Mnet’s ″Boyz 2 Planet,″ a global K-pop debut project, has entered a new phase with Lee Sang-won being crowned the winner, selected by star creators from around the world. The fifth episode, which aired on the 14th, unveiled the Top 8 contestants and marked the first survivor announcement ceremony. The initial rounds of global voting attracted an impressive 62,967,080 votes from 217 countries and regions, showcasing heightened enthusiasm compared to Season 1.

The broadcast achieved remarkable viewership on various platforms. On Tving, the domestic streaming service airing the show live, the viewership share reached nearly 76%. Additionally, Mnet Plus, the global K-pop content platform, reported a more than 55% increase in total streaming views from the previous week, reflecting the show’s sustained popularity.

″Boyz 2 Planet″ also dominated social media trends, ranking first on X (formerly Twitter) Worldwide Trends and in major countries such as Korea, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, Peru, and Australia. It even made waves on Weibo, China’s leading social media platform, highlighting the intense interest in the K-pop World-Scale Project’s participants.

Lee Sang-won maintained his lead among the surviving contestants, having held first place since the show’s inception. At the survivor announcement ceremony, he received nearly 12.5 million votes, securing his position with overwhelming support from global star creators across 170 countries, including Korea, Japan, the United States, and several European nations.

The Top 8 was also revealed, with Zhou Anxin earning second place after captivating audiences with his performance of Planet C’s ″Killing Part,″ garnering over 10 million votes. Jeong Sang-hyun ranked third, followed by Kim Jun-seo in fourth, Lee Rio in fifth, Choi Lip-woo in sixth, Yoo Kang-min in seventh, and Masato in eighth, all raising expectations for their potential debut.

The rankings were significantly influenced by the benefits received during the first mission, leading to unexpected changes. Jeon Yi-jung, the leader of Team 2, ″First Meetings Don’t Go as Planned,″ gained 300,000 benefit points, propelling him 11 places up to 23rd. He Xinlong, who garnered global support through his collaboration with Na Yoon-seo, climbed six spots to 9th. Meanwhile, Han Hae-ri-jun ranked 47th, and Yoon Min, one of the lowest-ranked survivors, managed to stay in the competition, finishing at 48th.

The third global vote is now underway to determine which contestants will advance to the ″Semi-Final Mission.″ Voting for the 24 survivors will continue through Mnet Plus until 10 AM on the 29th. The final survivor will be announced during the live streaming of the second survivor announcement ceremony at 3 PM on the same day. The upcoming sixth episode of ″Boyz 2 Planet,″ airing at 9:20 PM on the 21st, will feature the ″Class Conquest Position Battle,″ promising to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Additionally, the ″Semi-Final New Song Matching Mission″ has been announced, with four new songs set to be revealed. Star creators can participate by matching contestants with the new songs through Mnet Plus until 10 AM on the 16th.