The first survivor announcement has been made, and 32 contestants have been eliminated. Did your favorite trainee survive?
Do you know what’s more painful than not seeing your favorite trainee debut? Watching that person get eliminated right at the very start.
Mnet’s survival shows never fail to amaze and entertain fans. The engaging content and entertaining editing style have always kept viewers on the edge of their seats. Yet, there is one element that has consistently drawn heated reactions from netizens: the survivor announcement rounds.
The first survivor announcement for ‘BOYS II PLANET’ aired last week, and rumors of wasted talent and unfairness are already circulating. Trainees whom fans had been rooting for—whether former idols or new faces that many believed had what it takes to debut—are now gone. Meanwhile, the trainees that the audience didn’t expect to advance are still in the show.
Star Creators-nim, this is only the beginning. With more survivor announcements ahead, there will be more heartbreaks and disappointments. So, before diving into the intense part, let’s take a look at a lighter segment of the episode.
The Dance Battle
Last week’s broadcast featured a very interesting and fun segment: the dance battle between trainees.
If you watched Season 1, you’d know how iconic and fun the dance battle segment was. From Sung Hanbin and Zhang Hao’s friendship on display, to Han Yujin’s sweet “Noona, saranghaeyo” and Haruto’s legendary “Hyung, you’re a bird,” fans loved every minute of it. This season’s dance battle may not have topped Season 1’s iconic moments, but it added a light twist to the show. The dance battle was hosted by ZEROBASEONE’s Park Gun-wook and judged by We Dem Boyz’s leader Vata, Choi Young-joon, and Park Gun-wook.
While Baek Koo-young was in charge of the All-Star trainees, Kinky was with the Two-Star trainees, and Kany was head of the One-Star trainees. Honestly, I was expecting to see talents like Harry June or Sang Won on the floor, but the battle opened my eyes to just how incredibly talented Hsu Ching Yu and Arctic are. I must say, the way Arctic danced—the smooth groove, the flow, the fluidity—reminded me so much of ZB1’s Sung Hanbin’s own approach to dance.
Who’s the Most Handsome Trainee?
Truth be told, I found this particular part so enjoyable. As viewers, we not only got to see a more casual and playful side of our favorites, but we also got to know who their favorites are.
Come on, wasn’t it such a fun surprise that Chuei Li Yu picked Lee Sang Won as the most handsome trainee on the show?
The Survivor Announcement
Now that we’ve had some fun, it’s time to step into the ‘war zone’!
At the beginning of the announcement, Planet Master Ong Seong-wu claimed that there would be some “shocking ranking changes.” Indeed, it was shocking to see some talented and experienced trainees being eliminated. I’ll skip the long list and focus on just a few.
Among the boys I felt had real potential and should have stayed longer were Song Min Jae, Reonn, Rensho, and VERIVERY‘s leader, Dongheon. While Reonn and Rensho showed promising performances, Dongheon was an experienced idol and a stable performer. And when it comes to Song Min Jae, there is so much that can be said. Rewatching his team’s mission performance video, it’s clear that he aced his role and carried the whole team. On the other hand, Hu Han Wen, who struggled and failed miserably as a vocalist in the team’s performance, ended up in the twenty-fifth position.
However, that’s the unpredictability of viewer votes and their choices.
Now that the tough part is over, let’s take a look at who survived. Here’s the list of the Top 48 survivors:
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Lee Sang Won
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Zhou An Xin
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Chung Sang Hyeon
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Kim Jun Seo
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Lee Leo
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Chueli Li Yu
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Yoo Kang Min
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Masato
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He Xin Long
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Kang Woo Jin
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Sun Heng Yu
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Jang Han Eum
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Fan Zhe Yi
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Hsu Ching Yu
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Sun Jia Yang
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Kim Geon Woo
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Yumeki
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Zhang Jia Hao
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Yi Chen
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Seo Won
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Chen Kai Wen
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Na Yun Seo
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Jun Lee Jeong
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Nian Bo Heng
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Hu Han Wen
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Sen
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Kim Jun Min
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Peng Jin Yu
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Park Dong Gyu
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Dang Hong Hai
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Li Zi Hao
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Chen Bo Wen
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Kim Jae Hyun
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Zhao Guang Xu
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Park Jun Il
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He Zhong Xing
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Kim Dong Yun
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Tatsuki
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Yeom Ye Chan
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Jo Gye Hyeon
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Jung Hyun Jun
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Kim Tae Jo
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Kim Si Hwan
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Kim In Hu
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Arctic
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Xue Su Ren
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Han Harry June
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Yoon Min
Personally, looking at this list, there’s no doubt that it’s filled with talented contestants. However, the rankings might not necessarily reflect their true abilities.
Furthermore, we all knew who would take the number-one spot in the first survivor announcement. But the real challenge is whether Lee Sang Won can keep his crown until the end. Remember, in the last season, Sung Hanbin was the number-one contestant throughout the show—a rare feat in K-pop survival shows—and yet the winner was someone else. Could history repeat itself?
Final Thoughts
So, did your favorite trainee survive? What do you think about the show’s first survivor announcement? Who do you think should have stayed? And what do you think is coming next? Share your thoughts with us.
Written by Diksha Gangadeen
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