With the booming careers of non-Korean artists in the K-pop industry like BLACKPINK’s Lisa (Thai), GOT7’s Jackson Wang (Chinese), TWICE’s Tzuyu (Taiwanese), and more, Filipino performers are also hoping to bring more of their skills into the K-pop scene.
In the season finale of ‘Dream Maker,’ a Filipino-South Korean boy band reality show held every Sunday, the lucky 7 aspirants that made it to the cut were named: Jerome Batac, Marcus Cabais, Kyler Chua, Vinci Malizon, Reyster Yton, Kim Ng, and Winston Pineda. Before the highly anticipated announcement of the 7 finalists, the 16 remaining contenders were divided into two groups to perform Déjà vu by Seo Won-jin and Dash by BULL$EYE.
LOOK: Here are the Top 7 contestants of @DreamMakerOfc who will debut in South Korea.
#1 Jeromy Batac 3,188,238
#2 Marcus Cabais 2,824,716
#3 Kyler Chua 2,697, 520
#4 Vinci Malizon 2,447,877
#5 Reyster Yton 2,285,407
#6 Kim Ng 2,240,510
#7 Winston Pineda 2,049,832@ABSCBNNews pic.twitter.com/zxi6pvXKJH— Josiah Antonio (@josiahvantonio) February 12, 2023
Based on public voting, Batac led the ranking chart with 3,188,238 votes, followed by Cabais with 2,824,716 votes, and Chua with 2,697, 520 votes.
Further, Malizon and Yton landed in the fourth and fifth spots with 2,447,877 and 2,285,407 votes, respectively. Ng made it to sixth place with 2,447,877 votes, while Pineda earned the last remaining spot with 2,049,832 votes.
The newly established septet under ABS-CBN Ent, MLD Ent, and KAMP GLOBAL will be named HORI70N and is set to debut in South Korea.
However, many who followed the show’s first season weren’t satisfied with the result. Fans all over the internet are bombing one member with biting remarks, saying that he’s not ‘deserving’ to be part of the group.
“Congrats OT6, kayo lang kinikilala namin, ” a Facebook user commented.
“Hori6on lang yan,” one said.
“I hope Kyler gets fired or he quits di niya deserve,” another added.
In the Twitter world, several commentators flocked to Dream Maker’s official account’s tweet.
“Congratulations, Kyler! You are now an official member of HORI7ON,” the statement reads.
Being disappointed with the outcome, Twitter users are criticizing Chua’s success due to alleged ‘misogynistic’ and ‘homophobic’ behavior in the past. Here are more negative opinions about the 3rd placer:
Meanwhile, Chua stans defended the young artist— explaining that he earned his spot due to his unwavering hard work and dedication. Others also pointed out that instead of giving constructive criticism, some Filipinos are already bullying the HORI7ON member online.
Despite the backlash, the seven-piece act vowed to keep Filipino roots and culture intact, and that they will keep their feet on the ground as they make their way to the K-pop universe.
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