Sisters Who Make Waves Season 3 (2022)

One of the greatest survival shows in the last years!

I got used to disappointment when it comes to survival shows, especially the ones made in South Korea. After knowing the scandal of rigged votes, and a less-than-stellar season of "Planet 999", I wasn't expecting anything good about an Asian show which had as a premise the creation of a girl group. However, after watching this season of "Riding on Waves", I realised I was totally wrong: there's still hope when it comes to a fair and great survival show and, in this special case, starred by amazing women over 30 years old.

After some scandals in past shows, the Chinese government enacted some sanctions and bans, that's why survivals cannot have online voting or endorse through products. And to be honest, I think it was a wise decision. When you watch "Riding on Waves", you can see everything is decided through the live performances, and what the mentors from Season 1 (Ning Jing) and Season 2 (Na Ying) have to say. And this has allowed –as a result– to have a well-balanced final group. I love every single member of the cast. They were diverse in all the sense of the word: different generations, abilities, jobs, backgrounds, and territories of China, with some of the best contestants coming from Hong Kong and Taiwan. I was sad about some eliminations, but overall, the new generation of X-SISTER is perfect. There are ten members that I hope –from the bottom of my heart– can perform at least for some months together, since it is very common in Chinese groups the difficulties to promote as a group. We could see this in the past with Rocket Girls and THE9.

To sum it up: "Riding on Waves" S3 is a show worthy of watching; I never thought I'd resist watching an episode for 4 hours, but I did, and I enjoyed every second of them!

Read More

«Let's remove our make up, do you think I'm scared of you!?»

«乘风破浪» is often mistaken for an idol survival show. This is more like a variety show where a selected cast of renowned women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s serve as the embodiment of the fact that 30 is not the career-ending age and that you still can enjoy yourself in your 50s! I think not only the idea of the show was beautiful, but also the execution of it. This show is not trying to put big names together to get high viewership ratings, as they also showed stories from ordinary women in their 30s and 40s living their best life. The producers were giving new chances to the ladies, and they promised to still try to revitalize their careers after «乘风破浪» ended with more appearances in different shows by the same company. I think it is beautiful that not only those in charge of the industry are giving older women a new chance, but also the audience. This show is about a sincere attempt to make the audience believe a woman in her 30s should be the bravest she has ever been in her life.

The best way to do it? Music. Not only the performances can sincerely evoke many emotions that other kinds of challenges would have never been able to convey, but also give the sense of nostalgia to remember that, no matter how strong was I during those times, I will keep strengthening now. It is a competition because at the end of the day it is up to the public to decide which "sister" embodied this feeling better. However, this season felt less like a competition, and it shows in the final lineup. Whilst in the previous season only 7 women made it to the final group, in this season the audience decided that more members were needed as they all sincerely overcame fears and challenges that deserved rewards.

All in all, and in the words of Na Ying, the winner of the second season, the final group is worthless, it is more a moral prize than anything. An achievement that proves that not only you have become stronger, but that you also made the audience feel stronger. I really liked this season. The relationships were sweet and sincere without leaving the competition part aside, and it shows in the powerful and iconic performances the teams put out. The was a line Ning Jing, another champion, said that I think sums up what the show is about pretty well: "Let's remove our make up, do you think I'm scared of you!?". Never be afraid of showing yourself as you are.

Give it a try!! Do not feel intimidated by the 2-hours long episodes, as they were not boring at all. You will get to feel many emotions: nostalgia, self-love, success, failure, disappointment, and inspiration. It could also be a nice way to introduce yourself to the c-showbiz as this cast was formed by legendary celebrities with a true legacy of artistry like Tan Wei Wei, Cyndi Wang, Jessica Jung, Amber Kuo, or TWINS among others.

Read More