Fans are worried and concerned…
Koreaboo
The South Korean-Chinese survival show Starlight Boys is making headlines for all the wrong reasons after three contestants suddenly dropped out of the competition.
Fans are wondering about the circumstances surrounding their departure, especially since one of the trainees was considered among the most popular contenders. The sudden exits have only exacerbated concerns about ongoing controversies related to the program.
Starlight Boyspremiered on October 26, 2024, airs on iQIYI and SBS. It started with 69 contestants vying for a spot in a nine-member boy group. However, the show has faced backlash since its launch, with accusations of racism and xenophobia casting a shadow over its production.
The new survival show “Starlight Boys” is under fire for alleged racism and xenophobia
Sun Yinghao, one of the contestants had previously expressed his dissatisfaction during the program’s first major challenge, sharing a letter that hinted at frustration with the direction of the show. Zhang Jijun (another participant) also seemed to subtly urge fans to stop supporting him in the competition. Such statements have led voting unions and fan communities to end their support for some trainees, further fueling speculation about internal problems.
Top participants in the survival program appear to be telling fans to stop voting for them, sparking concerns
Hours after these revelations, Sun Yinghao, Zhang Jijun, and Yoo Gwan Woo officially withdrew from the show. The announcement was silently updated on the iQIYI app without any detailed explanation.
The iqiyi APP proves it #YooGwanWoo #SunYingHao #Zhangjijun they retired from the Starlight Boys pic.twitter.com/SnMA4QUwhL
— StarLight Boys Archive (@SLB_archive) December 15, 2024
Fans online were quick to express their outrage, accusing the production team of mistreating the contestants to the point that some no longer considered debuting in the final group desirable.
Starlight Boys better be a joke…there’s no way 4 dropped out and 3 of them are in the debut group…these guys are being mistreated when they chose to be a part of this DEBUT survival show. why do they treat interns as if they have committed a crime? pic.twitter.com/gll728sfBR
— nora💗 infinite (@iluvdohun) December 15, 2024
fuck starlight guys fxk u iqiyi fuck sbs fuck podol fuck lee soo man we love you xingxing and lingqi pic.twitter.com/yb33V49Xu6
— la’v n rose⭒P01 ZIHENG⭒ (@jiahaobread) December 14, 2024
fuck starlight kids, fuck iqiyi, fuck sbs, fuck guides, fuck shitty mentors, fuck guardians, fuck my life, fuck everyone, fuck everything pic.twitter.com/17hmwtaEgL
—asha (@haribozt) December 15, 2024
The Starlight guys just lost the apprentice who popularized the show, the apprentice with the largest fandom and who consistently ranked first, and the apprentice with the richest fandom#StarlightBoys #YooGwanWoo #LiuGuanYou #SunYingHao #ZhangJijun https://t.co/IT3q1CmQeN
—rie | Starlight guys, Gwanwoo (@guanyoubaobei) December 15, 2024
The departures have intensified scrutiny Starlight Boys and its handling of contestants, leaving fans demanding accountability and transparency from the show’s producers. As controversy continues to mount, the future of the program appears increasingly uncertain.
