I. Introduction
Mama The Idol (엄마는 아이돌), also known as M.M.D. (마마돌), is a Korean survival show on tvN that followed former idols who left the industry to become mothers and were training to join a new idol group.
II. Overview
The show focused on six former idols who left K-pop to start families and followed their training and competition to return to the stage after several years. Some members had not been on the stage in as long as 13 years.
The members included:
- Kahi - After School
- Sunye - Wonder Girls
- Park Jung-ah - Jewelry
- Yang Eun-ji - Baby V.O.X. Re. V
- Byul - soloist
- Hyun Jyu-ni - soloist
The members were challenged with missions including acquiring social media followers, dance competitions coached by popular dancers, competing for positions in the group and stage performances. Additionally, the members performed covers of current popular songs and their own older hits.
Current members of idol groups and industry experts also appeared on the show to provide advice, give coaching or judge competitions. Amongst the guests and coaches were: Lightsum, Onewe, Pixy, Purple Kiss, TO1, TRI.BE, VERIVERY, Sunmi, J.Y. Park, Woodz, 2 AM, Pentagon, BamBam, Kyuhyun, Hong Jin-kyung and Dara.
The show culminated with the debut of the group Mamadol, or M.M.D. (마마돌), and a single and accompanying video, "WooAh Hip." The group also performed on the music show, M Countdown.
The group debuted on January 27, then disbanded a few days after the debut on February 4.
III. Episode List
The show aired on Fridays between December 10, 2021 and February 4, 2022 on tvN. There were 8 episodes.
| Episode | Air Date | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | December 10, 2021 | The Moms Are Back |
| 2 | December 17, 2021 | The First Mission |
| 3 | December 24, 2021 | The Main Dancers |
| 4 | January 7, 2022 | Main Vocalist Selection |
| 5 | January 14, 2022 | Complete Group Mission |
| 6 | January 20, 2022 | Best Friends Concert |
| 7 | January 28, 2022 | The Debut of M.M.D. |
| 8 | February 4, 2022 | M.M.D.'s First Concert |
