By Monica Dobson, Newswire Intern

New K-Pop survival show “Starlight Boys” is being hit with major backlash after airing two episodes. Viewers have accused of mistreatment and racism towards certain contestants.

“Starlight Boys” is a South Korean survival show that premiered on the iQiYi app on Oct. 26. This show features the process of 69 contestants from all over the world, who train and compete to debut in a nine-member global boy group. 

Many popular K-Pop groups such as Stray Kids and TWICE were formed through survival shows, which typically have trainees do a series of missions to test their potential of becoming a K-Pop Idol. These missions allow trainees to showcase their singing, dancing and teamwork skills, which can influence fans to vote for them.

Episode one of Starlight Boys introduces the 69 boys who were chosen from over 2,300 applicants from 85 to participate in the show. Soon after, the host (who is called the guardian), Lee Sung Kyoung, was introduced alongside the “guiders” which are the judges who will direct the boys throughout the entirety of the competition. The guardians are the fans, who will vote on who they want to debut.

The guiders are South Korean actor and singer Lee Seung Gi, South Korean singer Daesung, South Korean dancer and choreographer Choi Youngjun, South Korean rapper and singer Hanhae, South Korean singer and songwriter Hui and South Korean singer and member of girl group STAYC Yoon. 

The trainees’ first mission was an individual evaluation in which the boys performed their dancing and singing skills to the guiders. Through this, the guiders decided their individual grades for the trainees. The  grades are All-Star (the best), Two-Star, One-Star and Zero-Star (the worst). 

A trainee named Syo, who is half Black and Japanese, was the second to perform his individual mission. After the performance, Choi Youngjun sighed as if he was disappointed with his performance. 

“Maybe it’s because I thought you’d dance very well, so I had high expectations, but it looks like you haven’t learned dancing at all,” Choi Youngjun said. 

Syo expressed to Guider Choi Youngun that he’s never had any professional dance experience. He has been a self-taught dancer for two years, and that was also his first time performing while singing and dancing at the same time.

Ultimately, the guiders gave Syo a Zero-Star and their reason was because they think Syo is more of an artist, not an idol. This sparked rumors of racism within the show. 

The trainee after Syo was a South Korean named Kim Seong Ju. Kim Seong Ju told the judges about how he is a model, he doesn’t have any dance experience and that he’s been vocal training for about one to two months. 

After Kim Seong Ju’s performance, guiders gave him a One-Star saying that he fit the idol image unlike Syo.

In episode two of  Starlight Boys, which aired earlier this month. Guardian Lee Sung Kyoung introduced a new mission that eliminated  twelve trainees from the competition. 

This new mission is called the “Signal Song Mission.” When the signal song which is the theme song of the show is played, all trainees have to perform at the same time. Through evaluation, Guiders decided on the qualified trainees that would pass. But Guardian Lee Sung Kyoung didn’t stop there.

“The Signal Song Mission will continue until 56 trainees pass, until the final trainee is decided, the Signal Song will be played infinitely,” Lee Sung Kyoung said. 

Viewers saw that after each round the trainees started to get progressively more tired. What frustrated fans the most about this is that the boys danced a one-to-two minute song over twenty times with only a 30-second break in between. 

The Signal Song Mission was interrupted by trainee Sun Ying Hao. Upset, he expressed to the crew and Guiders that he knew they wanted each trainee to show their determination and persistence. 

“But we are human, not machines,” Sun Ying Hao said. 

Afterwards guider Lee Seung Gi told trainees that this is something they all have to go through in order to become a K-Pop idol.