Jeon Somi recently looked back on the challenges she faced while competing on Mnet’s “Produce 101” at a young age.
The former I O I member appeared with Chungha on the YouTube program “Psick Show,” where they shared honest memories from their survival show days.
When asked about her positive and negative experiences, Jeon Somi recalled being told to prepare many clothes for the two month training period.
“I packed two suitcases full of clothes, but I only wore one outfit before it was over,” she said. “I could not wear any of the other clothes I brought.”
She also remembered how the contestants had to hand over their phones before filming began.
“I was only 15, and I wanted to call my mother and say, ‘Mom, I am going to the Paju English Village,’ but I could not,” Jeon Somi explained.
She said the contestants were instructed to submit their belongings before being taken to an unfamiliar location. After passing through the mountains, they arrived at a place that felt unsettling to her at the time.
“They told us that was our room, and I kept thinking, ‘I want to call my mother,’” she recalled.
Jeon Somi also shared that one of the camera directors who worked on “Produce 101” later joined her agency’s video team. After discussing the show with him, she learned that the production staff also faced exhausting conditions.
According to Jeon Somi, the camera crew filmed through the night, sometimes struggled to stay awake, and continued conducting interviews with the contestants.
Chungha agreed, saying the show was “also a survival program for the production team.”
She explained, “They had to interview all 101 contestants, create their stories, and keep asking questions until they received an answer. Meanwhile, we were falling asleep.”
Although Jeon Somi and Chungha spoke honestly about the difficult conditions, they also acknowledged how demanding the production was for both the contestants and the staff.
