Our Predictions for the Top 9 in Girls Planet 999
99 girls enter, only 9 girls will make it out alive as the band that debuts from Girls Planet 999.
After three episodes, there are some trainees that stand out, whether it's because of their skill or because of dramatic editing (only the production team knows— but we don't).
As an avid follower of the show (I watched it for the lols and now I'm hooked — help) here are a list of trainees that I think will make it to the final lineup, along with what I predict their positions would be. Trainees with an asterisk (*) are also my personal favourites!
(P.S. There may be spoilers for episodes 1-3, so read at your own risk!)
Su Rui Qi*
Image credit: Girls Planet 999
Let's be real — we all expected this. Honestly, I was drawn in from the very moment she owned the line "바로 나야!" (baro-naya; it's me) in the C-GROUP version of O.O.O. She's super charismatic and extremely skilled in dance, rap, and vocals. Her first performance was one that caught my eye, and I believe many others too! She's also in a strong cell now, comprised of Ezaki Hikaru and Jeong Jiyoon so I'm sure she will go far.
I believe that Su Rui Qi will likely be the center and dancer in the final lineup.
Ezaki Hikaru
Image credit: Girls Planet 999
I must admit here: she isn't my favourite, but I definitely see her charm and appeal so I feel like it's almost guaranteed that she'll make it to the final lineup. I can be objective and even though she doesn't really attract me a lot, it's clear that she's attracted many others so her road to the top is pretty clear.
I believe that Ezaki Hikaru will be the face of the group and rapper in the final lineup.
Kang Yeseo* or Guinn Myah
Image credit: Girls Planet 999
The girls from Monster Baby really did an amazing job with their first performance and I believe that they've managed to capture the heart of the Planet Guardians (audience). I'm thinking at least one of them will make it to the final lineup, and am leaning more towards Kang Yeseo or Guinn Myah.
I believe that either one of them will be the visual, and likely vocalist in the final lineup.
Kawaguchi Yurina*
Image credit: Girls Planet 999
Another one that caught the hearts of many since the first episode, Kawaguchi Yurina has this irresistible charm to her. Coupled with her dancing and vocal abilities, she is a strong contender for the final lineup.
I believe that Kawaguchi Yurina will be the visual and vocalist in the final lineup.
Kim Dayeon*
Image credit: Girls Planet 999
I wasn't very impressed with her at the beginning, maybe because of the editing or just the performance. I knew she wasn't bad, but I think she didn't really shine in the first two episodes so I kind of overlooked her. But after watching her in the most recent episode, she's definitely deserving of her first place amongst all the Korean trainees with her skill and impeccable stage presence! I'm excited to see more of what she will offer in the next few episodes.
I believe that Kim Dayeon will be the rapper and dancer of the final lineup.
Liang Jiao* or Liang Qiao*
Image credit: Girls Planet 999
They didn't really blow everyone away with their first performance, but many agree that these girls have extremely strong personalities. For some reason, you can't take your eyes off them, and they're one — well, two — of the trainees that my friends and I are always able to recognise in the mass of girls. To be able to be noticed even when you're not doing anything is a very important trait for a celebrity and these girls have it. I've also done some digging and realised that they're actually really good dancers! So who knows what they'll bring to the table in episode 4.
I believe that either one of the Liang twins will be the visual or face of the group, and dancer in the final lineup.
Choi Yujin
Image credit: Girls Planet 999
One of the, maybe even the most experienced trainee of the 99 girls, Choi Yujin is the lead dancer, vocalist, rapper, visual and center of Cube's girlgroup, CLC. Naturally, she has strong stage presence and skills to follow. She also already has a huge group of supporters so I won't be surprised if she makes it to the final lineup. However, I'm concerned that she will only make it to the last episode, but fall short of making it into the resultant band.
I believe that Choi Yujin will be the dancer of vocalist in the final lineup. She may also be selected as the leader due to her experience.
Huening Bahiyyih
Image credit: Girls Planet 999
You were definitely expecting her. Huening Bahiyyih has gained a lot of attention for being TXT's Huening Kai's younger sister so I'm pretty sure she will make it far in this competition. But will she be able to capture the hearts of more Planet Guardians? I feel that Huening Bahiyyih, like Choi Yujin, might make it far in the competition but may not end up in the final lineup. But for now, because I don't really have anyone left that I feel has the potential to make it in, I'll include her first.
I believe that Huening Bahiyyih will be the center or visual, or face of the group of the final lineup. There hasn't been much content on her abilities yet, so whether she'll be a dancer, vocalist, or rapper is still up in the air.
Kim Bora or Kubo Reina
Image credit: Girls Planet 999
I'll be honest here and say that I'm not too sure about them making it all the way to the top, but when I was looking through my list of the above eight girls, I realised that it was lacking a strong vocalist. These two were very impressive vocalists in their first performances (Kim Bora with Little Mix's Bounce Back and Kubo Reina with Mamamoo's gogobebe) so I think they'll be able to fill the gap of main vocalist in my current predicted lineup.
I believe that Kim Bora or Kubo Reina will be the vocalist in the final lineup.
Special mentions
Here are some names that I think are attracting a lot of Planet Guardians. While I'm confident that they'll survive the first elimination, I'm not sure how high can they climb in the show.
Shen Xiao Ting — she gained a lot of recognition as the first place in C-GROUP but honestly, I was quite underwhelmed by her performance in How You Like That. She's pretty and her dance makes you want to look at her, but I'm not quite sure if she can continue to appeal to Planet Guardians.
Seo Youngeun* — in episode 3, she proved to Planet Guardians that not only was she a good dancer and rapper, she's a stable vocalist as well! Coupled with her bright personality, I believe she'll go far in the show. In fact, I hope she makes it to the top 9!
Yoon Jia* — I absolutely adore her. Both her and Seo Youngeun really impressed me with their cover of Kick It, and love how she switches between being a shy teenager and a confident performer when the situation calls for it. She may sometimes be overshadowed by Seo Youngeun because of her quiet personality, but when she's on stage, she shines.
Kim Chaehyun* — some may know her as the Black Mamba vocalist that missed the high note, or the girl who's an ex-SM trainee. I know her as someone with solid vocal abilities, and pretty strong leadership. When her team was distributing parts, the center had chosen a position that would get a lot of lines. She found this to be rather unfair for the rest of the team as the center, by virtue, would already get a lot of screen time. While most of her teammates kept mum about it, she spoke up and gently explained why she felt that the center should take a smaller part and let the others in the team have a chance to shine too. When the Japanese trainees in her team couldn't catch up and were crying about it amongst themselves, she went over to them and asked if everything was alright before conveying their worries to the rest of the team. She strikes me as someone who would be good at managing her team.
Kim Suyeon — she was in the same team as Kim Dayeon and Choi Yeyoung, both the first and second in K-GROUP respectively. Despite being 19th, she didn't let that affect her and was able to shine in their rendition of K/DA's POP/STARS and was nominated to be on of the potential Top 9 candidates for it. She is very attractive on stage and I can't wait to see what she will do in the upcoming episodes.
Sakamoto Mashiro — another ex-trainee of the Big 3, Sakamoto Mashiro was once a trainee in JYP entertainment. As expected, she shows a strong foundation in her dancing and singing abilities so I believe she will do well.
Center vs Face of the Group vs Visual
In case you're confused between the difference between the center, face of the group, and visual, here's a very quick explanation:
The center is someone who usually stands in the center in performances and are usually the ones with the strongest stage presence (see: itzy's Ryujin).
The face of the group is the person the public associates the most with the group. They're usually charismatic and are able to catch the viewer's eye (see: itzy's Yeji).
The visual is someone who fits the Korean beauty standards the best, and is generally agreed upon to be the most attractive member (see: itzy's Yuna).
While there are some people who can be all three, sometimes these positions are split between members.
That was... A really long list of trainees that I have my eyes on. I hope that you enjoyed reading this and let me know who your picks are in the comments below. In the meantime, please vote for Yoon Jia, and catch Girls Planet 999 every Friday at 7:20pm Singapore time!