Dream Academy contestants had no idea they were going to be in a survival show, HYBE x Geffen facing backlash

HxGare currently facing a tremendous amount of backlash as it has been revealed that the Dream Academy contestants had no idea that they were going to be a part of a survival show.

The show formed the girl group KATSEYE, comprising of the top 6 contestants, Sophia, Lara, Megan, Yoonchae, Manon and Daniela. They made their debut on August 16, 2024 with the EP SIS (Soft Is Strong)

The group began airing a behind the scenes documentary named Popstar Academy: Katseye on August 21, showing the struggles of the contestants and how Katseye was formed.

However, a few episodes in, fans were informed of the brutal processes that the contestants were put through.

It was said in the documentary that 20 girls were chosen from 120,000 applicants, meaning that only 0.00017% of the girls made it through. After they were selected, for weeks the girls were told that they would be training to be shortlisted into the debut group. However the girls had no idea that this process would be aired into a public survival show, with global voting.

In episode 6, the girls were only just informed prior to the second elimination that 4 girls would be going home, and instead of being told by their trainers and given feedback, they were told by a robotic screen shortly after, leaving them to pack their bags and head home immediately after.

Another part of the show being criticised is when the girls were asked to pick 5 people they think would be ideal for the debut team. This was through seperate interviews, and the girls were informed prior that they were private and wouldn't be aired, only for them to be shown to the girls when they were sitting next to each other and later the whole world. A text across the screen reads, “The contestants never expected to watch their answers while sitting next to each other.”

Contestant Lexie left the show halfway through in episode 7.“The whole program changed so much when it went public and when it turned into, like, this show, turning us against each other,” she says. “And that was something I really didn’t like personally. It felt really wrong, and I was really upset.”. She previously said through HxG that she left to pursue other activities

Another contestant Karlee said that "From the start, we didn’t know this was a survival show. It was supposed to be training – pick the girls, prepare for debut, and debut. What embodies K-pop and a group is their bond and their trust in each other, and what survival shows do is they put contestants against each other. I don’t believe in putting people against each other to form a group.”

Brooklyn says “I personally was told in that interview that this was not gonna be seen and I felt so, like, betrayed.”

The HYBE x Geffen president, namely Mitra said that they “needed a more compelling storyline,”, however many fans have been upset by this deception to the contestants.

What are your thoughts on this situation? Stay tuned for more updates!

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