This Week’s Most Shocking “Girls Planet 999” Eliminations
This week marked the semi-finals of Mnet‘s Girls Planet 999, with the elimination round deciding who would make it through to the finale with a chance to debut in a new girl group. However, many of the contestants thought to be shoo-ins were shockingly eliminated. Of all the contestants who left the show this week, these two surprised numerous viewers.
1. Cai Bing
Prior to her elimination this week, Cai Bing had been one of the most popular Girls Planet 999 since before the show even began. Within less than a week of Mnet dropping the C-Group contestants’ introduction videos, Cai Bing was approaching 100,000 views, making her one of the top five most-watched Chinese trainees.
While many viewers who didn’t know her were charmed by her confidence and skills in dancing and rap during her introductory video, several international fans already knew Cai Bing from her singing career in China. In July 2020, she made her debut as a member of Kuai Shou Entertainment‘s C-Pop girl group, KSGIRLS.
She also competed on two Chinese survival shows—Dance Smash 2 and Crystal Girls—as well as dancing backup for WJSN‘s Meng Meiqi. All in all, Cai Bing was one of the main Girls Planet 999 contestants to watch from the start, and it didn’t take her long to rise. While she ranked 28th out of C-Group’s 33 contestants in the “Signal Song Evaluation,” she came in 8th place in the initial Masters’ Top 9.
Cai Bing went on to rank 7th in the Top 9 after the first elimination round, falling just one place by the second elimination round. Plus, in both the “Connect Mission” and “Combination Mission,” she was part of the winning teams, even serving as team leader in the latter. As such, many viewers believed she had a strong chance of making it into the final lineup.
However, everything changed this week, when Cai Bing shockingly ended up in last place overall after dropping a staggering 18 places in the ranking. Many viewers couldn’t believe her position fell so significantly over the course of just a few episodes. Several blamed Mnet for “evil editing” Cai Bing over the course of the show, while others stated that her talent is a huge loss for the final group lineup.
cai bing must be so heartbroken. imagine being on the top 9 twice only to be eliminated when you are almost there to achieve your dream…. i'll never forgive mnet for this and how y'all easily fell for everything mnet showed.
— aysel (@itgirlbora) October 15, 2021
cai bing.. this is all Mnet‘s fault
— avo (@bianwolfie) October 15, 2021
Thank you Cai Bing!
She Could've been a great asset. The perfect visual, rapper & stan attractor idol.
Just you all wait for her comeback, I'm telling you.#GirlsPlanet999 pic.twitter.com/bWeqyBsn3R
— #CaiBing , Thank you! (@Shin_RyujinPH) October 15, 2021
Thankfully, this won’t be the last time fans see Cai Bing. Following the finale, she immediately created her own Instagram account, where she’s already amassed over 200,000 followers in the past 24 hours.
This was where my dream began. I know there are people who support me, so I will keep my dream and go forward.
— Cai Bing
2. May (Cherry Bullet)
May was also one of the most popular contestants before Girls Planet 999 began, accumulating over 150,000 views on her introduction video in less than a week. On top of that, she was one of the most well-known contestants overall, because despite competing under the show’s J-Group, May is already a K-Pop idol.
In January 2019, May made her debut in FNC Entertainment‘s latest girl group, Cherry Bullet. Over the years, Cherry Bullet has risen in popularity as one of the most-loved fourth-generation groups, and May has long stood out as the group’s lead dancer, visual, and maknae.
May received a good ranking of J12 in the “Signal Song Evaluation,” and by the first elimination, she was already 4th overall in K-Group. While she never made it to the Top 9, her ranking stayed positive in the second elimination round at 8th place out of J-Group.
May was part of one of the winning teams for the “Connect Mission” and the “Combination Mission,” and with Cherry Bullet’s existing fanbase, it’s no surprise viewers expected her to make it to the Girls Planet 999 finale.
However, in this week’s semi-finals, May’s rank fell to 23rd overall, knocking her out of the competition for good. On social media, disappointed fans congratulated May on such a strong run and encouraged viewers to continue supporting her.
you did well, may ! love u lots ♡ pic.twitter.com/6dvRnQU5kA
— 🍙 (@zhaluofei) October 15, 2021
last screentime for may and youngeun together 😞 you did well, may! im proud of you. pic.twitter.com/xtQygUUutP
— . (@hi_syeun) October 15, 2021
Unfortunately, MAY didn’t survive the 3rd Elimination. Thank You for voting for MAY since the start! 🍒❤️
Please support her lots in her upcoming activities and gives her lots of love in her posts!#CherryBullet #체리블렛 #MAY #메이 #GirlsPlanet999 #걸스플래닛999 @cherrybullet pic.twitter.com/ATwg4zHVw1
— Cherry Bullet International (@CherryBulletInt) October 15, 2021
Thankfully, since May is already part of Cherry Bullet, it definitely won’t be long until fans see more from her. The group’s upcoming schedule will likely be determined by whether fellow member and Girls Planet 999 contestant Bora makes it into the final lineup. That said, it’s already been around nine months since Cherry Bullet’s last comeback, so it’s likely another release is on the horizon soon. In the meantime, May has already made her return to social media, greeting fans with thanks and love.
[#메이 #MAY] 많이 감사하구 많이 사랑하구 많이 보고싶어요 🥰
룰렛 잘 지내죵?#CherryBullet #체리블렛 pic.twitter.com/hVY45IdLbf
— Cherry Bullet (체리블렛) (@cherrybullet) October 15, 2021
Missed the semi-final results? Here’s a rundown of everyone who was saved and eliminated this week:
“Girls Planet 999” Eliminations: Here’s Who Survived The Semi-Finals (& Who Didn’t)