It's finally time to write about the rollercoaster ride of emotions that is Produce 101 Season 2. It's been almost 2 months since the show has ended but I still find myself regularly searching for updates on the trainees, following their IG accounts and lurking on the Broduce 101 subreddit page. That's how this show has affected my entire... existence lol! I never intended to watch the show, much more stan/support around 100 more boys... but look where I am now. I have 100% no regrets, though. :)

I never watched the first season of Produce 101 but I do have an idea on what the reality show is about. In a nutshell, 101 idol trainees all having the same dream of wanting to debut would compete for the top 11 spots. The top 11 trainees would debut as a girl group (Season 1) or as a boy group (Season 2). The top 11 would be determined by the votes of the national producers. As opposed to Season 1, Season 2 was not open for international voting so the national producers were the South Korean citizens. This gave the debuting boy group the automatic title of being the "nation's boy group." The group has to disband by the end of 2018, though. :( People must be crazy to watch a show where you're sure you'll get your heart broken (not once, not twice... but a thousand times!). However, I can't seem to regret watching it because the show motivated and inspired me to continue on achieving my dreams, goals and passion~

HOW? Let me count the ways!

!!! Disclaimer: Might contain spoilers !!!

1. The trainees in the show came from different backgrounds.


There was a 30 year old trainee and a 15 year old trainee... which shows how you are never too young or too old to reach for your goals. There were  trainees from different countries as well, such as Japan and China, who left their families and the comforts of their home at such a young age to pursue their dreams of becoming an idol.

2. Some of the trainees in the show experienced struggle or hardships that pushed them to join Produce 101 Season 2.



You'd see trainees who debuted already but decided to join the show because it was their last chance. You'd see trainees who have been training for more than 5 years already. You'd see trainees who were about to debut but life happened and that plan went back to the drawing board. Their joining Produce 101 was not  just out of pure determination... there was also a hint of desperation. And this is not bad at all. It showed their persistence to push through despite it all. It's such an inspiring thought especially when I feel like I'm struggling and just want to give up and be a bum.

3. The trainees' reactions to their co-trainees' performances comprise some of my most favorite moments from the show.


I love how the trainees did not hide their awe or pride when their co-trainees perform. They would even compliment their co-trainees for such a good performance and would cheer for each other to their hearts' content. Watching the performances wouldn't be complete for me if not for the trainees' reactions clips (even if they kept on replaying some parts of the performance lol)! This also showed how even though Produce 101 was a competition, the trainees would give credit when it was due. Such nice and polite kids!!

4.  Speaking of performances... the stages were so good you'd feel like it was done by a legit idol group.



5. In their behind the scenes clips, you'll see they are just normal people all pursuing the same dream.
I wish MNET released more dorm clips or more videos of that trainees bonding and having fun. Based on the participants' interviews, they said that they would often go to each other's dorm rooms to "play", prank each other, eat together, etc. They would also hang out or go to school when there was no filming schedule. These scenarios illustrate how these trainees are just normal people, they just seem extraordinary because of the amount of effort they give in every practice and performance.. And that's inspiring!

6. Again, the effort they put on their performances is NO JOKE! This needs further emphasis and deserves a separate number.

Throughout the show, a number of trainees got sick and injured because of tiredness, fatigue, etc. due to the overexertion of their bodies when they practice for their stages. It's a pity that MNET didn't allocate a segment for this as this would have showed how persistent and diligent the trainees were to be able to show an AMAZING stage!

7. The trainees' creativity to get themselves screen time will always amuse me.



Screen time is one of the most important things in Produce 101. Wait, let me correct that... GOOD screen time is one of the most important things in Produce 101 (cause screw MNET's evil editing!). If a trainee wouldn't get enough screen time, how would people know him? How would they vote for him? How could they see his charms?? Because of this, a lot of trainees came up with various ways on how to get that highly coveted screen time! Done intentionally or not, there's no doubt that to be able to do these antics and "extra-ness", confidence, creativity and wittiness are must-haves!

8. They're humble. They always acknowledge their mentors and co-trainees who've helped them.

With the countless times I've watched the show (TRIVIA: I watched the 1st episode more than 5 times already!), I haven't seen an arrogant trainee. Each trainee in the show would willingly accept criticism and would seek for other trainees' help when he was having a hard time. At the same time, the more senior trainees would gladly help and encourage their co-trainees. Moments like those would always leave a warm feeling in my heart.

9. They developed such strong-willed hearts at such young ages.



Imagine being young and not being with your family as you pursue your dream. Imagine being openly criticized by the public at such a young age. Imagine not getting enough sleep just to practice for more than 12 hours a day. All the trainees had to undergo these struggles and sacrifices when they joined Produce 101, yet even after the show, they were/are still working towards debuting. I also have to say that I also admire not only the burning passion and grit these trainees have but also how they already know what they want and how they're working more than 100% to achieve that. (relatable cause quarter life crisis for me lol)

10. They have superb time management skills.



When the trainees were not filming Produce 101 episodes, some of them attended their classes and continued studying. The only free time they got and they allotted it for studying... how inspiring is that? Some even used their free time to practice more! If I were in their place, I could picture myself savoring the rare downtime by lazing around and sleeping all day "because I deserved it." I believe this also has something to do with how they already knew what they wanted so prioritizing their tasks and responsibilities would come naturally... something I wish I have at the still-young age of 24 years old.


11. THE BROMANCE!


Last but definitely not the least -- what I love most about the show is the BROMANCE! Less drama, more love. As you watch the show and learn more about it, you can see the trainees' genuine friendship. From how they reacted to each others' performances, how they complimented their co-trainees, how they helped each other during practices, how they cheered on each other, how they cried during elimination rounds, how they met up and went out even after the show has ended, how they mentioned one another during interviews, how they followed and interacted with each other in SNS (Instagram!) -- the list goes on. Produce 101 was a competition and sabotaging or bad-mouthing each other would've been normal. BUT after around 6 months of living together, the trainees developed a genuine kind of friendship that would make the viewer want to make them debut all together because you want them to be together... ALWAYS. (*cue Always music*)

And yes! Wanna One, the formed boy group from Produce 101 Season 2, just debuted last Monday! Almost 300k physical album sales and all kill in real time charts? ROOKIE LEGENDS ONLY! A lot of the eliminated trainees are debuting or having comebacks as well. I still want all the trainees to debut together though...like one big group a la NCT. LOL. Then again, I'm just happy that I still get updates from a lot of the participants via Instagram and Twitter!

I hope this blog made you see how inspiring and motivating Produce 101 is. Oh, and if you haven't watched the show yet (you're missing half of your life mannn!), I hope this convinced you to start watching it now. IT'S NOT TOO LATE!

P.S. My biases in Produce 101 are Ahn Hyeongseob of Yuehua Entertainment and Park Woojin of Brand New Music. JINSEOB FTW!