“Boys Planet” Contestant Brian’s Family Rule For Dating Sparks Debate On Racism

“Boys Planet” is Mnet‘s newest reality show, where trainees from different companies and countries battle for the chance to debut in a new group.

One trainee who has recently sparked a debate on social media is Canadian trainee Brian from Yuehua Entertainment.

During the first episodes and behind-the-scenes footage, the trainee has been gaining attention and is even amongst some of the most popular contestants so far.

Yet, this rising fame also means that netizens are trying to find things from the contestants’ pasts, and sometimes it’s not all positive recently, and a past clip from Brian has sparked a debate.

A clip was posted from a show called Young and Restless – Vancouver. The original show was filmed in Hong Kong, and the hosts invited youngsters to the show to talk about various topics. In 2020, Brian appeared on the show as he was born and raised in Canada.

In the episode Brian appeared in, the cast and guests were discussing “House Rules.” The question asked to the guests was, “What house rules do you have to follow at home?” In a clip posted by a netizen, netizens noticed that one of the rules said, “Can’t date Indians.”

The original clip didn’t seem to show Brian speaking about that point, yet, the trainee and host do speak about the other points on his list. Yet, it didn’t involve a topic on that controversial point, either intentionally or unintentionally.

Host: Wow, Brian, you wrote a lot. What are they?

Brian: The first one is I can’t shake my legs

Host: You can smoke?

Brian: No…

Host: Shake

Brian: Shaking, shaking

Host: I thought it said smoking

Hosts: Shaking, shaking my legs

Brian: My mom said it’s annoying. It doesn’t look nice. It’s poor manners

Host: What else? No…

Other host: No lying

Brian: And the 3rd one is no lying

Host: Wow, you must break this rule every day.

Q2: Set up a rule for your ideal home?.
A2: No smoking and drinking

Brian boys planet pic.twitter.com/zCt4b4szge

— Kokoiiki007 (@kokoiiki007) February 5, 2023

The only mention of dating came later in the episode when they discussed Brian’s past relationships. Brian revealed that when he was 15-16, he brought a girlfriend home and explained that she was Canadian-born Chinese, seemingly showing that his mom wasn’t strict about dating in general.

Host: Did anything happen after?

Brian: Nothing happened after

Another guest: Was it safe?

Brian: It was safe

Host: Wait, so something did happen but it was safe

Another host: I’m not sure, I’m confused…so she could stay at your home, for how long? Could she stay overnight?

Brian: Yes, she could stay overnight, but she never did,

Host: What did you two do at home? Studying?

Brian: Yeah, studying

Host: So your girlfriend at the time is Chinese? Canadian born Chinese?

Brian: Canadian born Chinese, yes.

Although the clip shared on social media doesn’t show Brian addressing the point, as it seems to go from the first to the last point, the text on the board in English was enough to spark a debate. While many tried to defend the trainee by saying it was his mom’s rules, not his and could be something cultural…

why is he getting cancelled for something his mom did… https://t.co/aggmU05ah7

— flop that (@fl0pthat) February 4, 2023

Others shared that it was still inappropriate and racist to mention it on such a public platform, especially if he had plans to become an idol. In particular, as someone raised in Canada who would be surrounded by many ethnicities, it seemed xenophobic and racist.

now why the hell would you even share something like that on national television 💀 https://t.co/vMpEqjRet6

— imam hongjoong (@muslimhwa) February 5, 2023

Some people in the quotes saying these are his mom's rules as if that's supposed to make it better. He's showing off her prejudice towards Indians with no reproach on a TV show that's viewed globally. This is very weird. 😕 https://t.co/dDwpdWk84b

— ♦♠♥♣LunarSkye♣♥♠♦ (@LunarSkye) February 5, 2023

its the way u cant defend him either by saying “its what his mum dislikes” cos if he CHOSE to put it on national tv then he definitely thinks theres nothing wrong w it https://t.co/IhqYbVo1Fl

— tanisha ♡ (@fairypnks) February 5, 2023

Even on TikTok, after a user shared a video on the issue, the comments were not impressed with the clip but also those trying to defend Brian by shifting the blame onto his mom.

Although the appearance was nearly three years ago, the sudden rising fame of Brian and the other contestants means that even their past behavior or actions will be scrutinized.