December 4, 2022 (2022-12-04) – March 5, 2023 (2023-03-05)
Project Alpha (Thai: โปรเจกต์ อัลฟ่า; stylised in all caps) is a 2022 Thai reality competition show produced by GMMTV. It premiered on GMM25 and the show's YouTube channel on December 4, 2022, and aired on Sundays at 20:30 ICT.[1]
Twenty eight contestants were selected for the show and were split into two categories in the first episode; Alpha and Beta. The show finale was broadcast live on March 5, 2023, with the announcement of the final lineup who would debut as LYKN.[2]
Concept and format
Project Alpha features an Alpha and Beta hierarchical framework, in which the four contestants with the best performances in the first episode are classified as Alpha, while the remaining contestants enter the Beta category.[3]
At the start of the show, all participants are divided into four groups. The top performer in each group will be chosen as Alpha based on votes from the judges and the group members, with the condition that contestants cannot vote for themselves. Once Alpha and Beta have been determined, the four Alphas are assigned to the same group, while the Beta group will be split up into four groups to participate in the subsequent performance mission based on the pre-established topic and song. Audience voting begins throughout the performance preparation time.
Following each group's performance, the judges will select the best Beta group, and from that group, the best Beta performer (Best Beta) will be selected. The Best Beta will be given the option to challenge one of the Alphas in an attempt to win the throne, and the Alpha with the fewest votes will be obliged to engage in the battle. Two of the three contestants then will be chosen to become Alphas. The fate of the remaining Beta contestants will also be decided by audience voting using the show's elimination mechanism.
In the final episode, the scoring method changes, with the 8 remaining Beta participants separated into two teams to compete against each other using a knockout format determined by the judges. The victorious team is immediately named the Best Beta, allowing them to fight against four Alpha entrants. Although the performance is performed in a group, the evaluation is thereafter done individually. Judges' evaluations make up half of the performance evaluation ratio, followed by guest judges' evaluations at 40% and audience votes at 10%.
Contestants
Project Alpha was initially set to feature 28 participants.[4] However, soon before the show began, one of the contestants (Fiat) withdrew for health reasons.
In this round, the 27 contestants will be divided into four groups to perform individually in front of the judges and other contestants in their group. The judges and contestants later will vote to determine the Alpha, and contestants will be unable to vote for themselves.
The second week provides an overview of the training environment and preparation of the 27 contestants rather than a competition.
In the third week, the 23 Beta participants will be divided into four groups to compete, with each group assigned a "viral song." The best-performing group will be chosen, and the best Beta competitor from that group will be named the Best Beta. The Best Beta will then be able to choose an Alpha to compete for the Alpha title, while the Alpha with the fewest viewer votes will be compelled to compete. For the two groups that do not advance to the next round, the seven contestants who receive the fewest votes from viewers at home will be eliminated and removed from the competition. The Alpha group will also have to perform the assigned viral song, but it will not be judged.
Gavin. D ft. Pui, Varinz, Nonny9, Z Trip, Miteennn
Time
BEST BETA
A20
อยากมีแฟนแล้ว
Lipta ft. Lazyloxy
Nut
ALPHA challengee
A26
แฟนเก่าคนโปรด (my fav ex)
Slapkiss
Tui
SPECIAL SHOW Top 4 Most Votes
A02
Aungpao
A05
Champ
A22
PeemPeem
Week 5: Survival BETA – Swag Songs
In this round, 16 Beta will be divided into four groups, with each group assigned a "swag song." Four contestants from bottom two groups who get the least votes from the viewers will be eliminated.
Aside from the challenge, there's a special show from six contestants; two Alphas who didn't participate in the challenge, two Betas with the highest votes, Beta selected by the judges, and Beta selected by the special guests from last week.
In the seventh week, the remaining 12 Beta contestants are divided into three groups, with each group assigned a "joh song." Joh (Thai: โจ๊ะ) is a Thai slang term to describe the fun and excitement of an activity, especially at parties or gatherings with music and dancing.[5] Three contestants from the bottom group who get the fewest votes will be eliminated.
Aside from the challenge, there's a special show from six contestants; two Alphas who didn't participate in the challenge, two Betas with the highest votes, Beta selected by the judges, and Beta selected by the special guests from last week.
In the final round of the Survival BETA, the remaining 9 Beta contestants are divided into three groups, with each group assigned a "mashup song." A contestant from the bottom group who get the fewest votes will be eliminated.[6]
Aside from the challenge, there's a special show from five contestants; two Alphas who didn't participate in the challenge, Beta with the highest votes, Beta selected by the judges, and Beta selected by the special guests from last week.[7]
In the eleventh week, there's no competition; instead, the 8 Beta contestants must draw lots to be divided into two groups, as well as choose a song for the Final Round competition.
In the twelfth week, the rules and format of the Final Round are separated into two rounds, as follows:[8]
In Round 1, the eight Beta contestants will be divided into two groups of four each, and they will compete against one another using the song they have selected.[9] The judges of the program will decide the winner in a knockout round. The winning group will be the Best Beta for the entire group and will be eligible to compete in the final round against Alpha. Aside from that, there's also a special show from the Alpha group.
In Round 2, the Best Beta and Alpha groups will compete to perform their chosen songs and receive individual scores. The top four contestants with the highest overall points will be the show's winners. The performance evaluation ratio is 50% judge evaluations, 40% guest judge evaluations, and 10% audience votes during the broadcast.
During the winner announcement, it was a surprise that there was a title named King of Alpha, which was given to William by the judges.[10] Therefore, the Alphas got an extra seat, making 5 victors from the show: William, Lego, Tui, Hong, and Nut.[11]
Color key
Best Group & Best Beta; qualified to the next round