's analysis, as tactless as it is, does bring up an interesting point: that Miyeon and Jiwon are both big on control. Their differing styles of it still intrigue me so much…

(Lolol Yeeun clinging to Ahri, I would've thought it'd be the other way around, but come to think of it, Yeeun has been very sweet to Ahri and supportive of the girl's ideas. Even if Aerin got the shorter end of the stick there, it's still quite touching.)

Ohh dear, and the lights go out. I guess that's the beginning of the mess we started with here XD Trust Hyomin to toss in the most intense twists and completely throw everyone (viewers included) in for a loop. I was not expecting the genre to shift to horror but hey~ I'll dig it

PFFFFT Jakyung's pun flops XD I love the reactions, haha, "clearly expecting more." On the one hand, thank you for highlighting the crap which is sleep deprivation. On the other hand, this is hilarious, and you are awesome. I wasn't expecting this kind of scene as I wrote up the app, but now that I'm reading it, it fits perfectly~ and Nat's salt is fabulous as always

Shisae the lone ranger, haha, no surprise

"Keep the bandage on." Of course the cheerleader knows how to handle injuries, haha, and I love any tiny glimpse of leaderly potential in Minah. Just as much as Miwon mini-clashes. And Kyunghee fluffiness. And Aheun(?) balancing each other out.

I'm loving Ahri's increased moments of speaking up (I guess we do have to thank Yeeun for some of that) and Aerin's possible improvements in terms of playing nice. Or so I typed, then she started putting the keys back into the bucket. I see you, Aerin. I see you see her, Nat. 'Tis adorbs XD

NOOO ROKO Y U LEAVE LIV NOOOO

I take back anything I ever said about Aerin playing nice lol, I got hopeful. I caught Kaerin's hope virus.

YEEUN THE REAL MVP MAY YOU BE REMEMBERED ESP BY AHRI AND EVERYONE WHOSE BUTTS YOU SAVED INCLUDING OLIVIA'S WHO YOU AT LEAST REMEMBERED

(I really do wonder what would have happened if everyone got eliminated in this ep? Like that was totally a possibility unless they had backup plans like having Iseul appear in different spots if need be?? Not gonna lie, though, I love this sort of old-school variety game much more than the high-stress of certain 101-contestant shows these days, but one's gotta wonder…)

Viollium #2 Aug 26, 2017 05:51:23

Chapter 15: Viva's SoC
Act I: \/s
Scene 5: Wandering Melody

Darned right, Doyeol, you should look uncomfortable for lowkey jinxing it, hmph (I kid, but really, would it have killed these people to explain the rules or at least let Kaerin reconsider her choice after it was explained)

Yesss Aerin finally gets rewarded for her efforts!!!! Yay to Inho. Yay to Jiwon. Yay to Aerin too.

Mannn Miyeon and Jiwon are a force to be reckoned with. Almost a John-Sherlock combo, with Jiwon having the ideas and Miyeon making it palatable to the group. Also, a boot to the head for Jiwon's lowkey shaming at Minah, a nice solid boot. A nice solid retracted boot since she's letting Minah's skills shine tho.

Hmmm I need to modify what I said about Yeeun's leading abilities. In the listening respect, I suppose Miwon still take the cake as an odd-cop-saccharine-cop duo. Yeeun does have to room to improve, though. I hope the bit of defensiveness she got towards the end won't cloud her future judgments on this stuff…

Noooo Hirokooooooo use your earsssssss!!!! D: Come on, sis, you know you're overstepping if even Yoonhee has to speak up. Not that she's entirely to blame, since Jakyung, Kaerin, and Eugene each enabled her in their own ways. Jakyung with her nonchalance, Kaerin with a dangerous desire to prove herself, and poor Eugene with her natural shyness. Nuuuu….

Wow I really wonder what Olivia said now. To be fair, having the practice outside is extremely unfair. This is something I hate vehemently about real survival shows as well, where it's almost designed to keep the low rankers low. I'm both mad and very impressed you managed to capture that unfairness. Grrr but also grrd job… get it? "grr"-d? (I'm sorry I'm SORRY)

I love Yoonhee and Kyungmi's sweet and soft vibes but also can't help but worry since they get walked over when it actuallys counts for something.

Mmm I like this Leader!Minah concept. I really didn't see that coming, but I really hope she comes into her own!

I SEE WHAT YOU DID WITH THE WRAPPED HAND AHARHAR I WAS WONDERING WHAT THE POINT OF THE TOWERS WERE. I thought it was enough just to see Minah in her natural habitat and lowkey introduce Hoon (!!!), but leave it to Dani to tie it in even more~ I got tripped up by the Umji = Eugene ≠ Umji, but everything made sense once we got to the description.

Inho, babe, Teaching 101 says to clearly state your expectations as you give your student a new task—or at least acknowledge where your expectations were not made clear. See: Iseul causing a similar misunderstanding with lip syncing but explaining to Hiroko what she expects for the future. As much as I appreciate Inho's tough stance on things, here's my obligatory rant about judges ≠ coaches and the unhealthiness it entails.

As always, I both love and hate how much your fics remind me of real shows and how diddly-whacked up they can be. </3

Viollium #3 Aug 26, 2017 05:48:33

Chapter 14: Viva's SoC (I'M SORRY IT'S A MILLION YEARS LATE)
Act I: \/s
Scene 4: Spotlight

Haha there goes Hyomin as the MVP of twists as usual(?). I'm loving Hyunmi as the middle ground between Iseul and Inho here. I'm curious what the others' answers were to that question, if they were asked, but I can also guess why they'd choose Hyunmi's answer above the others, haha~

(I lowkey feel like I know who did the swooning at Gyujin lol, and it definitely wasn't Nat)

Hyomin: "Group B was voted to be the worst"
Gyujin probably: WHY COULDN'T SHE JUST SAY GROUP A AND C MADE IT?! GLASS HALF FULL VS HALF EMPTY LIKE SRSLY DO I HAVE TO DO ALL THE CHARMING AROUND HERE

(Hiroko and Hyojin on the same page, I see you <3)

The duckling dynamics give me this mix of d'aww and concern. Jina jumping off the stage after Nat is so adorable, but blindly following someone into playing hooky could end badly. I'm still not sure what to make of Olivia and Hiroko…

Aww Doyeol being helpful to Aerin in his own sweet-n-sour way. I really wonder when Inho will realize that the tsundere schtick is actually counterproductive in Aerin's case. At least he gives her legitimate criticisms, though the lack of advice to follow up is a hit-or-miss teaching style...

Of all the potential leaders, Yeeun definitely seems to have the drive and sincerity with a more practical amount of stand-your-ground. We have some driven and sincere folks with too much aggression/pride (i.e. Hiroko and Hyojin) and then some who could stand to take charge a bit more (i.e. Ahri) and then Miyeon and Jiwon who are oddballs but powerful oddballs.

Jiwon is such a fascinating figure. So calm and clear-headed, with good business sense. I guess I'm a er for characters like that, haha… *glances guiltily at apps*

Loving Jiwon and Miyeon with the legitimate concerns over how they are treating the trainees… then Jakyung's "??? :D" The details, man, the FRIGGIN DETAILS IT'S SO SUBTLE BUT IT WORKS PERFECTLY!!!! I love it when the background of a character is just hinted at this way instead of handed to us flashback-form. Even if I'm a er for flashbacks too, just… kudos. Muy bueno. Rad.

The way Aerin handles a difficult situation versus how Jiwon does. The way Hyojin treats her dancers versus how Ahri does. (There's just such a difference in perspective with how they view other people…) The way Shisae aims to write a new piece while Nat doesn't even bother. Again, I love Jiwon's benevolent manipulations here. Seeing Nat say "Teach me" was hilarious, and I must thank Jiwon (and youuu) for making that moment possible. Dat Kdrama-style power play with the promo sign though XD I wouldn't even be surprised if Jiwon deliberately stoof at the end to make sure the scene concluded dramatically

I'm starting to get the idea that Hyomin's definition of a Twist is to completely blind-side people with smart but abrupt stuff. Like not telling the trainees that the promos would give someone immunity, not telling them that judges will not be commenting on the revival perfs, etc etc. Lady loves her surprises, I guess, though I appreciate the inclusion of the trainees' reactions. If this were a real show, I imagine Miyeon would be getting lots of GIFs of her comments with the caption "PREACH"

(Shisae's song <3 <3 <3 What a solemn trooper)

DOYEOL PLS YOU ARE CATCHING HYOMIN'S TWIST-OBSESSION CAN YOU GUYS EXPLAIN VOTING RULES BEFORE ACTUAL VOTING

I lowkey ship Shisae and Jiwon as the quiet but purposeful people who only speak when needed and consistently drop bombs lol. Miyeon's leading would probably work a lot better outside of this competitive environment, where the structure of everything isn't designed to make teamwork difficult. Then and again, I guess idoldom never stops being competitive…

Oooh that pun is just golden. So smooth. You have good taste. *winkity wink*

And ooooooh is Yeeun hiding something?? She seems very sweet with Ahri here, but yeah, I guess I see a little power imbalance? Is such the power of editing?! To make me see such things?!?!

OH NO KAERIN IS GOING TO BE SO SAD WHY DID TWO PEOPLE HAVE TO GO SEE THIS IS WHY YOU SHOULD EXPLAIN HOW VOTING WORKS BEFORE LETTING PEOPLE VOTE DOYEOL WAIIII

Viollium #4 Apr 14, 2017 02:17:06

Chapter 13: Viva's SoC
Act I: \/s
Scene 3: Twist

SORRY THIS IS SOUPS LATE (like super late but more gelatinous idk) I timed my comeback to AFF kinda crappily since I got swamped with more work right after, but back means back means staying so here goes...

Ah, the title reminds me: what exactly would Hyomin have considered adequately creative for the last challenge? I know she approved of Shisae's directness, but… yeah

Mmm these responses are very revealing! Hyojin's very human response, Hiroko with the facts, Jiwon with the diplomacy, and Miyeon with the war flashbacks.

AEGIUHAOISDVOYUV this reminds me of Boys24 with those horrible, horrible self-eliminations. I'm torn between feeling proud of Hyojin and Hiroko for actually being civil with each other and standing firm on common ground and… Jaelyn. Jaelyn was one I thought would be around much longer. She had that pop sensibility and cheerful kinda vibe, you know? Given the chance to reflect on her mistakes, I'm sure she would have been able to show more commitment. If I were a viewer and this were an actual show, I would definitely be ranting about how this elimination did nothing to actually promote growth. There was growth between Hyojin and Hiroko, but that is no thanks to the actual elimination mechanic; that mechanic only guaranteed that someone would go home without really getting to prove themselves (as Hyojin said), without any warning (as Hiroko and Jiwon said), AND without any chance to improve.

Viollium #5 Mar 24, 2017 01:01:12

Chapter 12: Viva's SoC
Act I: \/s
Scene 2: Callback

Oh no, bare-faced close-ups this early in the morning, poor things T_T isn't this an idol's nightmare? This is honestly so much blackmail material, holy cow. Early morning grumpiness (@Aerin), early morning sass (@Hiroko), and aha! There's the bed hair (@Olivia).

Wow, Ahri the shrinking violet is the one person on top of things~ kudos to you, Ahri! Dang, Iseul, that's brutal… but very effective. Now it's a self-enforcing system in which the girls wake each other up or else they'd have to bear the darned sound. Clever, clever.

Blackmail list is going~ early morning bathroom wars (@Hyojin)…

Viollium #6 Mar 22, 2017 17:16:58

Chapter 10: OKAY so I am going to stagger these so (I can proofread and distribute my attentions fairly among the girls since I was super biased the first time around and so) you don't drown in wordcount haha but anyways, here's Wonderwall

Viva's SoC
Act I: \/s
Scene 1: The Beginning

hypehypehypehYPE

oh lol I type that then see the word "hype" in the actual text. Hiii Gyujin! So much more amiable than MC-chan from 21 already, haha. Magic Mic XXL outta nowhere. Is Hyomin actually rude ft. playin-it-cool!!Gyujin or was that banter tho

okay I guess I'm doing each of these vid responses in two parts per perf, so it's like the initial "whoa" and then later "ohhh (so that's who that was)"

lavendermalibu #7 Feb 15, 2017 11:21:17

Chapter 24: And thus it is over. I apologise for the lack of comments, college has been doubling up this semester and midterms were, well still are, hell right now. This fic kept me going, thank you so much for that. This story was so sweet, such a rollercoaster of emotion and attachment to all of these characters. I am so happy to see all of them end up okay and on their feet, such bright futures for each and every one of them. Good song choices too, Pretty Pretty remains a favourite.

Thank you so much for writing this fantastic story Unqua, you have brightened the week of very many people with your regular updates and heartfelt content. Whatever project you undertake next, I will be on board.

HelloKitty10755 #8 Feb 14, 2017 02:29:28

Chapter 24: Glad to see the girls after a year~~~
It's makes me happy to see that most of the girls got to debut :)
Hopefully Kyungmi will be able to in the future and maybe find another company where she can debut as well
I'm glad most the girls still maintained their friendship~! Maybe we can see them all together in the future again <3

kattirompa #9 Feb 14, 2017 00:03:23

Chapter 24: Agdjfkskkslalhfhf

Seeing Dreamcatcher made me so happy. ^^

monbxbe #10 Feb 13, 2017 21:29:03

Chapter 24: Glad to see an update on the girls :)
Also very happy with the direction Hyojin was given-
And that she and Aerin might be friends, since the performed together ^^
I really enjoyed this applyfic, with all of its drama and humor!
Hope to see you again!! :)