– You came here to become an idol. Right?
– Even the guiders who were with you all this time would perform at concerts and, at most, can perform up to 30 songs in front of their fans
The China-based OTT platform iQIYI’s joint China-Korea global audition program *Starlight Boys* has become embroiled in a human rights controversy.
The controversy stems from a segment where, until 56 out of 68 contestants were chosen, they were repeatedly made to dance intensely for around 20 times. Despite some participants collapsing and crying from exhaustion, the dancing continued without stopping, drawing criticism for being excessive.
On the 7th, an online post titled “The China-Korea survival show that’s so ruthless it’s being talked about” became a hot topic in online communities.
The post criticized the “Signal Song Mission” […] In this mission, all 68 contestants were placed in individual boxes, like dolls in a display, and were made to repeatedly perform the choreography for the show’s signal song in order to select 56 participants.
Ultimately, when a Chinese contestant protested the program’s format, saying, “We are not machines,” the “guider” Lee Seung-gi stepped in.
Lee Seung-gi responded to the protesting contestant, saying, “Did you come here to become an idol?” He continued, “The guiders who are the judges perform concerts with up to 30 songs, dancing this intensely in front of fans.”
However, Lee Seung-gi then persuaded the contestants, and after catching their breath, they continued with the mission until the end.
In response, Korean netizens expressed their outrage: “Is he crazy? Who dances 30 songs at a concert?” “30 songs is too much,” “They didn’t even give them water and made them do that. You can’t shield the production team,” and “If you give them attention, they’ll keep doing this, so we should just completely ignore the show.”
The iQIYI account on YouTube, where the broadcast was uploaded, has been flooded with negative comments from Chinese netizens.
Netizens commented, “It’s not normal to dance 20 times in a row without rest to the same song,” “This format is really exhausting. I don’t want to watch it,” “Who on earth came up with this broken competition system?” “They don’t treat the trainees like humans,” and “Excessive exercise in a short time can lead to muscle breakdown syndrome (a condition where muscles begin to break down due to high-intensity exercise repeated in a short period). They’re just chasing their dreams, but they’re being humiliated like this.”
Especially since Lee Seung-gi, a ballad singer, made these comments, both Chinese and Korean netizens have criticized him. One netizen said, “I’m a fan of Lee Seung-gi, but that statement is ridiculous,” adding, “Whether you’re an idol or a ballad singer, no one sings 10 or 20 songs in a row at a concert and dances nonstop. You take breaks in between to talk to the fans, and idols usually rest by rotating through unit stages.”
In fact, a YouTuber pointed out in their review of the broadcast, “Even current idols like Hangyul collapsed from exhaustion after 10 rounds,” and noted, “They move as if they’re doing a burpee test where you work for 3 minutes, rest for 30 seconds, and repeat. Even professional idols don’t do 30 songs in a row.”
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original post: here
1. Anyone would think that Lee Seung-gi is a dance singer.. What about you try to dance…?
2. Ugh what a psychopathic program, what is this…
3. Yet he always slacks off in his own dances..
4. I just hope that this was scripted, if this is actually from him, it’s baffling
5. What…? Not only do they not dance to 30 songs in a row, but what does that have to do with being an idol? Is it the job of an idol to dance 30 times in a row?
6. Even a dance singers would be hated on if they said something like that, he’s not even a dance singer and he’s saying this. This is hilarious. Is he a psychopath?
7. This is noise marketing right?
8. I’m not swearing at Lee Seung-gi but I bet the PD made him say this. He didn’t say that by himself right?
9. If Choi Youngjoon, Hui, and Kwon Eunbi had said that, I would have understood that they’re a choreographer or an idol, and have experience, but because it’s Lee Seung-gi. it was just funny… No but I teared up watching this scene because I felt so bad for them.. No but do they need to cry while dancing to pass? They had to hold back and keep dancing with a smile on their face, even I cried. How can you look at this and keep your straight face and not be phased as a judge?
10. How bad is it that the kids who passed first and were watching start speaking out against the production crew (the kid who passed was Chinese on top of that)… It’s not like the ratings will go up due to the noise marketing, does this program not have any human rights?
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