Popstar Academy: KATSEYE - Episode 7 Reaction & Discussion (Manon Hate, Lexie Leaving, "Reality" TV)

[@KPopwithKhadija]

FULL episodes of Popstar Academy: KATSEYE series (& other KATSEYE content): www.patreon.com/kpopwithkhadija Join me next weekend on Twitch to be part of this conversation and share all your thoughts, so I'm not just talking to myself in my bedroom! haha: www.twitch.tv/kpopwithkhadija

[@XlAOTlNG]

im so happy megan got into the group! even though her rank was never that high during dream academy the judges know she had potential and she was even the top trainee before the survival show started! so glad shes getting more recognization now especially in the SIS showcase performances

[@shahilhassan9415]

Girl same

[@KPopwithKhadija]

She's such a powerhouse and I'm amazed that she didn't rank higher throughout the competition. But I'm so glad she's in the group - she's my bias for sure! I'm excited to see the SIS showcase (gonna watch it LIVE on Twitch this Friday).

[@TypicalFanC]

Lexie leaving left me confused back then, it was so sudden. So I was happy to see the real reason through this documentary and it just made me have so much more respect for her

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Yeah, I can imagine how strange it might have seemed at the time, especially with their fluffy non-explanation! I hope people didn't think she just gave up cuz it was too hard or something. I'm so proud of her for making that really difficult and unconventional decision - it speaks so much to her character! 💚

[@EverythingIsNothing4]

I feel like a lot of kpop fans don’t have the empathy or nuance to understand the girls who are frustrated with manon or the other way around. The competition was not handled well and was cruel for everyone; i saw Adela get a lot of hate (im glad you validated her feelings) but imagine- you’re in the program from the start, never leave top 4 in overall rankings, are diligent in practice, and then you’re chopped first because of votes and a girl who skips practice a lot and breaks rules is a fan fave, anyone would experience resentment over that, and the girls are all so young. Manon deserves grace, but so do the girls that feel some type of way. It’s rough

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Yep, you're 100% correct here! Maybe because people are watching on a TV show, they forget that these girls are real humans with a whole range of human emotions!

[@Whalien-jb7gf]

I'm glad you mentioned about Emily being put in the cute concept when it's not even her forte. Some people even mistakenly think she only fits cute concepts, but she is actually a powerful performer who does better in strong concepts. Her heel performance alone from the start is already a wow factor, but they tried to tone her down for the team missions and it kinda restricted her full potential just to fit for the "kpop style". Even before joining the company, Emily never did cutesy bubblegum stuffs and what she mostly does is badass hip hop or fiery jazz. And this is the reason why she would be better as solo, so she does not need to adjust and she can get more creative freedom as herself. It's amazing how the executives/instructors acknowledged how great Emily was that she is the only dancer to move up in Level A and she ranked Top 3 on their overall T&D. She can shine brighter on her own and she deserves to get better opportunities in the industry.

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Yeah, everything we saw from her throughout the series was SO incredible and fiery. She's a fantastic performer! But that cutesy concept just didn't really read very well for her - and who knows, maybe with more time and specific practice doing THAT, she would have found a really natural, authentic way to do a concept like that. Maybe she still will. But for Mission 3, I didn't like how it read on her at all. The dancing & singing were great (as ALWAYS with her), but the performance of it just didn't seem like it suited her. And that's the tough thing with competitions. Sometimes these things are out of your control, but it will affect your ranking. If she had been placed in the 'Confident' group, maybe she would have ended up in KATSEYE instead of someone else? 🤷🏾‍♀️ I do hope whatever she does next is successful, though. She's one of my favourite dancers I've been introduced to in a long time!

[@Whalien-jb7gf]

@KPopwithKhadija It's so refreshing to know your perspective because many people who watched Dream Academy only viewed Emily for being cutesy (they also praise her for it, but it felt like they were holding her back). Emily's personal style as a performer is so different in what she used to do before the show. She is capable of more and I really wish her the best on her career.

[@Queenie-du7ri]

I stan Lexie so hard after this, that it sucks I couldn't stan her as a final member. But making that decision is so huge. This is really a once in a lifetime chance, so kudos to her for having the guts to do it.

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Honestly, I respect her so much for this! (Also I like your Quinn pfp! Lol.

[@franyelisbrujan124]

I loved when Gabe told them "We are not moving on, we are just moving forward". That was POWERFUL. I was sobbing when Lexie left the competition because she was in my top 6 to be the whole Pop Star Academy, but definitely respect her decision of doing so. It was an awful situation that they put them in, and being able to say 'No, this is not for me and doesn't align with my values' even after investing so much time, is amazing. It shows her character and as the teachers said at the beginning of the program, her having "what a lot of people dream about: Identity:".

[@KPopwithKhadija]

YES. He had a lot of really great gut-punch moments - super insightful & compassionate in the way they girls needed! And yeah, I respect Lexie so much. I wish I had as much self-awareness and integrity at her age as she showed in that one decision! Especially when that sunk-cost fallacy kicks in and you see how much time, effort, emotion you've already put in... to stick to your values and walk away is such a boss move! She's incredible.

[@AJ-jv1wh]

Honestly you're my favorite reactor to this documentary. Some of the others I've seen seem to jump to villainizing either Sophia and Lara for being being frustrated at Manon skipping rehearsals or being frustrated at how the voters were voting the minute they saw Manon's face or villainizing Manon for the votes ( which was not in her control) or for skipping rehearsals before she realized how serious the program was . But you actually see both sides and their arguments in a mature way without villainising the girls as " mean girls" or " lazy girl" . I'm gonna subscribe now 😊

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Aww thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed; I am having fun watching this series and I'm glad to share my thoughts with all of you! Yes, I think you see exactly what I was saying - these girls are all human, they are young and were in a totally unfamiliar, high-stress, high-pressure situation. It makes sense that they'd all have big feelings and maybe not have handled them the best, but they are good people and it seems like they've genuinely worked to have a good relationship and be good teammates! Thanks for watching, sharing your kind words, and subscribing!!!

[@bluprint9776]

I don’t understand why so many people are hating on Lara, Sophia, and Manon and the other girls on the show. Like I think we have to keep in mind that this show (while it may be the behind the scenes) is also heavily edited. Like that scene where the girls were in a circle was def atleast at 30 min convo and we got to say 2-5 minutes of it. That being said #streamtouch

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Yeppppp. In my last reaction, I read a comment that pointed out how we got an hour-long episode that spanned MONTHS of training. 20 girls, day in & day out, training for ~8 hrs a day, plus whatever extra footage they got in their "down time." There's SO MUCH we didn't see; they just chose the clips that would be the most entertaining for a documentary. We can't judge any of them based on that!!

[@adieljonsson864]

That second elimination was where it went from entertaining drama to outright cruelty, for me. Revealing who had received votes from the other girls AND who they thought was going to go home was unnecessary. They didn't actually show us all of that in Episode 6 and it made Ilya's reaction to the girls trying to comfort her make more sense for me. Like I understand how that felt personal. And that moment where they let poor Brooklyn think that she'd possibly made it for what felt like a good thirty seconds? If you're eliminating someone and you've said their name, rip the Band-Aid off. You can build tension and anticipation in ways that don't directly involve dangling a teenaged girl's dream in front front of her face like that. And then they moved on almost immediately to Samara making it through so she nor the group had time to process it. I personally want my shows produced to a certain level for entertainment and drama, but I think they miscalculated on that particular episode and I kind of get the sense that Missy and Mitra felt the same even if they didn't outright say that they messed up. It wasn't what I would consider fun drama and felt shitty to watch, but that's also me saying that with the context of the documentary. It's interesting in that way to get a glimpse into the pain that this kind of production actually causes behind the scenes. A lot of that is cut out of the show that actually airs.

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Yes. All of this! 💯 It was so cruel. And yes, I understood Iliya's reaction too - I thought she was feel sensitive about not being chosen, but she was RIGHTFULLY feeling hurt that girls actively said they'd eliminate her. Oof. Poor thing - that makes an already difficult elimination even more painful. And that moment with Brooklyn was PURELY EVIL, and set the tone for ALL of the girls to be emotionally destroyed, if they got an invitation or not. I hated everything about that elimination! You're totally right, it's possible to build tension without being harmful. I definitely think Missy was not a fan of how that went at all. From what we saw, it seems like Mitra was one of the decision-makers and she seemed pretty pleased with how it turned out / not too concerned with how it affected the girls. But, we obviously weren't in those meetings, so who knows how that all got decided.

[@Queenie-du7ri]

A cultural shock-esque that I found from this is when the American choreographers said they changed the choreo for Megan so she could sing better and then comes the South Korean director, Son, with a strong "no", she needs to keep rehearsing so she can make it. It was like wow, that's a big difference.

[@KPopwithKhadija]

YES, so interesting! I think there's a lot to be said about the cultural expectations and how those affected this whole process, too. People who grew up dancing/performing vs people who didn't, there's already a difference of mentality and expectation. But then the k-pop training system itself is so different from even the most intense Western training programs and THAT must have affected how certain girls (and even the instructors/coaches) approached training, too! Like, seriously, he was so straight up - "what do you mean you changed the choreo cuz the note is hard? She has to practice to execute what needs to be done." LIKE... 😶 Okay! hehe

[@royalqueen6059]

I saw a lot of comments when the show came out criticizing Manon's work ethic (which is fair) and not coming to class because she was sick. However, they used the fact that Sophia was ill while shooting for comparison and praised that behavior. I feel it is a slippery road to go down because we should advocate health in the industry and not overly praise that kind of work ethic. (fyi I also understand what kind of circumstance Sophia was in.).

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Yes, yes, yes! THIS is such an important part of this conversation! I think there are cultural differences AND experience differences with Manon, where she wasn't used to that kind of "work ethic" being expected of her whereas Sophia literally grew up in that environment her whole life before joining the program. In my full reaction on Patreon, I talked about how the entertainment industry is tricky cuz you can't just call in sick from work and be like, "Don't worry, I'll just do overtime next week." No. There are so many other people who are affected by you missing days AND when the video shoot or the concert have a SET DATE they need to be done, you have to show up and be ready, no matter how sick you were last week or on the actual day. Unfortunately. And that is something I've been grappling with a lot lately, in my own career. I'm glad to see more idols taking time for their physical and mental health when they need it, cuz it's something we need more of in this industry, for sure!

[@tsuchan5828]

Hi, Khadija! Love your reactions and how you're always so objective and I love how you're encouraging your viewers to take a break. But I actually love how you mentioned that these reality shows are manufactured because Adela herself said that he scene with her and Naisha in the beach were just for the show in a recent reddit thread with her answering questions from her fans.

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Thank you for watching my reactions & for taking the time to write this very thoughtful comment. I appreciate you! And YESSS, "reality" tv is so far from real! Almost every event or outing you see on a reality show is manufactured by the producers to get footage. Always question the narratives we see, friend!

[@xapokalypse]

I don't know if anyone else remembers this or if it was another girl, but I clearly remember reading that Lexie left because she realized she doesn't want to be an idol but a manger (or something like that). Or was that a different girl?

[@KPopwithKhadija]

That's interesting! If it is true, I think that's a really cool pivot - as someone who has experience with what it takes to be an artist/idol, it would be cool for her to step into the other side of things and take that same integrity & care she showed for HERSELF to give to other young hopefuls!

[@xapokalypse]

@@KPopwithKhadija I did some research, and what she said was that she wanted to be a producer instead (not a manger). It is very weird that they did not add or at least mention that in the documentary. That makes me wonder if they made up that part during the show just to cover up the competition being messy and cruel OR maybe they wanted that shock moment for the documentary later (because views etc.) considering that they did show her true feelings on the situation. Apparently the production company and executive producers are external to Dance Academy (& HYBE), which is why she wanted to distance herself from that toxic idol environment and rather become a producer. Who knows

[@gathanaranath]

Finally someone who doesn’t take it out on Lara and Sophia…

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Nobody was at fault in this situation, except HXG and all the adults who created this situation in the first place... 👀

[@RichRichification]

Your hair and face are always giving , always liked your input in kpop reactions with your group !

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Awww thank you so much! This is so sweet! And thank you for watching my video 💚

[@RichRichification]

@KPopwithKhadija ofc you're welcome! Happy to join you on your new KZbin journey! 💚

[@im_ischannel7473]

Ironically naisha nice infront of manon...but when the katseyey being announced finally..she write a sus comment like lara represent brown woman when manon also literally there

[@KPopwithKhadija]

I finally looked up the comment everyone is talking about today. It WAS shady, it's true. She was probably still trying to process and heal from the whole experience, especially the way she left the program. I'm not saying it was right or okay, but I get why maybe she just emotionally/mentally wasn't in a good place when the final lineup was announced.

[@im_ischannel7473]

@@KPopwithKhadija yaaa but at the same time the reason why she eliminated completely doesn't have anything to do with manon..like if she don't do that mistake..she might be survive longer in the survival show maybe final

[@sstrawberryangel]

im glad you have an open mind with the drama and don’t hate on any of the girls! can’t say the same for others unfortunately :( hoping these girls have a strong support system

[@Benjicord9]

It made me so sad for Mei when she said she’s told old for the Kpop industry and has to face reality😭 but people have said she is a trainee somewhere rn since she deactivated her ig

[@KPopwithKhadija]

I hope she is at another company! She's so cute and talented, I don't want her to give up!

[@Benjicord9]

@@KPopwithKhadija I may of manifested it lol it was announced today that Mei is debuting in a girl group called say my name lol😭 I’m so happy though

[@diamcole]

As much as I understand that they were creating a girl group, I think it's hard to separate the intent from the impact. They really could have been transparent with the girls from the beginning so those who were genuinely good with participating in a competition show could have stayed. The girl's feelings are valid, all of it.

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Agreed!! There isn't really any justification, imo

[@carat4svt]

As much as Manon was wrong…i still feel like they already didnt like her. Before she even met them they didn’t even want to be put in the same room as her and yes Adela and Naisha was right about her missing rehearsals but after the show they had no right to be so messy and Naisha being petty about how Lara is there to represent the black girls and not Manon WHO is literally the only black contestant. And then when Manon wanted to talk about it with them, they still didn’t like her

[@KPopwithKhadija]

I think there's a lot we didn't see, so we can't say for sure. It didn't seem like they didn't want to room with her, but it was an AWKWARD situation for all of them - a new girl coming in to their already established dynamic must have just been confusing and uncomfortable, not knowing if they'll get along. And her coming into a group of girls who have been living & working together for MONTHS? Just gonna be awkward, no way about it. But I do think there's also something there to how willing they might have been to build on tension, rather than let it go or communicate with her about it.

[@kaizen7659]

This is why I watch survival shows after the grouo has been created and I've been spoiled so much that the evil editing and unnecessary drama won't affect me as much. Even youtube edits these days are so smooth that if nobody tells you it's edited or AI, 90% will think it's true.

[@janitapegram]

Hey girl, thanks for the shoutout :) lol these last two episodes were sooo intense. Like you said, they abandoned the care very quickly & it turned very manipulative after that second elimination. / The Manon situation... made me sooo annoyed. They dragged her from Ep 2 to the finale like she was the main villain (meanwhile HYBE x Geffen). For example, I respect Lexie's decision to leave but she missed 10 REHEARSALS and the cameras didn't show ONE moment of the girls talking bad behind her back like they did when Manon was absent. & then Adela continuing to talk about Manon AFTER she was eliminated, assuming she was lazy the entire time, and is only in the group cuz of her looks. At the end of the day, Manon owed up to her mistakes but it felt like she was the only one who had to overprove herself and justify her place in the competition. UGH!!! I'm so happy for all of the KATSEYE girlies, but phew, that documentary was something else...

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Haha it REALLY was something else! I mean, they did a good job of creating a compelling story and getting people talking, which I'm sure is all they cared about rather than showcasing the girls objectively. But yeah, a lot of those edits were really, really biased. They showed Emily & Ezrela talking about how stressful it was rehearsing without Lexie, but I'm SURE they could have found other clips to make it as dramatic & negative as the way they portrayed everyone's feeling about Manon. It was all just very intentional editing, tbh.

[@izzyhenderson3440]

My understanding with the Lexie situation is that she said she wanted to leave but the company said she had signed a contract and had to stay in the academy so she chose to not show up in order to force HYBE/Gefffen's hand and boot her from the show. I am sure the girls would have been aware of her intentions as they were literally living together- they just didn't know whether her plan would work in time for Lexie to not be a part of mission 3

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Yep for sure! That's kind of what I assumed happened as well, and all the girls would have known. But I'm sure if the producers/editors wanted to, they could have found clips of the Wannabe group just talking about how stressful it was rehearsing without her or whatever (even though they understood, I'm sure it was difficult) and put the clips together out of context to make it look like they had major beef with Lexie. Which is what I feel happened with Manon - they intentionally chose clips to make it look like the conflict was bigger than it possibly was...

[@justinnunez3492]

"People do make mistakes and then they do resolve those conflicts." Thank you thank you thank you. I am so over this narrative that Sophia, Lara, and Manon all still hate each other. People are allowed to have conflict between each other and move forward with life. I am not saying they are best friends now but the way that people still think these girls actively hate each other is so weirs. Side note Lara and Manon posted a Tiktok saying that they were perfectly fine and I think that should be enough for everyone moving forward. Also so funny they tried to make it seem like they kicked Lexie out even though she had been trying to leave. It feels like they were trying to get a reaction out of her

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Yes, we gotta give them space to be human! And exactly, the whole conversation with Lexie was a joke cuz whyyyyy is she talking to her like they were the ones who chose to let her go, when she already told them she wanted to leave? And Lexie was just like, "Yeahhhh."

[@chikns96]

I think the biggest problem with not telling the girls beforehand about the survival show, is how much the company allowed the fan voting to influence the process. This made the eliminations hit exponentially harder and feel that much more unfair.

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Yeah, I think that must have had a huge impact on the girls, mentally and emotionally. I mean, we SAW how hurt they were. 😔 It would have been different if they expected it from the beginning, but to work SO hard and then be eliminated for reasons that had nothing to do with your talent? Oof...

[@ChristinaMillington]

17:53 start of the reaction!

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Thank you! Do the chapters not work for you...?

[@ChristinaMillington]

@@KPopwithKhadijathey did work but I was just excited to see you react to this episode!

[@eduardos9905]

Heavy on Karlee cause she was always pointed out to be of the best vocalists in there and suddenly it became about showing that she wasnt that good and that's why they didn't want her

[@KPopwithKhadija]

She got such a bad edit throughout the show... poor thing!

[@MrChibblez]

Absolutely. The producers wanted her out. They always have an idea who they want in their group based on their personal ideas and where votes were at. They were lik "nah lets not let her climb up in the voting poll so lets just use super bad takes where she exhausted from doing the dance 5 times in a row".

[@JaMeahJackson]

All im saying Manon did not deserve to be bullied cause i be in the same situation talking about in the therapy section and missy raggedy but telling her to be quiet and listen when she should be able to talk to

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Hahahahha not "raggedy" 😅 Honestly, I think the editing just made everything look worse than it actually was, for everyone. Missy definitely had a really hard job and she was doing her best. I don't think she ever shut Manon up, she probably was just trying to help the communication flow openly *in that moment.* Overall, nobody deserved to be bullied - back then OR now on the internet. The girls are happy and thriving and living their best lives happily together, so we should just support them! 💚

[@JUDAH.S]

Unpopular opinion, the ratings weren’t worth the cost. Hybe got the result they wanted but at the cost of PTSD, the current members having to break their backs just to show their friends almost every post, and the girls eliminated had their dreams tainted long or short term. None of it is worth it in my eyes but I’m no producer of a series, just a human being with morals. Manon got extreme hate and love, all from the cultural misrepresentation of why she felt the need to be so laxed/mixed in with her own accountability. Adela got hate when a majority of what’s posted is from what seemed to be a vent session with the group psychologist. Sophia/Lara are also getting hate as a result of how they were depicted again leading back to how they wanted to display the Manon plot line. It’s no secret how reality tv works, and we all can conclude Manon was a heavyweight champion in Hybes eyes before they even finished the program. She just had to match that energy, and instead of watching that struggle correctly.……we got a doped up dram for views, that’s causing a chaotic parasocial hate train, that NONE of these girls deserved. They weren’t aware fully of what was going to happen, they were young, please respect that the main people at fault is Hybe/Netflix. For their poor ability to make drama without causing such an issue for each girl. Also I have been commenting on Mirta. As she genuinely rubs me the wrong way, Missy too. As she does the same things as Mirta, but falsified a lot of trust with the girls whom would later voice feeling betrayed for varying reasons on the show. But i digress, as she is with child I’m not trying to start a hate train at all. Just sharing my views. Their were other staff shown whom showed so much more decency in their approach towards the girls, and I’m sure they had obligations they didn’t always want to do (knowing it would be hard for the girls), but they ensured to handle it properly, and that I respect. Ps- love Katseye (play them daily 🤣) and I love all of the girls who didn’t make it. The only good thing the show did do was show the girls sweet personalities, even those not shown as much. That made me love them all, and I pray those who didn’t make it can pursue opportunities that perfectly suit their path 🩷

[@KPopwithKhadija]

From my comment section, I'd say that's actually a pretty popular opinion actually! They crossed the line in "creating drama" and went too far to harm the girls, emotionally, to "make a good story." A lot of the editing made things look more dramatic than I'm sure they were, but also the production pushed things into a really negative space when it really wasn't needed. I hope the girls are handling all this drama online okay and supporting each other through it. Also, I'll say I think Missy did a great job from what we saw. She had a really, really difficult role and I can see she did her best to balance out the love and care she had for the girls with... doing her job, making sure things were progressing forward the way the label and the production team wanted, etc. That isn't an easy thing to do and I think it probably took a big toll on her, too, by the end of it all! ALSO, I didn't know she was having a baby - I hope she gets a daughter, like she mentioned in the last episode!

[@JUDAH.S]

@@KPopwithKhadija Missy to me does come off in a rough spot. Personally I disliked the naisha thing, but I do have the maturity to reference that she wasn’t the only one making the choice. It was also contract based. The show wanted drama. But where I hold my opinion rests in other staff. They were met with different roles, but all equally intense, so to see a good amount of them still hold more solace towards the girls as supposed to missy in my opinion, is what made me not care for her on the show. Opinions are mixed on her from what I’ve seen. Personally just didn’t like the way she went about a lot, but maybe she too is a victim of horrible editing. As Mirta was the main person that frustrated me as far as an adult leading these girls into such a chaotic industry. She is pregnant (if it’s a girl that would be full circle from what she said on the last ep). That’s why I digress on her, I have my thoughts. But I have respect to water down how I originally felt given she is nurturing a life at the moment. I noticed the opinion got more popular, maybe it’s where I was having discussions prior. I also agree. The mental health decline was extremely hard for me to watch, I believe you mentioned the same if I’m not mistaken. All in all what I take from what I saw was the industry is toxic, no matter if it’s Netflix, music, etc . Some can do it, some can’t, and that’s fine. I also don’t think any of the people I don’t care for are horrible in real life, it’s a show, and you see all their flaws under a magnifying glass. I also loved each girl no matter how long or short the stay was, and want them to do well. I’m hoping they can all be okay, from what they experienced, to what their life looks like now🩷

[@DSQueenie]

I’d love to see your rant in full at some point. Especially since I am a mixed race girl myself and I know exactly what you are talking about unfortunately. I think what is interesting is that if the early fan voting and live voting were the only votes counted Manon and Samara would have both made the group and Meghan wouldn’t have. If they only went by the judges votes Emily would have made the group and Manon wouldn’t have.

[@KPopwithKhadija]

I'm thinking of posting it separately cuz a few people have asked! Haha But yes, I think the only thing I liked about this survival show set up is how they balanced fan & judge votes. I mean, fan voting overall is pretty unreliable but at least it's balanced out by execs who know the girls better and have a "big picture" in mind. I think it was less judge voting & more judge CHOOSING lol

[@moonamigi]

Khadija j was so pleasantly surprised when i saw you in the doc bc i havent watched riverse in a while. Didnt know you had a channel!

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Awwwww! I'm so glad this docu-series helped you find me and I'm glad you're here now!! I've had this channel for about a year - check it out to see what reactions I've done 😁💚

[@vjones4769]

Just hoping 10 years from now we don’t get a true story documentary about the documentary. (Aka… I hope this ages better than Making the Band)

[@KPopwithKhadija]

😭😭😭 Omgggggggggg, don't even say that!!!!!!!! Ugh, we literally never know what goes on behind closed doors at these companies, so seriously. I truly hope we don't ever hear any horror stories later on.

[@MewDenise]

I have a big distaste for drama channels, but the majority seem to love it cause of all the views and online discussion. I just think it's hypocritical to bash the show for creating drama when they obviously feed on it themselves. Like they said "it had the most view ratings". It will continue to be tv standard until people stop watching and engaging in drama.

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Unfortunately, you're right. Even to "hate" it and complain about how awful it is, people still watch and encourage this kind of content so it will always continue to be made

[@bbygrlcinn]

watching the clips of ur reality tv performance and seeing how critical u have been of manon has been... an interesting juxtaposition.

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Lmaooooooo baybeeeee trust me. 😅 I get it. That's WHY I included that clip. Which is why I've been very clear that 1) reality TV editing is not the full truth & painted her in a bad light and 2) Manon has truly grown so much as an artist, which we've seen throughout the competition and since they debuted. Lots of people are very green at the beginning of their career (which I obviously know very well 🫠), but it takes a LOT of hard work and dedication to get to the point to be ready to be on the biggest stages.

[@POKENON-mmb]

I am so happy Manon made it..she is naturally talented and beautiful

[@Kfc27]

Im a fan of your katseye reaction❤️.. hope you can also react to their asian tour wherein they featured the korea,philippines and japan trip! Love lots from the philippines🇵🇭❤️

[@Kiki.kikiiii]

Hi I think you should also watch the documentary kpop idols staring jessi, cravity and blackswan . Blackswan scenes was CRAZY and alot of drama

[@KPopwithKhadija]

I've been seeing that promoted a lot! I don't have Apple TV+, but if I am able to watch it one day, I definitely will!

[@Kiki.kikiiii]

@@KPopwithKhadija It’s on other movie sites (the illegal ones😭)

[@KPopwithKhadija]

👀 Noted!!

[@OGseoulite]

@@KPopwithKhadijayou can use their 7-day free trial to watch it!! That’s what I did lmao😂 finished the show in 2-3 days & it was also much easier because I watched it SOLELY and ONLY for the BlackSwan cuts, I already know Jessi’s life story so I didn’t care much for it and CRAVITY I don’t know much about and never really took interest in the group so yeah, skimming through their parts to get to the BS cuts made the watch much easier to get through.

[@pandaking9000]

Wonderful video as always 💖 thank you for highlighting my comment! I’d love to hear that full rant in it’s own video sometime. From what I caught when slowing down the sped up part I completely agree! While I fell for her talent, and we seem to be on the same page about the production weirdness, ultimately they wanted a VERY specific type of black girl. You’re right about WHY they were willing to build manon up from nothing and I’m glad you pointed that out. I got into my projected feelings a bit and was missing it in my analysis. Especially when most other critiques of manon failed to address the anti-blackness entirely. It’s truly sinister on the part of casting and put ALL of the girls in an unfair position. The colorism (and sizeism and featurism) within casting was blatantly obvious and really disappointing. I’m still glad we got manon, but black girls shouldn’t have to be THAT to get a fair shake. Especially in the name of a “global girl group”.

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Thank YOU for sharing your thoughts! I only cut a small section for KZbin, but my full rant included more of your comment. I think you brought up some really good perspectives re: Manon & antiblackness in the show. I might post my full rant as a separate video on TT or something, cuz it is a conversation I think is important to have! Manon is talented and she did work VERY hard (despite the frustrations we saw from the other girls), but we definitely do have to ask questions about why they wanted HER specifically so badly. And with that, they set her up to be criticized and ostracized even more than anyone else would have been, which no Black girl deserves. I just feel that so deeply for her!

[@MrChibblez]

7:00 Ahh you're Canadian aren't you? I used to watch MuchMusic literally all day every day back when I was a tween. Fun times. I know its probably not my place to say but I completely agree with your rant!!! Sure you skimmed through most of it but you kept the important bits. The girls were upset with Manon for a reason, I'm sure we didn't see most of what happened. But because she was gorgeous and fit "korean beauty standards for a black woman" she is a and I quote "VERY specific type of Black girl" so they kept her around. Don't get me wrong I like Manon a lot and I love her low tone. It definitely complements the group but still they didn't have any trouble axing Naisha. Heck Even Samara was black but had and I once again quote "VERY specific type of Black girl" features. Oh and the 4th black girl who was in the first few episodes but completely ignored was "Angelina Rosa Leach" which once again looks a lot like Manon, whom in my opinion kinda gives Blasian vibes. Theres no way in hell that there wasn't many other talented black girls who applied that weren't somewhat mixed race. Quick edit: Mixed race is just as beautiful but it was just odd to me there were barely any non-mixed race black girls there except maybe Naisha.

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Haha yep! 🍁 MuchMusic is what I grew up on (& was very excited to be featured in a show... until we saw the edits! haha). Yes, the production let her get away with a lot that other girls wouldn't have, because they knew they wanted that specific look for their show/group. And Naisha & Samara also fit that look very closely, too, though I'd say Manon is the most stereotypically in that category. I don't even remember seeing Angelina Rosa Leach, but I'll go back and look again! I am sure there were talented dark-skinned Black girls who auditioned, too. But because they were giving Manon such special treatment, it set her up to be in a "villain" role with the other girls - YES, her actions weren't great, but she also had a huge target on her back, which Black girls so often do as soon as we walk through the door. 😓

[@MrChibblez]

@@KPopwithKhadija You wont see Angelina, maybe in the background if you're lucky but shes not showcased at all. The only place you see her is in the rankings of the first 3 episodes or so. There are 3 girls who weren't in the show but were in the rankings and Angelina is one of them. She was ranked lowest for the most part I think.

[@LucasWIZONE]

I've been thinking about the 'survival' show part and if you really think about it, I think the girls mentality is wrong from the beginning as: even if it was not a survival show it still would've ended the same as only 6 girls would've been picked to make the final line-up/group (I think it was mentioned pretty soon that only 6 girls were going to get picked) so, they kinda got too 'friendly' with eachother as they were already 12? or 13/14? girls and not everyone would get to join the group and it didn't seem the girls thought about that. Sure the show comes out of nowhere for the girls and it's mean, but still. Not saying it is right for them to do it the way they did, I'm still mad about Lexie, pretty much my favorite back then but I agree with her decision. I'm pretty sure that a lot of the girls would get sad/mad/etc when not picked to debut, It's a normal thing as every group that debuts in kpop didn't only have 6 trainees and all 6 debuted, they always have 'spare' trainees that didn't make it, specially with big companies. Not english native, sorry for bad phrasing and a lot of repeating. Still hope you guys get what I mean.

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Yes, they did know it was going to be down to only 6 girls and I think that level of stress, competition, tension would have been enough to make it a compelling show. Other training programs have a balance of that competition and stress with the trainees building genuine bonds, which are needed when they ultimately end up in a group & working so closely together. I think their mentality was okay and they would have been fine without production "switching gears" on the concept so harshly, even as some of them would have felt sad, mad, discouraged, disappointed, etc. I don't think they NEEDED to surprise them with the survival show aspect.

[@changggminnn1758]

20:54 HY-- 🤐🤐🤐

[@KPopwithKhadija]

...👀👀👀

[@astrid4911]

girl... the reason why cover dancers are giving more in the face is because dancing is all they're doing

[@KPopwithKhadija]

This is true! And in my initial reaction to Mission 3, I mentioned that it looked like she was "thinking too hard" about singing and dancing at the same time. And now that I know how new she is to all of it, I totally understand if that was happening. You can clearly see most of the other girls don't have that issue, because they have trained and understood what industry they were going into. I am not comparing dancers to idols that they should be exactly alike. BUT, I am pointing out that as an artist/idol, your job is to PERFORM - it's what I mentioned about being like athletes who also have to have specific facial expressions and sing live vocals. That's part of the job and if you can't do that, maybe you aren't ready for this particular job. In the rehearsals, we can see that when she was just dancing, she served face... Obviously, it's not as much of a concern now because we've seen how much she's grown as a performer since Dream Academy ended. Their recent performances since their debut are a WHOLE NEW Manon, so she's been working hard and developing her skills in all areas to be able to execute them altogether now. I love to see it!

[@shadovao8704]

no I wanted to hear you talk fully about anti blackness :(

[@eduardos9905]

The thing is that it had nothing to do with Manon's work ethics being pointed out, Samara never faced that kind of criticism and mind u, she was always top 6 while comin from a waaaaay less privileged context than Manon

[@KPopwithKhadija]

I might end up posting the full rant separately here or on TT or something haha. Cuz I had a LOT of thoughts!!!!

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Antiblackness isn't just about hating Black girls for being Black. It's the swiftness & intensity that it shows up when it does happen. I don't doubt that Samara could have easily ended up in a very similar situation if she did something "wrong" or rubbed people the wrong way at some point... even if it's the kind of thing other non-Black girls can get away with. (From what I heard, she actually DID get a lot of hate online for stuff on her personal accounts, right? That people argued were or were not even true?)

[@KPopwithKhadija]

Not saying Manon's work ethic wasn't to be criticized - it was! Just saying the level of reaction she got could have been influenced by people already being very quick/ready to 'tear her down' without even realizing why.

[@vjones4769]

I didn’t like mission 3 either. The groups tasks felt very unbalanced.

[@KPopwithKhadija]

NOT great song/performance choices at all. The more I think about it, the more bothered I am... haha. So unfair to these girls.

[@benjohnson8013]

You kinda sound like a hater when it comes to Manon it’s giving jealousy. It’s pretty obvious that she was a plant and already had a spot reserved but let’s be real looks do matter in the entertainment industry.

[@KPopwithKhadija]

...hater where? Jealousy where? Point it out for me, friend. 😝 Cuz I'm pretty sure I spent a good amount of time explaining why I completely understand Manon's position in this whole scenario...

[@nseioqcolocaraquikk56]

Essa série so foi pra gente odiar mais a manon.😂

[@KPopwithKhadija]

It definitely didn't do her justice and for the people who already didn't want to like her, it definitely gave more than enough fuel for extra hate to be piled on. But I hope some people can step back and see a bigger picture, and give her grace as someone who was learning, struggling and growing. 💚