Among the 18 participants, speculation arose that Mnet particularly favored THIS "Boys Planet" trainee.

Mnet Accused of Showing Favoritism To Seok Matthew After THIS Happened

On April 14, the 18 finalists for Mnet's boy group survival "Boys Planet" were finally identified!

In Episode 11 which aired on the 13th, the program originally featured 28 trainees who are competitors in the third elimination announcement. Those who will make it in the TOP18 will advance to the final round, which will determine who will be the FINAL9 that will join Mnet's new boy group lineup.

As a result, the trainees who secured their seats in the Top 18 include (in order): Sung Han Bin, Zhang Hao, Kim Ji Woong, Kim Tae Rae, Han Yu Jin, Keita, Kim Gyu Vin, Ricky, Seok Matthew, Lee Hoe Taek, Park Han Bin, Park Gun Wook, Jay, Yoo Seung Eon, Yoon Jong Woo, Kum Jun-Hyeon, Lee Jeong Hyeon, and Na Kamden.

ALSO READ: The Sensational 9: Meet ‘Boys Planet’ Debut Dream Line-up

Following the broadcast, the viewers and supporters of the aforementioned trainees surely felt relief and rejoiced that their respective picks were still in the competition with the aim of debuting in a new boy group.

However, amid the celebration, netters and K-pop fans, especially the supporters of Zhang Hao were unhappy with the alleged obvious favoritism Mnet is showing to Seok Matthew.

In online communities, internet users claimed that Mnet keep on changing their rules abruptly when Seok Matthew is involved.

Firstly, the OP pointed out that the seating arrangement was suddenly changed in the 3rd elimination round. To explain this, a screen capture of the original seat plan was shared vs. the latest one.

In the original arrangement, the 2nd and third places sit in front of the center (1st place). Meanwhile, those who ranked 8th and 9th place sit in the back seats. But this time, it was interchanged and the original uploader want to imply that this happened because Seok Matthew ranked 9th place.

In addition to this, when the trainees were gathered in the hall with Sunmi, the OP highlighted that Seok was given the front seat, beside the female planet master.

In both scenarios, the spotlight was taken away from Zhang Hao, thus, his fans also expressed their frustration. As broadcast exposure is really important for trainees, netters were accusing Mnet of favoring Seok Matthew.

Upon reading this, viewers agreed with the author and went on by giving an example, such as Mnet suddenly deciding to call four trainees as candidates for first place during the second elimination, when it was usually just three. Just then, Seok was announced to be the fourth place.

But rather than cursing at the trainee, viewers showed their disappointment at Mnet and felt sorry for Seok Matthew who was affected by this.

• "I feel sorry for Seok Matthew, too. Mnet pushed him too hard, so he ranked high at first, but fell completely because he was criticized."
• "Mnet when will come to your senses?"
• "At this point, it seems like Mnet is doing this on purpose."
• "Originally, all of these programs have chosen the members they want to debut in the first place, that's why they were the only ones who were given exposure in the show often. It's not just once or twice, but it's the fault of those who consume it."
• "If you're going to swear, criticize Mnet. The people who criticize Seok Matthew were the most pitiful."

'Boys Planet' To Air Final Episode on April 20, Mnet Assures Prevention of Voting Manipulation

On the other hand, the final debut group of Mnet's "Boys Planet" will be announced on its finale set to be aired on April 20.

The broadcast will be held at the Jamsil Indoor Gymnasium in Seoul and it is expected that more than 7,000 spectators will come to witness the final stage of the 18 participants.

To ensure that there will be no voting manipulation that will happen during the final lineup announcement, Mnet said:

"We will go through verification by Samil PwC, an external professional organization, to prevent manipulation by the production team in the process of counting votes for 'Boys Planet' and calculating results."

READ MORE: Mnet's ‘Boys Planet Manipulation Allegations’ — Fans Demand Transparency

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Written by Eunice Dawson.