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Sad news for all “Youth With You” fans. The show, which had BLACKPINK’s Lisa as a mentor, met an early ending right before its finale.
The announcement came only a few hours after the Chinese government banned idol competition shows.
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About Youth With You Series and BLACKPINK Lisa’s mentorship
The Chinese version of the “Produce 101” series, “Youth With You” is a survival show in which trainees from different entertainment agencies compete to form a nine member group through viewers' votes. The show was in its third season before it was abruptly canceled.
During its previous seasons, "Youth With You" formed two successful groups, namely, "THE9" and "UNINE".
Known for her strict yet adorable behavior, Lisa gained popularity in China after she appeared on “Youth With You” season 2 as a mentor.
Why is China banning idol competitions?
China has announced a ban on all idol competitions due to “Youth With You” being involved in a major milk wasting scandal. In May 2021, a video showing huge amounts of milk being discarded by fans of "Youth With You" went viral on social media.
Mengniu milk products, the show's sponsor, had QR codes inside the packaging which needed to be scanned to cast a vote. Fans would purchase huge volumes of milk products so that they could vote for their favorite trainee. This sponsor strategy is also used in the survival show “Produce Camp (Chuang)”.
Although during “Youth With You” season 3 separate QR cards were attached for bundle packs or flavored milk drinks, in light of China’s recent legislation to ban food waste, the show faced criticism. This also led to the Chinese government banning all idol competitions.
Has “Youth With You” been canceled?
“Youth With You” had been under severe criticism online ever since their scandal broke out. The mechanism of the show has received a great deal of criticism, since it encourages viewers to buy and consume bottled Mengniu milk in order to vote for their favorite trainees.
As of now “Youth With You” has been canceled and will not be airing their final episode.
Fans react to the cancellation of Youth With You' with BLACKPINK's Lisa
The latest season of "Youth With You" was just one episode away from ending, which has disappointed many fans. Some fans are even confused regarding the status of the ‘debut team.’
Meanwhile, news broke that the finale had been recorded low-key or rehearsed on 8th May. The debut team was reportedly formed and the team name was rumored to be "NINEVER". However, iQIYI and the management of “Youth With You” announced on Weibo that the finale was officially canceled and denied that they had formed a debut team.
