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Tuesday, June 11, 2024

Make Mate 1 - Episode 3


Welcome to my episode three 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.

We are at the exciting part of announcing the first mission ranks. I honestly have no idea how this is going to pan out. Of course, I had my personal picks, but there is no guarantee that the people I picked are safe to remain in the competition. Luckily, there are no eliminations in this round. These votes include the 300 live audience votes and the C mate have a total of 500 votes. This is a total of 800 votes. If each C mate has 100 votes, does this mean one person loses a vote since there are six C mates in total or does C mate Vata and Ingyoo share a 100 point vote? The show is a bit shady for not mentioning the details. KBS announcer Lim Ji Woong announced the trainees ranks. If you watch side Youtube MakeMate 1 videos on the MakeMate channel, announcer Lim Ji Woong also announced midway results with the contestants.

The announcements were super quick until we get to the top eleven ranks. It is still unknown how many members will the final group have in the end, but it seems that the show wants to show a huge distinction for the top ten who get to stand on higher stage pedestals. Odd number rank contestants will stand to the right side of the stage while even number rank contestants will stand to the left side of the stage.

The results were actually shocking for me. Chen Shiao Fu who I thought had potential is in last place with rank 36. He said he would work harder, but usually I don't believe these words unless he proves me wrong. There were contestants who I thought performed worse than Chen Shiao Fu. In episode two's online real-time poll, Chen Shiao Fu was ranked in sixth place so honestly, ranking can't be taken seriously in this show without the online votes.

The ranks are as follows:
36. Chen Shiao Fu
35. Kai (wow, such a low rank!)
34. Lee Jang Hee
33. Ki Hyeong Jun
32. Kim Hak Seong
31. Kim Seung Ho (06 - since there are two Kim Seung Ho contestants)
30. Choi Min Jun
29. Jung Jae Young
28. Kim Sun Yub
27. Aki
26. Han Yu Seop (his rank is lower than I expected when his rank was 7th in the episode online real-time poll)

Those contestants who are considered in the mid-tier contestant ranges are:

25. Kim Se Gon (who left the show - It seems the audience must have liked his performance despite not knowing how he ditched his team, but even then, his performance left a lot to be desired).
24. Jeong Hyun Uk
23. Takuma
22. Jo Seung Hyeon
21. An Xin
20. Lee Do Ha
19. Seo Ji Ho
18. Yoon Ho Hyeon
17. Shin Won Cheon (lower rank than I expected)
16. Midori
15. Jo Jae Hyeon
14. Miraku (Glad he is still close to the top ten)
13. Jeon Joon Pyo (who knew he can sing well and dance?)
12. Jia Hao (his rank is too low! Are you kidding me?)
11. Kim Shi On (I can tell he was disappointed as he just missed the top ten rank and it was a bit cruel that he was announced after he mentioned that he would work really hard.)

Those contestants who are considered top-tier contestants are:

10. Noh Gi Hyeon (I guess I would have expected him to rank top 10 since everybody complimented his looks)
9. Seo Yun Deok (Somehow, he was praying to be on the even side of the team, but ironically, he ranked 9th so he was on the odd side. He engaged the audience well in his performance so that must have earned him some major points and also with the C mates as well.)
8. Lin (What a shocker as he was number two on the online real-time poll in episode two. Lin did not look happy at all and Jeon Joon Pyo tried to give Lin a thumbs up, but who knows if Lin reacted to it. I guess all contestants tried to put on a straight face since I guess this is a serious moment.)
7. Jang Hyun Jun (I expected him to rank high)
6. Yoon Jae Yong (such a high rank and I am happy for him!)
5. Kim Seung Ho (07 - since there are two Kim Seung Ho contestants, but wow, he made it to the top ten when I didn't notice him that much)
4. Choi Han Gyeol (He was too outstanding in his group. He looks like somebody who needs protection)
3. Bing Fan (He received a higher than expected rank in my opinion. Let's see if he can stay on the top. He was number one on the real-time online poll in episode two so not bad that he secured the top three position.)
2. Jung Hyun Jun (I think it was his passion that shot him straight to the top ranks. Not bad for somebody that I was still debating about in my top lineup.)
1. Jo Min Jae (It's a no brainer for me. His vocals are on par with Exo vocals and well, he could just debut right now and his dance skills are not bad at all. Let's see if his skills are stable enough for the next rounds.)

How do I feel about the top ten? It's still too early for me to say that this is a sure thing because we are only getting started on this show! I will expect the rankings to normalize by the time we get to the final round. There are way too many contestants that I did not pay attention to so I'm hoping to get to know the other contestants better. Still, the current top ten is not too bad in my opinion with a lot of my favorites in there. I'm feeling bad about Jia Hao though so he needs his rank to increase dramatically, but I can't think about whose rank will fall as a result of Jia Hao entering the top ten.

I want to say ranking is nothing but a number. What matters is if the contestant will be in the debut team or not. With the debut team factor unknown, everybody needs to do their best as they still have a shot to be in the debut group.

On a refreshing day in May, the MakeMate 1 contestants arrive to get on a bus to go to a resort. The show did not bother mentioning that Kim Se Gon has departed from the show. He was at the ranking event, but that was the last we saw of him. 

In the meantime, Mate Rule has been explained to the contestants during the ranking event. There will be a competition with odd number ranks vs. even number ranks. Contestants who ranked in an odd number rank are considered the Mate A group. Contestants who ranked in an even number are considered Mate B group. There will be a boot camp to improve the bond among the group members.

The contestants started off the trip on the bus in good spirits and chatty, but after they left Seoul, all of them eventually took naps on the bus. I would nap too if I were them since the idea of "boot camp" would give me anxiety as I am not particularly athletic. 

Eventually, the contestants arrive in the countryside to what is called the "L" resort. I'm sure the identity of the resort was purposely hidden. Ironically, the day started off sunny and bright, but at the resort, it was rainy and cloudy. 

The first action needed at the resort was to determine which rooms each contestant will stay in for the trip. For example, Jang Hyun Jun and Kim Seung Ho (06) from Mate A group and Miraku and Jung Hyun Jun will from Mate B group will room together as bootcamp roommates.  Jang Hyun Jun joked about how he and Miraku will try to find out Mate Group A's secrets since he is staying in the same room as his rivals. 

Roommates are set as follows:  (with the first two names being Mate Group A and the last two names being Mate Group B):
Seo Ji Ho, An Xin, Lee Do Ha, Jeong Hyun Uk
Jeon Joon Pyo, Bing Fan, Choi Han Gyeol, Han Yu Seop
Takuma, Seo Yun Deok, Lee Jang Hee, Yoon Jae Yong
Kim Shi On, Shin Won Cheon, Kim Hak Seong, Yoon Ho Hyeon
Jo Min Jae, Jung Jae Young, Midori, Lin
Ki Hyeong Jun, Kim Seung Ho (07), Jia Hao, Noh Gi Hyeon
Kai, Jo Jae Hyeon, Choi Min Jun, Jo Seung Hyeon
Aki, Chen Shiao Fu, Kim Sun Yub (Mate Group A would be missing a contestant)

Once the topic of working out was mentioned, Seo Yun Deok was super excited. I bet he was the only excited one in the group and Shin Won Cheon didn't look particularly excited either. Those two contestants are the most athletic ones as we have seen in episode one. The contestants are expected to go to their rooms and change to athletic clothes. 

I feel like this is the mini break that the contestants get before their next mission. The rooms are just one small room with a kitchenette on the side and some vanity desks on the other side. The contestants are expected to sleep in the middle of the floor. Shin Won Cheon wasted no time in undressing his upper half to wear his team sweater. It was a bit funny when Aki used onomatopoeias to explain that he snores and suggested Kim Sun Yub to sleep in between Aki and Chen Shiao Fu. However, both Aki and Chen Shiao Fu snore big time and poor Kim Sun Yub probably couldn't sleep at all.  I hope he suggested to sleep on the side instead on the next night. 

Meanwhile, the contestants discuss who is athletic on the team. They also try to guess what types of sport competitions that they might go into: boxing or arm wrestling. Either way, it was raining on that day so the next Boot Camp Athletic Competition event is held indoors. 

Each round will have a mystery prize to motivate the contestants to win. I love the dynamics between Shin Won Cheon who guessed snacks and Kim Seung Ho (07) who playfully responded back with "Chicken?" Indeed, there will be snacks and soft drinks as a prize. It makes me wonder what the trainees will eat as a meal while they are at the resort. Seo Yun Deok, who sits behind Shin Won Cheon playfully suggested that they give some of the snacks to the Mate Group B team (probably as a consolation). It's funny how the other Kim Seung Ho (06) was sitting behind Kim Seung Ho (07) and Kim Seung Ho (06) laughed at Seo Yun Deok's comment.

Both teams had to decide on a leader for their teams. Seo Yun Deok was elected leader probably for his athletic abilities for Mate Group A while a game of rock, paper, and scissors determined Noh Gi Hyeon as the leader for Mate Group B.

As both groups size each other up, Mate Group B felt a bit deflated that all the big, strong guys are in the Mate Group A team. Han Yu Seop tried to defend the Mate Group B group by explaining that he will use his brain intelligence instead, causing Kim Shi On from Mate Group A to react and comment on how funny that comment is to him.

Mate Group A performed their cheer which consists of swinging their hips from side to side while singing "A" in succession. They are also in triangle formation to make the shape of a capital A. The Mate Group B team called the Mate Group A team weak before Mate Group B made a one arm wave like with a succession of Bs to sound like a bee with a finger fling at the end. As a result of Mate Group B's cheer, Mate Group A declared themselves as the winners. The group went further to mock the Mate Group B team as a bunch of "French fries" as the Mate Group B team was dressed in yellow sweat shirts and they look thin. 

The first game is a pull-up match. Instantly, I knew this would be a hard one since I doubt we have physically strong contestants in this competition. Shin Won Cheon already declared their Mate Group A team as the winner. 

In panic, Mate Group B immediately looked for volunteers. Han Yu Seop volunteered himself. Many pointed at leader Noh Gi Hyeon and Jia Hao. What is dubbed as Mate Group A's "trusty three" came out to face the competition: Shin Won Cheon, Kim Seung Ho (07), and Seo Yun Deok. The Mate Group B team lost their minds at the sight of the trusty three. Some video clips of Kim Seung Ho (07) and Seo Yun Doek doing pull ups and push ups are enough to scare the competition. 

Jeong Hyun Uk snapped the Mate Group B team back to reality by commanding them to be confident. Seo Yun Doek retorted back to ask Mate Group B to try to win. 

Once a team wins two rounds of the first game, then they are declared the winner. As Mate Group B's representatives talk about their strategy, they reason that they cannot beat Seo Yun Deok so Noh Gi Hyeon who admitted that he cannot do more than ten pull ups was picked to face off with Seo Yun Deok. Han Yu Seop thought that Seo Yun Deok will go second in the lineup. Before Mate Group B can strategize further, Mate Group A is already doing their loud cheer, so Mate Group B responded back with their cheer as well with Han Yu Seop grooving to it. 

Unfortunately for Han Yu Seop, Seo Yun Deok decided to go first in the first round of the competition. As Seo Yun Deok proudly exclaimed, "A!," Han Yu Seop used one finger to hold his nose to indicate that Seo Yun Deok smells. It is hilarious to see the former "Very Good" team members going against each other. The contestants joked that Han Yu Seop and Seo Yun Deok are "very bad" friends that day. 

Han Yu Seop tried to put on a poker face, but Seo Yun Deok kept taunting him even as he is doing the pull-up, making Han Yu Seop lose confidence. Han Yu Seop could not go for the eighth pull-up and came down. Seo Yun Deok quickly pulled up to ten pull ups before he came down. Han Yu Seop covered his mouth and walked away in embarrassment.

Next, Kim Seung Ho (07) came out to face Noh Gi Hyeon. Choi Han Gyeol from the Mate Group B team somehow had the guts to tell Kim Seung Ho (07) that he was not muscular enough. Kim Seung Ho (07) had no problems doing his pull ups, but Noh Gi Hyeon already showed signs of struggle. Noh Gi Hyeon gave up on the sixth pull up. Noh Gi Hyeon admitted that it has been a while since he did pull ups. After Mate Group A was announced the winner of the first game, Han Yu Seop said out loud that he wished that he worked out regularly. 

An individual pull up match was announced so Seo Yun Deok and Shin Won Cheon competed with one another. Shin Won Cheon was a bit disappointed before that he did not get a chance to participate in the pull up competition so this is his chance. Let's not forget that Shin Won Cheon won a triple crown in sport competitions. Things were going well until the tenth pull up when Shin Won Cheon became shaky and gave up. Seo Yun Deok continued for his personal record and managed to do up to 16 pull ups. Pull ups are no joke. I don't think I can even do one with my weak arms. I feel like this episode is all about highlighting Seo Yun Deok's qualities as obviously there is nobody who is physically his rival. 

The next game is the long jump match, but with individual records. Everybody will get a chance to jump as each team member will go up against an opposite team member to jump at the same time, but the individual who holds the highest record will win for their team. 

As both teams strategize, Noh Gi Hyeon taunted Jeon Joon Pyo by asking Jeon Joon Psyo when Jeon Joon Pyo will come out. Jeon Joon Pyo smiled back. Some contestants started doing stretches. 

I won't really go into detail with the jumps, but in the end, Seo Yun Deok won that competition too at a long jump of 275 cm. Mate Group B's Jeong Hyun Uk came in second place at 273 cm. Third place is shared between Mate Group A's Shin Won Cheon's "butt" landing and Mate Group B's Chen Shiao Fu's long-legged landing at 268 cm. Again, this whole athletic competition is skewed towards Seo Yun Deok. I'm a bit concerned about Chen Shaiu Fu's facial expressions because he seems to have no reactive expressions and I can't see how that will help him when he performs on stage. There are people who will go into performance mode when on the stage, but Chen Shaiu Fu does not seem to be one of those people so I'm concerned about him. Even in a reality show, he needs to appeal to the audience and having no expression or being expressionless is not going to help him rise up from being in last rank.

Mate Group A won both competitions and Seo Yun Deok had his own screen time moment and he only took advantage of it for two seconds as he became shy. Mate Group A won protein shakes as a prize, which I am sure is some type of product placement (PPL) tactic. 

For the next event of the day, the contestants sat on the floor. C mate Vata and Youngbin from the "We Dem Boyz" dance crew came to introduce a special mission for the contestants. Both Mate Groups have 24 hours to perform a dance mission of a legendary song. 

Mate A group received the "We Are the Future" song originally performed by H.O.T. What was funny was that a lot of the contestants were born after the 1997 song was released and Shin Won Cheon admitted in his solo interview that he did not know H.O.T. Jeon Joon Pyo stated in his interview that he couldn't "see" his future. Aki mentioned in his interview that he heard of H.O.T from somewhere, but he has no idea where. These contestants are hilarious. I understand there are songs that were released before we were born, but I knew a lot of American pop songs that were from before my time and that's no big deal. Honestly, if these contestants want to be K-pop idols, they really need to study K-pop history a bit more. I wasn't in the k-pop fandom when H.O.T was released and I was alive then, but I have heard of H.O.T many times and heard of their music. 

Mate B group received the "Perfect Man" song originally performed by Shinhwa, released in 2002. We are really digging into the SM Entertainment archives. Apparently, the BTS group covered this song so it was familiar to some of the contestants. Jia Hao loved the BTS performance and choreography so much that he already memorized the choreography, I guess, from previous times. 

The Mate group that wins the dance contest will receive special benefit points. Again, the show never lets us know exactly what the benefits are if there are benefits until much later. The most important thing that C mate Vata tells the contestants is that having special benefit points may affect the next round of ranking results.Vata continues that working without conflicts and being considerate is crucial to success so they should listen to their leader well and the leader should also lead his followers well. I think it is because they only have 24 hours to get the performance right. 

We focus on the adventures of Mate Group B as they head over to a different practice room. Han Yu Seop stated that he already memorized some of the chorus part of the song already just by looking at the video. The team sits in a semi-circle to plan out their next steps. There are 18 members in Mate Group B. Without hesitation, the members elect Jia Hao to be their leader. This is amazing as Jia Hao didn't tell his team that he knew the choreography already, which is a huge advantage for the group. I'm also glad that a non-Korean contestant is recognized as a leader since I see that the foreign contestants in this show tend to be shy and reserved. Sub-leaders are also chosen: Jo Seung Hyeon and Miraku. I didn't know Jo Seung Hyeon was considered a great dancer because he never entered my radar. The group gave maknae Jung Hyun Jun the "scribe" role so he can take notes.

As a first declaration of his leadership, Jia Hao explained to the group to not get upset over which role they take because in this competition, it does not matter and if somebody leads the group well, they all get the benefit points. 

Meanwhile, in Mate Group A, the team is also deciding the leader. It seems Jeon Joon Pyo was unanimously chosen as the leader with Jang Hyun Jun as the sub-leader. So far I can already see which contestants are important in this competition based on who is leading the competitions and teams. This episode allows me to see the personal relationship dynamics in this competition. 

The leader and sub-leader began practicing the opening and even that looks hard especially to coordinate a lot of people to be in sync. I didn't realize it then, but at some point during that day's practice, the groups changed into their practice outfits with Mate Group B wearing light blue shirts and Mate Group A wearing dark navy blue shirts. 

There is a place called "M" studio where the Make Mate contestants will perform. The show's new host is waiting for the contestants there. The contestants are shocked as they enter the room to see their new host: Exo's Xiumin. Xiumin introduces himself as the contestant's MC Mate. Xiumin will be joining them for the rest of the competition. 

MC Mate Xiumin announced the judges: We Dem Boyz' Vata and Youngbin. Special C mate judges include Simeez of the La Chica dance group and dancer and instructor Harimu from the 1Million dance studio.  Xiumin mentioned that Vata had a hard time inviting the special C mates to the show and Vata explained that he wanted other people to view the performance through fresh eyes since he was already watching the contestants since the beginning of the show. Vata knew that since Simeez and Harimu were professional dancers, they would have critical opinions about the contestant's dance skills and performance. Is that meant to scare the contestants? They haven't even debut yet. Contestant Han Yu Seop looked genuinely concerned. Harimu playfully showed the cut throat gesture with her thumb towards the contestants, which the contestants received with concern. 

The C mates will be judging the performance from the second floor of the venue. Mate Group B was performing first. Leader Jia Hao reminded everybody about their footsteps and cheered on the other members before they began their performance. 

We skip back to the practice time period in which it was clear that contestant Lee Do Ha was falling behind the others during the practice. This is natural as he did not have any previous dance experience before joining the show. Jo Seung Hyeon spotted Lee Do Ha struggling and tried to help him with the choreography on the side. Lee Jang Hee was also highlighted as somebody who struggled with the choreography. Yoon Ho Hyeon is the third contestant who struggled as well, but he was somebody that I did not previously pay attention to in the last performance. The fourth contestant who struggled was Chen Shaiu Fu. Lastly, the fifth contestant who struggled was Choi Han Gyeol, who I said needed protection as he seemed so fragile. Leader Jia Hao asked Miraku to help Choi Han Gyeol. 

Jiao Hao didn't know how to help those who were struggling with the choreography. He had a small meeting with his sub-leaders. Chen Shaiu Fu was worried that he was going to drag the team down. Chen Shaiu Fu started proactively asking Jia Hao to teach him the parts he didn't understand and started seriously practicing his part at every spare moment even at his room. Other teammates were also practicing individually. 

Yoon Jae Yong was dancing half naked in the hallway (must be refreshing). Lee Jang Hee ended up joining Yoon Jae Yong in the hallway to practice as well. Almost by fate, Choi Han Gyeol saw them in the hallway and joined in as well. Yoon Jae Yong ended up putting his pajama shirt on for the rest of the hallway practice. At least we saw that three out of the five contestants are trying their best to master their part.

Unfortunately, the other two "weak" contestants remained undisciplined: Lee Do Ha and Yoon Ho Hyeon. Midori asked Yoon Ho Hyeon if he was going to practice and Yoon Ho Hyeon ignores Midori. Passionate sub-leader Miraku decides that they have to practice more before going to bed. Lee Do Ha asked that practicing now is fine, but what if he can't concentrate tomorrow when he wakes up because he did the extra practice? Miraku did not accept that nonsense and practically answered that Lee Do Ha will need to focus (no matter what). Jo Seung Hyeon rounded up Yoon Ho Hyeon to do more practice, but Yoon Ho Hyeon explained that he was already in bed and didn't understand why he had to get up. He was not happy that the bed mattress was taken away from underneath him. Noh Gi Hyeon explained that Yoon Ho Hyeon is the person who needs to practice the hardest. What flabbergasted me was that Yoon Ho Hyeon was still holding a remote in his hand while doing the minimal motions and watching TV in the room while the other trainees were doing their practice. Worst of all, Lee Do Ha followed the TV as well. Why were they even allowed to watch TV? Miraku explained in his solo interview that it is fine if they are not good dancers, but they need to focus and practice. Miraku already senses trouble. I really liked Lee Do Ha, but if this lack of seriousness and effort is going to be his philosophy, I can't see myself picking him for the final lineup. I didn't even think about Yoon Ho Hyeon as he was never in my radar so it was not much of a loss for me, but I am disgusted by his lack of effort. How do they expect voters to be on their side when they don't even help themselves? 

The next day, Yoon Ho Hyeon is still messing up his moves and Kim Sun Yub tries to direct Yoon Ho Hyeon to the correct position. Unfortunately, Lee Do Ha was ending up in the wrong dance positions. 

C-mate Vata and Youngbin entered the practice room to see Mate Group B's progress and Vata asked how far along they are in the practice. Jia Hao explained that they practiced up to the end of the choreography which meant that they should be able to show the entire performance. Yoon Ho Hyeon admitted that he wasn't ready and Lee Do Ha was facing the wrong way before the song started. I'm really nervous for this team. 

I don't think I have to tell you how that performance went for Yoon Ho Hyeon and Lee Do Ha. C mate Vata stated that the team was in trouble. Too many people can't keep up with the choreography. Vata specifically called out Lee Do Ha to ask why Lee Do Ha could not keep up and constantly messing up. Lee Do Ha tried to give an excuse, but Vata explained that there must be a reason whether it was that Lee Do Ha can't keep up or Lee Do Ha couldn't focus. Vata also singled out Yoon Ho Hyeon who couldn't keep up at all. Vata said he mentioned this to mega crews all the time that it didn't matter if the the guys in the front dance really well because all Vata sees is the weakest link, which was Lee Do Ha. The weakest link determines the grade because the weakest link steals the show. As a result, Jia Hao also got scolded for not bringing the weakest links up to par. Jia Hao stood in stunned silence as he shuffled his hair. A huge wake up call is needed for Lee Do Ha and Yoon Ho Hyeon. 

After the mid-assessment review, the team morale was down. Lee Do Ha said in his commentary that he felt bad and scared. Yoon Ho Hyeon thought he was the reason the team would fail. He sat down on the side lost in thought, but soon after that, roommate Kim Hak Seong nonchalantly pulled Yoon Ho Hyeon back up and even shared Kim Hak Seong's drink with Yoon Ho Hyeon. I thought it was interesting that none of the other team members scolded the weakest links or at least talked to them about their attitude. Perhaps, they took Vata's advice too seriously to work without conflicts.

I believe it was fellow Fiction teammate Yoon Jae Yong who tried to comfort his friend Lee Do Ha and asked if Lee Do Ha would like to dance naked with Yoon Jae Yong that night. I wonder if Yoon Jae Yong was joking around or was he serious about that half naked comment because that comment would make a female go wild. Jo Seung Hyeon tried to repeat the "Cheer up" or the "Himnae" strength phrase to change Lee Do Ha's mindset. Other teammates who are not even the leaders tried to help Lee Do Ha and Yoon Ho Hyeon catch up. This is the definition of Make Mate in my opinion with contestants helping each other out in times of need. 

Jia Hao adopted the practice of needing to start over as soon as he discovers a problem. This leads to endless practice to get every aspect perfect.

"Perfect Man" performed by Mate Group B 


In other Youtube videos, the reason why Mate Group B is performing first is because Jia Hao won the hoop shot match against Jang Hyun Jun to be able to perform first.

In the beginning, Noh Gi Hyeon led the triangle formation followed by Miraku. This group focused a lot on synchronized dance. Jung Hyun Jun entered the center with a super high kick. When Jia Hao entered the center for the chorus, I felt relieved. I was pleasantly surprised to see Chen Shaiu Fu leading his mini team in the next verse. I can't believe Chen Shaiu Fu could be somebody who ranked last in 36th place with this performance. Jo Seung Hyeon surprised me with a solo part of his own and it's a shame that I did not pay attention to him in the past. Miraku stands out whenever he dances in the center. I think he has that star power that convinces me that he could debut. I really liked the style and pace of this song that highlights certain team members. I would say that I like the "Perfect Man" song better to begin with and this song and dance fits my personal music style.

The leader of Mate Group A team, Jeon Joon Pyo started to worry that they might not beat Mate Group B. Mate Group B could be the underdog team. 

It was funny how Vata tried to show leniency before Mate Group B's performance by telling special C mate, Simeez that these are mostly kids. Simeez told Mate Group B that they did so well and she could not believe they only practiced for 24 hours. She said that the group can smile now. Simeez thought that Mate Group B did justice to what it means to be in a mega crew. 

Special C mate Harimu mentioned that the Mate Group B's energy level went all the way to the second floor. They get the audience excited when they stomp in unison. 

Simeez gave special compliments to Jia Hao and Miraku who claimed all the attention at the center. I totally agree with this comment. Jo Seung Hyun was also mentioned by Simeez as being angry and wanting to destroy the stage. However, I had a different feeling that Jo Seung Hyun was the best at feeling the mood of the song and acting it out the best. 

Harimu gave special mention to Noh Gi Hyeon who had the responsibility to start off the song at the center and made his turns a bit too long, but still managed to hold the dance together. Harimu thought Chen Shaiu Fu made the killing part shine.

Next Simeez actually pointed out dancers who were lacking a bit in the performance. Here comes that critical thought. Yoon Ho Hyeon was dancing off beat in the back so Simeez could definitely tell he was struggling in the performance. Harimu stated that she is not looking for perfection, but she could tell Lee Do Ha did not memorize the dance moves yet. Lee Do Ha straight up admitted that he messed up the formation. It turns out that towards the end, he ended up dancing in the front next to Yoon Jae Yong, but Lee Do Ha was supposed to be in the same dance line as Midori. Unfortunately, every time Lee Do Ha had to mention something unfortunate about himself, Lin is standing right next to him looking like he is quietly judging Lee Do Ha. 

C mate Vata mentioned that Mate Group B had the contestants that were "left behind," but this performance was less noticeable since the leading members did a great job. So, in a way, the leading members are masking the mistakes of the weaker members. 

I wanted to take this opportunity to compliment Yoon Jae Yong, whom I noticed while watching this a second time that he put in a lot of effort into his dance and was an excellent dancer despite not getting any leading dance parts. He was somebody whom I noticed at the corner of my eye.

At episode three, based on this performance, I am inclined to vote for:
1) Miraku (I really thought he could steal the show)
2) Jia Hao (That's a given)
3) Chen Shiau Fu (What a surprise that he was able to improve his performance)
4) Han Yu Seop (I didn't mention him much, but I feel sorry that I didn't notice his talent sooner. Like Yoon Jae Yong, I also saw Han Yu Seop's efforts. The only reason why Yoon Jae Yong was not on this list was because I didn't think of him the first time around while watching the show.)
5) Jo Seung Hyun (He embodied the song the best.)

That only leaves two spots open for Mate Group A. This might be tough.

Mate Group A came prepared with a greeting, which is a chant about who is the winner and who is the future and the answer is A. I admire that they put in the extra effort to create an introduction. 

Back during their practice time, sub-leader Jang Hyun Jun began teaching the choreography while leader Jeon Joon Pyo stayed in the back to map out the dance formations. During their practice, Jeon Joon Pyo came back to let each team member know where their positions are on the dance floor. In his solo interview Jeon Joon Pyo explained that flow and formation are the most important aspects of a mega crew so this guy knows his stuff, being in a dance group himself. He was seriously treating this as the real thing and real mega dance crew despite it only being a temporary mission. 

At some point, Jang Hyun Jun became confused at which direction certain members have to dance toward and tried to work it out. Jeon Joon Pyo was worried that they did not have enough time to practice.

At night, the Mate Group A members seem to be more relaxed than the Mate Group B members, having pillow fights, talks, and jokes. However, Jeon Joon Pyo was working hard to continue to map out the formation and flow without going to sleep. Make Group B "spy" Jung Hyun Jun tried to ask Jeon Joon Pyo to play with him, but Jeon Joon Pyo respectfully refused as Jeon Joon Pyo was busy. I wasn't sure if Jung Hyun Jun was spying, sabotaging Jeon Joon Pyo or that Jung Hyun Jun genuinely wants to spent time with Jeon Joon Pyo. I mean to explain this thought in a playful way.

With ten hours to go in practice the next day, C mate Vata and Youngbin soon arrived to do their mid-assessment check. Leader Jeon Joon Pyo mentioned that they only learned up to the first verse. That doesn't seem to be a lot of progress. The performance looked messy and it was clear that the team did not master their performance yet with bad angels, misalignment, different vibes, and missed beats. It looked a bit chaotic. C mate Vata leaned his head to the side in thought while C mate Youngbin squinted seemingly in pain. 

C mate Youngbin started off with summarizing their performance as a disastrous performance. Youngbin did not know if the team will improve that much by the next day. Vata strongly stated that they were not in sync at all. Their directions were also not right. They did not know their left or right movements. Vata stated that it was amateur and that the group simply did not practice enough. Vata then blamed the leader Jeon Joon Pyo for not being assertive enough. Vata concluded that the team cannot win this way. 

Jeon Joon Pyo started doubting his effectiveness as a leader. After a bit of thought, he explained to his team that they need to focus on doing well. Sub-leader Jang Hyun Jun became what the show called a "villian" for being stricter at this point. He had the ability to become an authority figure to make sure everybody understood his commands and to do the movements instead of just listening to him. 

Unfortunately, a weak link was pointed out as Kim Seung Ho (06) who could not keep up with the movements. Jang Hyun Jun started giving Kim Seung Ho (06) a blank stare that would make anybody uncomfortable. Without any pretext, Jang Hyun Jun calmly and directly asked Kim Seung Ho (06) if Kim Seung Ho (06) did not want to do the dance. Kim Seung Ho (06) promptly denied it. Then Jang Hyun Jun asked if Kim Seung Ho (06) did not understand the dance moves in which Kim Seung Ho replied that it was a bit difficult for him. Jang Hyun Jun kept his cold tone and told Kim Seung Ho (06) to ask Jang Hyun Jun if Kim Seung Ho (06) has any questions because Kim Seung Ho (06) kept messing up. Geez, I am not sure what Jang Hyun Jun would have done if Lee Do Ha and Yoon Ho Hyeon were in Jang Hyun Jun's team. Would there be an all-out fight?

Unfortunately, Kim Seung Ho (06) continues to have difficulties and Jang Hyun Jun calls Kim Seung Ho (06) out for it. I'm sure Kim Seung Ho (06) is already under a lot of pressure to do well and his brain and body are probably on overdrive. In his solo interview, Kim Seung Ho (06) believes that he understood the choreography with his head, but his body couldn't keep up. He had a hard time counting the beats. 

During his solo practice, Jang Hyun Jun called him out again to make him state out loud his weakness in the choreography. When Kim Seung Ho (06) didn't know anymore weaknesses, Jang Hyun Jun pointed out that his turns were not done well and asked whether Kim Seung Ho (06) did not focus. I really think Jang Hyun Jun went overboard to become a villain of the team. Placing added pressure to a contestant who is already trying hard is not helping him. Certainly, accusing the contestant without verifying the truth will not help. I am personally sensitive to these things because I grew up in an environment where adults always put their thoughts into my head as to the reason why they think I am not doing well instead of trying to understand why I was not doing well. Kim Seung Ho (06) certainly didn't know how to respond back to Jang Hyun Jun.

Jeon Joon Pyo promptly asked Kim Seung Ho (06) to come over, walking across the room where Jeon Joon Pyo is standing. Maybe Jeon Joon Pyo wanted to save Kim Seung Ho (06) from such an awkward situation. The one thing I liked about Jeon Joon Pyo is that he put his arm around Kim Seung Ho (06) first to show trust before Jeon Joon Pyo asked him what was wrong. Like a child, Kim Seung Ho (06) mumbled that he tried to focus and work hard, but he kept on messing up. He immediately apologized to Jeon Joon Pyo, but Jeon Joon Pyo wanted further validation from him whether it was difficult for Kim Seung Ho (06). Hearing these words, Kim Seung Ho (06) reached his breaking point and started sniffing. Jeon Joon Pyo assured him that it was fine and Kim Seung Ho (06) can continue to work hard and Jeon Joon Pyo recognized that Kim Seung Ho (06) was working hard. This is the type of leader I admire, not somebody who only barks orders and accusations. 

I am not sure if it was because Jang Hyun Jun and Kim Seung Ho (06) are roommates, but at night, Jang Hyun Jun gave Kim Seung Ho (06) extra practice lessons. I don't think of this as a negative thing as I could see that Kim Seung Ho (06) appreciated it. 

From the looks of it, there was only one weak link and he was working really hard so I have the impression that Mate Group A could be a formidable team simply because they had some tough love training methods. 

"We Are the Future" performed by Mate Group A


Mate Group A team got into position and started hyping themselves up with "Fighting" remarks. 

The song starts off with Ki Hyeong Jun leaving his formation to tease the audience as to what is to come. This team shouts openly to increase their energy, which is a great tactic. It was great to see Shin Won Cheon and Seo Yun Deok partner up when Seo Yun Deok performed a surprise leap frog jump over Shin Won Cheon. Kim Seung Ho (07) and team made some really fast dance movements to a fast beat. Aki got a small solo part where he can show more sensual moves. I totally forgot about Bing Fan for much of this episode where he swayed over to the middle with Jo Jae Hyeon coming from the opposite side. Jo Min Jae had a small part in the middle before going into circle formation. Leader Jeon Joon Pyo came to claim the center for the chorus part with sub-leader Jang Hyun Jun dancing in sync behind him. I must say that the formations are looking pretty good and well-choreographed. I was surprised at Takuma's crazed dance part where he fit the song's vibe the most. Also, Takuma's facial expressions are no joke. He seemed to have stolen the show for me. Jung Jae Young came out for a small part with Aki. I love how all the solo parts are unique, but overall, it was chaotic to watch. The part where it was only awesome instrumentals, I caught Kai in the maroon sweater doing an amazing job with flexible moves even though it wasn't a solo part, doing powerful floor hip-hop moves. It was enough for me to pay a lot of attention to him. Ki Hyeong Jun returns in a highlight part that was uniquely for him as it involves a lot of rigid moves. The group ended their song very powerfully and solidly. 

Just for fun, I watched the performance again only focusing on Kim Seung Ho (06) and he did such a decent job supporting his team. Hard work pays off. I also did not know how handsome Bing Fan was in the center and even though I did not mention it before, Kim Shi On caught my eyes during the performance for a second or two.

C mate Vata explained that he felt like he was at a buffet with so many good dancing parts in the song. Vata thought that Seo Yun Deok jumped really high during his leap frog jump.

Special C mate Simeez thought that she was watching a group similar to Seventeen, which is interesting as there were 17 team members standing on stage. Takuma caught Simeez's eye. Also, Bing Fan dances so handsomely to Simeez. I admit that Bing Fan was handsome, but his handsomeness did not hit me until after the song ended and I was watching the replays. Ki Hyeong Jun also has his own distinct charms. 

Special C mate Harimu noticed the group was smiling while dancing and when they shouted, it appeared as if they were also singing live as well. The vocal aspect of it made the performance exciting. Harmu mentioned Jeon Joon Pyo as the leader and somebody who made it clear that it was his turn to shine as he walked forward towards the front and center. The group synced up nicely. Harimu ended her comments with saying that since the song title is "We are the future," this group is K-pop's future.

Mate Group A had all compliments and praises from the judges.

Now, it was time for the judges to make their decision to announce the winner. I was honestly hoping that they would pick Mate Group B. The first time I watched the performance, I had a soft spot for Mate Group B because the presentation was easier for me to watch, spotlighted members were easily seen, and there was not so much going on like the action that took place in Mate Group A's performance. I suppose I had sensory overload. I really had a hard time following what was happening, but by seeing the performance a second time, I started to appreciate why Mate Group A also deserves to win. I suppose that I didn't initially appreciate Mate Group A as there were too many distinctive parts to it.

In the end, all three judges, Harimu, Simeez, and Vata showed the team A votes. I suppose C mate Vata and Youngbin share a vote. I was earnestly hoping that Youngbin would show a B card just so that it doesn't seem like Mate Group B totally lost. It was a huge, sweeping win for Mate Group A who claimed the sports glory and the performance glory. 

Based on this performance alone, I am inclined to vote for (in no particular order):
1) Miraku (I really thought he could steal the show)
2) Jia Hao (That's a given)
3) Chen Shiau Fu (What a surprise that he was able to improve his performance)
4) Han Yu Seop (I didn't mention him much, but I feel sorry that I didn't notice his talent sooner.)
5) Jo Seung Hyun (He embodied the song the best.)
6) Seo Yun Deok (I have to acknowledge him now after all that he's done for this episode. That high leap frog jump was no joke)
7) Kai (I can't help that Kai caught my eyes with his flexibility and power moves).

Jeon Joon Pyo deserves the credit for the choreography, flow, and behind the scenes, but my initial reaction to watching this episode was that he wasn't too present for his team as a leader and I wasn't feeling that he was leading that much.

I unfortunately did not put Jang Hyun Jun on my top list simply because he showed me his scary side in this episode. I felt that I must escape from him.

It pains me that I should include Takuma because I have been thinking about him a lot after the show and he deserves to be in my top seven as well. This competition is tough in that I can't seem to settle on a proper lineup.

What does this episode, which seems like a special episode, mean for my overall final line up? Did this episode influence my final lineup thoughts? I think so. My top two contestants have not changed.

Proposed Final Lineup:
1. Jo Min Jae (no question, best vocalist)
2. Jia Hao (all rounder plus!)

However, everybody else is unstable in my lineup and have almost completely changed. I didn't see anything in particular from this episode that would make me hold my vote in place.

3. Jeon Joon Pyo (very stable performance)
4. Shin Won Cheon (surpassed my expectations with matching the concept and falsetto singing)
5. Kim Shi On (he is still too memorable in my mind)
6. Jung Hyun Jun (this is going to be tough as Jung Hyun Jun is now on the brink of elimination from my top 7)
7. Bing Fan (He was the best in his team.)

3. Miraku (I was certain that he is meant to be a performer.)
4. Han Yu Seop (I can no longer ignore him from the first round performances and he represented his team well).
5. Seo Yun Deok (I am not one to care about physicality, but he impressed me with his athleticism on stage. I can see how that can be useful in a group.).

This is where I'm a bit stuck as I cannot decide from a pool of contestants who would be my last two picks. I decided that I will keep the two most dedicated contestants. They seem to be safe picks.

6. Jung Hyun Jun (perhaps I will still continue to put him on standby.)
7. Jeon Joon Pyo (He seems to have a lot of good qualities and dedication.)

Let's see who is still on my radar (21 contestants, which increased instead of decreased from 16 in the last episode):

Mate Group A:
Kai - I didn't know that he had hidden potentials
Takuma - He had really great stage presence and facial expressions.
Shin Won Cheon - Somehow, he lost my attention in this episode. Perhaps his next performance will bring me back to consider him again.
Kim Shi On - I still have a mini-watch on him to see if I should bring him to the final lineup. I notice that he does have some type of accent when he talks or at least a unique way of speaking.
Jung Jae Young - Initially, he almost left my radar, but I kept coming back to see his extroverted side and also his dance performance was a bit eye-catching so I won't let him go yet.
Jang Hyun Jun - It's not exactly a deal breaker for me yet that he scares me in this episode, but talent-wise, I want to keep him on my radar.
Kim Seung Ho (07) - I didn't know how extroverted he was and I feel like this person should not be ignored for the competition even though I didn't pay attention to him in the first performance.
Bing Fan - I'm still keeping Bing Fan on my list as I am expecting him to wow me later.

Mate Group B:
Chen Shiau Fu - He improved himself a lot.
Jo Seung Hyun - He was not on my radar before this episode, but now I want to pay attention to him after his solo part.
Yoon Jae Yong - I saw how hard he was working, but I don't know yet if he is at the point where I want to give him a final spot in the lineup.
Noh Gi Hyeon - I was not impressed with his first performance, but him being a leader in episode three made me take a note of him again. I hope to see him in the next performance to have a better determination. I don't mind giving second chances.
Choi Han Gyeol - I didn't see him much in this episode. He still needs protection so I am keeping him on my radar.
Jeong Hyun Uk - I barely saw him during the dance performance. Given his positive record, I want to see his next performance.

Mate who left my radar:

Lee Do Ha  - Sorry, but this episode made me very disappointed in his work ethics. It will take hard convincing for me to bring him back on my radar.

This is tough. I ended up not narrowing down the list, but increasing the radar list. Maybe the next performance will determine a lot. I believe contestants can have a bad day so maybe the next performance will convince me who deserves to stay as if I control the votes.

What did you think about this special episode? Who are your favorites?

Here are some bonus videos to watch of the mega crew performances (Encore!):












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