Youth With You season 2

Background Youth With You (season 2) was intended to promote China's contemporary youth culture to overseas audiences. The series adopted the themes of "interpreting self" and "not defining self," reflecting the trainees' perspectives and experiences during the competition. Format The program featured 109 female trainees who participated in singing and dancing performances over a four-month training and competition period. The final lineup consisted of nine members, selected through votes cast by viewers, referred to as "youth producers." Features The concept of "Concept X," introduced in the series, was intended to highlight the open-ended possibilities for both the program and its trainees. The inclusion of original singer-songwriters and participants from diverse backgrounds was presented as a way to emphasize emotional development, cultural awareness, and life experience, alongside singing and dancing, in the cultivation of young idols. An "X Mentor" role was also added to broaden the mentor structure and introduce different perspectives to the program. Cai Xukun appeared as the "youth producers' representative," serving as a senior figure who provided professional guidance and emotional support to the trainees. == Mentors ==

'''Cai Xukun: Youth producers' representative''' Cai Xukun, who debuted after participating in season 1, appeared as the youth producers' representative in season 2. Ella Chen, a member of the Taiwanese girl group S.H.E, served as the music mentor. Lisa, a member of the South Korean girl group Blackpink, was the dance mentor. She was noted for her performance skills and popularity, and she guided trainees in dance and stage presence. Jony J: Rap mentor Chinese rapper Jony J served as the rap mentor. Known for his large-scale concerts and distinctive lyrical style, he was described in Chinese media as a "hip-hop poet." X Mentors • Yoga Lin • Silence Wang • Wang Ziyi • Zhu Zhengting • Wang Linkai == Contestants ==

Color key • Top 9 of the week • Top 9 of the week (Live Votes) • Left the show • Eliminated in Episode 9 + Episode 10 • Eliminated in Episode 16 • Eliminated in Episode 20 • Eliminated in Episode 23 • Final members of The9 Contestant notes • : Former contestant on Produce 101 China • : Member of Dreamcatcher • : Member of Nature • : Member of BlueV (Unit by SNH48) • : Member of 7SENSES (Unit by SNH48) • : Member of Color Girls (Unit by SNH48) • : Member of Fanxy Red • : Member of Lady Bees • : Former contestant on The Chinese Youth • : Member of OYT GIRLS • : Member of Hickey • : Trainee under Lady Bees • : Under a subsidiary label of Starship Entertainment • : Under a subsidiary label of YG Entertainment • : Former member of SHY48 • : Member of AKB48 Team SH • : Former contestant on The Rap of China • : Former contestant on Chinese Idol • : Former contestant on The Next Top Bang • : Former contestant on The Coming One Girls under the name Li Mo (李茉) • : Member of Yep Girls • : Member of MOI Girls • : Former contestant on Girls, Fighting • : Member of ACEMAX-RED • : Former trainee under Banana Culture's Trainee 18 • : Former member of LEGAL HIGH • : Former member of HelloGirls Top 9 Elimination Chart Color key == Episodes ==

Episode 1 (12 March 2020) The four mentors arrived at a welcome party where they met the 109 trainees. In previous seasons, mentors first encountered the trainees during the preliminary rating stage; however, in this season they met in advance to learn more about the trainees' personalities and backgrounds. Each trainee introduced herself at the party and was seated around a long table. On the following day, the mentors performed on stage for the trainees. Dance mentor Lisa performed In the Name of Love and Attention; rap mentor Jony J performed My Man; vocal mentor Ella Chen performed How Old Are You; and youth producers' representative Cai Xukun performed Young. Afterward, the preliminary rating stage began. During preliminary rating, trainees who selected the same song were paired against each other in one-on-one performances. This format was intended to make it easier to observe and compare individual trainees. Based on these performances, the mentors assigned grades ranging from Class A to F. Episode 2 (14 March 2020) The preliminary rating stage continued in this episode. Kong Xueer became the first trainee to be assigned to Class A. She and Zhao Xiaotang discussed their prior debut experiences and how these contributed to their maturity and independence, a topic that resonated with other trainees who had similar backgrounds. Wang Qing and Zhang Yu performed Theme Song of Love with a comedic style that entertained both the mentors and the trainees. Wang Qing's stage presence and facial expressions impressed the mentors, earning her a place in Class A. A strong competition emerged between Shangguan Xiai, An Qi, and Xu Jiaqi, all of whom delivered notable solo performances and were placed in Class A. Trainee Chua Zhuoyi shared her struggles with online criticism, with some claiming her background made her unqualified to join a girl group. She expressed determination to remain true to herself despite the negativity. Vocal mentor Ella Chen encouraged the trainees by emphasizing that girl groups should not be limited to a single image and that Youth With You season 2 aimed to promote diversity in female idols. Episode 3 (19 March 2020) The preliminary rating stage continued in this episode. Duan Xiaowei impressed the mentors with a performance that incorporated Japanese sign dance and was placed in Class A. Esther Yu, described as talkative, spent several minutes explaining her acting approach, but Cai Xukun advised her to focus on specific highlights rather than overexplaining. Later in the episode, Yu Yan delivered a strong performance that earned her placement in Class A. XIN Liu was the only trainee to choose No Joke as her performance song and competed without a rival. Her performance was praised as outstanding in all aspects, and Lisa remarked that it was the standard she had been anticipating. Luna Qin also appeared on stage, stating that online impressions were limited and that she wanted to present a fuller image of herself through the program. A performance battle between trainees from AKB48 Team SH and SNH48 attracted attention due to their shared origins. Mentor Ella Chen commented that the performances from both groups were overly formulaic and lacked individuality, encouraging the trainees to develop distinct identities within a girl group. All of the trainees from both groups were placed in Class D. Episode 4 (21 March 2020) The preliminary rating stage continued, beginning with performances from the rap team. Mentor Jony J commented that rappers in the program were "playing away from home," as the competition was designed primarily for idol trainees. He applied stricter standards than many participants expected, notably criticizing GIA Jin's performance. NINEONE, who had released more than 30 original songs prior to the show, was told by Jony J that her chosen track was not competitive enough to demonstrate her abilities. Cai Xukun and Jony J disagreed on the evaluation of Shaking Chloe: while Cai felt she was strong enough for Class A, Jony argued that she needed clearer feedback to improve further. She was ultimately placed in Class B. Later, Hana Lin attracted attention as a well-known influencer and entrepreneur. She explained that she joined the show because she considered the influencer profession unstable and wanted to expand her skills. The trainees from Yuehua Entertainment performed as a group, but mentors felt their performances lacked individuality, and all were placed in Class C. With the preliminary rating concluded, the first mission—position assessment—was introduced. The three categories were vocal, dance, and rap. Trainees initially chose their preferred position, but only Class A trainees were allowed to select songs first. Afterward, Class A trainees also chose their teammates through a random draw. Remaining songs were distributed through a lottery system, and any unassigned trainees were placed into other groups. Once groups were formed, leadership and center positions were assigned within each team. For the group performing Oh Boy, Sharon Wang and Shen Jie both sought the center role. The three Shen sisters (Shen Bing, Shen Qing, and Shen Yu) supported Shen Jie, arguing that she stood out more, while other group members favored Sharon. After debate, Shen Jie was chosen as the center. == Missions ==

Mission 1: Position Evaluation Color key • Winner • Leader • Center • Leader & Center Mission 2: Group Battle Color key • Winner • Leader • Center • Leader & Center Mission 3: Theme Song Assessment Color key • Winner • Leader • Center • Leader & Center Mission 4: Cooperation Stage Color key • Leader • Center • Leader & Center Mission 5: Final Stage Performance Color key • Center == Discography ==

Filming for Youth With You season 2 was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The production location in Guangdong was sealed, and filming was suspended beginning on 22 January 2020. For promotional activities, Cai Xukun and Jony J appeared alongside five trainees—Xu Jiaqi, Shangguan Xiai, An Qi, Kong Xueer, and Wang Qing—on the program Happy Camp on 29 February 2020. == Controversy ==

Shen Bing On 25 March 2020, a man claiming to be Shen Bing's boyfriend posted a statement alleging that he had been in a relationship with her since September 2019 while concealing his marriage. He claimed that Shen Bing had made threatening comments to his wife after discovering his marital status. Following this, Shen Bing withdrew from the show, stating that she had been unaware of his marriage, contradicting the claims made by the man. Final episode During the final episode of Youth With You season 2, the live performance of the song Hunt received criticism for poor audio quality, which reportedly made some trainees' vocals difficult to hear. Netizens expressed disappointment with the performance and the audio production, and the topic trended on Weibo. In response, trainee Yu Shuxin performed an additional song to demonstrate her vocal abilities after some viewers criticized her performance in Hunt. On the same day, Dove posted on Weibo to congratulate Liu Yuxin for placing first in the competition before the official results were announced. The post was later deleted. Dove subsequently clarified that congratulatory messages had been prepared in advance by staff. == References ==