On August 6, the first episode of Mnet’s new survival show "Girls Planet 999" aired. That marked the start of a journey that ended after more than two months with the finale on October 22. At the end of the live show, it was finally decided which nine trainees will debut together as “Kep1er”!
If you haven’t seen the show, this article is your chance to get to know the members of Kep1er a little before their debut!
The castings for Girls Planet 999 took place at the beginning of the year. In the end, 99 trainees were selected who got to fight for a spot in the project group on the survival show. The 99 contestants included 33 Korean (K-Group), 33 Chinese (C-Group) and 33 Japanese (J-Group) trainees. Until shortly before the end, the same number of K, J and C trainees were eliminated each time. Only one round before the finale was the separation lifted, so that the contestants in the finale were no longer made up of equal parts from the three groups.
Because of the Corona pandemic, unfortunately there were no spectators at the finale, apart from the coaches and the eliminated trainees. Instead, hundreds of thousands of fans from all over the world followed along live in front of their screens! After weeks of laughing, crying and cheering along with the trainees, the tension was of course extremely high. The decision made on October 22 ultimately determined the fate of the 18 passionate trainees who had made it to the finale and have grown very dear to the fans.
Here we introduce you to the nine trainees who made their dream come true and won a spot in the new girl group “Kep1er”!
Rank 9: Shen Xiaoting (C-Group)
In episode 1 she was introduced as the highest-rated trainee of the C-Group and impressed fans from the very beginning with her talent and her stunning charm. She regularly placed first in the show, not only in the C-Group but overall!
In the finale, fans then had to worry about her until she was finally announced as the ninth and last member of Kep1er!
Rank 8: Sakamoto Mashiro (J-Group)
Sakamoto Mashiro was a trainee under JYP Entertainment from 2016 to 2018 and trained together with the members of ITZY.
In Girls Planet 999 she convinced fans of her talent with every episode and also proved herself to be a capable team leader.
Rank 7: Ezaki Hikaru (J-Group)
Hikaru ranked first in the J-Group in the ranking before the first episode and already left a strong impression on fans with her first performance in the show, a cover of Blackpink’s Boombayah.
Until the finale, where she placed seventh, she always ranked within the top 4!
Rank 6: Kang Ye Seo (K-Group)
Ye Seo was born in 20015 and is thus the youngest member of Kep1er. Before taking part in Girls Planet, she was active as a child actress. In 2019 she was also introduced as a new member of the girl group Busters. She and two others left the group, however, when it took a break and was restructured in 2020.
In Girls Planet she won over many fans’ hearts, for example, with her emotional performance of “Fate”.
Rank 5: Seo Young Eun (K-Group)
Seo Young Eun first really caught attention with her cover of 2PM’s My House in the second round of the show.
After she impressed the fans with her charm and her singing in the next performance as well, she placed in the top 9 for the first time shortly before the finale. In the end she even reached fifth place!
Rank 4: Kim Da Yeon (K-Group)
Da Yeon had already taken part in Mnet`s survival show Produce 48 before Girls Planet 999! There she was eliminated in 70th place. Three years later she tried her luck in Girls Planet and was introduced there as the Center of the K-Group.
During the show she impressed fans with her dance moves and her skills as a team leader. In the end she secured a spot in “Kep1er”!
Rank 3: Choi Yujin (K-Group)
Yujin’s participation in Girls Planet was a big topic of conversation among K-pop fans long before the show started, because she is a member of the well-known girl group CLC. In an interview she explained that she had been told that CLC would no longer work as a team. CLC’s agency has not confirmed this so far. During the show Yujin shone with her talent and her cheerful personality and won the sympathy of many fans. During the show she always placed within the top 5 and even reached 3rd place in the finale!
Rank 2: Huening Bahiyyih (K-Group)
Bahiyyih was probably best known to most people as the sister of Huening Kai from TXT. During the show, however, she showed her talent and potential for the future.
Although she later got only little screen time, fans secured her a spot in “Kep1er” in the end!
Rank 1: Kim Chaehyun (K-Group)
Chaehyun was a trainee under SM Entertainment for about six years but left the agency at some point in 2019/2020. In Girls Planet she impressed fans above all with her singing.
After holding 9th place in the rankings for a long time, Chaehyun shot up to first place shortly before the finale! In the finale she was able to hold on to the top spot and is thus the official Center of “Kep1er”!
Girls Planet 999 is called the fifth season of Produce 101 by many because the show is structured almost exactly the same. Looking at the success of groups like Wanna One and IZ*ONE, which emerged from the Produce series, we can probably assume that Kep1er will also release some hits in the future!
That future isn’t even that far away, because according to rumors Kep1er will release their first album this very year!
Did you watch Girls Planet 999? Did your favorite make it into the top 9? Let us know in the comments! ^-^
