'R U Next' Iris Revelation Sparks Concern: 'I want to be eliminated...'

The latest episode of the highly anticipated HYBE Labels x BeLift Lab girl group survival program, 'R U Next?', took an unexpected turn, drawing both attention and concern for a young contestant's portrayal.

Iris Abruptly Making Mistakes During Practice

On the fourth episode of 'R U Next?' broadcast on July 15, a 12-year-old young contestant from Thailand, Iris, received significant attention.

During choreography practice, Iris left the room abruptly after making numerous mistakes, adding to the mystery surrounding her behavior.

Despite her group members' encouragement to boost her confidence, viewers were taken aback when Iris responded, "That's okay. I want to be eliminated," leaving everyone puzzled about her intentions.

You can watch the video here:

Iris Being Criticized, Admits to Being in a Daze During Heartbreaking Criticism

Following the group's performance, Iris faced harsh criticism from the judges, particularly dancer Aiki, who questioned her dedication and motivation to be on stage, labeling it a "disrespect to K-Pop."

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Aiki went on to challenge Iris to either improve or consider quitting.

"I have no idea why Iris is even there. No will and no motivation to be on stage? I don't know how far that is going to get you. It is definitely a disrespect to K-Pop.You're gonna have to either get better, or quit."

-Aiki

In her individual interview after the mission, Iris revealed that she had been in a daze when Aiki made those remarks, implying that she was not fully present at the moment.

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'R U Next?' Faces Criticism for Iris's Mixed Reception

The episode's portrayal of Iris sparked mixed reactions among K-netizens, with some expressing their disappointment towards the show.

Read their comments below:

"She's a foreigner who can't express herself well in Korean. It was probably easy to give her a script to follow."

"She's too young to be sold out like that."

"Noise marketing... it's too obvious."

"They're trying so hard to make this show go viral."

"The show is a flop so now they're trying to force a controversy for attention."

"The obvious villain character of the survival program…

"I've been seeing a lot of stuff on communities about how this contestant is the villain of the show right now."

"The show has been clearly portraying her as a villain for the last few episodes now to try to get people angry in the comments."