RIIZE, NCT WISH, and Hearts2Hearts MCs Freeze Live on SBS: Then a Staff Member Walks Onstage

A staff member's voice went out on live television at SBS Gayo Daejeon Summer, and the fallout is still moving.

On August 9, the 2026 SBS Gayo Daejeon Summer aired live from KINTEX Exhibition Hall 2 in Ilsan, Goyang, with RIIZE's Seongchan, Hearts2Hearts' Ian, and NCT WISH's Sion serving as MCs. Mid-segment, while introducing the performance order, Sion stopped abruptly. Seongchan visibly froze. Ian held on, waiting. Then a staff member's voice came through the broadcast feed, saying, "Shall we try that again?", mic open, no cut, straight to air.

It didn't stop there. Production crew walked up to the MC podium during the live broadcast and physically pointed out their place on the cue sheet. That, too, went out on air.

Viewers moved fast. The general read was that the three hadn't adequately prepared their scripts before going live, which drew pointed criticism about professionalism. The more charged complaint came shortly after: all three MCs are SM Entertainment artists, and some viewers questioned whether the network had handed three MC slots to a single agency's roster by design. SBS has not addressed either criticism.

The show itself was a large-scale production, featuring 28 acts including Red Velvet, P1Harmony, ATEEZ, Stray Kids, BIBI, Choi Ye-na, ZEROBASEONE, RIIZE, NCT WISH, Hearts2Hearts, Alpha Drive One, and N.Double, among others. The broadcast gaffe is likely not the takeaway SBS was hoping would lead the conversation.