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Look I think it's safe to make the call that Hu Yetao is not entirely cishet.

The team leader for this group is called Ninja (I'm not going to hashtag his name unless I can come up with a more distinctive hashtag), and he had a perfectly good, flirty and cute self-intro. (I like him a lot, but no-one has main character energy like Hu Yetao.)

When Hu Yetao is about to do his self-intro, #The8 watches how #BamBam responds.

Screenshots are from episode 3 (part 2) of #ChuangAsiaS2, which I'm watching on the WeTV app

Ninja's self-intro turned out to be a set-up for our prettiest princess #HuYetao to devastate everyone present.

#HuYetao chooses #BamBam, of course

This week, groups did covers of songs by GOT7 ("A") and Kiss of Life ("Bad News") but neither of them really grabbed me (there are other songs from both groups that I prefer more).

Next week I'm most looking forward to the group who'll be covering "Super" by Seventeen, and there's a group covering "Still Monster" by Enhyphen.

It tickles me that so many of the songs they're covering are kpop.

There's only one Korean trainee in the group of 60 (for Reasons that are not stated, but can probably be guessed by anyone who's watched a few of these idol survival shows.)

@Musicappreciator7 I am enjoying it a lot.

I'm delighted that they're filming in Thailand this season, because they can do queer stuff that wouldn't be so easy to do if they were still filming in China.

Having said that, it's still an idol survival show with all the typical mostly-manfactured dramas and producer-driven storylines. It's not high art.

@lookitmychicken I've been watching last year's one, also in Thailand. Mostly watching for interactions between Ten and Jackson lol.

@Musicappreciator7 I havent watched an idol survival show since the Girls Planet 999 bullshit royally pissed me off.

Would you recommend the first season of Chuang Asia?

@lookitmychicken I'm only 3 episodes in so far so I don't have much opinion on it yet, other than everyone has been super nice. I don't usually watch idol survival shows, I just watch dance competitions, but I knew there was some great bits with Jackson and Ten cause I saw the shorts on YouTube last year so I'm giving it a shot. They're starting with 70 people though so it's gonna be rough

@lookitmychicken I'm up to episode 5 now, the first elimination (though I haven't gotten to the elimination part yet) and I'm ugly crying already. The mentors are talking with them, answering questions, and it varies between being sweet and supportive and just brutal truths. I'd already had the impression that the trainees are going through way more than what is shown in the show, and some of what they're talking about now confirms that

@Musicappreciator7 yeah these shows want to ramp up the drama and get the trainees as emotional as possible because it makes good tv.

I think it could probably be done in a kinder, gentler way but then it wouldn't suck in the viewers as much.

I definitely get sucked in by it, and have to ration my viewing sometimes.

@lookitmychicken so far the show has been pretty sweet, and since it's girls very very cutesy. This episode is obviously very emotional (I'm half through the elimination now) but still everyone is really good about being eliminated