Produce 101

Produce 101 (Hangul: 프로듀스 101) was a 2016 girl group survival reality show on Mnet. It was a large-scale project in which the public "produces" a unit girl group by choosing members from a pool of 101 trainees from 46 entertainment companies as well as the group's concept, debut song, and group name. The show has the second-largest budget of all shows produced by Mnet at about four billion won (approximately $3.4 million).

Concept
Produce 101 is the nation's first agency-collaboration unit girl group project, which brings together 101 trainees from different entertainment companies both inside and outside of South Korea. From the 101 trainees, 11 will be selected to form a unit girl group. The unit group will perform four songs together for a year and release a debut album under the record label of CJ E&M but may later join a girl group that their agencies are planning. The trainees began dorming together on December 5, 2015. They took to the stage for their first group mission at the CJ E&M studio in Ilsan on December 27, 2015.

For the girls' training, several artists were recruited for the show: actor-singer Jang Keun-suk as a mentor, Brown Eyed Girls' vocalist JeA and Kim Sung-eun as vocal trainers, soloist Kahi with choreographer Bae Yoon-jung as dance trainers, and rapper Cheetah for rap training. Additionally, trainer Ray Yang was in charge of the girls' fitness training.

Pre-show promotions
Produce 101 was unveiled for the first time on Episode 453 of M! Countdown on December 17, 2015. The group was presented by Jang Keun-suk, and 98 out of 101 members showcased their talents through an EDM song "Pick Me".

From December 18 to December 25, 2015, the 101 participants were revealed via official website, Facebook, Instagram and Naver TV Cast. Each girl was introduced with a profile, photos, and video introductions.

On January 21, 2016, a production presentation for the show was held at the 63 Convention Center in Yeouido, Seoul. MC Jang Keun-suk, the five mentors, and 97 out of 101 trainees attended the presentation. During the event, it was revealed that the unit girl group from Produce 101 with eleven members would debut under YMC Entertainment.

Ranking
The top 11 contestants chosen through popularity online voting at Produce 101's homepage and audience's live voting, shown at the end of each episode. This ranking determined the 11 trainees who will form the unit girl group.

For the first and second voting period, viewers are allowed to select 11 trainees per vote, however on third round, the system changed to only one trainee per vote.

Result
During the last episode aired on April 1, 2016, Jang Keun-suk announced the unit girl group's name: I.O.I.