PREVIOUS RECAPS: Episode One // Episode Two // Episode Three // Episode Four // Episode Five // Episode Six // Episode Seven

As we enter the next round, Produce 48 alum star Jo Yuri arrives to go over the details of the Class Switch Position Battle. As usual during this point in the series, the guys will focus on either rap, dance or vocals and will create the various arrangements/lyrics/choreo themselves. Thus begins the long process of choosing their position. Of course, the higher-ranked guys have the edge here. The songs chosen for this round are more niche than I would have thought and also span generations. Of course, the guys are most excited whenever a big name (Stray Kids! Seventeen!) pops out. The way these shows work, they’re probably smart to want songs by notable artists, but I think picking a more underrated song allows you to make it your own.

Anyway, the guys challenge each other for the various parts and between that and the mission announcement we’re already thirty minutes into this episode. Nothing can ever be quick on this show.

As usual, there’s A LOT of behind the scenes prep in this episode. Having watched some other survival shows recently, I’ve decided that one of MNET’s biggest issues is that they don’t balance their behind the scenes material with enough performances sprinkled between. They tend to lump all this dull footage into endless packages rather than dole it out in smaller segments interspersed with stages. Different editing would make this series much more watchable and far less repetitive.

Seriously, we’re over ninety minutes into this episode before the first performance. That’s just bad TV.

DANCE STAGE: XXS (original: Young Posse)

This feels like a somewhat random song to have in Boys II Planet, but Young Posse must have some sort of MNET connection because they were at MAMA last year, too. This stage drew out the cuter aspects of the track and within that framework I think this quartet did a pretty good job. They had a lot of energy and were pretty much smiling the entire time. I like how the choreo had so much interplay between the guys, too. The song is super repetitive, but the staging made it feel more diverse and engaging. Kudos to the members, who had to create this routine themselves. One of the guys’ shoes even fell off at the end! Luckily, he was wearing fashionable socks.

When it comes to points, member Yun Seo (the one who lost his shoe) was picked as the favorite.

RAP STAGE: Hot (original: 1TYM)

Now this is an oldie but a goodie. But what will modern idol rappers do if they’re not just constantly rapping in triplets?

Just kidding! (Sort of)

This song was released before most (all?) of the Boys II Planet guys were even born, so it’s no surprise that most of them didn’t even know it. However, it’s quite an iconic K-pop touchstone. As part of the rap stages, the boys must write their own verses, which allows them to display more personality. The series smartly subtitled these individual verses and some of them were pretty fun/funny. I miss this kind of lighthearted rap in K-pop. This whole stage was very enjoyable, actually. It’s nice to see the guys just having fun without worrying about intense choreography. Zi Hao’s freewheeling presence caught my attention.

As far as voting goes, Lee Jeong pulled it out in the end.

DANCE STAGE: like JENNIE (original: Jennie)

By the very nature of this song and the members involved, this was destined to be the episode’s most anticipated stage. I like when they get male idols to perform songs originally done by a female artist (and vice versa) because it automatically adds something different to the stage. In true badass fashion, this performance opened with a (bleeped) curse word. Soooo edgy, MNET! The choreo on this was super tight, though the camera work didn’t always capture it well. I personally found the previous two performances more enjoyable to watch as a viewer, but this one was definitely catered more toward modern trends. There were some nice solo moments that practically beg to be looped as a meme online, so the guys did their job and then some. They even worked the crowd a bit. Sang Won caught my eye the most.

The voters agreed with me, as Sang Won received the most votes.