Here’s What The “Produce 101 Season 1” Vote Manipulation Victims Are Doing Now
It took a long time for justice to be served, but three years after the end of Produce 101‘s first season, it was officially confirmed that Mnet falsified votes and faked rankings to manipulate the final lineup for I.O.I. Last year, the Korean courts finally revealed the names of the unfairly eliminated Produce 101 Season 1 contestants—here’s what they’re doing now.
1. Kim Suhyun
Kim Suhyun ranked 69th in the first elimination round of Produce 101 Season 1, but it now turns out she was actually one of the victims of vote manipulation.
The following year, Kim Suhyun went on to try her luck at another survival show—JTBC‘s MIXNINE. While she only ranked 70th in the first episode, she quickly began to climb the show’s ranks. Unfortunately, when the boys’ team on MIXNINE beat the girls’ team, Suhyun was eliminated from the show with a final rank of no.18.
Still, she didn’t give up her dream. Kim Suhyun signed an exclusive contract with her label MYSTIC Story—a subsidiary of SM Entertainment. After the agency promised to help Suhyun grow into an all-around celebrity, she made her acting debut with a small role in KBS2‘s Girls’ Generation 1979 in September 2017. She went on to appear in A-TEEN, A-TEEN 2, and Just Dance.
Now, aged 21, she’s finally gearing up for her debut as an idol. Kim Suhyun was announced as a MYSTIC Rookies trainee in February 2020. Earlier this month, the agency revealed that she’ll be making her debut In MYSTIC Story’s first girl group this November. Other confirmed members include ASTRO Moonbin‘s sister, Moon Sua, and former Popteen model Fukutomi Tsuki.
2. Seo Hyelin
Despite allegedly ranking 65th in Produce 101 Season 1‘s first elimination round, in truth, Seo Hyelin was revealed as one of the unfairly eliminated contestants.
After her elimination, Seo Hyelin became part of her agency SS Entertainment‘s pre-debut girl group, LHEA. Sadly, however, LHEA’s debut never came to fruition, and many believe SS Entertainment has closed down completely after ceasing social media updates since 2016.
In the aftermath of Produce 101 Season 1 and LHEA, it seems that Hyelin may have given up on her original goal of becoming an idol. Now, she’s a budding content creator on YouTube. Her channel, Bom Hyelin, was started around a year and a half ago with a cover of Rachael Yamagata‘s “Be Be Your Love.”
Hyelin now has 2,390 subscribers on YouTube and posts a mixture of covers and vlogs. While she still enjoys singing, it’s unknown whether the 26-year-old has plans to ever attempt another debut.
