Produce X 101 episode three saw the re-evaluation of all 100 trainees, the performance of the title track “X1-MA,” and the start of the group performances. A lot happened in the episode, so let’s begin.
A Look At Produce X 101 Episode Three
Re-Evaluation Begins
The show started with the re-evaluation of grades for the trainees. This gave them the chance to improve their first grade with a performance of the song “X1-MA.” The grade matters as it determines where they will be placed during the music video for the song. It was unveiled that the grades this time around would be A, B, C, D, F and X. People who placed in X would not be seen in the music video.
The X group, despite being the most improved, seemed very sad at the start of the episode. They did not want to stay in the X group after the evaluation. After the evaluation was finished, there were only two X group members left. There was Lee Sang-ho, who was in X before, and Yoon Seo-bin, who was in C. Seo-bin wasn’t recognized on the broadcast because of his recent departure from the program due to controversy.
When X members moved to other grades this shocked the trainees since it was a secret kept from them that the X trainees were still on the show. Among some of the biggest movers was Ham Won-jin and Kim Hyun-bin, who went from D to A. Highest ranked member Kim Yo-han dropped from A to C.
“X1-MA” Video Shoot
After the grades were decided, the trainees went to the set of the “X1-MA” performance. The large stage shocked the trainees. The stage is in the shape of an X, with the middle of it rising up. They had to find a center for the song, with the contenders being Son Dong-pyo, Kim Si-hun,and Kim Woo-seok. It was decided that Dong-pyo would take the position. Being center makes you the center of attention, for the better or for the worse. It ended up being for the better for Dong-pyo, although he was picked apart during the rehearsals for struggling with the choreo.
The “Group X Battles”
The episode concluded with the start of the “Group X Battles.” Trainees drafted a team of 12-14 members and then picked an artist to cover. Their choices were EXO, BTS, GOT7, MONSTA X, NCT U, SEVENTEEN, NU’EST W, and Wanna One. Son Dong-pyo formed his version of the “Avengers,” which is a callback to seasons prior when an Avengers team was made. What he and many others didn’t yet realize was that these groups would be pitted against each other. For each group, there were two songs, with the members being split for each one. The group that got the most votes individually from the studio audience would win the challenge.
“MAMA” Versus “Love Shot”
Out of the 16 performances, we saw the first three on this episode. The two EXO groups performed, with their songs being “Mama” and “Love Shot.” The group that performed “Mama” struggled with the choreography. They were coached by Bae Yoon-jeong, who has been known for scolding trainees in seasons before. When they first danced, Kang Seok-hwa stood still as he didn’t know the dance. They had these struggles but in the end, their performance went well. It’s worth noting that “Mama” is a 2012 song while “Love Shot” only came out five months ago.
| Group 1 (MAMA) | Votes | Position | Votes | Group 2 (Love Shot) |
| Yoon Seo-bin | 62 | Main Vocal | 77 | Cho Seung-youn |
| Kang Seok-hwa | 30 | Sub Vocal 1 | 53 | Lee Han-gyul |
| Tony | 24 | Sub Vocal 2 | 5 | Hong Seong-jun |
| Hwang Yoon-seong | 99 | Sub Vocal 3 | 87 | Lee Se-jin |
| Kang Min-hee | 56 | Sub Vocal 4 | 210 | Kim Woo-seok |
| Mahiro Hidaka | 8 | Rapper 1 | 50 | Keum Dong-hyun |
| Han Gi-chan | 48 | Rapper 2 | 35 | Kim Si-hun |
“No More Dream” Performance
We saw the “No More Dream” group for BTS before the episode came to a close. In their training, they struggled with the rap-heavy song. Cheetah did not look content in the rehearsal room. They said that Kim Hyun-bin looked out of place because he had more energy than the rest of his group members. Like everyone else who struggled in training, their performance went over well. The result of their performance isn’t known as the group that performed “Blood Sweat and Tears” will be shown in the next episode.
A Full Look At The Rankings So Far
| Week 3 Rank | Name | Initial Grade | Final Grade | Company | Week 2 Rank | Week 1 Rank |
| 1 | Kim Yo-han | A | C | OUI Entertainment | 1 | 3 |
| 2 | Kim Min-gyu | X | D | Jellyfish Entertainment | 3 | 1 |
| 3 | Lee Eun-sang | A | C | BrandNew Music | 2 | 14 |
| 4 | Song Hyeong-jun | X | D | Starship Entertainment | 10 | 9 |
| 5 | Nam Do-hyon | A | D | MBK Entertainment | 4 | 37 |
| 6 | Kim Woo-seok | B | A | TOP Media | 7 | 5 |
| 7 | Son Dong-pyo | B | A | DSP Media | 6 | 6 |
| 8 | Song Yu-vin | A | A | Music Works | 5 | 17 |
| 9 | Koo Jung-mo | X | F | Starship Entertainment | 9 | 2 |
| 10 | Park Sun-ho | B | B | sidusHQ | 8 | 36 |
| 11 | Cha Jun-ho | C | C | Woollim Entertainment | 11 | 4 |
| 12 | Ham Won-jin | D | A | Starship Entertainment | 15 | 19 |
| 13 | Lee Se-jin | X | F | iME Korea | 14 | 8 |
| 14 | Lee Jin-woo | C | B | Maroo Entertainment | 19 | 10 |
| 15 | Kim Kook-heon | A | A | Music Works | 13 | 29 |
| 16 | Lee Eugene | X | F | Individual Trainee | 12 | 7 |
| 17 | Kim Dong-bin | B | C | MLD Entertainment | 16 | 18 |
| 18 | Kang Min-hee | X | D | Starship Entertainment | 20 | 11 |
| 19 | Kim Si-hun | B | A | BrandNew Music | 17 | 43 |
| 20 | Choi Byung-chan | A | A | Plan A Entertainment | 25 | 20 |
| 21 | Tony | A | F | HONGYI Entertainment | 44 | 55 |
| 22 | Hwang Yun-seong | B | D | Woollim Entertainment | 24 | 13 |
| 23 | Yun Jung-hwan | A | B | BrandNew Music | 18 | 58 |
| 24 | Choi Su-hwan | A | A | Individual Trainee | 56 | 56 |
| 25 | Han Gi-chan | X | C | Fantagio | 22 | 16 |
| 26 | Kim Dong-yoon | D | B | Woollim Entertainment | 21 | 15 |
| 27 | Yuri | B | D | ESteem | 34 | 33 |
| 28 | Lee Han-gyul | C | D | MBK Entertainment | 28 | 41 |
| 29 | Kim Hyun-bin | D | A | Source Music | 27 | 28 |
| 30 | Keum Dong-hyun | B | C | C9 Entertainment | 26 | 23 |
| 31 | Wei Zi Yue | C | F | HONGYI Entertainment | 43 | 31 |
| 32 | Lee Jin-hyuk | B | A | TOP Media | 35 | 38 |
| 33 | Hong Seong-jun | B | F | BrandNew Music | 23 | 53 |
| 34 | Han Seung-woo | A | A | Plan A Entertainment | 39 | 39 |
| 35 | Kang Seok-hwa | C | B | Individual Trainee | 29 | 21 |
| 36 | Lee Mi-dam | B | C | AAP.Y | 30 | 32 |
| 37 | Joo Chan-guk | D | B | Woollim Entertainment | 31 | 24 |
| 38 | Cho Seung-youn | B | B | Yuehua Entertainment | 41 | 67 |
| 39 | Kim Sung-hyun | C | C | Stone Music Entertainment | 33 | 22 |
| 40 | Choi Jun-seong | B | D | Jellyfish Entertainment | 63 | 59 |
| 41 | Moon Hyun-bin | D | A | Starship Entertainment | 36 | 27 |
| 42 | Baek Jin | B | F | VINE Entertainment | 32 | 30 |
| 43 | Lee Won-jun | B | D | E Entertainment | 83 | 77 |
| 44 | Moon Jun-ho | X | F | Woollim Entertainment | 38 | 25 |
| 45 | Nam Dong-hyun | A | C | The South | 40 | 45 |
| 46 | Wang Jyun Hao | C | F | YG Entertainment | 37 | 42 |
| 47 | Lee Tae-seung | X | F | Maroo Entertainment | 47 | 26 |
| 48 | Kim Min-seo | X | F | Woollim Entertainment | 54 | 48 |
| 49 | Park Yoon-sol | C | A | NEST Entertainment | 84 | 82 |
| 50 | Kwon Hee-jun | X | F | Cre.ker Entertainment | 46 | 44 |
| 51 | Peak | D | D | Chandelier Music | 42 | 34 |
| 52 | Lee Hyeop | C | C | Individual Trainee | 48 | 40 |
| 53 | Mahiro Hidaka | D | D | YG Entertainment | 45 | 47 |
| 54 | Lee Woo-jin | X | F | Maroo Entertainment | 71 | 52 |
| 55 | Woo Je-won | A | B | Around Us Entertainment | 60 | 63 |
| 56 | Kim Sung-yeon | C | B | Individual Trainee | 52 | 54 |
| 57 | Won Hyuk | B | D | E Entertainment | 99 | 83 |
| 58 | Kim Yeong-sang | D | F | MBK Entertainment | 50 | 93 |
| 59 | Jeong Jae-hun | A | C | Around Us Entertainment | 66 | 65 |
| 60 | Lee Hwan | B | B | DSP Media | 49 | 46 |
| 61 | Anzardi Timothee | X | F | ESteem | 53 | 49 |
| 62 | Jung Young-bin | B | B | Individual Trainee | 61 | 62 |
| 63 | Jeon Hyun-woo | B | B | Astory Entertainment | 51 | 35 |
| 64 | Oh Sae-bom | C | C | NEST Entertainment | 76 | 99 |
| 65 | Kim Jin-gon | X | D | ESteem | 55 | 61 |
| 66 | Kwon Tae-eun | X | F | A_CONIC | 57 | 74 |
| 67 | Lee Ha-min | A | B | Individual Trainee | 58 | 50 |
| 68 | Yoo Geun-min | C | D | Million Market | 77 | 101 |
| 69 | Kang Hyeon-su | A | A | AAP.Y | 59 | 79 |
| 70 | Byeon Seong-tae | D | D | Urban Media Works | 67 | 60 |
| 71 | Jung Myung-hoon | B | C | AAP.Y | 69 | 90 |
| 72 | Tsai Chai Hao | D | D | Source Music | 62 | 57 |
| 73 | Park Jin-yeol | C | C | Individual Trainee | 64 | 64 |
| 74 | Choi Si-hyuk | B | C | Around Us Entertainment | 70 | 69 |
| 75 | Lee Jun-hyuk | C | A | DSP Media | 65 | 68 |
| 76 | Won Hyun-sik | C | D | Happy Face Entertainment | 73 | 72 |
| 77 | Hwang Geum-ryul | C | B | Yuehua Entertainment | 68 | 66 |
| 78 | Song Chang-ha | D | C | Kiwi Media Group | 74 | 71 |
| 79 | Steven KIm | X | D | DS Entertainment | 72 | 70 |
| 80 | Kim Kwan-woo | D | D | Krazy Entertainment | 75 | 80 |
| 81 | Choi Jin-hwa | A | D | WUZO Entertainment | 92 | 75 |
| 82 | Jun Uehara | D | C | JH1 | 96 | 88 |
| 83 | Kim Seung-hwan | X | F | ESteem | 80 | 81 |
| 84 | Kim Dong-kyu | C | B | Urban Media Works | 78 | 76 |
| 85 | Park Sion | X | F | Plasma Entertainment | 95 | 84 |
| 86 | Lee Gyu-hyung | C | C | WM Entertainment | 97 | 85 |
| 87 | Kim Jun-jae | X | F | Think About Entertainment | 86 | 87 |
| 88 | Hong Sung-hyeon | B | C | Urban Media Works | 98 | 86 |
| 89 | Kim Hyeong-min | D | C | Kiwi Media Group | 79 | 97 |
| 90 | Yun Hyun-jo | X | F | Gost Entertainment | 81 | 98 |
| 91 | Lee Jae-bin | B | C | C9 Entertainment | 88 | 73 |
| 92 | Sung Min-seo | D | D | SF Entertainment | 82 | 92 |
| 93 | Heo Jin-ho | C | B | Astory Entertainment | 89 | 94 |
| 94 | Kim Min-seo | D | B | Urban Media Works | 87 | 89 |
| 95 | Yu Seong-jun | X | F | Yuehua Entertainment | 93 | 78 |
| 96 | Lee Sang-ho | X | X | Gost Entertainment | 90 | 95 |
| 97 | Choi Byung-hoon | D | F | Enfant Terrible Company | 94 | 91 |
| 98 | Lim Da-hun | C | D | Kiwi Media Group | 91 | 100 |
| 99 | Yoon Min-gook | D | B | Source Music | 85 | 96 |
| Left | Yoon Seo-bin | C | X | JYP Entertainment | Left | 12 |
| Left | Im Si-u | D | Individual Trainee | Left | 51 |