Mnet's girl group idol reality show has aired their first round of eliminations, dropping 36 trainees who hoped to make it into the finals. The remaining trainees will stay on the show, but what happens to those that were eliminated?
On Feb. 19, the rankings for contestants from No. 1 to No. 97 place were revealed (four contestants bowed out early). Although many of the high ranking members were expected, there were a few surprises in the rankings that led many viewers shocked as to who was eliminated. Out of the 97 remaining trainees, 36 were eliminated, leaving 61 contestants.
First, the 36 who were cut must leave the training facility of show, located in the city of Ilsan, near Seoul. Following the rules laid out at the beginning of the program, they will return to their respective agencies.
Although many of the trainees were above average, they have no choice but to accept the results of the voting and return to their original agencies, where they can continue training and continue their dream of joining an idol group.
One of the contestants stated that her dream of debuting has only become stronger after she was cut from the show. "I think if I do a little bit more, it will be possible. So I want to work harder."
Being cut from the show is not necessarily the end for these young trainees, of whom many are still in their teens.
Out of the 36 members cut, none of them were from the most widely known agencies. However, five trainees of Happy Face Entertainment (Dal Shabet's agency) were cut. One trainee from Star Empire (Nine Muses' agency) was eliminated as well.
Meanwhile, the remaining 61 contestants on "Produce 101" will continue to vie for a spot in the jointly-managed 11-member girl group that will be formed from the most popular trainees.
