TEEN TOP member Niel revealed that he developed a trauma after repeatedly failing to play the guitar during his appearance on the variety show ‘Three Wheels’ in his early career.
Recently, a video titled “Niel’s Footprints” was released on Niel’s YouTube channel. In the video, Niel reviewed information about himself posted on the online encyclopedia Namuwiki and chatted with fans.
After reading that the dance he performed with member Chunji on MBC’s variety show ‘Three Wheels’ in 2011 had become a “black history” among fans, Niel said, “I can talk about it now. ‘Three Wheels’ was so scary.”
He stated, “Fans know this as black history, but I have one unforgettable trauma,” and recalled, “As a rookie, it was good to appear on popular variety shows, but many senior artists were there.”
The incident began when the production team asked if he could play the guitar, and his agency responded that he could. Niel explained, “I had never played the guitar before. After receiving that message from the company, I signed up for guitar lessons.”
He continued, “Does it make sense to learn guitar in a week? The song they assigned was by Michael Jackson, and I just learned it without knowing anything at all.”
Mistakes followed during the broadcast recording. Niel said, “As far as I remember, senior artist Jung Mo from TRAX was there that day. He is someone who plays guitar very well, but I made a mistake while performing in front of him and froze.”
He added, “The seniors told me to try again, but I got it wrong four or five times. It just wouldn’t work out. In the end, senior Jung Mo played it for me,” revealing, “That became my trauma from then on.”
Before Niel, other celebrities have also shared the hardships they experienced during their appearances on ‘Three Wheels.’
On MBC’s ‘Radio Star,’ broadcast on the 30th of last month, broadcaster Kim Sae-rom named ‘Three Wheels’ as the variety show that made her feel most intimidated and difficult. She recalled that if she did not perform well on the show, she was pushed to the back row for the next recording, and she felt a sense of frustration every time she checked the seating arrangement.
Similar testimonies emerged on MBC’s ‘Help! Homes,’ broadcast in December 2024. Kim Na-young compared ‘Three Wheels’ to a survival show, while Park Na-rae revealed that she was unable to say a single proper word during her fixed appearances over 10 months. Kim Sook recalled that many cast members burst into tears as soon as the elevator doors closed after finishing recording. Jang Dong-min also shared an anecdote about Kim Na-young crying in the elevator after completing a recording.
in ENTERTAINMENT
