The competition is definitely on in Mnet’s new survival show Girls Planet 999.
The show will focus on wannabe K-pop idols from China, Japan, and Korea, all of whom will battle it out to debut in a project group similar to those created by the Produce 101 franchise.
Ahead of Girls Planet 999’s premiere on August 6 at 8:20 PM KST, Mnet posted another new teaser on its YouTube channel. On the first episode, the 99 trainees—who were grouped according to their nationalities—will showcase their talents for the very first time.
The new teaser begins with a glimpse of the trainees performing for the show’s mentors. Aside from legendary girl group alums Sunmi of Wonder Girls and Tiffany of Girls Generation (who were brought on board to be K-Pop Masters), Mnet tapped esteemed choreographers Baek Goo Young and Jang Joo Hee to serve as Dance Masters. Meanwhile, singer Im Han Byul and vocal coach Jo Ah Young will be the show’s Vocal Masters.
As the 99 contestants take the Girls Planet 999 stage to show off their dancing, singing, and stage presence, an awestruck trainee can be heard saying, “Wow, this is really a competition.”
One of the trainees gunning for a spot in the final nine is CLC’s Yujin. In the teaser, she was shown being dissed by Chinese trainee Fu Yaning.
When asked if she had something to say to Yujin, Fu Yaning pointed right at her and paraphrased a line from CLC’s song “HELICOPTER.” She sang, “We go up, but you don’t.”
Her statement didn’t go over well with anyone. Not with the contestants, most of whom covered their mouths in shock, and certainly not mentors Sunmi and Tiffany, whose expressions darkened almost immediately upon hearing what she said.
In a voice over, Fu Yaning said in her native language, “I’ll conquer all 99 girls.” For her part, the CLC member chose to keep quiet, but it was clear from the look on her face that she didn’t care for the Chinese trainee’s words either.
Fans who watched the teaser were not pleased with Fu Yaning. They took to SNS, where they denounced her and called her words “unnecessarily harsh.” Some even said the teaser ruined her chances of going far in the competition, predicting that she’ll place last in the upcoming eliminations.
This isn’t the first time the Chinese trainee ruffled netizens’ feathers, either. A video of Fu Yaning singing the n-word made the rounds recently and the backlash was harsh and swift, which prompted her to issue the following apology.
This incident isn’t the only thing that will cause Girls Planet 999 to heat up. In the teaser, host Yeo Jin Goo announced that the contestants will be divided into units of three, which will be made up of one member from each of the three groups—Chinese, Japanese, and Korean.
“Either all of you will make it to the next round, or you’re all going home together,” he explained ominously.
If you’re dying to find out what will happen to your favorite trainee, tune in to the Girls Planet 999 premiere later this week!