theory thread on why i think hanbin might debut

• just a disclaimer that none of this means that hanbin will 100% make the final lineup. this is mostly a prediction thread on how i think the show will play out that could possibly lead to hanbin debuting •

hanbin being voted out and why is something that really stayed with me... hanbin was the first person voted out and the whole process is made to seem very serious compared to when some boys placements were announced in pairs later on

there was also added off-screen commentary giving reason to the boys descision. they claimed hanbin failed to stand out (which we know is bs)

hanbin was only one of few boys who got this kind of explaination from the others which tells the audience that this information is important.. i believe hanbin “not standing out” is being used as a framing device to set up his character arc for the rest of the show

now ur probably thinking “wtf do u mean character arc he’s a real person” well u see.. when it comes to these kinds of reality survival/competition shows what most if not all of these shows want to do is tell a story

often times it doesn’t matter to them whether or not they debut the most talented ppl or the ppl with the most star quality, what matters to them is being able to create a story the audience can feel invested in

and this isn’t exclusive to mnet shows either, shows like the x factor and american idol do this too. if you can pick up on these hints and framing devices you can usually tell who’s going to win/debut early on

so how does this come back to hanbin? i believe that by pointing out his inability to stand out, it gives mnet a point to reference back to to show growth.

as the show progresses we will get to see hubi improving upon his skills and stage presence, all leading up to a stage where he’s the center of attention and impresses both the other boys and the producers with how much he’s improved

BASICALLY i think hanbin is meant to be a darkhorse, someone who started at the bottom with little support but is able to rise above and prove himself worthy. so that when (if) he makes the final 12 it feels well deserved to audience

++ hanbin has the added benefit of already having a large fanbase, especially in vietnam and i’m almost positive mnet cj & bighit are aware of this https://twitter.com/hanbintheworld/status/1270602180798660609

some people have claimed that mnet is only using hanbin for vietnamese viewership w no intention of debuting him which to me doesn’t make sense from a business pov.. yes they want viewers, but with the hope that these viewers will support the final group

if they don’t debut hanbin they would lose tons of support from vietnamese fans for the final group which would effect the group’s success and as i said in the linked tweet, they would lose out on venturing into a completely new market

TLDR: mnet has a story arc planned for hanbin focusing on his improvement that could land him a spot in final 12 and it’d be a terrible business descision and just plain idiotic to NOT debut hanbin

~end of thread~