A2K (America to Korea) was an American Korean survival show and a collaboration between JYP and Republic Records. A2K contestants were Camila Ribeaux Valdes, Kendall Ebeling, Lexus Vang, Melissa Kadas, Cristina Lopez, Savanna Collins, Kaylee Lee, KG Crown, Mischa Salkin, Yuna Gonzalez, and Gina De Boschere. The show formed the girl group VCHA.
A2K (America2Korea) Profile
Broadcast Period: July 14, 2023–September 22, 2023
Airtime: Tuesday, Friday at 10 am KST | Monday, Thursday at 9:00 PM (U.S)
Genre: Survival Show
A2K Contestants: Camila Ribeaux Valdes, Kendall Ebeling, Lexus Vang, Melissa Kadas, Cristina Lopez, Savanna Collins, Kaylee Lee, KG Crown, Mischa Salkin, Yuna Gonzalez, Gina De Boschere
Status: Aired
Producer: JYP Entertainment, Republic Records
Label: JYP Entertainment, Republic Records
Type: Kpop Survival Show
A2K (America2Korea) Facts:
– A2K stands for America2Korea and aims to debut an American girl group that will promote in both South Korea and the US.
– The A2K survival show is produced by JYP Entertainment and Republic Records.
– JYP held auditions in five cities in the US, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and the American Cities of Dallas.
– The A2K survival show was filmed a year ago in September 2022 before it was broadcasted in 2023.
– The age range for all A2K contestants was between 12 to 16 years.
– America2Korea contestants undergo evaluation in four areas: dance, vocals, charisma, and personality.
– All the members of the new girl group will be US locals and the group will mostly promote in the US.
– A2K contestants need to earn four slots in their pendants during the week-long boot camp before they are qualified to move to their training camp in South Korea where the final lineup for the new girl group will be decided.
– Park Jin Young said the purpose of the A2K survival show is to recruit “American talent” to create a new girl group through the Kpop training system.
– The final America2Korea contestants will move to Korea for training after passing their auditions before debuting at the end of 2023.
– Semi-Finalists of the show will train at JYP Entertainment in South Korea with their top choreographers, producers, and executives.
– The final lineup of the girl group will debut in the US and will partner up with both JYP Entertainment and Republic Records for all upcoming music releases.
Website:
america2korea
Social Media Handles
Instagram: America2Korea
Youtube: A2K – America2Korea
Twitter: America2Korea
TikTok: america2korea
Facebook: America2Korea
A2K (America2Korea) Contestants Profile
1. Camila Contestant Profile
Stage Name: Camila (카밀라)
Birth Name: Camila Ribeaux Valdes
Birthday: August 10, 2005
Active Years: 2022–present
Age 19 (in Nov 2024)
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Height: 5’7″ft
Weight: 137 lbs
Nationality: Canadian
Blood Type: na
Camila Facts:
– Camila was born in Spain and later moved to Cuba when she was young.
– She lives in Canada.
– Camila took part in the “BTS – Love Yourself” Campaign.
– For her audition, she chose Dallas instead of a site closer to Canada because she wanted to perform “Dalla Dalla” by ITZY.
– Camila performed Easy On Me by Adele in the first episode of A2K (America2Korea).
– She participated in “La Vois Junior” (The Voice Junior) in 2016 and achieved a position in the top 3.
– She got her pendant in Episode 1.
– She danced to “ICY” for the dance evaluations in the LA Boot Camp in episode 4 and received her dance stone.
– Her rank was 7th in Dance.
– Camila sang “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” by Whitney Houston and received her vocal stone.
– Camilla wrote a rap about self-confidence and pursuing one’s dreams using three languages, English, Spanish, and French, and received the Star Quality Stone in episode 9.
– She failed to rank in the Star Quality.
– She got her character Stone in episode 12.
– She was ranked 3rd in Character Evaluation.
– She is included in the final lineup as she received all four stones in episode 12.
– In Episode 15, she was the first in the LA Bootcamp Rankings.
– She sang “One Last Time” by Ariana Grande and got her 1st Stone.
– Her rank was 1st in Individual Evaluations.
– She was ranked 3rd in Team Evaluations.
– She ranked 3rd and was included in the final lineup of “VCHA”.
Read more facts about Camila
2. Melissa Contestant Profile
Stage Name: Melissa (멜리사)
Birth Name: Melissa Kadas
Birthday: July 27, 2005
Active Years: 2022–present
Age 19 (in Nov 2024)
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Height: 5’4″ (164 cm)
Weight: na
Nationality: Canadian
Blood Type: na
Melissa Facts:
– Melissa is both an actress and a pop singer/songwriter.
– She is from Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
– She got her pendant in Episode 2.
– She participated in the Musical Comedy “Take Note.”
– Melissa has been releasing music since 2018.
– She sang “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus for her A2K auditions.
– She danced to “Like This” by Wonder Girls for the first dance evaluations in the LA Boot Camp.
– She did not pass the Dance evaluation in episode 5.
– Melissa sang “Love” by Keyshia Cole. J.Y. Park and received her vocal stone.
– Melissa sang a song she wrote when she was 13 titled “Enough is Enough” which describes the pain and relationship with her negligent dad that came and went from her life and received the Star Quality stone in episode 10.
– Melissa secured the top position in Star Quality.
– During Episode 12, she did not pass the Character Evaluation.
– She was awarded her Character Stone in Episode 14.
– She was ranked ninth in LA Bootcamp Rankings.
– Due to personal reasons, she quit the show and didn’t move to South Korea.
Read more facts about Melissa
3. Christina Contestant Profile
Stage Name: Cristina (크리스티나)
Birth Name: Christina Lopez Sandiford
Birthday: 2005
Active Years: 2022–present
Age 19 (in Nov 2024)
Zodiac Sign: na
Height: na
Weight: na
Nationality: American
Blood Type: na
Christina Facts:
– Christina is a K-Pop dance coach at her own studio.
– She received her pendant in Episode 2.
– She is from Atlanta.
– She has been dancing since the age of three or four and has been singing since she was very young.
– Christina also has a small K-Pop dance cover crew.
– Despite being 17 years old, she is already a freshman in college, having graduated high school a year early.
– Her mom was a singer.
– She decided to pursue singing after she got inspired by her mother.
– She comes from a family of singers and rappers.
– She fell in love with Kpop after she was introduced to it due to their fast movements in dancing and soon started teaching her friends.
– She is a freshman in College and is majoring in Business.
– She danced to Dalla Dalla by ITZY in the second episode of A2K (America2Korea).
– She danced to “Sneakers” by ITZY for the first dance evaluations at LA Boot Camp and received her dance stone.
– Her rank was 1st in Dance.
– Cristina did not pass the vocal evaluations in episode 8.
– She created a fusion between science and rapping and received the Star Quality Stone in episode 9 of A2K.
– Her rank was 1st in star quality.
– She got her character Stone in episode 12.
– Her rank is 2nd in Character Evaluation.
– In episode 14, she finally got her Vocal Stone.
– She is included in the final lineup as she received all four stones in episode 14.
– She was ranked 3rd in the LA Bootcamp Rankings.
– She performed ‘Swing Baby’ by J. Y. Park and got her 1st Stone.
– Her rank was 6th in Individual Evaluations.
– She ranked 2nd in Team Evaluations.
– She got eliminated in the final episode.
Read more facts about Christina
4. Yuna Contestant Profile
Stage Name: Yuna (유나)
Birth Name: Yuna Gonzalez
Birthday: 2005
Active Years: 2022–present
Age 19 (in Nov 2024)
Zodiac Sign: na
Height: na
Weight: na
Nationality: American
Blood Type: na
Yuna Facts:
– Yuna is from California.
– Yuna has also passed auditions for YG Entertainment in the past.
– Her special skill is dancing.
– Yuna has loved Girls Generation since she was young.
– She was scouted for A2K auditions during the LA Korean Festival.
– For her audition, Yuna danced to ITZY’s “Dalla Dalla” and impressed Park Jin Young, even though she learned the dance in just one day.
– She received her pendant in episode 3 of the show.
– She leads her own Kpop dance crew called “Nkyo”.
– Yuna used to be on the dance team at her school.
– She has a passion for fashion and even creates wardrobes for her dance team.
– She danced to “What is Love?” by TWICE for the first dance evaluations in the LA Boot Camp.
– She did not pass the Dance evaluation in episode 6.
– Yuna failed the vocal evaluations in episode 8.
– She created a fashion show and recreated dresses from NMIXX, TWICE and Wonder Girls MVs and danced on the red carpet she laid out. She received the Star Quality Stone in episode 9 of A2K.
– Her rank was 5th in Star Quality.
– In Episode 12, she received her Character Stone.
– She also secured the 5th rank in the Character evaluation.
– She was ranked 10th in the LA Bootcamp Rankings.
– She did not get her 1st Stone in episode 18.
– She was eliminated in episode 20 after ranking ninth in Team Evaluations.
– She ranked ninth in Team Evaluations and was eliminated in episode 20 for ranking last twice for the two missions.
Read more facts about Yuna
5. Kendall Contestant Profile
Stage Name: Kendall (켄달)
Birth Name: Kendal Ebeling
Birthday: 2006
Active Years: 2022–present
Age 18 (in Nov 2024)
Zodiac Sign: na
Height: na
Weight: na
Nationality: American
Blood Type: na
Kendall Facts:
– Kendall attended a K-pop immersion in Korea and had the opportunity to perform with her fellow classmates.
– She is from Texas.
– Kendall received her pendant in Episode 1.
– She considers music to be her life.
– She performed DALLA DALLA (eng ver.) by ITZY in the first episode of A2K (America2Korea).
– She danced to “POP” by Nayeon for the first dance evaluations in the LA Boot Camp and received her dance stone.
– Her rank was 2nd in Dance.
– She sang “I Have Nothing” by Whitney Houston and received her vocal stone.
– She showcased her art knowledge and crafted a pendant for J.Y. Park and received the Star Quality Stone in episode 9 of A2K.
– Her rank was 2nd in star quality.
– In Episode 12, she failed to pass the Character Evaluation.
– She was ranked 3rd in the LA Bootcamp Rankings.
– She performed ’24 hours’ by SUNMI and got her 1st Stone.
– Her rank was 2nd in Individual Evaluations.
– She ranked 7th in Team Evaluations.
– She ranked 6th and was included in the final lineup of “VCHA”.
Read more facts about Kendall
6. Lexus Contestant Profile
Stage Name: Lexus/Lexi (렉서스/렉시)
Birth Name: Lexus Vang
Birthday: 2006
Active Years: 2022–present
Age 18 (in Nov 2024)
Zodiac Sign: na
Height: na
Weight: na
Nationality: American
Blood Type: na
Lexus Facts:
– Lexus is ethnically Hmong.
– She received her pendant in Episode 1.
– She has a background in ballet, having trained for 12 years.
– She was a member of a K-Pop cover group called “prism kru.”
– Lexus is from Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
– She performed Love You Like a Love Song by Selena Gomez in the first episode of A2K (America2Korea).
– She danced to “God’s Menu” by Stray Kids for the first dance evaluations in the LA Boot Camp and received her dance stone.
– Her rank was 3rd in Dance.
– Lexus did not pass the vocal evaluations in episode 8.
– She performed a ballet of the song “Giselle” and a pop ballet version of “POP” by Nayeon and received the Star Quality stone in episode 10.
– Her rank was 4th in star quality.
– She obtained her Character Stone during Episode 12.
– She ranked first in Character evaluation.
– She was ranked 6th in the LA Bootcamp Rankings.
– She performed ‘Like This’ by Wonder Girls and got her 1st Stone.
– Her rank was 7th in Individual Evaluations.
– She ranked 8th in Team Evaluations.
– She ranked 1st and was included in the final lineup of “VCHA”.
Read more facts about Lexus
7. Savanna Contestant Profile
Stage Name: Savanna (사바나)
Birth Name: Savanna Collins
Birthday: July 26, 2006
Active Years: 2022–present
Age 18 (in Nov 2024)
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Height: na
Weight: na
Nationality: American
Blood Type: na
Savanna Facts:
– Savanna trained to become a professional gymnast for 7 years but had to quit due to injury.
– She is from Florida, United States.
– She received her pendant in Episode 2.
– Her background in gymnastics will be beneficial in the Korean music field.
– She danced to Dalla Dalla by ITZY and rapped for her audition in the first episode of A2K (America2Korea).
– She danced to “O.O” by NMIXX for the first dance evaluations in the LA Boot Camp and received her dance stone.
– Her rank was 4th in Dance.
– Savanna performed “Easy on Me” by Adele and did not receive her vocal stone in episode 8.
– She played the song “I’ll Be Back” by 2PM and transitioned into performing gymnastics to the song and received the Star Quality Stone in episode 9 of A2K.
– Her rank was 3rd in star quality.
– She was awarded her Character Stone in Episode 12.
– Savanna secured the 4th rank in the Character assessment.
– She got her Vocal Stone and would be debuting after receiving all the four stones.
– She was ranked 4th in the LA Bootcamp Rankings.
– She performed ‘Thunderous’ by Stray Kids and got her 1st Stone.
– Her rank was 5th in Individual Evaluations.
– She ranked 4th in Team Evaluations.
– She ranked 4th and was included in the final lineup of “VCHA”.
Read more facts about Savanna
8. KG Crown Contestant Profile
Stage Name: KG Crown
Birth Name: Kiera Grace
Birthday: June 17, 2007
Active Years: 2022–present
Age 17 (in Nov 2024)
Zodiac Sign: Gemini
Height: 5’1″ (157 cm)
Weight: na
Nationality: American
Blood Type: na
KG Crown Facts:
– KG Crown is from Los Angeles, California.
– In her band, she served as the lead vocals and played backup guitar and backup piano.
– She released her first solo song titled “Porcelain Queen.”
– For her A2K auditions, KG Crown sang “Issues” by Julia Michaels while playing the guitar.
– Her skill is singing.
– She started her music journey at the age of seven and was in a band with her brother for six years.
– KG Crown received her pendant in episode 3 of the show.
– She danced to “FEVER” by J.Y Park for the first dance evaluations at LA Boot Camp and received her dance stone.
– Her rank was 8th in Dance.
– She sang “Easy on Me” by Adele for her vocal evaluations and received her vocal stone.
– Her rank was 3rd in vocal.
– She mixed her song “Porcelain Queen” and “Sneakers” (ITZY) which she sang and played on the keyboard and later transitioned into basketball dribbling and received the Star Quality Stone.
– KG did not attain a rank in the Star Quality evaluation.
– She did not pass the Character Evaluation in Episode 12.
– She was ranked 8th in the LA Bootcamp Rankings.
– She performed ‘Blues’ by LeAnn Rimes and got her 1st Stone.
– Her rank was 3rd in Individual Evaluations.
– She ranked 6th in Team Evaluations.
– She ranked 2nd and was included in the final lineup of “VCHA”.
Read more facts about KG Crown
9. Mischa Contestant Profile
Stage Name: Mischa (미샤)
Birth Name: Mischa Salkin
Birthday: August 2, 2009
Active Years: 2022–present
Age 15 (in Nov 2024)
Zodiac Sign: Leo
Height: na
Weight: na
Nationality: American
Blood Type: na
Mischa Facts:
– Mischa Salkin is from Florida.
– Her talent is singing.
– For her A2K auditions, Mischa sang “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus and successfully passed.
– She got her pendant in episode 3 of the show.
– She danced to “ICY” by ITZY for the first dance evaluations in the LA Boot Camp.
– She did not pass the Dance evaluation in episode 5.
– Mischa did not pass the vocal evaluations in episode 8.
– Mischa did a contemporary dance and received the Star Quality Stone in episode 9 of A2K.
– She did not achieve a rank in the Star Quality evaluation.
– She did not pass the Character Evaluation in Episode 12.
– In episode 15, she received her Vocal stone.
– She was eliminated from A2K as she failed to rank in the LA Bootcamp Rankings.
Read more facts about Mischa
10. Gina Contestant Profile
Stage Name: Gina (지나)
Birth Name: Gina De Bosschere
Birthday: July 2009
Active Years: 2022–present
Age 54 (in Nov 2024)
Zodiac Sign: na
Height: na
Weight: na
Nationality: French-Korean
Blood Type: na
Gina Facts:
– Gina is a trainee at JYP Entertainment.
– She is the first French-Korean trainee at JYP.
– She resides in the USA.
– Gina appeared on the show “Play with Me Club”.
– For her A2K (America2Korea) auditions, Gina sang “Easy On Me” by Adele and successfully passed.
– She also danced to “Dalla Dalla” by ITZY during her auditions.
– Gina caught the attention of JYP Entertainment after uploading her dance videos and her songs on Spotify, leading to her being casted by the company.
– Her skills include singing and dancing.
– She danced to “Sneakers” by ITZY for the first dance evaluations in the LA Boot Camp.
– Her rank was 5th in Dance.
– Gina performed “Hello” by Adele and received her vocal stone in episode 8.
– Her rank was 4th in Vocal.
– She wore glasses and dressed up as a reporter and reported on her life about living in Paris, New York, and Seoul in Korean, French and English languages. She received the Star Quality stone in episode 10.
– She did not pass the Character Evaluation in Episode 12.
– She received her Character Stone in Episode 14.
– She is set to debut after receiving all four stones in Episode 14.
– She ranked 2nd in the LA Bootcamp Rankings.
– She performed ‘2 Different Tears’ by Wonder Girls and got her 1st Stone.
– Her rank was 8th in Individual Evaluations.
– She ranked 5th in Team Evaluations.
– She was eliminated in the final episode of A2K.
Read more facts about Gina
Streaming Platform Links
Spotify
11. Kaylee Contestant Profile
Stage Name: Kaylee (케일리)
Birth Name: Kaylee Lee
Birthday: 2010
Active Years: 2022–present
Age 14 (in Nov 2024)
Zodiac Sign: na
Height: na
Weight: na
Nationality: Korean-American
Blood Type: na
Kaylee Facts:
– Kaylee got her pendant in Episode 2.
– She is known for being very determined and always having a plan for everything she does.
– She is from Philadelphia.
– She performed Dalla Dalla by ITZY for her dance evaluations and sang “Wrecking Ball” by Miley Cyrus for her vocal evaluations in the second episode of A2K (America2Korea).
– Despite starting training in singing just one week before the final audition, she got praised by Park Jin Young for her breathing technique during singing.
– She is confident in her singing but said she is not a good dancer.
– Kaylee is fluent in both English and Korean.
– She abruptly stopped singing and dancing after the first chorus during the auditions because that’s what “usually” happens in auditions.
– She danced to “What is Love?” and received her dance stone in episode 6.
– Her rank was 6th in Dance.
– Kaylee sang “Hello” by Adelle and did not receive her vocal stone.
– She was later awarded the vocal stone.
– Her rank was 6th in vocal.
– She performed a mix of taekwondo and dance (anmoo) and received the Star Quality stone in episode 10.
– Kaylee did not receive a rank in the Star Quality evaluation.
– She did not pass the Character Evaluation in Episode 12.
– She was ranked 7th in the LA Bootcamp Rankings.
– She performed ‘POP!’ by Nayeon (TWICE) and got her 1st Stone.
– Her rank was 4th in Individual Evaluations.
– She ranked 1st in Team Evaluations.
– She ranked 5th and was included in the final lineup of “VCHA”.
Read more facts about Kaylee
Former Contestants
12. Noelle Hogan Contestant Profile
Birth Name: Noelle Hogan
Birthday: 2008
Active Years: 2022–present
Age 16 (in Nov 2024)
Zodiac Sign: na
Height: na
Weight: na
Nationality: American
Blood Type: na
Noelle Hogan Facts:
– Noelle Hogan is from New Jersey.
– She appeared in the third episode of the show and passed her A2K (America2Korea) auditions.
– It is likely that she left the show before the one-week boot camp in LA, as her name was not on the final contestants list.
– Noelle received her pendant in episode 3.
Read more facts about Noelle Hogan
A2K FAQs
1. What is A2K?
A2K stands for “America 2 Korea” and the project will debut the first American girl group that is trained and debuted through the Kpop training system.
2. Is A2K a survival show?
A2K (America2Korea) is a survival show that had auditions in five cities in the US to recruit trainees for the new girl group that is expected to debut in 2023.
3. Is A2K a K-pop group?
A2K is a survival show led by JYP Entertainment and Republic Records that will debut a new American girl group by the end of 2023.
4. What age is A2K?
All A2K contestants’A2K Episode 1: “The Start of A2K” ages range from 12 years old to 17 years old.
5. When does A2K (America2Korea) air?
A2K airs on Tuesday and Friday at 10 AM Korean time and Monday and Thursday at 9:00 PM US time.
6. Will A2K be an all-American girl group?
A2K will debut in both South Korea and America.
7. Who is the youngest contestant of A2K (America2Korea)?
Kaylee is the youngest contestant in A2K and she appeared in the second episode of the show.
8. What is the company of A2K (America2Korea)?
A2K is a survival show produced by JYP Entertainment and Republic Records.
NOTE:
– Which A2K Contestants you are rooting for? Tell us your biases in the comment section.
– If you know more facts about A2K (America2Korea) Contestants, feel free to submit them in the comments section! All submissions will be greatly appreciated!
A2K ep.15 “LA Boot Camp Rankings”
