This article is part of an ongoing series covering MNet’s reality talent show, PRODUCE 48. Check out previous recaps of PRODUCE 48 and other articles by Jack here!
Continuing where we left off last week on Produce 48, we wrapped up the position evaluations. As a refresher, these evaluations are specifically dance or vocals only, with 5 tracks being performed last week. The recurring story that was told over the course of these two episodes was the struggle leading up to the performance, but a nearly flawless performance. This happened for basically everybody. At the end of this episode, there was an unveiling of the #1 vocal and dance performer who received 100,000 extra votes for the next round. The next round of eliminations is supposed to take place on the next episode, with the field being cut down to 30.
Produce 48 Contestants Put A Wrap On Their Position Evaluation
Girls’ Generation – Into The New World
The first performance of this episode was a group of five trainees performing Girls Generation “Into The New World.” Compared to most songs, this one was known by the Japanese trainees because there was a Japanese version of the song put out at one point. The group seemed very supportive of each other. It was noted by members backstage that the high note that Chae Won hit was on par with what the song calls for. Kim Chae Won also landed first place in her team ranking.
| Performer | Role | Ranking |
| Kim Chae-won | Leader | 1 |
| Huh Yun-jin | Center | 2 |
| Nako Yabuki | 3 | |
| Moe Goto | 4 | |
| Erii Chiba | 5 |
Fitz and the Tantrums – HandClap
Switching to a dance performance, the song “HandClap” by Fitz and the Tantrums was performed by a group of 6. Just like many of the dance routines selected for this, the song was somewhat popular in North America. Kim Cho Yeon who was the leader of this group felt that she let them down during training. What do you know, just like every other group they ended up doing well anyways. When the ranking came, last place Motomura Aoi felt defeated, since her chance of making it to the next rounds seemed small. There was a lot of crying in the post-grade-reveal room.
| Performer | Role | Ranking |
| Sae Murase | 1 | |
| Kim Cho-yeon | Leader | 2 |
| Mako Kojima | 3 | |
| Kim Min-Seo | 4 | |
| Tomu Muto | 5 | |
| Aoi Motomura | Center | 6 |
BTS – The Truth Untold
The best storytelling in this episode was showing Jang Gyu Ri’s struggles after being given group leader. She was given the high notes for the cover of “Peek-A-Boo” weeks ago and messed it up. Gyu Ri had worried about her singing in this performance because of what happened before. During vocal training, she completely broke into tears after struggling. The trainers told her that they are there to help her and that she shouldn’t dwell on her issues and instead fix them. When it came time for performance, she was able to hit all of her notes flawlessly. This was a great turnaround from her horrid performance last time around. If she was a mid-rank performer instead of a 10-20 range ranked performer when performing “Peek-A-Boo,” that could have easily taken her off the show. Luckily she was given a shot at redemption and succeeded with it this time around. She ranked second, with Miho Miyazaki grabbing first.
| Performer | Role | Ranking |
| Miho Miyazaki | 1 | |
| Jang Gyu-ri | Center | 2 |
| Saho Iwatate | 3 | |
| Miyu Takeuchi | Leader | 4 |
Jax Jones – Instruction
Once again switching back to dance there was a performance of “Instruction” by Little Mix. This is the dancing group that is the most on the chopping block. All members in this group were moved into it after their first pick was taken from a higher ranked contestant. Unexpectedly, this group had one of the best performances in my book. The group was confident and positive while preparing. There was a big language barrier, but everyone was able to make up for it through emotion. The editing on the program showed that most dancing groups were scolded, while this group walked away unscathed by the judges. After watching other groups perform, some members were worried about how their dance routine would compare. However, after their TV performance, it was noted backstage that this group had what it took to be a group. One judge ran down a list of all of their names, saying that they all seem ready. Son Eun-chae, who was Lead and Center got first place. It was a best case scenario for this group.
| Performer | Role | Ranking |
| Son Eun-chae | Lead, Center | 1 |
| Kim Hyun-ah | 2 | |
| Chiyori Nakanishi | 3 | |
| Kim Su-yun | 4 | |
| Wang Ke | 5 | |
| Lee Ha-eun | 6 |
Little Mix – Touch
The group that performed “Touch” by Little Mix maybe saw the most problems when practicing. All dance routines in this stage are made completely by the groups. When this group was asked who had a background in choreography, nobody raised their hand. The group was stopped mid-performance by the trainers because of how many issues they were running in to. Kim Min Ju got first place, while the leader and center both saw lower rankings.
| Performer | Role | Ranking |
| Kim Min-ju | 1 | |
| Hitomi Honda | 2 | |
| Miu Shitao | Leader | 3 |
| Bae Eun-young | Center | 4 |
| Lee Yu-jeong | 5 |
BLACKPINK – DDU-DU DDU-DU
The final performance was a cover of the very recent hit “DDU-DU DDU-DU” by BLACKPINK. Although the performance was vocal only, the popularity of the song is as much as the vocals as it is the dance. The group ran into preparation troubles because of this, putting tons of focus on the dance routine which was never asked for. This hindered their vocal practice. All of the judges seemed angry that they put so much time into the dance routine. They were able to clean up their act by performance time, with the remains of the dance staying in the song. First place in the 6 trainee group went to Kim Do Ah, who played the Center role.
| Performer | Role | Ranking |
| Kim Do-ah | Center | 1 |
| Juri Takahashi | 2 | |
| Sakura Miyawaki | 3 | |
| Park Seo-young | Leader | 4 |
| Bibian Murakawa | 5 | |
| Cho Ka-hyeon | 6 |
Looking Ahead To Next Week
With minutes left in the episode, the overall #1 rankings for this evaluation were revealed. Han Cho Won got first place in vocals, with Murase Sae winning the dance counterpart. Both trainees got 100,000 extra votes heading into the next ranking. Next week there will be another evaluation of the 58 performers, but how/if that plays into the rankings is yet to be seen. The votes from online, mixed with the votes online will determine the fate of all 58 trainees on the next episode, with a strict cut-off line being at 30.
Full Ranking From Position Evaluation
| Trainee | Song | Votes | Bonus | Rank |
| Han Cho-won | Heize – Don’t Know You | 585 | 105,000 | 1 |
| Miho Miyazaki | BTS – The Truth Untold | 559 | 5,000 | 2 |
| Kim Chae-won | Girls’ Generation – Into The New World | 550 | 5,000 | 3 |
| Park Hae-yoon | BoA – Merry Chri | 543 | 5,000 | 4 |
| Huh Yun-jin | Girls’ Generation – Into The New World | 537 | 5 | |
| Jo Yu-ri | Wanna One – Energetic | 511 | 5,000 | 6 |
| Nako Yabuki | Girls’ Generation – Into The New World | 511 | 7 | |
| Yu Min-young | Heize – Don’t Know You | 499 | 8 | |
| Kim Do-ah | BLACKPINK – DDU-DU DDU-Du | 488 | 5,000 | 9 |
| Sae Murase | Fitz and the Tantrums – Handclap | 477 | 105,000 | 10 |
| Miru Shiroma | Ariana Grande – Side To Side | 469 | 5,000 | 11 |
| Kwon Eun-bi | Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry | 450 | 5,000 | 12 |
| Jang Won-young | Ariana Grande – Side To Side | 446 | 13 | |
| Kim Cho-yeon | Fitz and the Tantrums – Handclap | 446 | 14 | |
| Mako Kojima | Fitz and the Tantrums – Handclap | 442 | 15 | |
| Son Eun-chae | Jax Jones – Instruction | 438 | 5,000 | 16 |
| Juri Takahashi | BLACKPINK – DDU-DU DDU-DU | 432 | 17 | |
| Kim Min-ju | Little Mix – Touch | 423 | 5,000 | 18 |
| Lee Ga-eun | Ariana Grande – Side To Side | 411 | 19 | |
| Ahn Yu-jin | Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry | 403 | 20 | |
| Kang Hye-won | Heize – Don’t Know You | 400 | 21 | |
| Lee Chae-yeon | Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry | 397 | 22 | |
| Hitomi Honda | Little Mix – Touch | 395 | 23 | |
| Wang Yi-ren | Ariana Grande – Side To Side | 391 | 24 | |
| Kim Min-seo | Fitz and the Tantrums – Handclap | 387 | 25 | |
| Sakura Miyawaki | BLACKPINK – DDU-DU DDU-DU | 384 | 26 | |
| Na Go-eun | Wanna One – Energetic | 382 | 27 | |
| Kim Hyun-ah | Jax Jones – Instruction | 382 | 28 | |
| Kim Si-hyeon | Wanna One – Energetic | 376 | 29 | |
| Miu Shitao | Little Mix – Touch | 369 | 30 | |
| Choi Ye-na | Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry | 364 | 31 | |
| Park Min-ji | Heize – Don’t Know You | 360 | 32 | |
| Chiyori Nakanishi | Jax Jones – Instruction | 358 | 33 | |
| Lee Si-an | Ariana Grande – Side To Side | 358 | 34 | |
| Noe Yamada | Wanna One – Energetic | 356 | 35 | |
| Park Seo-young | BLACKPINK – DDU-DU DDU-DU | 352 | 36 | |
| Ko Yu-jin | Demi Lovato – Sorry Not Sorry | 337 | 37 | |
| Kim Su-yun | Jax Jones – Instruction | 335 | 38 | |
| Bae Eun-young | Little Mix – Touch | 329 | 39 | |
| Tomu Muto | Fitz and the Tantrums – Handclap | 313 | 40 | |
| Wang Ke | Jax Jones – Instruction | 313 | 41 | |
| Aoi Motomura | Fitz and the Tantrums – Handclap | 312 | 42 | |
| Bibian Murakawa | BLACKPINK – DDU-DU DDU-DU | 311 | 43 | |
| Lee Yu-jeong | Little Mix – Touch | 304 | 44 | |
| Jang Gyu-ri | BTS – The Truth Untold | 298 | 45 | |
| Saho Iwatate | BTS – The Truth Untold | 294 | 46 | |
| Moe Goto | Girls’ Generation – Into The New World | 293 | 47 | |
| Miyu Takeuchi | BTS – The Truth Untold | 289 | 48 | |
| Erii Chiba | Girls’ Generation – Into The New World | 287 | 49 | |
| Lee Ha-eun | Jax Jones – Instruction | 287 | 50 | |
| Nanami Asai | Wanna One – Energetic | 273 | 51 | |
| Cho Ka-young | BLACKPINK – DDU-DU DDU-DU | 176 | 52 |
Votes that weren’t shown on broadcast
| Trainee | Song | Rank |
| Yoon Hae-sol | BoA – Merry Chri | 2 |
| Kim Na-young | BoA – Merry Chri | 3 |
| Misaki Aramaki | BoA – Merry Chri | 4 |
| Minami Sato | BoA – Merry Chri | 5 |
| Kim So-hee | BoA – Merry Chri | 6 |
Main Image Credit:
Embed from Getty Images