Mnet's "High School Rapper" has been making headlines not because of good feedbacks, but because of controversies involving their contestants and staff members.
Just recently, the reality program was criticized for flashing "raping" instead of "rapping" on the English subtitle of Lee Jee Eun's performance last Feb. 3. Korea Herald cited viewers of "High School Rapper" were disappointed by the fact that a popular program could overlook such detail.
The Mnet program immediately released a statement regarding the issue and apologized for their mistake. "Due to the busy production schedule, there were parts that were overlooked prior to airing. It was a clear mistake and we apologize," the show said.
"High School Rapper" added they have already corrected the mistake for the rerun and online broadcast. However, many of their viewers condemned the error, considering that rape is a sensitive and grave issue.
"It was kind of funny and at the same time sad that such a big company would make a mistake like that," a commenter said.
But before the "raping" issue could even die down, "High School Rapper" is now facing another controversy for fairness on the show. According to Soompi, viewers slammed the show for their format and criteria.
For their Mar. 10 episode, the show reportedly two different formats to Seoul and Gwangju teams for their performances. Hence, "High School Rapper" has been called out for their alleged lack of fairness.
The brains behind the program were quick to respond and said the current situation is regretful. "It had always been part of the plan to not have the same missions for the two rap battles," the production team said.
"High School Rapper" added they had to seek the approval of their mentors and contestants before coming up with a set of rules. The program also revealed it was the decision of Gwangju team to do a freestyle round for the said episode.
