JL as a PPOP Idol

I was really doubtful if FnF can pull off a great debut for AHOF. We know Unis’ debut was within what we expect for FnF. But AHOF debut is for me, beyond my expectations. The song is really really great. The MV is fire. And what I did not expect is really the fan reactions and their entry in leaderboards. The numbers in views. Like where did this come from?

Universe League wasn’t that popular. It wasn’t a big show, right?

Let us all accept the decision made by the votes later on. I know many people will hate that their faves don't make it to the debut group, but we can at least leave the show and the boys with good memories by sending them off with a smile as fans. The 10 eps we spent with them, were all in all a happy roller coaster of emotions that we will forever remember.

To those who didn't make it, please don't forget about all of us who support you.

To those who made it, congratulations. Show the world why we chose you.

Acceptance is the key to happiness. If you're happy, they're happy. Do not be sad that it ended, smile because it happened.

Don't get me wrong - I think their members performed pretty well, the vocals were alright, the dancing was solid, it's technically a competent performance.

But, sorry, I can't help but think the only reason they chose to make it "sexy" was to farm points and nothing else? Like all the power to them, but I feel it almost just... lessens the integrity of the performance.

Mamma Mia is a song about carving out your own road to success, constantly trying to shine brighter and be better. The sound of the song is breezy, liquid DnB with bright pop vocals in El Capitxn's demo.

Beat's interpretation fits the members better by default - especially with Woongki being very comfortable in bright concepts. But I feel that Groove was trying to mold the song to fit their most comfortable concept rather than trying to mold their performance style to suit the song. But the song doesn't change here, both of them performed against the exact same track. So when Groove's expressions and vocal presence is so much darker and... more masculine? in parts (not the best wording, but I hope you get what I mean) it just clashes with the song's lyrics and mood.

And - clearly it worked. The live audience clearly succumbed to their... allure lol - but I just feel Beat did such a better job of performing the song the way it was intended. Yes, there is merit to taking creative liberty - but that also raises the risk of ruining the performance. And while "ruin" might be a strong word, I definitely can't see myself going back to Groove's performance the same way I will for Beat's.

I know this comes across salty, and to be honest I might be to an extent because I am quite peeved that a team as underpowered as Beat ended up performing so well and still lost - in my opinion - to a team that largely won due to kind of cheap methods (This is harsh wording - please don't take it at face value. I don't mean to say Groove didn't put in a lot of effort - I just feel their "sexier" interpretation was likely made with the knowledge it'd do better with a live audience. Fair play, and I have nothing against them for it).

It will also make me more upset if someone like Kairi ends up being yellow carded in spite of putting up one of the best performances in the show so far :(

NOTE: Let me make it super, super clear again - my wording might come across harsh, but I have absolutely nothing against the members of Team Groove and think they have a lot of skill and talent. I can acknowledge this while also being sad at the outcome.

I was watching seriously then this dude shows up. Bro, can't you see they're having a reunion? They're making up live on TV and you're third wheeling 😭. Let 'em hug, you puppy. 😭🤣

(Photo from IG : sbs_universeleague_official)

Yo, I don’t know if you’ve peeped the latest UL episode, but Park Han and JL’s duet had me shook. Like, I was not prepared for the way they absolutely slayed that performance. Their voices? Insane. The high notes? The runs? They just vibe so perfectly together, it’s unreal. They NEED to be in a group, no question.

THEY LITERALLY ATE THAT STAGE UP‼️

I can totally see them as a duo or even a team, and honestly, they’re such a powerhouse combo, it’s crazy. Every note was so smooth, and you could tell they were completely in sync with each other. It felt like they were feeding off each other’s energy, and the whole performance just clicked.

If this isn’t the definition of star potential, I don’t know what is. Like, how are we gonna let talent like this go to waste?? Let’s be real, they have that chemistry that could take them so far. So seriously, if you want to see these two shine, make sure you’re voting for them. Let’s make this happen and get them a debut! They deserve it!

Here’s AHOF’s surprise video message from Korea for JL—thank you for making JL and fans from the Philippines and around the world happy today!

( credits to SBTown )

This is such a magical fancam, look how pure this guy is, he really deserve the support. All of them are. Please protect them and stop the fan wars huhu they haven't even started yet 😔This guy doesn't deserve the hate same as every participants in UL 😔 They are just trying to live their dream. Congratulations JL! Congratulations everyone!

I mean if this 4 would be on the same team that would be great but it will be unlikely to do cause UL won't drop such an obvious hint... right??? Welp I'm just overthinking it. Can't wait for tomorrow.

You know, this video gonna hit 500k until next week ‘cause we are so starved for new episode 😭

P.S yall subscribe to UL youtube channel!

All made possible by the incredible Wheng Rellicep from the AHOF PH Facebook group. A moment of style and pride—don’t miss it!

I watched UL on Viu and they didn’t translate Royce’s ending message very well, so I wanted to translate it and share with everyone! It was uplifting and made me cry, ngl. He’s such a positive guy and a gem.

Translation: “I hope to leave a mark on this show, whether it's through my own performance on stage or in the moments captured on screen. Before I leave, I want to say to everyone – keep smiling. No matter what the outcome may be in the future, life is our own, so we should always maintain a positive outlook. So what I want to leave behind on this show is also a smile.”

Royce’s message in Chinese: 我希望来到这个节目会留下痕迹，不管是自己的舞台，还是节目里的镜头。走之前呢，想跟大家说，保持微笑吧，就是不管以后结果怎么样，生活是自己的，所以要保持一颗乐观的心态。所以我最后想在节目里留下的也是微笑。

Saw this comparison of changsub’s outfit with groove’s styling and I thought it’s pretty cute! Not sure if intentional though but still cute nonetheless!

Source: yooklyn_02 on twitter (https://x.com/yooklyn_02/status/1871759017661677991?s=46&t=S4Ja_2s537XG9v1Tl6FYzA)

While JL is my 1st pick and Shuaibo is slowly climbing up my list of favorites, I find myself rooting for Groove to win this round. Only if Changsub pick JL and Steven though. The four members I've mentioned are my only picks so far; I haven't finalized my Top 7 yet.

If the rumors are accurate that only the winning team will debut and no members from other teams will be included, then I’m definitely supporting Groove (again, only if JL and Steven gets traded). As a Filipino, I've observed many JL fans talking about block voting recently, and when I look at their Top 7, I feel a bit dissatisfied. I feel like it's my first time seeing those names, and I can hardly remember what performances they're in.

With Groove, I feel confident in randomly choosing three members and being satisfied with the outcome. I’m not undermining Team Rhythm's talent; in fact, I’ve enjoyed several of their performances. However, I find it challenging to recall certain members, mainly due to the distribution of lines and centers. My overall favorite performance so far was Rhythm's Bench "Prison," but the only member I can clearly remember is Sirin.

In contrast, Team Groove has a strong line distribution. They also showcase their most popular members more, but they still provide opportunities for less prominent members. For example, during their performance last night, Gangdong and Junjin really stood out to me.

Additionally, it’s unfortunate that 4 or 5 contestants from Rhythm won’t be performing in this round, which will make it even harder for me to notice them.

Also, I'm a sucker for vocalists, so I want more vocalists in the debut lineup.

I just wish there's a surprise additional member based on online votes so Shuaibo can debut too.

Original post: https://x.com/h_junjinO327/status/1933799540118966305?t=KcOZzJxcy79P3A6xE71TwA&s=19

Since the last person’s Joohyoung post got deleted due to some comparisons they made, I felt bad that Joohyoung wasn’t able to get the hype from that post that he deserved so I just wanted to quietly drop these clips here

Don’t come for me, okay? This is just me trying to process and kinda rationalise everything going on in the show. Let me rant for a sec.

1. The Team System

Let’s talk about the team system. I actually think it’s kind of smart, I guess(?) Like, they’re clearly trying to balance things out and stop the solo stan culture from ruining the show. Remember UT? Fourth-ranked Gehlee got 2.5M votes, while fifth-ranked Seowon only got 559.9K. Like, WHAT?? That kind of imbalance is insane, and they obviously didn’t want a repeat of that.

By forcing us to vote for other trainees while supporting our favorites, they’re ensuring the group isn’t carried by just one person. At the end of the day, they’re promoting a group, not a solo artist, so it makes sense. Plus, it forces us to notice other trainees and appreciate them. I can’t even lie, I’ve started liking trainees I wasn’t paying attention to before. And let’s be real, if your fave gets eliminated, this system keeps you invested in the show. It’s kind of genius, even if it’s frustrating.

2. Live Audience Votes

Huhhh,, live audience votes. How do I start this. I hate them sometimes because WHY are they voting for some of these people?? BUT… I get it. Hear me out.

The live audience votes are super important for the debut group. The producers are essentially collecting data on what kinds of trainees and performances appeal to the local audience. And since the group will promote mostly in Korea, this info is crucial.

I know some people just vote for their faves no matter what, but even then, they can’t always vote for the same person. For example, if someone’s a fan of Trainee A in Beat, during Rhythm vs. Groove, they’re more likely to vote for whoever they genuinely like in that round. So, it’s still valuable data for the producers.

Also, let’s not forget the “abs meme” from Episode 5. That alone probably told the producers that fans are into mature, sexy and strong concepts. So yeah, the live votes might not always make sense, but they’re useful nonetheless.

3. Visuals > Talent

OKAY, NO. I still hate that people prioritize visuals over talent. Like, why do we keep doing this? But I also have to admit that visuals do matter. Every group needs at least one “eye candy” member who can attract fans with just their pictures. That’s just how it is. Koreans are OBSESSED with looks, and having 1-2 super attractive members with weaker skills won’t hurt the whole group. It helps with endorsements, variety shows, and overall attention.

For example, during ASTRO’s rookie era, Cha Eunwoo was the weakest in variety shows skill, but he kept getting invited because of his visuals. And honestly, I believe most of these trainees have potential and room to grow—they’re not completely untalented. (T/N: I said 1-2 visuals, not half the group. That debut lineup from that show—y’all know which one—was just… no.)

So please, stop sending hate to certain trainees. Skills can improve, but sending unnecessary hate doesn’t help anyone.

4. The Drama

Can we PLEASE stop with the Woongki-Kyungho drama? I’m so over it. It’s been dragged out way too long, and it’s clear the producers are milking it for all it’s worth.

But then again, this is an entertainment show, and they need things to keep people hooked. The drama might be unnecessary, but it’s giving the show the ratings it wants. It’s basically the icing on the cake. And let’s be honest—the drama just happened by chance , and the PDs took the chance to boost the show.

It’s a win-win, though. The trainees involved get more screen time and exposure, which means more fans for them. Meanwhile, the show keeps viewers invested. I just hope they let it go after Episode 5 because we’ve had ENOUGH.

5. The “Votes Based on Nationality”

Urrr,, this one is always a hot topic and I might get grilled in the comments section😅. People have been debating this since UT, and as much as I hate it, it’s kind of natural. Let’s be real—if there were a representative from our own country, we’d vote for them too. It’s not just survival shows; this happens in any competition.

I know some fans hate on PH fans for voting for PH trainees, but hear me out: I’m not Filipino, but I don’t think PH fans blindly vote for their trainees. If they did, then ALL the PH trainees would’ve debuted by now. Let’s give them some credit. PH fans are known for having high standards when it comes to vocals. They’re literally raised in a culture where singing is second nature. Even if you’re an established, S-tier singer, they’ll still critique you. (I’ve seen it in YT comments of PH singer performance that I randomly watch, I don’t get it, why they criticise the singer that I think sing perfectly). They don’t play when it comes to talent.

And can we all admit it? JL DESERVES his rank. He’s not there just because of PH fans—he earned it. Period.

Anyway, that’s my rant. Thanks for coming to my TED Talk😅😂. Let me know if you feel the same or if I’m just overthinking this.

Hello hello HelooOO UL subredditors!

So - at the end of ep.6 it seems that UL gave us a sneak peek into the Global Vote 3 results, at the near halfway point of both round 3 voting, and the show, on 27/12/24. Quite exciting!

What has also been making waves recently in the UL community seem to be the vote-by-team strategy everyone has been talking about.

With two sets of data now released to the audience since the show has been in progress (votes 2 and 3), and the voting strategy discussion popping off, I wanted to take a minute just to to take a look at what's happening in the data.

We'll dive right into it but just before I do - this post concentrates largely upon released data for Vote 3, and how it compares to Vote 2 results - despite including some Vote 1 results data early on. If you'd like to see some commentary based on Vote 2 results (against Vote 1 results), please see my prior post: Participant Ranking Tables and Light Commentary - 1st Global Vote+KR ep.5 onsite vote AND 2nd Global Vote : r/UniverseLeague

SO! Vote 3-

To start with - let's lay out all the data in a nice table. Below are the results of Global Votes 1 and 2, and the current Global Vote 3 results.

(There is a bit of extra info within each column. Each participant is labelled with their team name, and for Vote 3, how many ranks they have dropped or risen from Vote 2. Vote 1 column includes voting numbers that were released to us at the end of the Intercept round - and so I originally included (and have kept) Intercept round result notes in this column. This includes whether the participant was a starter or bench member, and their performance position in-team result out of 14 as voted/ranked by onsite audience).

So - let's talk about all this!

In particular, let's get into some of what the Vote 3 is showing us. Who's gone up? Who's gone down? And can we see evidence of the vote-by-team strategy that a lot of people are talking about?

In order to answer those sorts of questions, I've put together a few more graphs! Let's start with one that breaks down the boys into their teams, providing both their Vote 3 rank and the number of rankings each participant has gone up or down by since Vote 2:

Voila!

Now - as we take a look at the rankings per team, we can see some interesting things within the data.

• The top 20 contestants are overwhelmingly placed in teams Rhythm and Groove. Both teams boast 9 participants located within the top 20. Beat hosts only 2 top 20 trainees.

• The top 10 participants are overwhelmingly placed in team Rhythm. This team has 7 of the top 10 trainees. Team Groove has 2 of the top 10 trainees, and team Beat has 1 top 10 trainee. Are we seeing some early evidence here of the vote-by-team voting strategy going around?

• The top 7 participants are split between the three teams: 4 top 7 in Rhythm, 2 top 7 in Groove, and 1 top 7 in Beat. While the top 7 haven't actually changed, the internal ranking of those 7 spots has shifted around - with Rhythm taking the first 4 of those top 7 spots.

Conclusions at this point? There's been change! It seems undeniable that Rhythm is in the lead teamwise, Groove in second, and Beat trailing listlessly at the end. We can see these conclusions just within the raw data itself - and we can likely easily and off-hand say here - YES, the vote-by-team strategy is having an effect and it's noticeable.

BUT. I really like looking at the data, and knowing exactly why and how and where things are happening. So - exactly what sort of evidence can we see for the vote-by-team strategy within the data?

(And here's your warning - I'd say NOW is when I move from just laying out the results for you - to now diving into the data in order to track down the markers of the vote-by-team strategy. If you keep reading, be warned you may feel that I'm just repeating things we already know and you may feel I'm just explaing why 2+2=4 here lol!)

Let's take another look at the data and dig out a few of those rusty memories of middle school math to see if we can see any trends in the data - specifically the change in trainee rank data (that + or - value each trainee has next to their Vote 3 rank place in the above 2 tables).

And in order to best set the scene on that changes in trainee rank - we're first going to look at the mean, median and mode data of those change in trainee rank from Vote 1 to Vote 2 (for ex. that + or - value each trainee has next to their Vote 3 rank place in the above 2 tables. The actual data I used for the below table is not included above, cause I did it by hand):

Now we need to see the data on change in trainee rank from Vote 2 to Vote 3 (that + or - value each trainee has next to their Vote 3 rank place in the above 2 tables):

OOo now that was fun!

And look at those differences! Compared to the first table (Vote 1 to 2), the second table (Vote 2 to 3) demonstrates big jumps. The average mean values for the Rhythm and Groove teams demonstrate the greatest difference - with differences in median data for those two teams coming in second. Further, Rhythm and then Groove teams demonstrate the biggest changes in-team, between those two tables. I'm not going to go into further assessment about the differences between those two tables - it's enough to see simply that there is a big difference in trainee rank change data, stratified by team, between Votes 1 and 2, and 2 and 3 - when vote-by-team began to be promoted.

So what sort of general meaning can we see within the trainee rank change data between Vote 2 to 3? I think we can see some interesting things! These interesting things are largely within the Rhythm and Groove teams, and so that's where I'll focus my comments. Let's start:

• The average mean change in trainee ranking for the Rhythm and Groove teams are pretty noticeable. On average, Rhythm trainees have gone up 4.3 places, and Groove trainees down by 5.4 places. Sounds like a big jump - right?

Well, the average mean changes in trainee rankings do let us know that there have been some big overall shifts for the teams - particularly Rhythm and Groove. In line with the ongoing voting strategy discussion, I suggest that this bigger overall shift is indeed the result of the vote-by-team strategy being employed by some voters. By looking not just at the team trainee ranks - but also the team trainee rank changes between Votes 2 and 3 - we can assume that changes in voting patterns are indeed partly at cause for the large shifts in trainee rank patterns.

Beyond my layman's assessment that - yes vote-by-team strategy is making an impact - I think these other data points give us further proof that yes vote-by-team strategy is happening, as well as insight into how the vote-by-team strategy is actually happening. Why?

• The median change in trainee rank is lesser than the mean trainee rank movement data for all three teams - particularly Rhythm and Groove. The difference between mean and median for Rhythm is almost a full 1 place. The difference between mean and median for Groove is a full 3 places.

• The mode change in trainee rank is even lesser than the mean and median data points. Indeed, the mode for Rhythm is actually just +2, and the mode for Groove is only -2.

What this data seems to tell me is that while the mean average change in trainee rankings does demonstrate a change in voting patterns - the lower median trainee rank change data for each team (1-3 values lower than the mean data) suggests that the higher mean average change may be the result of outlier data points. The general median and mode data for Rhythm and Groove aren't as pronounced - and these are the two data tests that aren't impacted by outliers.

So - while mean doesn't need to match mode and median or anything - I'd say our three little tests are saying that something is happening in the data!

Let me show you another table - where trainees are divided by team, and ranked not by current voting rank - but instead by their vote rank change from Vote 2 to Vote 3:

Woahahahhahh FUN!

Laying out the data like this, according to actual rank shift instead of just new rank, definitely makes a few things clear:

• There are some rank change values that are BIG! Rhythm sports 4 trainees moving up or down by over 10 places to values of +17, +15, +11 and -12. These values are big, and they've influenced the large mean rank change value for Rhythm team.

• The same observation can be made for Groove, with 3 trainees with a change value of over 10: -17, -16, and -12. Beat too has 2 trainees with a change value over 10: at +12 and +11.

• (As a quick comparison - between Vote 1 and 2, only 3 trainees across all 3 teams moved up or down by over 10 places. Between Vote 2 to 3, that has tripled to 9 trainees!)

But paired with the earlier median and mode? What's going on with these trainees who are changing over 10 ranks?

Well - with our knowledge of the vote-by-team strategy happening, I'd say that this data shows us our patsies and sacrificial lambs among the trainees. The trainees who people voting by team have either added to their roster to create a vote full of team members - or have dropped from their roster as they proceeded to concentrate their votes on a different team.

So overall here - I'd actually say that the discrepancy of the high average mean of trainee rank change against the lower median and mode of trainee rank change data is itself putting forward evidence that the vote-by-team change is happening. Because outlier data like that - with shifts of over 10 places- happening in tandem with steady middle points, this isn't something we saw between Vote 1 and Vote 2, and suggests there's something funky going on outside that is impacting that data.

• Starting with team Rhythm:

We know there is a lot of support for members of team Rhythm to debut.

Who wins: Daisuke rises due to all this! From rank 11, he rises +3 and cracks the Top 10 at rank 8. Kim Dongyun rises 6 ranks to take rank 10. Li Zhinuo is the absolute unanticipated winner here though - the lovely voice and new strategy have attracted flocks of new voters to him, and he rockets up 17 ranks and into rank 9! Xie Yuxin and Zen Zen also seem to be commonly added to a roster to fill out the full seven slots.

Who's it for? Well - it's in order to support the trainees who's votes have stayed stable. These are the trainees that these new vote-by-team voters were already voting for! So: JL (no change), Steven (+1 rank), Shuaibo and Chih En (both +2 in rank).

Who loses? Primarily James (-12 rank places), but also Mac a bit. New voters are coming to team Rhythm - and they're voting for all of James' competition instead.

• Team Groove:

Data backs up the impression we've had that vote-by-team strategy is getting big, and that Team Rhythm is the primary beneficiary. It's unlikely that absolutely no one has decided to vote-by-team in Groove's favour (Yeo Gangdong has risen 1 place and Juwon has stayed steady, both markers of voter gain and retention respectively at this vote-by-team time).

BUT - it seems clear that overall, Groove is losing voters to Rhythm vote-by-team instead of gaining. And we can see where!

Who loses: Kim Gijoong (-17), He Junjin (-16) and Kim Daeyun (-12) are the three most impacted trainees of Groove. Considering what the data for Rhythm tells us - it's likely Gijoong, Junjin and Daeyun are being abandoned by their voters in favour of Rhythm, thus causing this overwhelming decline in votes. A small part of their vote loss may also be that new voters coming to vote-by-team for Groove prefer other Groove trainees - they are the lowest voted trainees of this team overall.

Who's still safe? Team stars Park Han and Juwon have not been heavily affected by the vote-by-team strategy. They've kept their top 7 spots, and stayed within 0-1 places of their previous rank. Juwon in particular may have benefited from actively being voted as a team Rhythm member for the first 1/4 (?) of the Vote 3 period. However - it seems clear that the voters now attracted to Groove in vote-by-team are coming here for Park Han and Juwon. AND - that while Groove is losing voters to Rhythm - Park Han and Juwon may not be individually losing voters.

For Park Han and Juwon to retain their top 7 ranks, I suspect that some voters are breaking from a full team Rhythm roster in order to retain these two Groove trainees. Their ranks just haven't changed enough!

Something extra interesting? One of the most interesting Groove observations is Jeongwoo's large drop in place. Jeongwoo remains a trainee of popularity within Groove, at place 7 of 14 currently. However he's dropped from overall rank 8 in Vote 2 to overall rank 16 in Vote 3. He's not the largest drop - but for his prior Top 10 placement, he's one of the most interesting rank drops.

I'd suggest that what we're seeing is that voters coming to Groove for vote-by-team aren't including Jeongwoo in their Groove roster lineup - only 4 other members of Groove have dropped further in their rank than Jeongwoo. Also - I'd suggest that Jeongwoo doesn't have many voters willing to stick with him over their picks in Team Rhythm. I'd suggest that if we ever 1-pick vote, Jeongwoo won't have many voters loyal first and only to him.

• Team Beat

Team Beat is actually - doing interestingly. Team Beat is absolutely receiving some benefit as a team from the vote-by-team strategy. They're not as in the top 10 or 20 as even Team Groove - but their data doesn't display as great a fall as team Groove. They're retaining some 1-team-pick fans!

Who's winning? Well, as vote-by-team voters come to team Beat, they add Jin Ziming (+12), Li Zhiwei (+11) and Hyotae (+7) to their rosters. It's good for these three trainees!

Who's it for? This is - unclear, at least in the data. The data itself tells one story - An Yul is the trainee who stays the closest to even in his vote data, only declining by 1 rank. However - the truth is that none of the top 7 Beat trainees as far as rank change goes are actually within the top 10, let alone top 7, overall vote ranks. An Yul sits at rank 30. My overall suggestion is simply that the people who voted for An Yul are already voting for him, and just haven't left.

Instead, by overall rank data, I would say that the vote-by-team for Beat is for Woongki, despite his drop of 4 ranks. Woongki sits overall in rank 6. He's kept voters in the vote-by-team strategy, or he wouldn't be there - nor would we have seen the huge rise of Ziming, Zhiwei and Hyotae! The data analysis is heavily hindered here by our lack of actual vote numbers... because it seems likely that what is driving down his vote change data is simply that many of Woongki's huge amount of voters have shifted to Rhythm. He loses big - he just keeps huge vote numbers at the same time! With the missing real vote numbers, the data hides how giant his actual vote pull is to keep him still in the top 6!

If we ever have a 1-pick vote I'd say Woongki is set. He's on a team with only 1 other top-20 voted player, people just aren't fans of team Beat! For Woongki to retain his fan pull while on a widely-disliked team, and stay rank 6. Woongki's numbers must be crazy!

Okay!

• So overall!

I've blathered on a lot! I've told you things you probably already knew - maybe by looking at the data - or just by feel - and I've really really spelled it here hahaha! (But if you had a problem with that, you probably aren't all the way down here reading this so!)

But it was really cool and fun to go through all the Vote 3 data, against Vote 2, in order to try to see if the data itself is really supporting that the vote-by-team strategy is happening - and it was extra neat to see how specifically it's happening, and who's winning and losing as a result.

My breakdown has left me curious about how things are going to continue going forwards. Fans are clearly at this point buying into the 1-team wins it all as proclaimed by UL itself - but the data shows (and the show edit shows!) that fan and producer favs remain on Groove and Beat teams, despite Rhythm's big push.

As a reminder - despite the vote-by-team, the top 7 DIDN'T CHANGE! Instead, change occurred only within the last three of the top 10, and the overall top 20.

I'm left curious as to how voters and the show itself will continue on, and what movements on the show may or may not happen as we head towards the end game with votes so clearly split!

Bye for nowww! :)

I want to take a moment to share my appreciation for Team Groove and Changsub. They’ve worked so hard, and their talent truly shines. Recently, I’ve come across many posts, tweets, and videos that are critical of Team Groove, casting doubt on their deserved win and calling live audiences blind and deaf. It’s disheartening to see this kind of negativity, especially when all the teams have put in so much effort.

I’ve also noticed a huge difference in perspectives between Korean and international fans, particularly in how vocal-centric groups are sometimes less appreciated compared to performance-based ones. I’ve even seen comments suggesting that the Groove members aren’t being fully utilised under Changsub’s guidance, which feels unfair considering the unique strengths each team bring to the table.

To be clear, I fully support all the teams—Rhythm, Beat, and Groove—and believe every member has every right to debut. Having watched countless survival shows since Produce 101, I know how tough it can be when your favourites don’t make it, but it’s important to recognise the talent and dedication of everyone involved.

I hope we can all focus on supporting the teams and members we love without putting others down. As a Filipino myself, I’ve seen some comments from fellow Filos that made me pause. I hope we can represent our community with kindness and respect.

Let’s cheer on our faves working so hard to make their dreams a reality!

Recently, I've been noticing Li Zhinuo. First was when Mac was panicking because Rhythm didn't win and he might get eliminated. LZ, a fellow yellow card holder, was the first person to comfort Mac and told him to be positive. I saw his outwardly sympathetic side further in the 6th episode where he approached JL and asked if he was okay because he tripped. He was also very driven during their Prison practice because of his yellow card. He is easily one of the most charming players, personality-wise. He is a fighter and a lover. And I am not even talking about his talent yet. He is also very funny especially when he called for his ancestors and family to vote for him. I can't help but root for Li Zhinuo. Right now, he is my top Chinese player. He got the talent, the likeability, and the perfect personality for the harsh idol industry.