Simon Cowell’s New Boy Band Tried to ‘Rage Bait’ BTS Fans. It Became a Masterclass in How Not to Launch a Career.

TL;DR: The Viral Implosion

Simon Cowell's brand-new, un-debuted boy band, December 10, tried to make a splash by publicly insulting global phenomenon BTS. Instead of generating hype, they ignited a firestorm of online backlash, giving the world a live-action tutorial in what a calculated 'rage bait' PR strategy looks like—and why it's a disastrously outdated tactic in the modern era of hyper-savvy fan armies.

The Story: A Debut Defined by Disrespect

In the cutthroat world of pop music, a debut needs to be memorable. But the seven members of December 10, the latest pop creation from industry mogul Simon Cowell, may have achieved the wrong kind of immortality before their first song even dropped. A clip from their origin story on the Netflix series Simon Cowell: The Next Act went supernova online for all the wrong reasons.

In the footage, 19-year-old member Cruz, brimming with unearned confidence, takes a direct shot at BTS, one of the most powerful and beloved music groups on the planet.

“If BTS can sell out Wembley Stadium in flipping five minutes, we could sell out Pluto in five minutes,” Cruz declared, before adding the kicker: “Nah, I’m serious. They’re terrible.”

The comment, aimed at a group with a decade of record-breaking hits and a fan base that operates with the strategic precision of a G7 nation, was less a bold statement and more a career self-detonation. The internet, predictably, had thoughts.

The Internet's Verdict: Curating the Backlash

The reaction wasn't just anger; it was a mix of mockery, disbelief, and sharp-witted analysis from a fandom that has seen it all. Here are the reactions that best capture the moment.

1. The Audacity Check

The most immediate reaction was sheer bewilderment at the nerve of a completely unknown artist criticizing an established titan. This response summed it up perfectly:

• “simon’s new boy group speaking on bts.. LIKE WHO TF ARE YOU?? 😭😭” - @bratzlibra

2. The Premature Obituary

For many, the group's career was over before it began. Fans quickly declared the project dead on arrival, using memes to pronounce the social media death sentence.

• “career over before it even started” - @daegustiger, accompanied by a funeral meme.

3. The Strategic Diagnosis: “It’s Rage Bait”

This is where the response gets fascinating. Instead of just taking the bait, a huge portion of the BTS ARMY immediately identified the tactic as a cynical marketing ploy. They saw through the manufactured controversy, recognizing it as a desperate attempt to hijack their fandom's massive engagement power.

• “This is probably Salmon Cowbell’s strategy to get them the public’s attention. Just ignore them and let them flop in silence” - @kookprintts
• “This is clearly ragebait. They know how big are BTS and how much talking about them bring attention... Good or bad this will just put light on them. Lets ignore. They’re doing it for promo” - @listenjazzfunky

This level of media literacy is a hallmark of modern fandoms. They didn't just get angry; they deconstructed the PR strategy in real-time and organized a counter-move: strategic apathy.

Cultural Context: The Unwritten Rules of Stan Culture

Why did this go so spectacularly wrong? Because it violates the core principle of internet culture in 2025: you don't punch up without receipts. Attacking a beloved institution from a position of zero accomplishment isn't seen as edgy; it's seen as pathetic.

This incident reveals a critical misunderstanding of modern fan dynamics. Fandoms like ARMY aren't just passive consumers; they are active stakeholders and fierce brand guardians. They've spent years investing time, money, and emotional energy into their artists. An attack on BTS is not just a criticism of a band; it's a personal insult to millions of people globally who see the group's success as their own. The idea that you can siphon their power by insulting them is a fundamental miscalculation.

PRISM Insight: A 2005 Playbook in a 2025 World

Let's be clear: this was not a spontaneous, youthful mistake. This was a calculated move, likely greenlit by Simon Cowell himself, a man who built an empire on manufactured drama and televised takedowns. The strategy is textbook 2000s media manipulation: create a villain, start a rivalry, and ride the wave of free press. It worked for countless reality shows and tabloid feuds.

The problem is, the game has completely changed.

The old model relied on a top-down media structure where personalities like Cowell could control the narrative. The new model is decentralized. Power doesn't just lie with producers and networks; it lies with globally-connected, digitally-native communities. These communities write their own narratives, and they are experts at identifying and neutralizing inauthentic tactics like rage bait.

By attempting to use BTS's fame as a shortcut to relevance, December 10 and their management didn't just invite negative attention—they exposed themselves as fundamentally out of touch. They sought to create a moment, but instead, they became a meme. And in the modern attention economy, being a cautionary tale is a far worse fate than being ignored.