A former trainee from a JTBC audition show looks drastically different — and it’s causing a stir among K-pop fans.
In 2023, HYBE aired the survival program R U Next? to determine the final lineup of girl group ILLIT. Among the contestants was Thai trainee Iris.
On the show, Iris was eliminated in Round 3 and didn’t make the debut lineup. Still, she built a dedicated following after the broadcast, and fans recently spotted her latest updates on social media.
Sporting blonde hair and bolder makeup, Iris’s current look contrasts sharply with her earlier, innocent vibe with black hair.
Fans cheered, saying things like "So happy to see you," "She gives off a much more mature aura," and "She’s getting prettier and prettier." Others were shocked by the change, commenting, "Is that really Iris?" and "She looks so different from the show." Some even asked, "Did she get plastic surgery?" and called the transformation "shocking."
Iris, a Thai national, was born in 2008 and is 18 years old this year.