MBITIOUS’ Kim Jung-woo “forced” to do an interview in Mnet’s Street Man Fighter
Mnet’s Street Man Fighter has fallen into controversy yet again. On September 15, 2022, Kim Jung-woo of the MBITIOUS crew posted a photo of the latest episode on Instagram and mentioned that he was “forced” to sit for an interview. The post has now been deleted, but netizens were quick to take a screenshot of it and post it on online forums.
The interview in question was of the dancer languishing over his dance battle defeat and deciding to leave the crew temporarily. The surprising reveal was made in Street Man Fighter’s episode 4, released on September 13.
While it seems like leaving the competition was his decision, the now-deleted Instagram post hints otherwise.
MBITIOUS’ Kim Jung-woo’s now-deleted Instagram post (Image via )
As per the screenshot, the MBITIOUS dance crew member captioned his post saying,
“Everyone knows that I’m not the type to quit easily. That interview was forced.”
Pann Nate blog user posted a screenshot of the same on September 15. At the time of writing, the post had garnered 341k views. The numbers not only proved the dance show’s popularity but also how ripe Mnet and Street Man Fighter have been with controversies.
EO-DDAE’s Ejo liking the Kim Jung-woo’s now-deleted post (Image via Pann Nate)
Netizens also noticed that Ejo, of the crew TEAM EO-DDAE, had liked the post. The post brought forth the already well-known secret of Mnet’s reality shows being manipulated and scripted.
Street Man Fighter’s Kim Jung-woo says his interview was forced in a now-deleted Instagram post
In episode 4 of the Street Man Fighter broadcast, MBITIOUS’ Kim Jung-woo surprised viewers when he announced that he wanted some time to reflect on himself after losing a dance battle. His crew was given a WORST sticker, while he was termed a Worst Dancer, as per the rules of the battle.
In the follow-up scenes, Kim Jung-woo was seen experiencing low self-esteem and was disappointed for not being able to help his crewmates win battles.
The September 13 broadcast saw Kim Jung-woo go against WDBZ’s Kamel in a dance battle. The loser of the battle was to be given the title of Worst Dancer. The fierce contest ended with Kamel emerging as the winner.
Street Man Fighter then showed scenes of the MBITIOUS member being encouraged by his crew mates. However, his disappointment was clearly shown in his monologs.
“I also felt unfair. Well, anyway, It’s all my fault because I couldn’t make the best results at each moment. WOOTAE worked so hard for the extra points. I felt so sorry for my brothers. We hardly get extra points.”
오천LY🐱
@ocheonly
#엠비셔스 #STREETMANFIGHTER #MBITIOUS
[ENG] Kim Jungwoo needs time to reflect and won’t join the next mission. As Wootae said, use the time wisely to improve yourself and come back stronger! ♡
[ENG] Kim Jungwoo needs time to reflect and won’t join the next mission. As Wootae said, use the time wisely to improve yourself and come back stronger! ♡#엠비셔스 #STREETMANFIGHTER #MBITIOUS https://t.co/HsUOQnmW1G
In a group discussion filming, with a tense background music, Kim Jung-woo announced his decision to leave the show. The reveal was peppered with his remarks on not being up-to-mark and making it difficult for MBITIOUS to rise. He said,
“Through all the missions so far, I couldn’t be of big help to our team… Well for the next mission, I would like to support you from behind your back. And I would like to have some time to reflect on myself. I’m so sorry.”
Street Man Fighter | SMF
@be_mbitious
“For the next mission, I’ll be supporting you all and I’ll think about it.”
Looks like Jungwoo voluntarily stepped out from the next mission.
“For the next mission, I’ll be supporting you all and I’ll think about it.”Looks like Jungwoo voluntarily stepped out from the next mission. https://t.co/2MzOzanse7
In a now-deleted Instagram post, the dancer mentioned that he was forced to do the interview. The allegations suggest that he was purposely made to quit the show by either Mnet or Street Man Fighter. It also means that the entire exit conversation was scripted.
Kim Jung-woo’s exit from the show (for the next competition at least) was revealed with a one-on-one interview and a small group discussion. While the sudden decision to leave surprised viewers, the edits and comments left by his crewmates confused them too. It was not clear whether he left the show, the crew, or was only sitting out the next battle.
diana⁷ / 엠비셔스
@minsugavirus
ocheon: “put aside smf or be mbitious aside, aren’t you going to keep dancing?” i think the most important thing for the other members is for jungwoo not to lose his passion for dancing 🥺
ocheon: “put aside smf or be mbitious aside, aren’t you going to keep dancing?” i think the most important thing for the other members is for jungwoo not to lose his passion for dancing 🥺
It remains to be seen how MBITIOUS will fare in future competitions. Meanwhile, Street Man Fighter’s next episode will be released on September 20, 2022.
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Edited by Babylona Bora