Kai

First BL in a minute that actually ate - no crumbs left.
Style's a diva 💯. Dude's got iconic rizz. Reminded me A LOT of my bf lol, so of course I was hooked.
The only thing that wasn’t fully vibing was the ending - mad choppy. Plot holes bigger than my sleep schedule lately💀

Listen, I'm not trying to offend you. I'm just saying they probably never thought to check, the same way they wouldn't check on harakiri, even though it can sound vulgar to the Japanese ear. It's just not a thing they would ever consider offensive.

Actually, if we’re being fully accurate, the word is only considered offensive in parts of the U.S. (mainly Alaska), Canada, and Greenland. Pretty much everywhere else, it’s just a regular term with no negative baggage - mostly because those places don’t have an Inuit population or a history of oppressing them. That said, some countries are becoming more aware of using the right indigenous names, like Inuit, but the word itself isn’t necessarily seen as offensive.

Tbh, in a lot of countries, it’s NOT a derogatory term. The word - pronounced “Eskimo” or something close - exists in tons of Asian languages, including Korean, Japanese, Mandarin (Chinese), Tagalog (Filipino), Bahasa Indonesia, etc., and it’s not offensive in any of them. Even in Thai, there’s a word เอสกิโม (also pronounced Eskimo), and it’s totally neutral. Pretty sure it never even crossed the producers’ minds that it could be taken the wrong way. I’d bet on that.

Perhaps it's an unpopular opinion, but tbh, I’d rather see the opposite pairing. What’s happening now is cute and all, but Thame is just too perfect. Jun feels way more like a real person, and he was really trying his best. I found him more interesting, personable & was low-key rooting for him, but it was obvious from the start that he never stood a chance.

I get what you're trying to say, but I can't speak for others. My opinions are my own. No telling what other people have done.

Looking at it from a professional standpoint, not a fan perspective, I didn’t care for JL any more than for the other members, and I still think Team Rhythm had the strongest individual standouts across the board. I wasn’t particularly invested in any team, so there was no bias in my take - just calling it how I see it.

If that’s the case, it sounds like it’s just your opinion that they aren’t lacking in charisma - and that’s fair. Just a suggestion, though: maybe think twice before telling someone their opinion is unacceptable. My perspective does and is allowed to differ from yours, and it seems we can at least agree that everyone is entitled to their own point of view.

As for the outcome, bought or not, Team Rhythm had a clear advantage over Groove. Even if JL had received an average number of votes (around 100–200k instead of literal millions), Team Rhythm still would’ve won. What really worked in their favor was that each member had a distinct image, making it easy to root for individuals. In contrast, TG’s members felt much more similar to one another, which made it harder for anyone to stand out.

Re: charisma
First off, you’re a fan, so naturally, you’ll see charisma in them - that’s valid, regardless of who you’re rooting for. And to be fair, I agree that some TG members were more charismatic than others. The majority of them were just not charismatic enough.
Second, I’m not saying they don’t have potential. My point is that they lacked the charisma and image to carry them further at this stage.
Lastly, I’m struggling to see what was unacceptable about what I said about charisma. What part of it didn’t sit right?

Personally, I didn’t vote because that’s not why I watch these shows. But I also don’t understand why voting should be limited to just fans. Musicians - regardless of whether they’re solo artists or in groups - make music to connect with the general public. Especially in kpop, where the genre itself literally stands for Korean popular music. It’s created for the masses, so it makes sense for the masses to have a say. It’d be a completely different story if this were about opera or classical music, but it’s not.

Charisma isn’t about how great of a dancer, singer, or even how good-looking someone is. Real charisma shifts the perception of beauty and sets its own standards.

And don’t get me wrong - they absolutely need to be able to sing, and sing well. But without charisma, there’s a ceiling to what they could achieve.

Every opinion is valid, but looking at it from the industry point of view, lots of international A-listers started out with less-than-stellar vocal skills, and still managed to surpass some of the most incredible vocalists out there because they knew how to project an image that captivated people.

I’m not coming at this from a fan perspective. I watch these shows out of professional curiosity, so my take is purely about who I think has the potential to break into the industry right now (because let’s be real, people evolve, grow, and level up). It’s about who’s got that pull to really connect with the masses.

Dancing is a piece of the performance puzzle, but it’s just that—a piece. It’s got a limited tie to true charisma, which is what really makes someone stand out.

So...the group name is questionable A(ho)F
I mean, it must count for something that they managed to fit two curse words into one name 🫠💀

Having said that, overall, I think this is the best lineup possible, given the show's format. I’ll give it to Team Groove: they had better vocals, but let’s be real, they lacked personality. No hate, just facts. They all kinda blurred together, you know? Charisma is everything in this game, and if you don’t have it, you’re just another face in the crowd. There’s a reason so many great vocalists end up as backup singers. Unless your voice is next-level rare, being a great vocalist isn’t enough to make you a star. What makes a successful performer is the perfect combination of charisma, talent, and skill.


Now, let’s talk about who I’m stoked for: Cha Woong Ki and Daisuke.

Cha Woong Ki is a no-brainer. Dude’s been through hell and back, and still came out on top with his skill, talent, and natural star power. Honestly, no surprises there - he’s a total package.

As for Daisuke, I know some of y’all are probably side-eyeing me on this one, but IMO this kid is the underdog to watch. Here’s the thing: the kid’s 14 and already ready to debut. That doesn’t happen by accident. He’s got talent, he’s got charisma, and he’s got the work ethic to back it up. Imagine what he’s gonna bring to the table when he’s 20, and more mature. That’s the kind of potential you don’t ignore.

Style is there to say out loud all that people wish they could say if they were braver & funnier, but they never do cuz they're afraid to make an ass of themselves 😁

I’m really starting to dislike this format, mostly because the teams barely change throughout the show, and even more so because of how they were formed. Whenever a trainee had a say, they always picked their idol’s team (unless they were seriously focused on leveling up their vocals, in which case they’d go for Team Groove). It was obvious from the get-go that Ten and YangYang would be way more appealing to young, impressionable trainees than even the best producer paired with, let’s be real, probably the least popular GOT7 member. Fame wins, logic loses. The only ones making choices based on actual logic were the more seasoned trainees, like Cha Woong Ki. He straight-up said having a producer on the team was a massive advantage, which makes sense. But most of the others - pure fan bias. That’s why the teams felt unbalanced from the start, especially between Team Rhythm and Team Beat. Idk, the whole thing is just leaving a bad aftertaste in my mouth.

The problem is, with shows like this the audience often votes for the most handsome or likable trainees, leaving many of the most talented ones behind. This is not how the most successful kpop groups get formed.

He's giving us a death stare after every performance lol

Watching this purely out of professional curiosity, and tbh only about 10% of each episode has any value - the performances, song picks, results. You know, the actual show.
The other 90% is just filler drama, and a total waste of time. WAY more screentime for crying trainees than actual choreography. Feels like it's less about performing and more like a deep dive into who stole whose instant noodles 🙄 At this point, the drama is the main event, and the music is the intermission. I’m not even sure anymore if I’m watching a survival show or a low-budget soap opera. Bruh, 2.5 hours for 15 minutes of real content?
My honest recommendation: just watch the ~15min that are actually worth it and completely skip the other 135min (135! lol 🫠)

IMO, Dunk’s gonna be the long-term winner of this series (credit to all the actors, but still). Despite all the hate he is getting, Style is already iconic. He’s such a one-of-a-kind character, and the fact that he’s sparking so much controversy—people either love him or hate him—says everything about how well Dunk played him. You don’t get this kind of emotional response from a badly portrayed character.

This show is hilarious.
Gotta respect Style. Bro has grown a nasty pair of guts.

As they should be. Dude's still tight with his ex - who, let’s be real, he never even had romantic feelings for - and now he’s got a shot with his forever crush. Bro is stuck in peak teenage limbo if he’s still moping about that breakup. If there is anything else there, somebody's clearly failed at their screenwriting job.

I know. IMO it dilutes the discussion. Really, there isn't that much of a difference between the two.