Produce48 Episode 4 – Yabuki Nako claims top spot for onsite votes, controversy and other surprises

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Mnet’s “Produce48” episode 4 has aired and suffice to say, the show has become a lot more (and a lot better) than others may have expected it to be.  With ratings super high and clever editing to get people all over the world all into it (and some riled up or put them to tears), episode 4 shows us how things can change, how your performance and hardwork can take you from a lower rank right to the top but how those extra 1,000 points does help in one’s ranking.

But it all comes down to the elimination round and “Produce48” will be getting to that episode where we will see the large roster slashed.

We also learned that the groups that members put together, by assembling the higher ranked or best performing members in a group, that doesn’t mean a guaranteed win.  In fact, episode 4 shows how it can be a detriment because it has now allowed those who never had the spotlight to shine and win the hearts of voters in Korea.  By seeing how people would see an underdog, become the shining gem of a competition.

First, the preview for next week’s episode 5 will be “the ghost prank” but I think the funniest and cutest moment of this teaser is Miyawaki Sakura’s wink.  She’s more cute but trying to to the seductive blink no doubt will receive a lot of comments on YouTube.

OK, now the key moments…as we saw last week, Miyawaki Sakura wanted to be center performing I.O.I.’s “Very Very Very”.  Well, not only did she mess up her lines but she wasn’t ready due to the short time to prepare.

While she received a scathing judgment of her trying to be center, she showed that she’s tough and she’ll do what she can to bounce back up, learn her lines and defer to Choyeon.

While Team 2 did well and we saw the power dance moves on display, Team 1 led by Ahn Yujin’s team was a team that gel’d well together.  They were seen having fun and being cute and enjoying each other’s company.  In fact, of all performers learning the rap portion, Ahn Yujin nearly memorized the lyrics on her own without looking at a piece of paper which surprised the guests.  And to add to the cuteness, Team 1 broke out their paper hearts at the end which no doubt one hearts.

But when you have a team with cool chemistry, it shows on stage!

Team 1 was the winner but it was close!

Possibly the most controversial part of episode 4 dealt with Lee Chaejong’s team. In episode 3, Chaeojong picked only Korean trainees for her team and while voters probably didn’t see this, viewers saw the team choose the team filled with primarily F-ranked Japanese trainees and two Korean trainees which no team wanted to take their chance on.  Which people saw the team in tears.

While Chaejong’s team no doubt would have the best performance, it was evident that viewers were not happy about Lee Chaejong’s team at all, with their fan cam receiving negative votes on YouTube and receiving the ire of viewers not just in Korea but also internationally.

While the strategy that Chaejong’s team was sound and one can understand why.  A wonderful performance is to be expected by that team.  The team which was led by Kang Hyewon, one would expect it to be so-so but they did expect to see improvement and some sign that they can try their best and prove they can beat Chaejong’s team.

And sure enough…

Viewers decided that Kang Hyewon’s team deserved it. People feeling that Asai Nanami’s performance outshined Kim Sohee’s performance.

And while some may say they won by a sympathy vote, voters were not aware of what took place on the show until after the votes were tabulated.  So, they went by decisions of Chaejong’s team possibly not choosing any Japanese trainees and the other team, being the less dominant, to come out fighting and show they are contenders.  It’s debatable, some may or may not agree with the vote but that’s how it goes.

While each week, there will be someone who shines on the show, aside from Yabuki Nako, Team 2’s Heoh Yunjin (Kirin-chan) absolutely shined during her performance of AKB48’s “High Tension”.  While Yoon HaeSol’s team did very well, Takeuchi Miyu and Jo Ahyoung of Team 2 helped her team have the edge over Team 1.

And of course, many wondered if Matsui Jurina’s team (Team 1) won.  It was a hard battle between these two teams, who both did well.

But it was another voting controversy…  Matsui Jurina’s team was edged out by Team 2 (note: The 1000 points are awarded to the winning team, so it wasn’t a landslide) and that was because Alex Christine of Team 1 received four votes.  Is that even possible?  Needless to say, viewers are upset.

As for the AOA “Short Hair” competition…

This was a very close competition, but in the end…Team 1 (in red) was the winner:

And due to Yabuki Nako’s insane amount of votes she received in episode 3, she took #1 for the onsite votes.  But there is no official weekly rankings this week as episode 5 will now feature eliminations.

 

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