Nine Contestants Advance to HJ Stars Final Competition

Eight talented acts are moving on to the August 12 final round of the popular new virtual talent show, HJ Stars. The live show, which had more than 1,400 views during the semi finals, promotes the talent, arts and culture of the national Unificationist community and beyond. 

“I felt we had an amazing first round of incredible acts,” said Sunhwa Reiner during the show. Sunhwa is one of three featured judges with a professional background in the arts. “I am so inspired and moved by everything that was displayed,” she said. “I’m really excited to see what happens next. I have no idea what the final results will be.”

From 56 auditions, down to 19 semi-finalists in the preliminary round, the competition on August 5 was fierce to make the final cut. Judges Jonathan Gullery and Sun Shim Santos, who joined Reiner in evaluating each performance, focused on several elements, including quality and skill, delivery and creativity, and hyojeong, a performer’s heart and investment.

“I think there’s just amazing talent out there, and there is so much energy that has gone into creating these video entries,” said Gullery. “I’m very happy and excited to see so much talent,” added Santos, who said every audition was valuable and enhanced the show.

The semi finals featured a great mix of humor, creativity, and, of course, talent. There were vocalists, dancers, musicians, artists, as well as one comedic skit that involved singing and dancing with a digitized hotdog. Another act, “Liverpool Lads,” featured a multi-instrumental one-man band. Contestants wowed the judges with their creative flair and heartfelt performances. 

“I think, in general, all art serves to move our hearts, and I certainly felt moved [by all the performances],” said Reiner. Co-hosts Resfred Arthur and Isaac Jeong emphasized that HJ Stars is ultimately a fundraising effort supporting YAYAM and its regional chapters, and the show’s proceeds will provide scholarships for various workshops and events. So far, the event has raised nearly $7,000 of its $10,000 goal. 

“Making a donation to YAYAM really goes a long way,” said Jeong. “If you’ve seen the transformations of our youth and young adults attending workshops and similar activities, this [fundraising] can really take us far with those events.”

Arthur said voting for contestants is also critical at every turn, as voting for the finalists expired at noon August 7. “Last time [in the preliminary round], the difference between making it through to this round and not making it through was less than a vote,” he said. “It was only like 0.4 difference.”

The nine contestants advancing to the upcoming final round hail from all across the country, with one finalist competing from the UK. The nine finalists are: Rhiannon Davies (UK), Goldyn Ave (GA), Julie Kim (FL), Jenny Hughes (UT), Yoshiha & Manny (NV + MI), Nami & Yumi (CA + NJ), Micheal Cordero, (NV), Rice Paddy Heroes (MA), and Yasuno Takeshima (VA).

The HJ Stars grand prize winner will receive $1,000, the second place winner will receive $500, and the third place prize is $250.

You can watch and support the final round of HJ Stars airing August 12 at 8:30 p.m. EDT here

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