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MAMA 2021: 'Best 1 minute' from K-pop award show revealed to be Wanna One’s reunion

Mnet also reportedly spent hundreds of millions in won for the expensive reunion stage that was the most viewed one among all the MAMA 2021 stage acts

The Wanna One reunion faced several obstacles but now that it finally happened, it seems it was worth it. The iconic boy group that was formed from the survival show ‘Produce 101’ Season 2 was much loved by fans worldwide. Unfortunately, they disbanded during their peak with many guessing that it might have something to do with the voting manipulation scandal of Mnet’s ‘Produce’ series. However, we did get a reunion at MAMA 2021, which just might be the best thing that happened at the K-pop award show.

Many netizens and fans first criticized MAMA 2021 for having a ‘weak performance lineup’ since it did not have any major third-gen K-pop groups like BTS, Seventeen, GOT7, Blackpink, Monsta X or TWICE. However, many older-gen fans were in for a treat since it was reported that Wanna One would be reuniting for the first time in 3 years for a special stage at MAMA 2021. Having debuted in 2017, they disbanded in 2019 despite their million-seller albums and sold-out world tours. 

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Wanna One was most-watched stage act

Ever since their disbandment, there were constant rumors that Wanna One would be reuniting. These came to fruition when Mnet said that they were in talks for a special MAMA stage, additional group activities and even a special album. However, they might not all be possible since many of the members are now part of other groups and have busy individual schedules. Fans were slightly disheartened when it was revealed that the youngest member Kuanlin cannot make it for the MAMA 2021 stage. But their impact was still evident as Wanna One performed hits like ‘Energetic’ and ‘Burn It Up’ at MAMA 2021. Their stage was the highlight of the K-pop show. 

On December 13, the South Korean audience rating service TNmS reported that Wanna One had the highest viewership rating among all the artists that had performed at MAMA 2021. The most number of people tuned in during their stage and had the highest 1-minute audience rating. Their stage of ‘Beautiful Part 3’ had a 1.1% nationwide rating and 1.7% rating in Seoul. Among female teens, they had a rating of 2.9% which was the highest. It was also reported that CJENM, the parent company of Mnet that hosts MAMA, had spent hundreds of millions in won (hundred million won, the Korean currency, is approximately $84,655) on Wanna One’s outfits, hair and makeup.

Impressed fans made tweets like, “U can't deny Wanna One impact..  Looks like Koreans missed Wanna One as a group too..” Another Wannable posted, “What do you expect when they are Wannaone.” One fan commented, “Only the best for Wanna One. it's what they deserve.” Another shared, “Even if the amt is more than that, it’s worth to spend. Look back how many $$ CJ earned from them just within 1.5yrs. They deserved it.”