The K-POP world-scale debut project 'Boys 2 Planet' has officially kicked off the debut competition, igniting a flair for success.
Mnet 'Boys 2 Planet' (BOYS II PLANET) episode 3 featured a tense '1vs1 rank battle' where K and C Planet survivors met on the same planet and staked their pride. In a situation where the ranks and standings of the survivors were all unveiled, the participants prepared to showcase their unique strengths to ascend to higher ranks. Additionally, Ong Seong-woo, the first Planet Master, cheered them on from the participants' perspective, further elevating the atmosphere.
On this day, the broadcast nearly reached an 80% real-time viewing share among all live channels on TVING at the same time, soaring to first place in real-time search terms and demonstrating its immense popularity. More importantly, the number of Mnet Plus viewers, who watched the event streamed live worldwide, surged by over 50% compared to the previous week, confirming the global interest in the K-POP world-scale project. The global buzz was also remarkable. On X (formerly Twitter), keywords related to the 'Boys 2 Planet' program and participants topped the real-time trending rankings in major countries, including Korea, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and even entered the real-time search trend on Weibo, China's leading social media platform.
Meanwhile, the second global vote by the star creators that will determine the fate of the boys can be participated via the global K-POP content platform Mnet Plus once a day until 10 a.m. on the 8th. Through this main vote, the lowest survivor among the participants who remain will be announced during the live streaming of the first surviving announcement ceremony at 3 p.m. on the 8th (Thursday) and will be determined by a live vote of the last survivor.
The '1vs1 rank battle' aired that day was performed with the representative song of the group that won the rookie award at Mnet's year-end awards. A total of 10 teams were formed, with 8 members each within the same rank, and teams that selected the same song faced off against each other. The winning team was determined by votes from the star creators in attendance, and if a lower rank team defeated a higher rank team, there was a maximum benefit of 300,000 points at stake, igniting their competitive spirit. Particularly, through this rank battle, only 48 all-stars and two-stars can survive for the next journey, so the participants poured intense passion into team composition, part allocation, and practice. However, Yumechi, who ranked first overall in the second rank decision match, shocked the participants by forming an Avengers-level team.
The first stage of the rank battle was Stray Kids' 'Special.' Team 1, led by leader Jo Kyuhyun, conducted part distribution and practice swiftly, showcasing a highly polished performance. In particular, Kim In-hoo, who had struggled during the practice process, presented a significantly improved performance, supported by his teammates' encouragement, while Kim Jun-min reached the peak of completion with overwhelming stage dominance. The team received praise from the master panel, with comments such as, 'The fact that all 8 members stood out was a major strength of this team,' and they secured a 6:2 advantage in the positional individual votes against Team 2.
The second stage featured TWS's 'The first meeting didn't go as planned.' Team 1, which had raised concerns among the masters about whether they could effectively convey the refreshing atmosphere of the song, showcased perfect chemistry on stage. Particularly, the youngest, Na Yoon-seo, encouraged Heo Sin-long, who had lost his confidence, and the two's mutual support amidst fierce competition was heartwarming. In response, Team 2, led by Jeon I-jeong, directly assembled members Choi Rip-woo, Jeong Sang-hyun, Jang Han-eum, and Lee Chen, promising a refreshing stage and demonstrating strong competitiveness.
The 4th episode of 'Boys 2 Planet' airing at 9:20 p.m. on the 7th will showcase participants' unprecedented cover performances of Dongbang's 'Rising Sun (Purity),' ZEROBASEONE's 'Kill the Romeo,' aespa's 'Whiplash,' along with the results of the star creators' 1vs1 rank battle votes.
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