Once completed, the girls arrived in their gym uniforms in what looks like a gymnasium or auditorium to get the details for their first official mission from Yeo Jin Goo. The mission is called the connect mission. (This show sure loves that word)
The connect mission will assign three cells (9 girls) to one song. Two teams can choose one mission song. Groups who choose the same song will go head-to-head with the masters deciding who wins the battle.
The songs the girls had to choose from were:
- BLACKPINK – How You Like That
- IZ*ONE – Fiesta
- OH MY GIRL – The Fifth Season
- TWICE – Yes or Yes
- EBS – EXO – The Eve/BTS – MIC Drop/Seventeen Pretty U
For the girl group songs, two teams will compete against each other. For the boy group sounds it will be three teams competing. All members of the winning team will benefit from 2x the number of votes that come 24 hours before the voting period ends. If a team wins with a boy group song, they will get 3x the number of votes.
The best of the five winning teams will perform on M Countdown.
The results of the morning mission determine who gets to choose the cells they want to team up with first. Unfortunately, the selected cell cannot decline. Too bad for those who were ranked at the bottom for that one.
I will forego the whole selection process and list the results for each song below:
BLACKPINK – How You Like That
Team 1: Choi Yujin, Cai Bing, May, Seo Yeongeun, Shen Xiaoting, Kawaguchi Yurina, Lee Yeongyung, Xia Yan, Inaba Vivienne
Team 2: Yoon Jia, Zhou Xinyu, Shima Moka, Sim Seungeun, Chien Tzuling, Ando Rinka, Kim Dayeon, Wu Tammy, Sakurai Miu
TWICE – Yes or Yes
Team 1: Kim Hyerim, Ma Yuling, Okuma Sumomo, Huh Jiwon, Chiayi, Yamauchi Moana, Kim Chaehyun, Li Yiman, Kuwahara Ayana
Team 2: Lee Chaeyun, Leung Cheukying, Kishida Ririka, Kim Doah, Xu Ziyin, Arai Risako, Kim Sein, Wen Zhe, Okazaki Momoko
OH MY GIRL – The Fifth Season
Team 1: Ryu Sion, Chang Ching, Terasaki Hina, Kim Bora, Zhang Luofei, Hayase Hana, Lee Hyewon, Liang Jiao, Nagai Manami
Team 2: Joung Min, Liang Qiao, Hayashi Fuko, Cho Haeun, Ho Szeching, Kanno Miyu, Lee Rayeon, Cui Wenmeixiu, Oki Fuka
IZ*ONE – Fiesta
Team 1: Lee Sunwoo, Poon Wingchi, Hiyajo Nagomi, Kang Yeseo, Huang Xingqiao, Sakamoto Mashiro, Choi Yeyoung, Chen Hsinwei, Kubo Reina
Team 2: Huening Bahiyyih, Hsu Nientzu, Sakamoto Shihona, Kim Yubin, Lin Shuyun, Nakamura Kyara, Suh Jimin, Wang Qiuru, Ito Miyu
EBS
EXO – The Eve: You Dayeon, Xu Ruowei, Kamikura Rei, Kim Suyeon, Fu Yaning, Nonaka Shana, Jeong Jiyoon, Su Ruiqi, Ezaki Hikaru
BTS – MIC Drop: Han Dana, Lin Chenhan, Kitajima Yuna, An Jeongmin, Wang Yale, Fujimoto Ayaka, Choi Hyerin, Liu Yuhan, Aratake Rinka
Seventeen – Pretty U: Kim Yeeun, Liu Shiqi, Ikema Ruan, Guinn Myah, Yang Zige, Kamimoto Kotone, Lee Yunji, Gu Yizhou, Murakami Yume
The one team to make note of is the second for IZ*ONE’s Fiesta. They were the leftovers no one chose and were grouped together by default. It’s possible this could be another underdog team that flies under the radar similar to the HellBoombayah team from Produce 48.
With the matchups and songs set, Yeo Jin Goo announced the number of girls advancing to round two. Thus, 16 of the 33 cells will be eliminated after completing the first mission, equating to 48 girls.
Members of the eliminated group will have a chance to stay thanks to the Planet Pass. The masters will choose one member from each group to save and continue in the competition.
It seems that this cell thing probably isn’t going to last more than a few rounds. Although there appears to be an effort to keep everything in threes, so who knows?
In the next episode’s previews, the real drama begins with the girls getting down to business. There also seems to be a surprise result even the masters could not see coming. Episode three looks to be where this show will begin to pick up.
