“I would cry if Jongdae call me out lip syncing”- EXO Chen earns praise for his balanced critique at Be The Next: 9 Dreamers survival show

EXO's Chen is known to be a talented vocalist in the K-pop music industry. Recently, fans got to see the mentor side of him as well. He appeared in the survival show Be the Next: 9 Dreamers, and his comments towards the contestants went viral online.

The comments were made on Episode 4 of the show which was aired on February 16, 2025. He spoke to the contestants about stage etiquette, singing styles, and overall stage presence which is pivotal to have as a performer. Fans appreciated Chen's stern yet supportive comments. Here's what one X user wrote:

"He's savage and being kind at the same time! lmao I would cry if Jongdae call me out lip syncing in a singing show~"

"Jongdae's commentaries are all very direct, elegant, and charismatic, yet constructive," a user wrote.

"He will make the whole music industry cry, won't he?" a fan wrote.

"Watching the show and Chen is so cool. His comments are the more realistic and intellectual. Coming from a great vocalist," a fan replied.

Fans appreciated Chen's strict approach to scrutinizing the performances. While his comments were sharp, but also considerate of the contestant's situation. Fans also mentioned that a contestant named Arthur was sick before the performance, and Chen's question came from a place of curiosity rather than name-calling.

"I admire him so much like this is so honest and straightforward but he has such kind eyes and good intentions idgdjwjwjw like he just wants to help them improve," a user wrote.

"Knowing a bit more about context makes me feel bad... this guy was sick and hospitalized, and jongdae just asked him out of curiosity. He genuinely wanted to know the reason, not to shame him but to give advice according to the reason. We shouldn’t make him a bad guy now tbh" a fan wrote.

"I can't remember the specifics but I think before his debut, he was preparing to be a music teacher/lecturer? This is prolly the teacher/lecturer/mentor side that we are blessed to see. He'll be very attentive but strict in his teaching," a user replied.

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Be the Next: 9 Dreamers - Chen, other mentors, and all you need to know

Be the Next: 9 Dreamers is a survival show by the Filipino channel TV5 in collaboration with South Korea's MLD Entertainment. The show follows the journey of 74 contestants born between 2000 and 2009. Fan voting is involved in the program to determine the contestants' fate in the show.

Sandara Park is hosting the show whereas EXO's Chen, Lee Hye-bin, Bang Ye-dam, Park Woo-jin, and Vinci Malizon are regular mentors on the show. The survival show premiered on February 8, 2025, and is slated to go on for 10 episodes in total.