On August 6, the first episode of Mnet’s highly-anticipated survival show Girls Planet 999 finally aired.
Ex-SM Entertainment trainees Ahn Jeongmin and Kim Chaehyun caught plenty of attention when they first appeared on the show, because they used to train with the girls who eventually made it into aespa, the label’s newest girl group.
For the judges’ evaluation, the two performed aespa’s debut song “Black Mamba.” It’s not an easy song to sing, because it has plenty of high notes and complex choreography.
Kim Chaehyun performed very well during the first half of the song. Her vocals remained stable even as she danced. But when she attempted the high note Ningning sings on the bridge, her voice cracked. Mnet replayed the moment when it happened to emphasize her mistake, which led many to believe that it was highly noticeable.
A day later, on August 7, Mnet uploaded the full version of their audition to its official YouTube channel. In it, Kim Chaehyun is shown attempting to hit the same note again. Although her voice did get a little shaky, she ultimately managed to hit it smoothly.
The backlash was swift. Fans accused Mnet of sabotaging Kim Chaehyun by intentionally distorting her high note to make it seem like she sounded awful on the bridge of “Black Mamba.” The camera also zoomed in on her worried expression and the looks of distaste on the masters’ faces. (The show calls its panel of celebrities “masters,” not “judges” or “mentors.”)
Watch her performance below:
Do you believe Mnet threw Kim Chaehyun under the bus by exaggerating her mistake? Why or why not? Sound off in the comments!