“Y’all could’ve had Katseye 2.0”- HYBE’s new girl group faces fan boycott amidst speculations of Samara’s participation despite her controversial past

On Wednesday, August 27, the former contestant of HYBE X Geffen Records' Dream Academy, Samara Siqueira, was revealed to be one of the contestants in HYBE's second multinational group reality survival show, World Scout: The Final Piece.

On August 6, HYBE announced the news of their latest survival show that is expected to create a group similar to KATSEYE. The show is expected to conduct an audition tour all across Japan, and the selected elite trainees will be under K-pop K-pop-based training program in the United States between October and December

The passing members will eventually debut in the final lineup of the group in 2026. As fans and netizens have been excitedly looking forward to hints and information regarding the show, they were rather disappointed by the member announcements for the show.

The first two participants of the show that were revealed turned out to be former Dream Academy contestants, Emily Kelavos and Samara Siqueira. However, this news was not received well by netizens due to the trainee's alleged controversial past. During her time in Dream Academy, back in 2023, Samara received racist allegations for her TikTok activity.

In October of 2023, the trainee was found liking posts on TikTok that were racist towards Indians. One of the videos showcased a Brazilian man during his visit to India, where he talked about how Indians' everyday life was disgusting and unclean. Therefore, people raised concerns about Samara's alleged anti-Indian mindset and communicated their displeasure with her debut in a global girl group.

Fans believe that her ideologies do not match or well represent the theme of a global girl group, which often aims to celebrate and empower inclusivity. Therefore, many expressed that they do not want to see her in the debut lineup of HYBE X Geffer Records' second multinational girl group. Here are a few fan reactions regarding the same:

"Y’all could’ve had katseye 2.0 but you had to ruin it with samara"

Many fans and netizens continued to share their disappointment with the members chosen for the upcoming multinational girl group from HYBE and Geffen Records.

Others also shared their thoughts and opinions on the same.

All you need to know about HYBE X Geffen Records' World Scout: The Final Piece

Recently, HYBE X Geffen Records communicated their plans to debut their second multinational girl group, following KATSEYE, which debuted back in 2024. According to the announcement, the group will hold a large-scale audition tour across Japan with the aim of discovering outstanding talent to form the next generation's international music market.

Additionally, HYBE's top scouting teams will be participating in training the contestants of the show, and the trainees are expected to go through a K-pop-style training that has been adapted for the US market. The entire journey, from the auditions to the group's final debut, will be broadcast in Spring 2026 through the Japanese streaming platform ABEMA.

Given the recent success and popularity of the collaboration's first multinational girl group, KATSEYE, fans and netizens have been thrilled to see what the next group might bring to the table. However, the recent controversies have led to wavering mindsets among people.

About the author

Aishwarya is a pop culture writer who covers K-drama and K-pop at Sportskeeda. After completing her Bachelor's in English and Communication Skills, she sought a job that allowed her to explore her passion, and being a K-pop and K-drama reporter felt like the ideal fit. Aishwarya has 3 years of experience under her belt and previously took on several internships in the industry that further motivated her in choosing writing as a career.

Aishwarya believes in conducting extensive research and verifying facts with the help of reputable sources to produce accurate articles. She also spends a significant amount of time on Twitter to understand how netizens are reacting to the latest trends in the industry before crafting her content.

She admires SUGA from BTS for his dedication to his work and aspires to immerse herself into the things she loves, just like him. If she could go back in time, she would jump at the opportunity to be part of ""Reply 1988,"" a K-drama set in a time when neighborhood relationships were cherished and interpersonal connections were of utmost importance. Although she loves how technology has advanced, she would also love to experience living in an era before it was invented.

When Aishwarya's not writing and reading about the latest developments in the industry, she spends her time crocheting, sketching, cycling, reading Mangas, and cooking.

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Edited by Bharath S