Mnet’s Street Woman Fighter (스트릿 우먼 파이터) captivated viewers with its fiery dance competition since its first broadcast.

According to AGB Nielsen Korea, a ratings research institute, Street Woman Fighter, which premiered at 10:20 p.m. KST on the 24th (Tuesday), saw its highest ratings jump to 1.4% per minute. The average viewer rating surpassed 1% (paid households, metropolitan area).

Earlier on the 24th, Mnet held a live online presentation for the production of the show. Attending the event were CP Kwon Youngchan and PD Choi Jeongnam, MC Kang Daniel, judges BoA, Taeyong and Hwang Sanghoon, and the leaders of each crew: Leejung (YGX), Gabee (LACHICA), Hyojin Choi (WANT), Noze (WayB), Rihey (CocaNButter), Monika (PROWDMON), Honey J (HolyBang), and Aiki (Hook).

Regarding the reasons behind choosing Kang Daniel as the MC, PD Choi Jeongnam shared, “Not only Kang Daniel is a representative idol of Korea, but he also has experience with street culture b-boying activities. I’ve watched many of his videos. I thought that he would be able to properly emcee at the height of the battle. He ended up being very helpful during filming.”[s]

When talking about his own experience on the show, Kang Daniel said, “Hello, I’m MC Kang Daniel. I really enjoyed it so much, and it will go beyond the audience’s expectations. We hope many of you tune in!” He continued, “Of course I’m nervous yet excited. Due to COVID, it’s been a while since there could be performances and street battles. Through the good stages in Street Woman Fighter, I could gain new stimulus, and I’m so thankful for this opportunity. I’ve also learned so much, and I’ll work hard to be a guide.”[s] [s]

After the broadcast of the first episode, many viewers left positive comments on online communities such as theqoo and Pann. One Pann post in particular explaining the dance battle terms Kang Daniel used gained 160k visits, and many netizens agreed that Kang Daniel was a good choice as the MC:

“The MC was a really good pick. He fit into the battle seamlessly and made it enjoyable.”
“They did a good job choosing Kang Daniel as MC. Did he do lots of dance battles at his academy?”
=> “He was originally a street dancer.”
“In the ‘back off’ video the pronunciation was good and it felt like a real battle. It was a good decision to have an MC with this experience.”
“Kang Daniel’s reactions are deliberate. Music is important in dancing, and when the dancers perform a notable move with the music, or a technically difficult move, you’re supposed to react like that. Those who aren’t familiar with dance battles can follow the MC’s reactions. He’s done b-boying and the expressions are used there more. He has a good understanding of the battle atmosphere.”

Other netizens simply enjoyed his reactions:

“The dancers are so cool, and Kang Daniel is cute.”
“Kang Daniel ㅋㅋㅋ He’s the most excited ㅋㅋㅋ”
“The MC-ing, judging, and dancing were all really good – only speak after you’ve watched ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ So fun ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ But Kang Daniel looks like he’s in a different show all by himselfㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I get why they said he’s like a puppy in a lion’s cage.”
“Kang Daniel is really enjoying it ㅋㅋㅋ”
“Watching his excited reactions made the stages more fun ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ His voice is nice too when he speaks, and it’s great that you can tell he really loves dancing.”

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