Welcome to my episode six review of Make Mate 1.
If you have not read my introduction post yet to this reality survivor competition show, please go back and read it to get a great idea of what to expect from this show.
If you do not want spoilers, please do not continue reading because I will not hide anything in my review. Besides, this episode already aired a while ago.
This is an episode that I am dreading because it includes the first round of eliminations. As you can see above, I only voted periodically and sometimes forgot to vote so my dedication was placed towards my blog instead. This is how I contribute to society to promote Make Mate 1.
I know for sure that eliminations will include contestants that I would like to see have a career in K-pop and I hope that they will have other opportunities in the future due to appearing in this program. The only problem with that is that fans of the eliminated contestants will have to wait a long while before they can possibly see them on stage again in one way or another.
One of the things I was confused about in this show was how they organized each event. I will write this down for reference:
First stage - Contestant's first performance - no eliminations
First stage - Contestant's first performance - no eliminations
Special Mission - The Mega Dance crew mission that includes benefit points for the winners
Round One Mission - The One Artist, Two Stage missions includes benefits (still confused about this) for the winning team
Voters from 114 countries voted online in this round, which is amazing. A whopping nine contestants will be eliminated. That is about 25% of the contestants if one contestant didn't drop out. Despite all trainees participating in the Round Two mission, the eliminated contestants will need to leave the show and not have a chance to perform in the Round Two mission. I dislike the fact that survival shows make contestants work up to the point of being laid off or fired, but maybe some of the contestants would rather be part of the show than not part of the show. It would be painful to work towards a goal just to become eliminated. Teams will be rearranged based on the results of the elimination. This is sounding more like corporate life to me where it's not uncommon for a company to move their employees to other areas of work or lay them off.
Another explanation on how scores are calculated are given for each contestant in the first round one ranking event:
Onsite audience and online votes = 40% of the score
Only 50% of the domestic (South Korean) online votes and 50% of the rest-of-world online votes are counted. That is really confusing. So how is the rest of the 50% treated? Ignored? What would be the criteria to count as the 50% of the votes that do count? I really think this part is fishy. Why bother having online votes if they are only going to count 50% of them? This show might be wasting the viewer's time. Maybe it's best I stick to blogging rather than voting. They should count ALL online votes. Period.
C mate scores = 60% of the score
All points were added in proportion to the 1st place vote except for the benefit points. In my interpretation, if first place had a thousand points, then the points for all the other ranks are adjusted in relation (scaled down). I really think this show is making the grading system way too complicated.
The show determined first place top score rank with benefits is 8,500 points and online votes can add up to 3,000 points for a total of 11,500 points for rank 1. I don't understand why online favorite voting scores are in a separate category. They lost me. Maybe they already announced the rankings without the online points in the last episode, so they need to create a separate category in this episode to be clear.
Then, the show proceeded to show the benefits points separated into three categories:
Special Mission - 100 points
Winning Team - 400 points
Mate Group Win - 400 points
For example, Kim Shi On had an extra 900 points because he won all three benefits.
In addition, all first place winners of each team battle in Mate Group A received 600 points: Kim Seung Ho (07), Bing Fan, and Jang Hyun Jun.
Round 1 rankings are as follows:
Top 9 (listing previous rank in brackets and Mate Group team in parenthesis)
1. Bing Fan with 11,134 points (so not sure why it's not 11,500 as mentioned, but I wasn't surprised about the rank result since Bing Fan conquered the round one mission with a bang and he was previously number one in online votes. He held onto his top rank well.) [same rank before online votes] (A)
2. Jang Hyun Jun with 9593 points (what a big difference between 1st and 2nd place!) [same rank before online votes] (A)
3. Kim Shi On with 8699 points [ranked 9th before online votes. Winning almost all standard benefits like I mentioned above helped. I love his expression when his name was announced. He's so precious. (A)
4. Lin with 8523 points [ranked 21st before online votes. Should I call him "Miracle Lin" then? The last time I checked, Lin was ranked 2nd in online votes. Getting up to 3000 points does make a huge difference.] (B)
5. Kim Seung Ho (07) with 8473 points [ranked 4th before online votes] (A)
6. Jo Min Jae with 8429 points [same rank before online votes] (A)
7. Shin Won Cheon with 8365 points [ranked 5th before online votes] (A)
8. Jung Hyun Jun with 8149 points [ranked 7th before online votes] (B)
9. Takuma with 8062 points [was 3rd place without online votes, then that means the online votes overpowered his rank] (A)
This is why online votes are so important even if they only counted 50% of them to my dismay. It made a lot of the contestants drop in rank if they couldn't secure enough online votes. Only two Mate Group B members made it to the top 9 ranks. If a contestant did not gain benefits, they better be sure to gain online votes to survive.
To me, the top nine lineup still isn't ideal. I expect the ranks to still shift a bit more as I'm thinking that I need Jia Hao and Han Yu Seop at least.
Mid-tier survivors
10. Jeon Jun Pyo with 8000 points [same rank before online votes] (A)
11. Han Yu Seop with 7960 points [previously ranked 8th before online votes. (He would have been ranked third if Team B won all benefits) (B)
12. Yoon Jae Yong with 7890 points [same rank before online votes] (Not bad for being in team B, holding his position.) (B)
13. Miraku with 7592 points [previously ranked 11th before online votes] (Kim Shi On would have taken this rank without benefit points) (B)
14. Kim Seung Ho (06) with 7320 points [previously ranked 16th before online votes] (A)
15. An Xin with 7274 points [previously ranked 14th before online votes] (A)
16. Seo Yoon Deok with 7268 points (very close with An Xin in points and) [previously ranked 20th before online votes] (A)
17. Noh Gi Hyun with 7264 points [previously ranked 18th before online votes] (B)
18. Jung Jae Young with 7183 points [previously ranked 13th before online votes] (A)
I want to draw an imaginary line here because I predict that a cut in elimination would probably be here. The below contestants from rank 19 to 26 is what I would label as in danger of being eliminated in the next round.
19. Jia Hao with 7143 points [previously ranked 17th before online votes] (B)
20. Seo Ji Ho with 7094 points [previously ranked 22nd before online votes] (B)
21. Jeong Hyun Uk with 6786 points [previously ranked 15th before online votes] (What a huge drop!) (B)
The show considers any rank below 21 were participants out of the previously labeled red zone.
22. Lee Do Ha with 6603 points [previously ranked 27th before online votes] (Without any benefit points, the online votes majorly saved him from elimination. The viewer must have adored Lee Do Ha and I do too, but just not for my top mate team. I expected him to be eliminated, but still glad he's part of the show.) (B)
23. Kim Hak Seong with 6484 points [previously ranked 26th before online votes] (Another contestant saved from elimination and he had a slight benefit from being on the winning team. Had Team B 2PM not win, he would have been most likely eliminated, but I am super glad he is still in the competition.) (B)
24. Choi Min Joon with 6475 points [previously ranked 22nd before online votes] (He felt down in ranks without enough online support. I am also beginning to notice him so maybe others have not noticed him as well.) (B)
25. Lee Jang Hee with 6467 points [previously ranked 23rd before online votes] (He's really lucky!) (B)
26. Midori with 6399 points [previously ranked 25th before online votes] (Midori survived death. He is not one of my top contenders for the final lineup, but I know he has a lot of support. (B)
I see that the contestants that I think are in danger from rank 19th to 26th are all from Mate Group B. Mate Group B suffered greatly without benefit points and gambled with online votes to survive.
Eliminated:
- Kai with 5833 points [previously ranked 32 before online votes]. It's sad that he was in Mate Group A, but even with benefits, he couldn't make it to the next round. Somehow, Kai hit rock bottom with the lowest amount of points, which is a shame. I really wanted to see more of Kai and wish him the best in his next adventure. (A) (Would have been ranked 35th)
- Aki with 5876 points [previously was ranked 30 before online votes] Without significant online votes, he would not have made it to the next round. To succeed as a minority where there isn't many Thai K-pop artists, Aki would need to be highly prepared in this competition, but I was not able to see his full potential. It was a pleasure seeing Aki on stage and hope to see him again in the future. (A) (Would have been ranked 34th)
- Chen Shaiu Fu with 5887 points [previously ranked 34th before online votes] He beat Kai and Aki in points and he is on the B team so online voters must have wanted to save him and as do I, but I didn't vote for him too many times, unfortunately. This contestant has a lot of potential. He even went up one rank starting in the last rank every single time there was a rank event. I can totally see him reaching success in the future as long as he doesn't give up. It's a regret that he did not get many parts on stage and he did not display his full potential on stage. (B) (would have been ranked 33rd)
- Jo Seung Hyeon with 5905 points [previously ranked 28th before online votes] He also had potential and he had skills to be a performer, but too bad that he did not charm the audience enough to survive. He had a shot to stay in the competition with previous rank 28th, but fell in benefits and online support). Unfortunately, even if he won the team benefit, it would have still been hard to rank high enough to stay in the competition. He shouldn't give up and continue on to pursue his dream. (B) (would have ranked 32nd)
- Yoon Ho Hyeon with 5927 points [previously ranked last, 35th before online votes] I think the online voters tried to save him, but it wasn't enough. In my opinion, if he wants to pursue a career of a K-pop idol, he needs a lot more training so I hope he can find a path to improve his skills. (B) (would have ranked 31st)
- Jo Jae Hyeon with 6009 points [previously ranked 29th before online points] I never really noticed Jo Jae Hyeon as a top contender, nor was he on my radar. (A) (would have ranked 30th)
- Ki Hyeong Jun with 6233 [previously ranked 31st] He wasn't a top trainee, but he was unique and I will miss seeing Ki Hyeong Jun on the screen. He should take his talent to the next challenge and not give up. It's sad that pretty much all of the "10 out of 10" 2PM team was eliminated except for their leader Kim Seung Ho (07). If they had won the benefit, things might have been different or not because they lack online support. Ki Hyeong Jun though, probably would have stayed in the competition. (A) (would have been ranked 29th)
- Choi Han Gyul with 6246 points [previously ranked 33rd before online votes] I can tell that online voters supported his significant rise in ranking along with his team benefit points, but it was not enough to stay in the competition. It's sad when he was so close to being in the next round. I have confidence that Choi Han Gyul can debut as a K-pop idol. He is only missing significant experience. I really hope to see him again in the future and I know I will cheer for him (and still protect him). Fighting! (B) (would have been ranked 28th)
- Kim Sun Yub with 6302 points [previously ranked 24th before online votes] He definitely was not as popular as Midori so unfortunately the online votes have determined his elimination. Kim Sun Yub has potential so as long as he keeps pursuing his dream, he could be on stage again one day. (B) (would have been ranked 27th)
That's a lot of people eliminated and I feel sad for them and the fact that I won't see them on the show anymore. It's a competitive world and I hope to see these contestants again in the future. They may be picked up by other entertainment agencies since they are free from the show. Make Mate 1 is only the first door of entry.
If anyone is interested, I would recommend watching the behind-the-scenes Youtube video of the round 1 elimination where tears will flow some more.
The show jumps directly to the next round, round two of the competition.
MC Mate Xiumin started the show in the green room with all the contestants before moving onto the stage to introduce this round's Special C mates: Sunwoo and Ju Hak Nyeon from The Boyz and Sieun and Yoon from STAYC. The C mates commented that both The Boyz members started off in audition programs with Sunwoo participating in "High School Rapper" and while it wasn't mentioned, Ju Hak Nyeon participated in "Produce 101 Season 2." This is what I mean by having a career beyond failing an audition program.
MC Mate Xiumin explained that there was a reason to invite these special C mates for this mission because the leaders of each Make Mate team were selected through a facial expression contest. I interpret that to mean that all four special C mates do well with facial expressions. STAYC special C mates performed a little bit of their "Teddy Bear" song while The Boyz special C mates performed a little bit of "Maverick." The special C mates then headed to the C mate panel room.
MC Mate Xiumin then announced this mission's theme, which is "Change." There were two sub-themes: Solo and Girl Group. Girl group songs will use the following artists: LE SSERAFIM and Aespa. Solo songs will use the following artists: G-Dragon and Taeyang.
The Mate Group teams already had everybody assigned to one of the subgroups, but Mate Group A team for the girl group subtheme ended up with 9 members after round one's eliminations. while the solo teams in Mate Group A and B only have five members each. Therefore, two members had to move over to the solo team from the Mate Group A girl group team. The show made it a cliffhanger as to who will be moving teams.
MC Mate Xiumin explained that the "Winning Team Benefit" will be given to the individual teammate with the highest score of each battle and the group that wins the battle will also win a benefit of the "Mate Group Benefit" Therefore, the teammate with the highest overall score can possibly win two benefits, the highest score benefit and the team win benefit. Jeong Hyun Uk explained in the Green room that Jia Hao needs that benefit to which Jia Hao nods. Yes, Jia Hao needs to go up in rank, but so does Jeong Hyun Uk whose rank is two ranks lower than Jia Hao.
Two Group Mate Teams entered the stage in one single file line before they spread out in the front in one single line. Mate Group A introduced themselves as a seducer and they were "Team Villains." They all seem too upbeat to be Team Villains. Mate Group B was looking to hunt for the audience's hearts with their name being "Rock Skill Boys."
MC Mate Xiumin revealed that the battle will be for "Girl Group" songs. C mate Ingyoo stated that today's winner will honestly be about who can show their masculinity in the best way. C mate Kim Sung Eun replied that liberties can be taken with the original song (from the original K-pop artist).
After MC Xiumin asked if there would be a war of nerves, Jeong Hyun Uk from Mate Group A team said that they didn't give Team B a single thought, which the C mates thought was too strong of a comment. Mate Group B girl group team Yoon Jae Yong responded back with the same comment that their team also did not give the Mate Group A girl group team a single thought either. Yoon Jae Yong went further by saying that his group will show everything that they prepared and let the audience be the judge of it. Miraku replied in the green room that Yoon Jae Yong's ment (stage comment) was good and Noh Gi Hyun added that Yoon Jae Yong had a way with words. I totally agree that Yoon Jae Yong's words were so mature and he wants their actions on stage to do the talking. MC Xiumin then commented that the two groups looked like they were concerned about each other (as a threat).
MC Mate Xiumin must have heard my thoughts in the previous round, because he also announced that the order of performance will be different this time around with a chip toss. I was wondering in the last round why Mate Group A was allowed to always perform first. The MA1 chip has a black and white side. Leader Jung Hyun Jun asked Jeon Jun Pyo which side Jeon Jun Pyo prefers and Jeon Jun Pyo picked black since the Mate Group B girl group team were all dressed in black. Jung Hyun Jun tried to play it cool by saying that they were equally confident to perform first or second so in this case, they will go with the white color. Xiumin flipped the chip and playfully asked Jung Hyun Jun what he thinks the color is and Jung Hyun Jun stated that his team wanted to go first so he stated that he wanted to perform first. Jeon Jun Pyo also replied that his team wanted to go first when asked the same question. In the end, the chip was black side up so Mate Group B girl group team would perform first.
Mate Group B "Black Mamba" performance (originally performed by Aespa):
Jeon Jun Pyo
Han Yu Seop
Yoon Jae Yong
An Xin
Seo Yoon Deok
Kim Seung Ho (07)
Kim Seung Ho (06)
Mate Group B "Girl Group" team began with their self-introductions. Jeon Jun Pyo introduced himself as the all-rounder leader. Han Yu Seop referred to himself as the "romantic guitarist" but forgot to mention his name leading to his personal malfunction. Yoon Jae Yong almost followed suit as he introduced himself as a "skilled vocalist" and almost forgot to mention his name. An Xin stated that he was skilled at tapping his forehead and had sexy dimples. Seo Yoon Deok then mentioned that he can "hit the waves with skills." I am not sure how that is related to being a performer, but I guess he wants us to know that he can swim and surf maybe. Kim Seung Ho (07) only confessed that he wanted to steal the hearts of the mates. The next Kim Seung Ho (06) explained that he was a pianist with skills so he is pianist Kim Seung Ho. Han Yu Seop then concluded that they are (hence) the "Rock Skill Boys."
MC Mate Xiumin revealed that Mate Group B will be performing "Black Mamba" originally performed by Aespa. Xiumin then asked the "Rock Skill Boys" whether they thought that they can beat the Mate Group A team. Mate Group B "Rock Skill Boys" definitely thought it was possible, but the Mate Group A team was not too fazed by the comment. The Mate Group B "Rock Skill Boys" team definitely had an advantage in that they did not have any rearranged members as per MC Mate Xiumin. Leader Jeon Jun Pyo explained that because they had no rearranged members, the team was able to focus more on teamwork. MC Mate Xiumin concluded that Jeon Jun Pyo seemed to be the official leader of MA1. I kind of also agree that Jeon Jun Pyo seemed to have a leader vibe throughout the show. MC Mate Hanhae commented that this is the first time on the show that Jeon Jun Pyo is showing skin since he is wearing a sleeveless shirt, baring his arms and showing the side of his waist.
Back at the practice room, the team gathered for discussion and they noticed that they have ranks 10th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 15th, and 16th on the team for a well balanced team. They thought that to beat their rival Mate Group A team, they should not let their guard down.
It was revealed that whoever has the highest evaluation during the interim check will get the benefit of stage direction in their performance. This means special effects such as confetti or cold sparklers. Jeon Jun Pyo then concluded that since "Black Mamba" is such a powerful and sexy track, having special effects on stage will do 80 percent of the work for them. Jeon Jun Pyo and Han Yu Seop (who is titled as the sub-leader) started discussing more about their performance details. The movement paths were tricky to them. Jeon Jun Pyo then wondered if the group would be upset if the group had to stay late for practice, but Han Yu Seop answered that they have to do what they have to do. They want to get the special effects so at the practice, Jeon Jun Pyo gave the team the direction that taking a rest is a luxury and that the team has to realize the severity of the situation. They are really exaggerating the benefits, but I understand that they are aiming high so they should put in the effort to match that type of outcome. Ironically, while laying on the floor and resting (luxury), Jeon Jun Pyo worried about not letting anybody get eliminated. Their movement paths were not completed yet and lots of the performance details were not completed yet. In a way, Jeon Jun Pyo would become the inevitable "venomous Black Mamba" as per the show's captions.
During the subsequent practice session, he warned his team that if anybody gets the moves wrong, they have to start over. Jeon Jun Pyo started nitpicking on the members if they did not do the move correctly, but this is different than when Jang Hyun Jun was the strict sub-leader. Jeon Jun Pyo never crossed the line to make his team have any self-doubts like gaslighting them.
At the interim check, the C mates acknowledged that the Mate Group B team had team members who are in the mid-tier ranks, but leader Jeon Jun Pyo cooly stated that ranks actually did not matter to him. I believe it because Jeon Jun Pyo never once showed greed to be on the ranking platform during the rank events. He only wanted to create a cool and satisfying performance with his team members.
After Mate Group B's "Black Mamba" performance, C mate Ingyoo could definitely tell that no members were switched out and that Jeon Jun Pyo was a good leader. C mate Vata stated that Mate Group B Black Mamba's teamwork was the best so far and the level of completion was also the highest. They were in sync as well. Vata thought that the ranks of the members on the team can easily rise higher if they keep up the good work.
Unfortunately, the rehearsal for the performance was a different story. The Mate Group B Black Mamba team was revealed to have won first place so that they receive the special effects. Leader Jeon Jun Pyo thought that their performance could be legendary with the special effects. The staff mentioned that the special effects could cause some heat, which led C mate Solar to believe that it was a fire special effect. Somehow, their unstable rehearsal performance did not match up to the special effects. Jeon Jun Pyo didn't seem to have enough vocal power and Yoon Jae Yong sounded weak.
The opposing team member, Jeong Hyun Uk said to his members that his expectation may be too high. Seo Ji Ho could sense that their performance was worse than the interim check. C mate Solar began to give her thoughts that she had high expectations from the interim check and the special effects might be a waste in this case. Without the special effects, Solar thought the team was lacking more than team without them. Furthermore, Solar mentioned that there was no element of fun in it. The team were dancing without facial expressions and basically going through the dance moves, somehow elongating the song, making it feel 10 minutes long. C mate Ingyoo stated that the group could get a high score for technical points, but there was no soul or flavor in their performance. The team should stop trying to calculate their dance moves and just "kill," meaning dominate, the stage.
As the Mate Group B Black Mamba team gets ready for the actual performance, the opposing Mate Group A teams still thought they had a chance to win based on the disappointing rehearsal performance that Mate Group A presented.
However, as soon as the performance started, Kim Seung Ho (07) was in devilish character and a strong gaze. His voice gave himself a dark character. It seems the group had better energy than their rehearsal performance. I think the audience cheers could only give them strength to pull through. Their performance was so strong that rival leader Jang Hyun Jun was playfully annoyed by their awesome stage. In the Green room, Takuma and Miraku were admiring the fire effects. Han Yu Seop was matching the concept with his smooth vocals and dominant male vibes. Yoon Jae Yong sang decently, but somehow he didn't make full eye contact with the audience. Kim Seung Ho (07)'s movements and voice needs practice and improvement. He was almost to the point of shouting and his dance movements could be more accentuated. Once Jeon Jun Pyo sang, I could immediately feel that the performance became stronger. When Jeon Jun Pyo performed the the slow head roll for the Black Mamba performance, it was a killer highlight. I think everybody would remember Jeon Jun Pyo after that if they didn't remember his skills already. I think the audience and all the C mates felt that head turn. Jeon Jun Pyo also let himself dance a little more freely with his body, which is great because this song is also about possession and being possessed in a way. Kim Seung Ho (06) and An Xin's parts were short, but fine. In the second chorus, Seo Yoon Deok was the person to lead the head turn move and honestly, that is so refreshing to see compared to the original performance by Aespa. When a cover song is performed, it should always be the aim of the performer to bring something new and special to the performance. It seems Kim Seung Ho (06) dance skills could use some improvement. I like how Han Yu Seop and Yoon Jae Yong's voices complement each other so there doesn't seem to be an obvious vocal difference when switching parts. It was really nice that the pre-chorus was made more special when Yoon Jae Yong was lifted up as he sang his part. I felt that Yoon Jae Yong secured the climax. An Xin really brought the power when he took center stage. His kick was full of energy and it was nice. Yoon Jae Yong followed by accenting the base line notes with his body. The rest of the performance was a like a cherry on top to the finish line. At one point, it seemed as though they were dancing in hell or fire everywhere. They just had to finish the song so that it could be remembered as a huge success.
Conclusion: For me, I was stunned by Jeon Jun Pyo's performance. That head turn that he did was worthy of him being in the final Makemate lineup for me. It felt like Bing Fan's legendary SHINee performance. I would say Jeon Jun Pyo is a head-turn killer. He is just that awesome. Han Yu Seop is continuing to do well in my opinion by matching the concept with very stable vocals. I wanted to give Yoon Jae Yong some credit as well, but his facial expressions are not up to par yet for me. Yoon Jae Yong definitely surpassed my expectations of him though. An Xin captured my attention with a powerful kick and dance moves. The rest of the members did well, but did not convince me enough to vote for them.
For the Round two ranks, I have added Jeon Jun Pyo and Han Yu Seop into my lineup.
Rival Mate Group A team were still confident that they could beat Mate Group B, especially with their intro part mentioned by Jeong Hyun Uk.
It was at this moment in the C mate panel room that I found out that special C mates did not have to evaluate the performances. The C mates were having a hard time evaluating the performance though. If I were in the audience, I would totally vote for all members since they all gave an overall great and memorable performance. This could be one of the most memorable performances in the whole show at least for me. Aespa should take note that maybe they want to do a slow head turn in the chorus like a snake.
Special C mate Yoon thought that An Xin and Jeon Jun Pyo stood out for her when they both took the center parts and their facial expressions looked relaxed and stable. Special C mate Ju Hak Nyeon also agreed that Jeon Jun Pyo stood out. C mate Vata realized that this was the first time Jeon Jun Pyo was in the spotlight. C mate Ingyoo responded that it was a hard thing to do since the group had to power through the stage. I'm glad that Jeon Jun Pyo was in the spotlight because if he had not shown a special side of him and his potential, then maybe I would not consider voting for him and if other people thought like me, Jeon Jun Pyo could be eliminated in the competition just because we could not recognize his special skills and he never ranked in the podium.
Special C mate Sieun thought Joon Jae Yong had a great expression during his killing part. I think Yoon Jae Yong has a shot to be in this competition, but he needs to bring something next level for me to consider him.
During the audience vote, I saw Kim Seung Ho (07) performing dance isolation moves and I wondered why he didn't dance like that during the performance. He was too relaxed on stage where his walk was just a regular walk and not a dance walk. If he danced with better isolations, I probably would have noticed him more. Unfortunately, Kim Seung Ho (06)'s actions to grab the audience's attention were too meek to gather votes. He cannot possibly win the competition this way.
Backstage, the Black Mamba team thought that they really killed the stage, which is a good feeling.
Now, we move on to the Mate Group A Villains team.
Mate Group A "UNFORGIVEN feat. Nile Rodgers" performance (originally performed by LE SSERAFIM)
Jung Hyun Jun
Bing Fan
Shin Won Cheon
Jia Hao
Seo Ji Ho
Jung Jae Young
Jeong Hyun Uk
In their individual introductions, Jung Hyun Jun referred to himself as the Boss Baby. Bing Fan was the visual villain. Shin Won Cheon introduced himself as the physical villain (physically strong villain). Jia Hao stated that he was the shy villain, which I thought was cute. C mate Kim Sung Eun countered that Jia Hao is not shy when he dances on stage. Seo Ji Ho named himself the cutie villain. Jung Jae Young stated that he was the clear-eyed villain, but I am not sure what that means. I don't like descriptions that I do not understand. Is he trying to say that his eyesight is very good or that he is pure with clear eyes? Jeong Hyun Uk evil laughed and referred to himself as the witty villain, which I understand since he is so talkative.
When the Mate Group A Villain team first convened, they were so happy to be in the group with the bonus of Bing Fan as the highest ranking contestant, perhaps believing that Bing Fan would be leading them to a performance win. Unfortunately, Choi Han Gyul was eliminated leading to a gap in the team. Since the team could only have seven members, two members must leave the team and go to the solo contest A or B team. One of the team members have no choice, but to leave the team and to go to the Mate Group B solo team: Midori. He was ranked the lowest so he had no choice. This was ironic as Midori would have done a superb job dancing a girl group song. Shin Won Cheon joked in his solo interview that he hoped that Midori does not do well since Midori has joined the opposite team as an opponent.
When Jia Hao asked the team who would like to go to the Mate Group A solo team, Miraku volunteered so there was no question that Miraku would join the other team.
Then, an announcement from the staff was made that the person who won the facial expression contest was Jung Hyun Jun and the person who wins the contest would be the leader of the team. Therefore, Jung Hyun Jun took leadership away from Jia Hao. This was not Jung Hyun Jun's first leadership role as he took on the TXT "crown" performance as a leader. For thoses who want to know more about the facial expression contest, I recommend this Youtube video where the facial expression contest was determined as a side contest with the secret reward of being the leader of the group.
Jung Hyun Jun's leadership style was to focus on the details from the start of the song to the finish. Therefore, the dance practice stopped every time something was not correct. Since Jung Hyun Jun had so many comments, his comments delayed the progress of the dance practice.
Eventually, Jia Hao suggested that they get familiar with the choreography first and then go through the details later so that they do not progress too slowly. Leader Jung Hyun Jun wanted to repeat the details again and then do the entire song with two hours left. Jia Hao reasoned that they must know the choreography first before reviewing the details. He continues that they need to be smart about their practice. Jung Hyun Jun still believed that going over the details first was more important.
During the interim check, I could tell that Jia Hao was into character. After the group's performance, C mate Ingyoo was semi-speechless. C mate Vata took over and asked the group directly whether they had enough time to practice the dance. The dance was too much in flight like pollen, too hard to grasp. Vata concluded that the dance was terrible at this point because the group wasn't showing their potential. For the first time, Vata didn't think Jung Hyun Jun looked good on stage and it looked like he was overdoing it to the point of being fake. C mate Ingyoo finally found what he wanted to say by stating that the key to success lied in other members. Jiao Hao created his own moment. Ingyoo saw that Jia Hao almost got a move wrong due to him being so immersed in the song. Ingyoo stated that every member needed to do something that is at the level of Jia Hao to see their potential. They lost the villain concept to pull the viewers in. Ingyoo recommended that the members talk more with Jia Hao and the ability to lose oneself is a talent. Ingyoo wanted Jia Hao to decontruct that ability and explain it to his team. Before sitting down, Jung Hyun Jun had one last question for the C mates on how to bring himself out more and C mate Ingyoo answered to ask Jia Hao as Jia Hao has the answer. I could see that Jia Hao was so internally happy with the compliments.
At the next practice, Jia Hao explained that immersion was the most important feedback from the interim check. He politely asked the group if he can explain his thoughts. The "UNFORGIVEN" song had a sad and heavy feel with villains and unfairness themes. Jia Hao then reinterpreted the song to match his life. He is born in 2022 and 23 years old so he considers this show his last chance, which meant that he needs to debut now or never. Jia Hao believed that he worked very hard to show his potential in his performance, but he kept receiving negative results (and low ranks, though it was really mid-tier ranks). Therefore, Jia Hao interpreted the song as him being the villain suppressed by unfairness. The world is the hero, but the world is unfair where the ones who try the hardest might not win. Therefore, that was Jia Hao's mindset for this song. Jia Hao wanted revenge against the world for its unfairness and to show the world his greatness. He went as far as to think that if he could not debut, then who can? However, Jia Hao could not be blindly mad. He had to think about why he wanted to debut and what he wanted to show the world. Ultimately, there is the question of "Who am I?" That was deep thinking from Jia Hao.
Jung Hyun Jun responded that he wrote a lot of notes in his notebook, but none of that matters as he dropped his notebook on the floor. I think the team understood what the assignment was about and how to find their inner demons. I'm surprised that Jung Hyun Jun can make such great facial expressions, but had trouble immersing himself into the song. Jung Hyun Jun stated that he lacked the most important tool and the answer was Jia Hao. Jeong Hyun Uk confessed that he was also trying to figure out how to act the song out. Seo Ji Ho said that only expressions from their hearts would work on people. Somehow, the hairs on Jeong Hyun Uk's arm stood up after that. The group seemed to have found their direction to become actual villains on stage.
As Mate Group A Villain team gets ready on stage. The C mate team anticipated a lot since there are top-tier contestants in this group. Also, C Mate Kim Sung Eun commented that this will be the first time that Jung Hyun Jun would not act cute on stage, which I think would be interesting to see on stage.
The actual performance started with Jia Hao in the middle, bringing strength to their introduction. I can see Jia Hao's duality between happy Jia Hao and serious Jia Hao. I agree with C mate Kim Seung Eun that Bing Fan has presence on stage. I feel like Bing Fan can do any concept well because he knows how to act on stage and do it well. I think all attention is on Bing Fan whenever he takes the center stage. Jeong Hyun Uk sang his part well. I always appreciated his vocal or rap skills. The only thing he was missing is stage presence. When Shin Won Cheon performed, I wasn't convinced that he was a villain. He acted too nice. When Jung Hyun Jun leaned back and turned his head while singing, that was really villain-like and effective for his stage presence. Seo Ji Ho was good, but there were no wow factor. He is not villain enough for me. Jung Jae Young also had no wow factor and he tried to stay in character, but I am looking for something more. I was surprised when Jia Hao's voice wasn't stable when he sang the bridge part of "UNFORGIVEN" during the interim check, but on stage, nobody would have known since he sang it beautifully during the actual performance. Even though Jung Hyun Jun is smiling during the dance break, it was more of a devilish smile, which was appropriate for the song. Jung Hyun Jun also looks great in the center. Special C mate Sunwoo also commented on Jung Hyun Jun's dance skills at such a young age and C mate Lim Han Byul stated that he could only look at Jung Hyun Jun at that moment. Rival Kim Seung Ho (07) already determined that compared to the "Black Mamba" performance, the "UNFORGIVEN" performance was weaker. Jia Hao followed up the chorus with his own set of high notes, while no vibrato, but secured the notes. I knew Jia Hao can do it, but so sad that he wasn't able to help out Noh Ki Hyun in the last round.
Conclusion: Jung Hyun Jun once again proved himself worthy of debut. I am really surprised that at such a young age, we have such a talent on the show. I felt like he is like Taemin from SHINee or Jisung from NCT Dream who debut at age 14. Jung Hyun Jun has potential to debut.
Bing Fan was also consistently doing well in the center. His presence leaves after-effects and memorability.
I want to add Jung Hyun Jun and Bing Fan to my second online vote.
Honorable mentions go to Jia Hao who was really in character and Jeong Hyun Uk for his consistency, while these two are great performers, I'm looking for outstanding performances worthy of being in my top votes. I have to say that they are really close though and I wish I can vote for more contestants.
Therefore, my round two votes so far are:
-Jeon Jun Pyo (memorable snake head turn)
-Han Yu Seop (matching concept)
-Jung Hyun Jun (duality achieved)
-Bing Fan (memorable center)
I also would vote for all the contestants as an audience member since it's cruel to discredit their hard work. I'll leave actual judgements to the online votes where it is cruel to only vote for seven contestants.
The Mate Group A performance left rival Han Yu Seop questioning who would win since this might be a close call.
In the C mate panel room, Special C mate Sunwoo wondered if Shin Won Cheon had a nickname and he gave Shin Won Cheon a nickname of Won Cheon power as in "power source" 힘의 (power) 전원 (source), him-ui woncheon. Special C mate Ju Hak Nyeon called Shin Won Cheon 삼두 (Samdu) person or "Triceps", Shin Won Cheon's other nickname. C mate Hanhae took it further by calling Shin Won Cheon "신삼두" (Shin Samdu) or Mr. Shin Triceps. I like these jokes, but then it just seems that Shin Won Cheon's physique overpowers his talent on stage. Ju Hak Nyeon continued that at first, Shin Won Cheon caught his eye. Special C mate Sunwoo continued that however, Bing Fan caught his eye since Bing Fan knew what style on stage was all about. Sunwoo continued that it wasn't just Bing Fan's face that carried the performance, but his entire body movement, making him better-looking overall. Bing Fan was primed for stardom according to Sunwoo.
Special C mate Yoon thought Jung Hyun Jun is a great talent. C mate Sieun agreed that Jung Hyun Jun did extremely well on his part. Sieun continued that Jia Hao caught her eye as he led the whole performance well.
Looking at Jeong Hyun Uk appeal to the audience makes me think that I found what he was missing, which was charisma. If he had some more charisma, I think this contestant would be higher in the ranks.
Mate Group B "Black Mamba" team rejoins Mate Group A "UNFORGIVEN" team on stage for the announcement of the voting results. For me, "Black Mamba" was a clear winner and a performance I would want to watch over and over again (which I did).
MC Mate Ximin asked the two groups what I was also curious about, which was "what was the hardest part of covering a girl group song?" Leader Jeon Jun Pyo answered that "Black Mamba" was changed to a rock version of the song and to go beyond the original version and master its reinterpretation was difficult. Leader Jung Hyun Jun answered that it was the same for them to master the song's mood.
MC Mate Xiumin followed up with asking what each group did better than the other. Leader Jeon Jun Pyo mentioned that it was their energy. Mate Group A Villain team then concluded that it was their mood and and overwhelming feeling despite the audience shouting out words like "physical" (physique) or "face". I have to say that I'm a bit disappointed that the audience criteria is focused on the outward beauty. Kim Seung Ho (07) countered that he thought his team's mood was better. In the green room, each Mate Group team is anticipating their own group's imminent victory.
At this moment, it was a good time for C mate Lim Han Byul to ask the STAYC members which girl group they think would win the battle. Special C mate Yoon thought that the "Black Mamba" team had an overall "wow" factor to which Special C mate Ju Hak Nyeon agreed. Special C mate Sieun followed up with stating that the "Black Mamba" team's teamwork made their overall performance great while "UNFORGIVEN" made individual members stand out more. I am not sure if I agreed with that because Jeon Jun Pyo's snake head turn is still in my head. Special C mate Sunwoo thought the "UNFORGIVEN" team gave him the most goosebumps. C mate Kim Sung Eun weighed in and thought that the "Black Mamba" performance had some excitement element to it.
Ultimately, Mate Group B won the battle as I expected. I still felt bad for the Mate Group A team though as Jung Hyun Jun was shown as the leader for two consecutive times and lost the battle two consecutive times. Jia Hao also had not won yet for two consecutive times.
Jeon Jun Pyo explained that they performed without regrets regardless of the results. Since the results were so great, they were happy. Han Yu Seop added that it was great for Mate Group B to taste victory and he wanted to express a job well done to the Mate Group A friends.
On the Mate Group A side, Jung Hyun Jun once again mentioned that he had two consecutive losses, making Jia Hao on the brink of tears. Jung Hyun Jun expressed that it was a disappointing result. Jia Hao spoke that he had mixed feelings since his members showed their best selves to the point of 100% so therefore they have no regrets. Bing Fan started tearing up and expressed that he tried to do his best to help Jia Hao and Jung Hyun Jun win for the best results. A tear streamed from Jia Hao's eye while Jia Hao kept his straight face. Therefore, I think Bing Fan felt the responsibility to bring his team to victory as a person of the highest rank, but they still did not achieve the results that they wanted. MC Mate Xiumin tried to console both teams that both groups did well, but because this is a contest, there must be a winner and a loser so there is no need to feel so down about losing. I want to agree with Xiumin, but at the same time, this is a contest as he said so not gaining possible bonus points and gaining support votes will eliminate the contestant off the show. In a way, it is also serious as having screen time will keep their career alive. Of course, it is not the end of the world. At this point, it was hard for Mate Group B Black Mamba team to feel happy about their win so they all looked somber.
In the C mate panel room, C mate Lim Han Byul commented that it was not anyone's fault since both groups did so well. I agree because these are not bad performances.
Kim Seung Ho (07) confirmed my thoughts by saying that he had mixed feelings even though they won. Jeon Jun Pyo called his team members reliable. Unfortunately, when the Black Mamba team saw the Villain team on the other side of the stage backstage, their hearts dropped at the scene. I think An Xin purposely walked up to the front so that he could see Jia Hao faster. Even though An Xin ended up hugging Bing Fan first, he tried to grab Jia Hao as well. Kim Seung Ho (07) told the Mate A group that they worked hard. Even Shin Won Cheon was sobbing eventually when surrounded by other contestants. Jia Hao seemed to have took it hard by standing aside to cry alone. I think he is the type to mull over a problem alone.
It was time to return to the Green room where their individual scores await. Once again, C mates thought it was cruel to see the contestant's facial expressions in real time as the rankings are announced.
Individual Scores:
Rank 7: Jung Jae Young with 604 points vs Kim Seung Ho (06) with 636 points.
Since average scores have increased for the contestants overall, there is a higher expectation from points.
Rank 6: Seo Ji Ho with 667 points vs Kim Seung Ho (07) with 719 points.
C mate Ingyoo recalled that the highest score was around the 700 points in the last round (it was 797 to be exact with Bing Fan)
Rank 5: Shin Won Cheon with 706 points vs Seo Yoon Deok with 724 points.
Rank 4: Jia Hao with 727 points vs Han Yu Seop with 744 points.
Jang Hyun Jun exclaimed that he had 749 points in second place last time. Noh Gi Hyeon then replied that he had over 600 points in 1st place (665 to be exact).
Rank 3: Jeong Hyun Uk with 741 points vs Yoon Jae Yong with 745 points.
I think it was Noh Gi Hyeon who commented that there was only point difference between Han Yu Seop and Yoon Jae Yong. I noticed the rank three battle was also very close in points.
Rank 2: Jung Hyun Jun with 786 points vs An Xin with 755 points.
Rank 1: Bing Fan with 840 points vs Jeon Jun Pyo with 828 points.
I really think Jeon Jun Pyo should be the overall winner because he dominated the battle in my opinion. However, Bing Fan has a lot of supporters so it is natural that Bing Fan won. I think the audience would be warmed up to Jeon Jun Pyo after this performance.
Our episode ends here as the next battle will be seen in episode seven.
So far, as mentioned, I have the following contestants on my round two vote:
-Jeon Jun Pyo (memorable snake head turn)
-Han Yu Seop (matching concept)
-Jung Hyun Jun (duality achieved)
-Bing Fan (memorable center)
Considered for the final:
-Jo Min Jae (lead vocal)
-Jia Hao (main dancer)
-Han Yu Seop (sub-vocal)
-Jeon Jun Pyo (leader - This last performance solidified my decision to include him in the final lineup.)
For the overall makemate vote, the following contestants are still on my radar list from the girl group battle:
Jang Hyun Jun - He is getting closer to the final lineup
Bing Fan - Bing Fan seems to be a steady pick for the final lineup
Yoon Jae Yong - I appreciated his performances, but I don't see a wow factor from him to include in the final lineup. Most likely, he will leave my radar soon.
Jeong Hyun Uk - He came back onto my radar list as soon as he left. I feel like he is a solid performer if only he worked on some charisma on stage.
The following contestants have left my radar:
Shin Won Cheon - I cannot imagine having him in my final lineup. He has not made any significant improvement to grab my attention.
Kim Seung Ho (07) - I will consider him off my list as I cannot imagine him joining the final lineup. He definitely needs more practice before he can debut, but I have a good feeling that he can debut if he doesn't give up and put his mind to it.
Seo Yoon Deok - I cannot imagine Seo Yoon Deok in the final lineup. He is also lacking in stage presence.
Chen Shiau Fu - He left my list due to elimination.
Kai - He left my list due to elimination.
Aki - He left my list due to elimination.
Choi Han Gyeol - He left my list due to elimination.
Jo Seung Hyun - He left my list due to elimination.
The following will not be rated yet until the next episode:
Kim Shi On - I am starting to forget this contestant, but I will not let him go yet.
Takuma - I am keeping a close eye on him as he has great expressions while dancing and a great voice.
Miraku - This contestant is going in and out of my radar. He is vocally unstable, but I like his attitude and I think he has potential to reach success, one way or another.
Kim Hak Seong - I did not include him on my radar list before, but I finally see his potential when he improved his presence on stage with better dancing and singing skills. I see a rapid development in him, but I am not sure if others see it as well.Noh Gi Hyeon - I have mixed feelings about this contestant as I can see his weaknesses vocally, but he put in so much effort into the last round that I need to keep him on my radar list a bit longer.
Lin - I came to see the power of Lin through the mission one round. He has amazing stage presence that forces the audience to focus on him. He has entered my radar for the first time.
Choi Min Jun - He is somebody who entered my radar out of nowhere. I had no idea he was such a strong performer and why didn't I see it sooner?
That is about a total of 11 more contestants on my radar. I suppose this is a good thing to help me narrow down to perhaps top nine since I am not sure how many members will be in the final group.
I think it is going to get harder and harder to figure out who should be in the top nine.
What are your thoughts so far on the Round 2 competition? Is it becoming clearer who you will be rooting for?
Episode Links:
