On September 25, the live broadcast revealed the final formation of trainees who debut as Alpha Drive One (ALD1). The final rankings and scores were:
Lee Sangwon – 7,293,777 points
Zhou Anxin – 5.950.137 Points
He Xinlong – 5,731,887 points
Kim Geonwoo – 4,854,331 points
Zhang Jiahao – 4,238,175 points
Lee Leo – 4.147,134 points
Chung Sanghyeon – 3,862,466 points
Kim Junseo – 3,856,677 points
Immediately after the announcement of the debut formation, the guest Kim Jaejoong raised a red ball on stage and said: “The history of the planet does not end here”. While some fans expected a further debut announcement, it was the teaser for a new Chinese survival program entitled Planet C: home race.
Originally, Guys II Planet It was promoted with the concept of debut of separate teams for Korea (K) and China (C). However, during the production, the teams were merged, leading to the criticisms that Chinese trainees, who initially had been promised a debut based in China, had been missed, promoting the accusations of a “work fraud”.
In the end, three Chinese internships (Zhou Anxin, He Xinlong and Zhang Jiahao) entered the final debut group. Yet the revelation of a further Chinese survival show has rekindled the controversy, this time from Korean fans, who claimed that Korean trainees have lost their legitimate opportunities. If the Chinese show had been planned from the beginning, then the 9th place Yoo Kangmin and the tenth place of Chuei Li-Yu could have debuted ALD1.
Fans reacted with anger, comparing the situation with a scam. Comments included: “If this was the plan, why not simply separate the groups from the beginning?” AND “What happens to the Korean trainees who have obtained votes but have not debuted?” Others criticized inconsistency: “At the beginning it was called a scam against Chinese trainees, but in the end they are the Korean ones who were played. How were they able to compete against Chinese votes?”
MNET recognized the repercussions and is monitoring the fan reactions. The controversy highlights the critical need for transparent and consistent planning in survival programs. In the global K-Pop projects, maintaining the equity and trust between competitors and fan is essential to avoid heroiating credibility.
Sources: Daum
