When the episode came back, it showed all the boys still at the showcase, excitedly chatting with each other before running back on stage to bow to the audience.

As the MC delivered closing remarks, a graphic showing the teams’ ranks and the percentage of votes they received filled the screen.

1. [Team Bad Boys - 50%]

2. [Team Bite Me - 22%]

3. [Team Lonely - 15%]

4. [Team Cha Cha - 10%]

Suspended - [William Forbes - 3%]

Of course, the sharp-eyed viewers noticed the addition and immediately began commenting in the chat.

Quite a few people were furious:

└ wtfffff?

└ Do my eyes deceive me? That’s where the 3% went?

└ What the heck? Why did William get votes?

└ I thought he was supposed to be suspended

└ What the hell is the production team trying to pull? Why did they even allow people to vote for William when he didn’t perform?

└└ Exactly! Why was he even an option! Those votes that went to him could have boosted another team and made a difference.

└└└ What is a measly 3% going to do? It literally doesn’t affect the team ranks at all

└└└└ When your pick is eliminated because the person above him got 3% more votes, I’ll be here laughing at you!

But for fans of William, the Royal Family Princesses, it was as if they had been injected with new life. They were extremely happy and came out in droves to make their presence known.

└ Do you see how influential the prince is?? He wasn’t even there, and he got 3% of the votes. Just imagine if he had performed. He would have gotten so much more

└└ Exactly! They should have just let him perform anyway, since people got to vote for him regardless.

└ It’s undeniable that our boy is the main event. Snagging votes with ease!

└ Imagine if William got to perform. Buzzcut over there isn’t the only person with family connections; William’s family is rich without his parents having to sell themselves to the highest bidder! Whatever team is on would have had a crazy performance!

└└ You see the vision. William’s team could have come in on a tank or even on a helicopter, like the other team. Levi’s not special, this is LA. The sky is literally the limit.

└└└ You see how you had to copy Ari’s team’s idea because you knew William couldn’t come up with his own? Both of you are thieves, and that’s why he was suspended.

└└└└ You’re doing a lot of bragging for someone who’s on a superteam and is getting carried by his teammates. I bet the percentage of votes William received mogs whatever votes fishboy received.

└└└└└ Carried by a superteam when he’s ranked first? Truly, a child left behind. Ari mogs William’s entire existence, and it’s not even funny.

└└ Calling the job of two actors who ACT for a living ’selling themselves to the highest bidder’ just to discredit them is crazy work. Are you people mentally okay? Do you want to get beaten up? Respect people’s parents.

└└└ Templars joining the conversation, like anybody is scared of them. Why don’t you guys stay silent just like that balding thug you call a contestant

└└└└ He’s not balding, he’s naturally blonde and shaves his hair! Mind you, his dad is almost 50 and has all of his hair

└└└└└ He’s balding, and his dad went to Turkey for a hair transplant. No need to be ashamed.

While the comment section was in an uproar, with people arguing over William’s votes, the scene cut to the contestants, all dressed in their gray school uniforms, entering a studio and taking seats.

The camera briefly panned over some of the contestants’ faces before focusing on the stage, where the four judges sat in only 14 seats.

It was time for elimination.

MC Ryan Leary gave a speech congratulating the contestants on their hard work before calling out those eliminated from 20th place onward.

Each eliminated contestant climbed up the stage and, with sadness visible in all their faces, gave a heartfelt speech to the fans, their supporters, and family in whatever language they spoke.

└ Finally, it’s time to see the proper ranking

└ Let’s see who is actually within the debut ranks this time

└└ Unfortunately, THAT ONE will probably be safe

└└└ Don’t talk too hard before his fans come and start fighting for him to be the victim again

└└└└ Who are you guys talking about?

└└└└└ shhh they’re here

└ Guys. I still haven’t seen William, and the production team still hasn’t given an update on his suspension. Does that mean he was eliminated?

└└ He got votes, so it shouldn’t be right? His rank should be high!

└└ Yup, he got eliminated off-screen! Thankfully, that loser will be out of our hair forever

└└└ sybau!

When the 15th-ranked contestant finished their speech, instead of announcing the 14th-ranked contestant, MC Ryan Leary began explaining what the finals would entail to the seated contestants, including the fact that after this elimination, everyone’s votes would be set to zero, and it would only be the votes gained from now until the end of the final performance that would be counted.

As Ryan Leary spoke, the camera occasionally panned across the judges and seated contestants, but only about 10 contestants’ faces were shown, a fact quickly noticed in the chat.

└ Do they have to make another song again? Hope you know who doesn’t cheat.

└└ Thankfully, he’s eliminated, so we’re good

└└ Does that mean Jamie and Ari have to be on separate teams again? I don’t like it. Let them team up #JAri #Jarmie #FrancexTennessee

└└└ wtf is this

└└└└ Ignore the shippers and don’t engage with them, or they grow stronger.

└ Wait! We only saw the contestants who were eliminated! Why didn’t they continue with the ranking ceremony like usual? Who’s safely within debut ranks?

└└ This is so weird. Did the editors accidentally cut that part out? Ryan’s just going on as if nothing happened.

└└└ Definitely not! The contestants who weren’t eliminated are now seated on stage, but how come I can’t see everyone’s faces? We can’t even get a group shot. What the heck is going on?

└ Guys, I just checked the Pop Star Academy website contestant page. Of the previous 20 contestants, the eliminated contestants’ images are grayed out, while the rest remain in color.

└└ Do they have a rank next to the contestants?

└└└ Nope. Just checked. Everything is in alphabetical order.

└└ Is William’s face and name grayed out?

└└└ Nope.

└└ Someone check the official social media account. Did they put out another statement renouncing William’s suspension?

└└└ Nope! It’s just the usual stuff about getting your tickets for the final performance, advertising the Seoul Scavenger Hunt videos for purchase, and reminding people to vote. It hasn’t changed.

└ Does this mean that William is coming back?

└└ Maybe! We haven’t heard any news coming from Pacific Records side either.

└└└ So the production team is continuing to reward bad behavior? If that’s the case, then I quit. I watch and support the boys anymore if this is how it’s going to be. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝐰𝚎𝕓𝐧𝚘𝘃𝗲𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝕞

└└└└ Good! Quit! One fewer vote means a better chance for William to debut!

└ What kind of trash is the production team trying to pull! They need to announce the actual ranks of the contestants! Why aren’t they announcing the standings? How will fans know who to focus on and push to ensure they succeed?

└└ Exactly, I need to know if my kid is on the cusp so I can spend more money and make sure he debuts. This uncertainty is definitely not fair!

└ Guys, what if they’re doing this because William is back, but they don’t want to come out and say it because people will riot?

As she read the last comment, Grace had to agree.

The unannounced rankings, the inclusion of Williams’ votes at the performance showcase, the camera angles which didn’t show all of the contestants, this was definitely speculation crafted intentionally to get fans talking about whether William would still be here or not.

As the discussion continued about whether William had truly been eliminated, the scene shifted to the contestants in a practice room.

On the screen, Benjamin stood presenting something, while the camera captured the backs of 5 boys sitting while staring at him.

One boy had long blonde hair tied up into a messy bun.

Another had wavy dark hair slicked back.

But then three other boys were wearing hoodies, making it difficult to identify them until the internet detectives joined the chat.

└ So this is a team for the finals? How did they choose? What are the ranks??? How many people are on the team?

└ Obviously, Benjamin and Jamie are here, and that orange hair peeking from the corner is definitely Daniel, but who else is on the team?

└ Is that Ari in the hoodie?

└└ It kind of looks like him, but I’ve never seen him wear that outfit before.

└└└ It’s definitely not him. Isn’t it, Rei? The red hair poking out is a different shade from Ari’s.

└└└└ It’s definitely William. He likes that kind of clothing a lot and it looks like his hair in korea.

└ The person over there is kinda dark, is that Jerome?

└└ It could be Vishal. He got darker when he was in Korea, too.

└ Why can’t we get a clear view of everyone?

As Benjamin continued his presentation and the team got up to practice, the scene transitioned to another team, this time Carlos speaking as 5 boys stared at him, and one sat in a far corner looking angry.

└ There’s Levi being a loner once again. How is he ever going to survive in a group if he hates people

└└ He doesn’t hate people; he’s just shy.

└└└ Shy my ass.

└ What is going on? Why did everyone suddenly decide that they want to wear hoodies?

└ cold?

└└ Guys, there’s a person wearing the same black jumpsuit from Jamie’s team. Is it PPL?

└└└ I think it might be one person on two teams because they only have 13 people, and they want to keep it balanced.

└└└└ So William got eliminated?

└└└└└ I think so, but it kind of looks like William, too. right?

└└└└└└ It’s definitely Ari. His hair has been getting longer, so the curls really fill out his hoodie and make it super round. It’s so cute.

└└└└└└ I think it’s Justin. When his hair dries, it looks really puffy like that, too.

└ Why can’t the cameraman just zoom in and show all the faces? I haven’t seen Rex yet either.

└└ What are they hiding? Like, these half shots are so weird.

└└└ This is so childish. They should just come out and say that William is eliminated.

└└└└ He’s definitely not eliminated! That’s why they’re hiding it.

└└└└└ Two words - Copyright Strike. Pacific Records is heating up the oven to roast him.

"Aren’t they just doing this to build hype and scam people out of more money?" Grace muttered to herself as she tried to analyze the people; the commenters were trying to figure out the identity of the boys who had a bit of red hair poking out of their hoodies.

Based on the severity of Williams actions, the production team had probably eliminated him to avoid legal issues. But being the greedy people that they were, if he technically had a rank that was high enough, they most likely kept his name so his fans would continue voting for him in the last minute, so they could milk him for every last cent they could get from him.

After all, it was the same thing they had done at the showcase.

Technically, contestants who didn’t attend the showcase weren’t supposed to receive votes, yet the production team hadn’t stopped the audience from actually sending them votes, which is why William had been able to get 3% of the total votes.

It was scummy behavior, but it was what Grace expected from a trashy survival show that refused to stand on anything, only cared about money, and tried to hide the abuse of contestants.

The issue now was...

Why was Ari being used as a scapegoat once again?

Firstly, there was no way Ari was eliminated, and the website with the contestant names and pictures proved it.

Since that was the case, it should be easy enough to display him throughout the episode the same way they showed Jamie, Levi, and Benjamin.

Yet the production team was acting weird by hiding him.

And what made it worse was that it wasn’t just Ari. It was also those who were similar enough to Ari in height and build that could fool people at first glance, who were never shown clearly.

Off the top of her head, after the performance showcase, she had never seen a clear shot of Justin, Rei, Ari, or Rex.

And even though he should be eliminated, since his name wasn’t grayed out, she couldn’t count William out either, especially when she remembered that he had dyed his hair the same shade and gotten the same hairstyle as Ari.

What if the production team kept him and were downplaying it to let things blow over, only to reveal it at the final performance?

But no, there was the issue with Pacific Records, so William was definitely out. Right?

Or was she just overthinking things and falling for conspiracies?

As Grace tried to figure out the producers’ plan, the scene shifted to a contestant sitting in a solo interview room.

It was Carlos, looking very worried and stressed out as he stared at the camera.

Carlos: [PD-nim, he’s missing.]

PD Emily: [What? Why? What happened??]

Carlos: [...there was a team disagreement with. Uhm, he said he didn’t like how the production team was acting, so he slammed the door and left. And uh...we haven’t been able to find him or get in contact with him for a couple of days.]

And on the screen, the image of Carlos sitting in the interview room transitioned to one of a person with a black hoodie stomping out and slamming the door behind them.

As the person turned, she caught sight of curly red hair and a pair of familiar green eyes, furious as he stomped through the hallway, carrying what looked like a bag of clothes.

And just like that, the episode ended.

As another ad came on, this time encouraging fans to get their tickets for the final performance, Grace took a deep breath before banging her head on the table.

Repeatedly.

Forget conspiracies about William; this was the worst possible thing that could happen.

Ari losing his temper, Ari stomping out, and then his teammate having to report him as missing to the PD.

Right now, Grace was too scared to even check the comments because she knew the kind of slander that would come, and could only clutch her head at the sudden headache.

Ariel!

Please!

Even though you don’t like the production team and whatever they’re doing to you, you can’t act like this!

We’re so close to the end, so why would you blow up like this!