PRODUCE 101

Season 2 promotional poster.

***Produce 101 Season 2*** was a 2017 reality boy group survival show on Mnet. It was a large-scale project in which the public "produces" a unit boy group by voting for their favorite members from a pool of 101 trainees from 54 different entertainment companies.

## Concept

Produce 101 Season 2 brings together 101 trainees from different entertainment companies in South Korea, and 11 trainees are selected through audience voting to form a boy band. The group Wanna One will perform for two years together under YMC Entertainment (also the label of I.O.I from *Produce 101 Season 1*). The top 35 also performed with the winning team at a finale concert. The winning group will disband after their contracts end, allowing the members of the final lineup to return to their agencies. Unlike the previous season, they were not allowed to join other groups that their agencies were planning while doing their promotions as Wanna One.

## Trainers

### Vocals

* Lee Seokhoon
* Shin Yoomi

### Rap

* Cheetah
* Don Mills

### Dance

* Kahi
* Kwon Jaesung

### Special MCs/Guests

* Choi Yoojung (Episode 5)
* Kim Sohee (Episode 5)
* Kim Sohye (Episode 5)
* Kim Doyeon (Episode 5)
* Leeteuk (Episode 6)

### Trainess (HNB Project)

* Park Woo Dam
* Woo Jin Young
* Jeong Won Cheol
* Jo Yong Geun

## Controversy

According to Ilgan Sports, the staff of *Produce 101 Season 2* have tried to find a trainee who talked to the media about discrimination of the trainees by grade ranking. Ilgan Sports reported that trainees encountered discrimination, such as level-determined permission to go to the bathroom and eat different meals. Also, there were issues about boys who bullied other students and plagiarism of choreography.

Maroo Entertainment's Parkha left the show due to a serious bullying and sexual assault scandal. An alleged former classmate accused Jongyoun of making him masturbate in front of his friends, forcing him to fight with his friends, and locking him in the cleaning equipment room.

YGK+ Entertainment's VIINI deleted all of his Instagram posts after they were flooded with negative comments. This was in response to the show's fourth episode, in which Kwon was seen as unmotivated and received harsh criticism from the trainers for a lack of practice, but despite this his team won the live performance battle and he received the highest score out of both teams. During the performance, the trainers commented that the group was "ready to debut". After the performance, Hyunbin stated that "I'm here because I really want to debut as a singer" and "I've put everything on the line for this". Despite having received the most votes, netizens criticized Hyunbin for his "lack of sincerity".

The Vibe Label's Ha Minho allegedly tried to engage in sexual relationships with a minor. Screenshots of Instagram and Facebook conversations between him and a minor fan were posted online, and he was also accused of sexually harassing and bullying an ex-girlfriend in middle school. After discussion with Mnet, he left the show and canceled his contract with his label.

## Results

The name of the group was revealed in Episode 11 to be Wanna One.

## References

1. ↑ 누가 밖에 말했냐"…'차별 논란' 멤버 추궁한 '프듀2' 제작진
2. ↑ 한종연 측 "'프듀101 시즌2' 자진 하차…반성 시간 갖겠다" (공식입장 전문)
3. ↑ '프듀2' 태도논란 악플에 인스타 사진 전부 삭제한 권현빈
4. ↑ "Produce 101 Season 2" Trainee Ha Min Ho Accused Of Bullying And Sexually Harassing Ex-Girlfriend
5. ↑ Ha Min Ho leaves 'Produce 101' and ends contract with current label