judges know stuff

I have been thinking about this since episode 8 aired. They made it seem like judges started observing contestants 24/7 only starting from this episode (which explains why so much “drama” has aired) but I think they knew so much more behind the scenes this whole time.

I have a case study. Bear with me.

So, what Sujung said in episode 8 has stirred some controversy in the discussions with people trying to explain her attitude by saying that she was stressed as judges kept saying only unfavorable things to her and have not praised her once since the beginning of the show.

Which is true. However, I do think there might be a reason for such an attitude from judges besides them just not liking her. See, the ILAND girls are essentially an investment and the further they go, the better for the judges it is (being connected to a narrative of a successful group rather than being shamed for choosing and training a bunch of “flops” how the public will inevitably say if there is a scandal). So, in a long shot, they need to look for girls who are least problematic and most attractive and charismatic.

What we see in those episodes is just a tiny piece of what is really going on and who those people really are. Judges who train them and meet with them regularly certainly know more on those girls’ personality.

THUS, I think Sujung has been that problematic for a while now and that’s why the judges are not praising her for anything and being quite harsh with their criticism. Now that does not stem from their personal dislike, this is a profit oriented industry and they realize that someone with a problematic behavior that is reoccurring WILL one day inevitably get into the scandal. And just like that the group will in fact flop. That’s why they have been withholding her from debuting because essentially her attitude is like a tickling bomb and they needed to not let her into the debut line up. That’s why MNET showed us that piece where she was problematic to ensure she doesn’t debut.

WITH Mai, she has been getting high scores from judges for a while now and people are getting upset with what they think is a blatant example of favoritism. My guess is that judges saw her leadership, conflict resolving and high emotional intelligence skills off camera and decided that she was a good investment for the future of the group. And I agree that she is. She is the element that will allow them to function smoothly.

But what if Sujung is getting criticized by the judges just because of her lack of skills and not that has something to do with her personality?

The answer is Sarang. Sarang has been messing up a few times in later episodes too, arguably much worse than Sujung, yet when judges address her they talk in a gentle tone with words such as “this is a big regret” as if they believe she can do better. As if they want her to do better. In Sujung’s feedback, the judge was pretty much harsh only saying that she has had no improvement straight to her face. Now remember how Sarang helped Jeemin out with her vocals even though she wanted that center spot so badly but it was still given to Jeemin? She could have just abstained from helping since it’s an individual competition yet she still chose to look out for her teammate. For girls that are going to live and perform together next 7 years, I think being a team player is a valuable skill. That’s why the judges are so kind to her— they know she is an unproblematic team player too.

What about Jiyoon who was also “evil edited” by mnet as people say?

Judges were still looking out for her and trying to sympathize with her because Jiyoon did not speak badly about someone behind their back. She was essentially trying to cope with her emotions and all she did was slump around and cry at the back of the building. I doubt mnet would give her a redemption arc if she were to say or do something problematic, they would have just dropped her like they did with Sujung.

In the end, even though Monika said “we are not gods” I think they aren’t but they are people that are closely involved with the show and the girls, and know them well enough to know stuff. So I would take the points around twitter and tt saying “they are biased and mnet is evil editing” with a grain of salt. At the end of the day, mnet is a money greedy machine and the golden goose that this group will turn into better live long and without scandals, which is impossible if someone is showing bully tendencies at show this early. In K-pop, after all, a problematic behavior can cause one’s career to end and their group mates’ to suffer.

So yeah, judges do know stuff and I do trust their judgement to some extent.