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On December 29, 2022, Mnet's upcoming show Boys Planet revealed the profile photos of all its contestants. Apart from that, the television channel also released a performance clip for the show’s latest theme track titled Here I Am!
Following the release of the pictures, fans were happy to see many familiar contestants, such as Pentagon's Hui and Woonggi from TO1, alongside some fresh faces. However, due to the contestants' heavily edited profile photos, which made them look different from their real appearance, the topic soon gained traction among the Hallyu fans on the internet.
Moreover, the difference in appearance became even more evident when fans compared their profile pictures to the performance clip Here I Am!. One netizen on Twitter wrote:
"The boys planet 999 boys are actually so attractive.. idk why mnet edited their profile photos like that"
Netizens are disappointed as they compare the recently released profile photos of Mnet's Boys Planet contestants with their real-life pictures
Fans of the show were disappointed with Mnet's recently released profile pictures of the contestants since they believed the trainees looked better in real life. Jumping on the bandwagon, some netizens contested that the edited images gave a false aesthetic representation of the trainees through their profile photos.
As fans continue to call out Mnet for their recent Boys Planet's contestants profile photo release, it remains to be seen whether or not the television channel will take any measures to rectify their error.
The audience would hold a significant position in deciding the ranks of each contestant and the outcome of Mnet's Boys Planet
As the male counterpart Girls Planet, Boys Planet's trainees are parted into two groups. One party is the K-group for Korean contestants, while the other is the G-group for global contestants.
The upcoming K-Pop boy group audition project was decided and produced by Korean and international fans, who identified the charm of the boys and supported them to make them shine. As such, the Mnet program aims to present the potential of boys from all around the world. The official synopsis of the show, as mentioned on their website, reads:
"When the two worlds of K-Group and G-Group collide, ONE WORLD is born."
Boys Planet is based on the themes and aesthetics of space, where each of the two groups would represent a planet. Additionally, there is a Master Council made up of the two K-pop Masters who would mentor the 98 boys.
The show has four Vocal/Dance Masters who would train the contestants' vocal, rap, and dance skills. However, it is the fans and audiences alike, called the Planet Guardians, who would decide the ranks of each contestant and the outcome of Boys Planet.
The mobile app and web platform UNIVERSE will be connecting the contestants and the Planet Guardians in the form of voting and other media, including the contestants' video clips and photos.
On August 30, Mnet revealed that trainees from 229 agencies had submitted their applications, including self-trained applicants from 84 countries. The trainees, who submitted applications for the first round of auditions, were from Asia, Europe, North and South America, and the Middle East. Following this, by mid-November, the final contestants were confirmed to be selected.
On November 28, Mnet officially confirmed that the show will premiere in February 2023, with a total of 98 participants worldwide. The show's first teaser was released during the 2022 MAMA Awards, where the premiering date was then confirmed to be February 2.
