Pandaclass Season 9 “Rookie” Opens — Not One Past Champion in the Cast
The Short Version
Pandaclass Season 9 premiered on August 15, 2026. The season art gives it a name — Rookie — and the cast reads exactly like that title.
Fourteen dancers plus the host. Nine of the fourteen are appearing in Pandaclass for the first time. The other five have one or two prior seasons behind them — nobody in this cast has more than two.
Here is the fact that defines the season. Across the first eight seasons plus the EX1 special, Pandaclass has crowned seven different champions. Not one of them is in the Season 9 cast.
The three dancers with the most Pandaclass appearances are also absent. There is no returning favourite for the season to organise itself around — which is exactly what makes it unpredictable.
The Season Is Called “Rookie” — and It Means It
Pandaclass usually opens with a core of familiar names and builds the season around them. Season 9 does not. The banner puts Rookie in the middle of the frame, and the roster behind it is assembled from first-timers, dancers with a single prior season, and returnees coming back after a gap.
- 14 dancers, plus host 선정 Seonjeong (sunjungs)
- 9 of the 14 are making their Pandaclass debut
- 5 have appeared before — one or two seasons each, none more
- 0 former champions in the cast
The Throne Is Empty: All Seven Champions Sat This One Out
To see why Season 9 is genuinely open, look at who is not on the call sheet. These are the seven dancers who have won a Pandaclass season — every champion the show has produced. None of them is competing this time.
The seven champions
The three most-seen faces who are also missing
Champions are not the only fixed points a season can be built on. The dancers who show up season after season carry their own audience with them, and they are gone too.
In this format the standings move on viewer support, so a cast without an established front-runner means the early weeks actually decide something. Nobody walks in with the crown already half-won.
Who Has Pandaclass Experience? Five Dancers
Cross-checking the Season 9 cast against every previous Pandaclass roster gives a short list. Five of the fourteen have been here before; the remaining nine are Pandaclass debuts.
| Member | ID | Previous Pandaclass seasons |
|---|---|---|
| 반희진 Banhuijin | hiziny | S5 (10th) · S8 (7th) |
| 유우 Yuu | jjine0127 | S6 (11th) · EX1 (2nd) |
| 사랑할지니 Saranghaljini | 06170702 | S7 (11th) |
| 말랑설아 Malrangseola | bmg3207 | S8 — on the roster, not on the final ranking board |
| 주빈 Jubin | jubin777 | S1 — on the roster, not on the final ranking board |
The deepest résumé in the room is two seasons. In a show that has run nine of them, that is an unusually flat starting line.
🎤 The Host (MC)
선정 Seonjeong · sunjungs MC
Season 9 is her eighth season behind the mic. She has hosted every Pandaclass season from S3 onward, including the EX1 special — the one fixed point in a cast built entirely of newcomers and returnees.
The Cast — 14 Dancers
Every dancer below is introduced with the figures printed on her own Season 9 profile card — age, height, cup and MBTI — followed by the one-line pledge she wrote for the season. The returnees come first, then the nine making their Pandaclass debut.
Been here before
반희진 Banhuijin · hiziny
Two Pandaclass seasons, the deepest résumé in this cast: 10th of 14 in Season 5 as Lady's Maid, then 7th of 16 in Season 8 on 3,144,251 contribution and 585,858 hearts, for ₩3,000,000.
I'm going for the top group this time.
유우 Yuu · jjine0127
Eleventh of 13 in Season 6 as Odd-Jobs (₩300,000), then runner-up in the Season 6 spin-off EX1 as Princess, with a Loro Piana prize — the highest placing anyone in this group of five has recorded.
I'll cut loose on stage for a bit before I go.
사랑할지니 Saranghaljini · 06170702
One season so far: 11th of 16 in Season 7 as Handmaid, for ₩1,000,000. She competed then under the name 지니 Jini.
Just as I showed you how far I could climb from the bottom rank, in Season 9 I want to show even more growth.
말랑설아 Malrangseola · bmg3207
She was on the Season 8 roster but did not appear on that season's final ranking board, so she has no recorded Pandaclass placing yet.
If Mercedes has the E-Class, PandaClass has E-cup class — Malrangseola.
주빈 Jubin · jubin777
On the Season 1 roster but not on its final ranking board. Her recorded placings come from Jinricp instead: 14th of 14 in Season 2 as Cleaning (₩300,000), and 4th of 11 in the EX1 spin-off as Office Manager (₩2,500,000) on 814,628 contribution.
I'm Jubin, and I'll work hard.
Pandaclass debuts
소소 Soso · bjsoso0417 NEW
I'm Soso, and I look my best when I'm laughing. I'll give it everything with a newcomer's energy and nerve, so send plenty of love my way and keep me smiling.
한구슬 Han Gu-seul · foreverkarina NEW
I'll be the Guseul who studies harder and grows here at PandaClass, so please look on me kindly.
물복E Mulbogi · killyouu NEW
I'll show you exactly what a newcomer's nerve looks like. Like a rookie should — fearless, no regrets, full speed. Please watch over me.
로에베 Loewe · loewe37 NEW
I hear I'm the oldest cast member in PandaClass history. Then again, unless you check my ID, who's to know? I'll show you what experience looks like.
금파랑 Geumparang · parang1016 NEW
I'll be someone you never regret picking.
도해이 Do Haei · qweplm6630 NEW
I believe the more you enjoy it, the better the stage gets. I'm going to enjoy this one for real, right to the end.
정아인 Jung Ain · ssena1 NEW
I know I have a lot to learn, but I'll work hard.
천사랑 Cheonsarang · vkxlwkfgo09 NEW
Rather than winning, I want to be the one you remember most.
워니 Woni · wonhee323 NEW
As the prettiest and the youngest of the Season 9 members, I'd love your attention! It's my first time so I'm nervous, but I'm giving this season everything.
Why This One Is Genuinely Anyone’s to Win
Put the three facts next to each other. No former champion is competing. No one in the cast has more than two prior seasons. Nine of the fourteen have never done a Pandaclass season at all.
That combination has not happened before in this show. Ranking positions that were effectively spoken for in earlier seasons are, this time, actually available — and the cast members say as much in their own pledges.
반희진 Banhuijin (hiziny), the most experienced dancer here at two seasons, simply says she is going for the top group. 물복E Mulbogi (killyouu) frames herself as a rookie running without fear. 워니 Woni (wonhee323) says outright that this is her first time. Read them together and the season’s shape is clear: no one is defending anything.
Where to Watch: Free → VIP → Premier
Found a name you want to follow? Here is the part that matters: PandaTV is Korea-only, so officially you cannot watch a second of Season 9 from abroad. We post clips and broadcasts on Telegram and kbjdfan.com for fans outside Korea.
🆓 Start Free: Telegram Channel
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💎 VIP Plan: $8/month
Crew highlight clips from Pandaclass, Jinricp and Mscrew33, long-form talk-and-dance edits, and the cast members’ individual streams.
👑 Premier Plan: $12/month
The full Season 9 episodes end to end, every dancer’s complete performance arc, and the season as it actually airs.
Watch Pandaclass S9 — start free, upgrade anytime
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