I am no stranger to the chaotic spectacle that is K-pop survival shows as a long-time follower of the K-pop industry. Survival shows, which intimately introduce new talent through weekly episodes of high-stakes music and dance competition, allow entertainment companies to create and guarantee the success of their new group. Over the years, these K-pop shows, from “Sixteen” to “Boys II Planet,” have generated monumental traction from fans and created many of K-pop’s most iconic groups.
Like many others, I have dedicated countless hours to watching K-pop survival shows, contributing to online fan discourse and begging my uninterested friends to vote for my favorite contestants. Although I have long since stopped watching these shows, current viewers’ fiery fan-made content continues to plague my social media timeline. As the quantity of the shows has increased, it seems that every new rendition comes with the same set of controversies I am all too familiar with, including the mistreatment of contestants and manipulative editing choices.
Despite the numerous scandals associated with K-pop, the reason that survival shows persist is because exploiting K-pop idols and trainees makes for good entertainment. Fans are quick to overlook their own incessant criticisms of survival shows in favor of the excitement of discovering and supporting new talent. The fans’ inability to properly hold these shows accountable for these controversies enables show producers to engage in unethical practices that are disrespectful to viewers, and it condones the exploitation of contestants at the expense of their well-being. No institution better illustrates the dark side of K-pop survival shows than Music Network (Mnet), a South Korean music television channel that churns out countless K-pop survival shows. Fans have not always been the biggest supporters of Mnet, with many viewers loudly proclaiming “I hate Mnet” on social media.
While there are a multitude of reasons why Mnet has such a tainted reputation, like its use of manipulative editing strategies, also known as “evil editing,” and history of noticeable bias in its award shows, a hypothetical bomb was dropped on survival show viewers in July 2019. That summer, the South Korean police revealed that Mnet had rigged all four seasons of its incredibly popular “Produce 101” series. This scandal caused incredible commotion within the K-pop industry, leading to a Seoul court charging two producers with obstruction of business operations and the disbandment of X1, the latest K-pop group that had risen from the TV series.Despite the severity of the investigation and the immense backlash that followed, Mnet proceeded with the release of new survival shows months later, starting with “World Klass” in October 2019. Although the Mnet CEO apologized for the incident, it is appalling that the channel resumed with the creation of new survival shows so quickly after its biggest scandal. This clearly indicates that survival show producers prioritize profit generation from fans over accountability.
Although survival shows that aired after the X1 scandal did not show any signs of rigging, problems regarding the blatant mistreatment of contestants persisted. Mnet’s “Boys/Girls Planet” seasons, which feature contestants from all over the globe, have received backlash regarding the xenophobic treatment of foreign trainees. Fans described the premise of another Mnet survival show, “I-Land,” as “traumatizing” as it trapped contestants in a training facility for months while constantly pitting them against each other. In “Starlight Boys,” producers forced contestants to dance to the show’s theme song until utter exhaustion, and one of the judges rudely invalidated one contestant when he spoke out against its cruelty. In a Netflix documentary “Pop Star Academy,” depicting the backstory and progression of the K-pop survival-inspired show “Dream Academy,” the show’s producers openly admitted to intentionally disguising the fact to the contestants that there would be public elimination votes for the sake of creating entertainment. The continued prevalence of these issues is highly alarming and indicates that show producers do not take abuses during survival shows seriously.
It is extremely disheartening to see new, talented individuals face the same cycle of mistreatment with each new show. It is even more disappointing to acknowledge that the increasing popularity of these shows has sent the message to producers that profit absolves mistreatment. These shows have created many popular groups, such as Enhypen, ZeroBaseOne and Katseye, serving as evidence for entertainment companies that the potential profits of collaborating with channels such as Mnet outweigh the physical and emotional toll their trainees may encounter. Amid the existing exploitation and mistreatment of stars in the K-pop industry as a whole, survival shows both enable and publicize this cruelty. If K-pop fans continue to indirectly enable unethical actions by engaging in its viewership despite their criticisms, show producers will continue to take advantage of the same talented idols fans wish to support.
Due to the popularity of survival shows, it is highly doubtful that the group-creating format will fade out anytime soon. Therefore, fans must remember: Idols are humans and do not deserve to be exploited for sheer entertainment. We must firmly speak out against the constant mistreatment of survival show contestants and demand real change in the show format — to one that is guided by more ethical practices. In turn, K-pop agencies and producers must actively prioritize artists’ well-being over entertainment value. If things do not change, viewers should consider boycotting these shows so that entertainment companies take notice. The problem of mistreatment in K-pop has occurred for far too long — only once fans begin to firmly call out the issues will the industry finally shift.
Contact Kristen Seo at kristen.seo@emory.edu
Kristen Seo (she/her) (28C) is from Cumming, Georgia, and majoring in Political Science and currently deciding on a double-major. In her free time, she likes journaling, listening to music, and playing sudoku.
