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Running Man: Episode 80

We’re filling in for Running Man this week, which girlfriday and I take on, Roulette-style. But fear not, your trusty Running Man crack dealer (aka gummimochi) will be back next week, keeping you in recaps!

 
EPISODE 80. Broadcast on February 5, 2012.

javabeans: Okay. Before we start, you’re going to have to explain to me the concept of Running Man, which I swear is not immediately evident just by watching. I know this because I tried to watch an episode once, totally cold, but quit halfway through because I didn’t get it. I know there’s a mission and guest stars and running, and that’s about it.

girlfriday: There’s a whole lot of running, and some new version or twist on the same game every week: they chase each other and rip off nametags till last one standing. There might be a whole series of little mini missions on the way, but they hardly count, and usually, the endgame is a version of this basic setup.

javabeans: Nametags? So it’s like flag football meets capture the flag?

girlfriday: Yeah basically. They wear velcro nametags on their backs, and if someone rips off your name, you end up in jail. The twists come in various forms: sometimes there’s a spy, or guests show up unannounced and suddenly start hunting you, or you suddenly have superpowers, or some combination thereof. The thing is, the game doesn’t really matter. It’s sometimes funny, and sometimes just run-run-run. The cast interactions are where it’s at.

javabeans: I swear that’s basically the crux of all Korean variety.

girlfriday: Yup. Pretty much. There you have it.

javabeans: So this episode starts out with limos pulling up to some fancy-looking cathedral-like building. Is that the tinkly music from Hana Yori Dango playing in the background? How random. I swear, sometimes it’s convenient having the music memory of an elephant (ironically, I have to ask — those are the good-memory animals, right?), and sometimes it’s just distracting. Because if it sounds familiar, I have to figure out why, and I can’t proceed until I do.

girlfriday: I’m pretty sure it’s elephant: good, goldfish: bad.

javabeans: Sadly, my facts-memory is goldfish level. And that’s the useful one.

girlfriday: Mine’s goldfish on normal days and amoeba when I’m drinking.

javabeans: I love that we have proof of that on DB, to show that no, we are not exaggerating. Okay so out of one car steps Go Ara, and I know enough about this show to know she must be our guest.

girlfriday: She’s given a Charlie’s Angels-type opening credit, so clearly that’s our theme for today.

javabeans: But why do they have to say her name all embarrassingly, with Westernish accent and all? Is it that weird Korean thing of co-opting something cringeworthy from the West and assuming that makes it witty?

girlfriday: That’s some strange trend, of using the gyopo accent in songs and stuff. It’s like postmodernist slang.

javabeans: But being contrary for the sake of contrary doesn’t automatically equal cool. Hipster rule does not apply for all things!

girlfriday: Because if everything is ironic, nothing is sincere! Okay, now WE’RE going off the rails…

javabeans: You mean sixty seconds into an episode is too early to be off on such a tangent?

girlfriday: …is what I’d say if I could remember why I’m here.

javabeans: I’m already sort of getting that Running Man is a showcase for big stars, which is sort of unusual in the talk/variety world where the regulars are… I don’t mean B-list in a derogatory way, but… less than A-list.

girlfriday: It’s actually become a big platform for movie/drama promotions, because all it requires of stars is to play the game. It’s probably less pressure than a straight-up talk show, because what if you’re horribly unfunny? Here they can just edit the hell out of you.

javabeans: Right away I can tell that Go Ara must have a movie out, which I guess even before recalling that yes, there’s the recent Pace Maker and Papa. It’s sort of like the Letterman/Tonight Show/Daily Show circuit here, in the way that you gear up for the press cycle, prepare some funny things to say, and then whoosh, you’re done until the next project.

girlfriday: It’s a strange hybrid show that way, because sometimes I much prefer the episodes with no guests, but then you occasionally get a gem like crazy Choi Min-soo or whatever.

javabeans: Second to make her entrance is Im Soo-hyang, whom I immediately recognize as that annoying New Gisaeng Story actress from our Strong Heart Roulette. Is SHE following us around now? And how are these actresses going to run around in stilettos?

girlfriday: What is it with Variety Roulette and the faces that haunt us?

javabeans: It’s a small world after all?

girlfriday: Great. Thanks for sticking that song in my head.

javabeans: And the creepy dolls. Can’t forget those. Third “angel” is T-ara’s Hyo-min, who brings up the age issue, wondering if Ara is her unni. Turns out she’s the oldest (though not by much — they’re all ‘89 or ‘90), so Ara makes a point to tease her, pointedly calling her unni.

girlfriday: They get their mission for today — the three guests are the spies, which means they’ll play the entire game pretending to be members of other teams, but in the end they’re the real team that needs to survive till the end.

javabeans: Do the team members know that there are spies in the mix, so they might suspect anyone of being one?

girlfriday: There isn’t always a spy, but yeah, they basically always suspect everyone. Because it changes from week to week, and so does the number of them.

javabeans: The three guests are also given the hint that Charlie (who has communicated to them via distorted voice) is one of the regular members. He knows who they are, but can’t tell them. So they have to find Charlie, while obstructing the team from their mission.

girlfriday: There’s a hilarious cut to blank faces, like they can’t process all this information.

javabeans: Maybe they’re too young to know who Charlie is? That’s sad. For me, I mean, not for them.

girlfriday: HA.

javabeans: The members arrive to find an empty table supplied with milk and morning pastries. I love how excited Jong-gook gets, wondering if they’re going to have a “meeting” (group blind date). And then Haha comes and totally geeks out at the sight.

girlfriday: Hee, they must’ve told them to dress old-school, ‘cause Jae-suk shows up in this awesome getup that screams ‘80s.

javabeans: Haha, they look like something out of an ‘80s production of Guys and Dolls or something. It’s retro upon retro. Was this some elaborate way to produce the awkward scenario of dressing like the year your guest was born?

girlfriday: Pffft. Kwang-soo, why are you always such a nut? He’s the maknae but he looks forty.

javabeans: The guys erupt into cheers upon hearing that the concept IS, in fact, a meeting, and that the guests are “stars to watch in 2012.” Ha, but Ji-hyo brings them down to earth by pointing out that there are only four milks on the ladies’ side. Two boys are gonna get left out of the fun.

girlfriday: She predicts the obvious conclusion: that Kwang-soo and Suk-jin will end up a couple. Heh.

javabeans: Is it weird that the moment Guest #1 steps through the door, the first thing that gets shouted at her isn’t “Hi” or “Welcome” but “She’s prettyyyyyy!”

girlfriday: Oh that’s pretty much a given here: if you’re a pretty girl, the boys will just scream and fight over you all day.

javabeans: Lol at all these old-school kpop songs from the nineties. Kang Suji, remember her? Makes me feel ancient. Hyo-min is second to join them. I presume the cockblocking is also a regular occurrence: Kwang-soo freaks out when last guest Ara arrives (well, everyone does), and Haha has to point out that Kwang-soo likes Lee Yeon-hee. (Whom you could call the Christina to Ara’s Britney.) Lol.

girlfriday: Suddenly it’s celebrity-crush-outings everywhere.

javabeans: Aw, Jae-suk’s comment about Jong-gook liking Yoon Eun-hye totally takes me back to X-Man days. Man, that pairing was epic.

girlfriday: He actually blushes and gets mad! Hee.

javabeans: First instruction of the meeting: The ladies will put one personal item onto a tray, and then the guys (who aren’t allowed to peek) pick one. Wait, did someone actually put in a hair extension?! Wtf?

girlfriday: Ew. So because the numbers aren’t even, two of the items belong to staff, and the guys who pick those items get paired together.

javabeans: Now, the pairings: Hyo-min cops to the hair extension, but I’m going to be slightly relieved that her hair’s in pigtails, meaning at least she didn’t take it directly off her head. Ha. She’s matched with Gary. Suk-jin, who chose lip balm, is the first to hit a dud. Aw.

girlfriday: Pwahaha, he whines at the PD (whose lip balm it was) that it’s a girl’s item, and the PD just answers, “Because my lips are precious,” like a line out of a commercial.

javabeans: Adding insult to injury, Ara says she uses the same lip balm herself. So close, but so far. Jong-gook is next with the ponytail holder, and Jae-suk quips, “Is Eun-hye here?” You KNOW your variety coupling was powerful when people are still joking about it six years later.

girlfriday: His reaction makes it so fun to make fun of him — he’s all shouty and defensive.

javabeans: I find it interesting that if you compare the reactions, it seems like common belief that Ara is the most desired. She’s probably the highest-profile, but it’s still kind of weird to me.

girlfriday: Yes, that’s totally the read I’m getting from the guys.

javabeans: I mean, she’s my favorite too (in that I know her the best, since I’ve been seeing her longest) but you’d think they’d be savvy about how that reads with the other two ladies. Like, they might not want to be so obvious about it.

girlfriday: I think you’re overestimating their maturity levels.

javabeans: Touché.

girlfriday: Jong-gook gets paired with Ara, and the rest of the guys drown in misery. Haha especially looks like he could use a drink.

javabeans: And then he picks Ji-hyo as his partner and deflates. Hey, it could be worse. You could be with Suk-jin.

girlfriday: Woot! I love it when Ji-hyo and Haha get paired together. They’re like the anti-couple of this show. So awesome.

javabeans: The bickering is super cute already. Her item was a health tonic packet, so he nags, “If you’re feeling bad, go home!” Jae-suk gets paired with Soo-hyang, leaving Kwang-soo with his manbro Suk-jin.

girlfriday: Ha, Ji-hyo was right after all!

javabeans: Does this happen a lot?

girlfriday: Let’s just say that if it were ladies’ choice (which it sometimes is), you’d get the same result.

javabeans: The first destination is given and everyone races toward the man holding the sign, and it’s madness as they turn round in circles trying to figure out the fastest way there. The boy duo gets there first and receives a clue. They’re to go barefoot in search of quiz questions, and must answer correctly before moving on.

girlfriday: There’s snow on the ground and they’re running around barefoot?

javabeans: Ha, a producer says that IF they want to be all chivalrous and piggypack a partner, they’ll allow it. Well, that just makes you a dick if you don’t, now doesn’t it?

girlfriday: Which explains the laser-eyes that Jae-suk shoots the PD. Haha forgoes chivalry, ‘cause it’s just Ji-hyo, while the rest of the guys struggle to piggyback their partners.

javabeans: I love how Gary picks Hyo-min up and immediately exclaims, “Oof, heavy!” on impulse and quickly corrects, “Sorry! I mean, oh how light!” Wait, so does this mean that the guest spies should be trying to impede their partners?

girlfriday: They should be, but I don’t see much mission-thwarting going on right now. Unless asking for a piggyback counts. Everyone searches for quiz questions, and Kwang-soo and Suk-jin are the first to find one. Too bad they get it wrong. Back they go.

javabeans: Gary and Hyo-min find their clue next and head to Quiz Central.

girlfriday: They actually get an easy question: name the mascot of the ‘88 Seoul Olympics. Gary gets it right away — Hodori — and assures her it’s an easy one. Hyo-min: “Podori?” Sigh. They really ARE young.

javabeans: Cue montage of them, and subsequent couples, getting questions wrong. Jae-suk and Soo-hyang are among the last to start the quiz, but they get their answer right on the first try and move on to the phone booth to receive their next clue. Soo-hyang answers, and gets Charlie on the line to instruct her to play spoiler with the hint. After she gets the hint from the PD, naturally Jae-suk asks about it. She fumbles at giving a vague answer, but at least he doesn’t question it.

girlfriday: Ara must’ve forgotten her spy job, ‘cause she just tells Jong-gook everything. But once they’re in the car, he says that these games are never what they appear to be. “Ara, you aren’t a spy, are you?”

javabeans: She does a pretty good job covering, saying confusedly, “But… they’d tell me that, wouldn’t they?”

girlfriday: Oh nice. She plays the innocent card so well that the ever-suspicious Jong-gook just lets it slide at that. Or he just thinks she’s super pretty.

javabeans: You believe what you wanna believe, huh? Hee.

girlfriday: They move to the next location, where Jae-suk and Soo-hyang arrive first. A PD comes up and measures their temperatures as soon as they walk in. Huh?

javabeans: Damn, that’s a hard mission. You have to dance enough to raise your temperature a whole degree (Celsius). Is that healthy?

girlfriday: That does NOT seem healthy. Or likely. I think it’s one degree between the two of them as a pair, so at least there’s that? Still…

javabeans: Soo-hyang raises hers by 0.2 degrees… which is the exact amount Jae-suk drops his temperature. Whuh?

girlfriday: Who drops temperature doing cardio?

javabeans: The funny thing is, you know there were a bunch of producers testing out this mission beforehand. Now that’s what I wanna see.

girlfriday: I wonder if this game really WAS tried out. It seems like it’s a twist on the better version, when they hook up an opponent to a pulse monitor and the other person has to make ‘em angry or hot and bothered to win. This one just seems impossible.

javabeans: Haha actually puts his body close to the lights hoping for some heat transfer. It transfers… exactly zero degrees. Next to arrive are Jong-gook and Ara, and she dances all out, arms wayyy out. I’m liking her a lot based on this appearance, actually — she’s so game to try stuff.

girlfriday: Yeah she’s spunkier than I thought she’d be.

javabeans: It’s always a nice surprise when they’re not super self-conscious and just go for it. Let’s see if it paid off. Her temperature raises… 0.1 degrees, and Jong-gook’s not at all. Okay, this game is rigged to fail, right? Or is this an easy way to fill broadcast hours?

girlfriday: I think we’re past that, and into badly-planned-game territory.

javabeans: Is Hyo-min adorably dim or what? First there was Podori, and now her temperature is taken and deemed (a normal) 36.1, but she exclaims all worriedly, “I have a fever?!” Then again, she’s the first one to point out, “If I raise my temperature 1 degree I have to go to the hospital,” so maybe she’s also the smartest.

girlfriday: I love that Gary just gets fed up and calls her whiny, to her face, in front of everyone. Ha.

javabeans: They’re hilarious-cute together, though. They get the song “Roly Poly,” and I love that even though it’s her song, she’s dancing like a five-year-old at a party, not like sexy idol singer. It’s funny, all the ladies have raised their temps, and the men have all stayed the same. Soo-hyang actually raises hers by 0.5 degrees at the next reading, and the others quip that it’s out of embarrassment — she’d done a “sexy dance” that was so unsexy they’d all ribbed her for it.

girlfriday: I’m certainly embarrassed for her.

javabeans: Kwang-soo and Suk-jin dance, and I swear, Kwang-soo looks like a man who has lost control of his limbs. Or, perhaps more accurately, a robot that has fried its motor-skills chip. It must work, though, because they’re the first team to pass, upping 0.6 degrees each.

girlfriday: It cracks me up that everyone’s been at this for what seems like hours, and Kwang-soo and Suk-jin show up last, do one half-assed comedy-dance, and win the game.

javabeans: At least now we know it’s possible, and this spurs everyone else to go crazy in a massive group dance session. Haha cries, “This is the first time I’ve forced myself to play around!”

girlfriday: Jae-suk and Jong-gook are so hilarious when they dance. They COMMIT.

javabeans: Kwang-soo and Suk-jin get their hint about the last couple standing being the winner (which I thought was something everyone would already know, no?). They head over to the next destination, and are confronted with 100 models at the pool. Er…? They try to figure out what the point is, but are happy enough to drool over models in a pool. So now, we set up the two conflicting missions: The members believe that in order to win, you have to be the last couple with the nametags intact. The spies have their secondary mission, which is to rip nametags from everyone but the three of them and Charlie.

girlfriday: You see how no matter what other games they play, it doesn’t matter, and it’s all about ripping nametags off at the end of the day? It’s strange to me why they bother with the other stuff.

javabeans: The interesting thing is the conflict of interest — pretending to go after your fellow angel, but really waiting to turn on your cast-partner. But if you leave the nametag-ripping to somebody else, you skirt that problem. I wanna see conflict!

girlfriday: The wrench in this game is Charlie. The spies don’t want to take Charlie out of the game, but they don’t know who it is.

javabeans: Are the models purely here to distract? It seems so… transparent. Though I guess Haha is plenty distracted.

girlfriday: Yeah they often times fill a place with extras just to make the nametag game that much harder. I love that Ji-hyo calls him out on it, while he swears he was totally staking out a good place to protect her from. Hahaha. I could watch these two bicker forever.

javabeans: Hyo-min and Gary crack me up. They look like a normal young couple, but then they start talking, and she’s a five-year-old with strange questions and he’s the harried grandpa telling her to hush up. “Where does the water come from? What causes the fog? Is it cold? I’m cold! What if I can’t see?” “STOP WHINING!” “But there are so many things I want to know.”

girlfriday: She totally means it too.

javabeans: The other couples have converged and are warily circling, watching their backs. Ara’s scoping out the group for a potential Charlie, while Soo-hyang seems to have ruled out her partner Jae-suk. It looks like Soo-hyang and Ara give each other the look — “He’s not Charlie, go!” — so Ara lurches forward and pulls his nametag. Since it’s blank on the flipside, they know he’s not Charlie and they’ve deduced correctly. Soo-hyang puts on this whole innocent shocked face, like, “OH! NO! My partner is down!”

girlfriday: Ara plays up the innocent act with Jong-gook as well, all “Was I not supposed to do that?”

javabeans: I love how all the boys are kind of shocked at her ferociousness, and she’s like, “I just pulled the one I could reach! Tee-hee!” Jae-suk is sent to “jail,” stunned speechless at the swiftness of his exit.

girlfriday: Haha and Ji-hyo ask how it went down, and Ara starts to explain, but she overdoes it. Ji-hyo starts to get that suspicious glint in her eye, and then suddenly Haha blurts, “It’s Charlie’s Angels!”

javabeans: Note that in Korean, that title is not “Charlie’s Angels” but literally “Trio of Beauties.” I’m assuming Charlie can’t actually say the words “Charlie’s Angels,” because that’s breaking the rule, no?

girlfriday: Ara tries to keep a straight face as she shoots down the idea. Hm, is he giving her a hint that he’s Charlie? Or is he just being Haha, and shooting an action movie in his mind as usual? He totally suspects her, but crumbles under the cute, and turns to Ji-hyo: “Why don’t you do that?” *evil death glare* Haha immediately salutes in allegiance to her. Heh.

javabeans: Hyo-min and Gary have been hiding in the pool, and she spots Jong-gook approaching. He must look scary because she immediately starts whimpering and pleads, “Save me.” Haha. Ara and Jong-gook find Gary cowering in the sauna, and they grab for him. He tries to dart past them, and in that split second you see Ara mentally weighing whether he could be Charlie. She decides no, grabs the tag, and phew! Not Charlie.

girlfriday: Ha, the girls are terrible at acting like they’re sad about their partners being killed off.

javabeans: I’m starting to wonder if Jong-gook really is Charlie, because Ara is busily trying to cover her bloodthirsty tracks by acting innocent (“I’m just playing the game!”) and he’s encouraging her to keep playing fiercely.

girlfriday: I dunno, ‘cause either way, he thinks he’s winning the straight-up version of the game. So far, anyway. Also, I think Haha’s comment can’t go ignored. (Meanwhile he hides while trying to persuade Ji-hyo to go out and get all the nametags: “God gave you strength, so you should use it!” Ji-hyo: “What were you given?” Haha: “Shortness!” Ha.)

javabeans: True. Hyo-min and Soo-hyang, who are both partnerless now, put their heads together to try to figure out who’s Charlie. They decide to test Jong-gook by mentioning a dog named Charlie, and just then he appears around the corner and eyes them. Ara’s just behind her partner, but she must have decided he isn’t Charlie because she gives his nametag this hilariously greedy look. (Jong-gook had encouraged her to pull the girls’ nametags, saying men are weak against women. Not something Charlie would say…) Ara goes in for the kill (I love how quick and decisive she is) but Jong-gook feels the pull at the last minute and whirls on her, shocked. So now the girls run after him, like a murderer trying to finish the job: “GET HIM!” HAHAHA. He runs off, gasping, “She’s scary!” She kind of is.

girlfriday: Jong-gook goes on the run, and passes by a closed snack stand on the other side of the pool. It happens to be where Haha and Ji-hyo are hiding out. They spot him, and prepare with weapons (bendy straws, to do what, I don’t know). But then as they bend down to peer out, Ji-hyo eyes Haha’s nametag. Sneaky! She is SO Charlie!

javabeans: Hee! So Hyo-min was right when she said that Ji-hyo would be the least suspected, since they’d automatically think Charlie was male.

girlfriday: So true! Just as Haha calls out Jong-gook’s name, she rips his nametag off with an evil grin. Silenced. She ain’t the Ace for no reason. I love that she orders them to kill the lights, just to be extra creepy.

javabeans: Jong-gook has guessed that the three ladies may be spies, despite their attempts to scatter immediately so that Ara is the only one suspected. Jong-gook has heard Haha calling to him and suspects something’s happened, but Ji-hyo’s inside the stand, muffling his mouth so he can’t give her away. The three ladies see that Haha has been caught, so that solidifies their suspicions that Ji-hyo is their contact. But they’re not sure yet until they approach Jong-gook and mention “a dog at home named Charlie.” It’s Ji-hyo who replies with “a cat at home named Charlie,” and the alliance is soildified. The ladies corner Jong-gook and pull his tag, and do a victory dance-hug. Okay, I love that Jong-gook was schooling Ara about how men are weak to the ladies, and he’s the one who fell victim.

girlfriday: It’s always his weakness. He can overpower anyone, but girls are his blindside.

javabeans: Now Kwang-soo and Suk-jin are left wondering what happened to everyone. They see Ara approaching, and I crack up at how she keeps up the innocent facade (“Oppa, it’s not me!”) while chasing after them for the kill. It’s hysterical. The ladies manage to split them up, and the three spies corner Suk-jin while Ara grabs the tag. I know it’s a game, but there really is a scary element to being surrounded and eliminated like that.

girlfriday: It’s totally that primal Lord of the Flies thing.

javabeans: Meanwhile, Ji-hyo chases Kwang-soo but plays it smart, acting like she thinks he’s the spy to deflect his suspicions. That lets her within arm’s reach, and she tells him all calmly, “You’re dead” and grabs for his tag… just as he reaches for hers and they fall to the ground, and that’s the end of the episode? No, just a weird commercial break I guess, because then Hyo-min and Soo-hyang join in to circle Kwang-soo.

girlfriday: Ji-hyo gets in the last kill of the night, and Charlie and her angels win the game.

javabeans: It was over the moment they walked in the door. These boys were no match for pretty girls with killer instincts.

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Love it when you two recap :)

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Ditto, now I finally understand this show!

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Ditto...think i read only one Running M. recap... but was I only one expecting to see some Super Junior member popping up like in most(or was it in all) J&G Variety Roulette "game" ;)

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The games, themselves, were not as interesting in this ep. as some of the previous ones (aside from the dancing to spike your temp. game), but this ep was worth it based solely on the introduction of the guests, where Spartakooks kept protesting whenever YJS brought up YEH, and how the boys were fighting each other to get paired w/ one of the Angels - simply hilarious (KJK's biggest weakness will always be YEH).

Ji-hyo and Haha's constant bickering and the evil eye that the Ace would give Haha whenever he was misbehaving (such as when he was caught trying to hit on the extras) was good for laughs as well.

Same goes for Gary's admonishing of Hyo-min (which is so typical of Hyo-min).

A bit of a letdown in the games, but there was enough cast interaction to make for an enjoyable ep.

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I swear Yoon Eun Hye and Spartakook's pairing in X-Man will haunt them forever. It was too good to ignore, especially the Lee Min-ki special where Jong-kook pulled the ever famous "Danghyunhaji" scene with Yoon Eun Hye by covering her ears. Ah, good times. Good times.

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There's something there (or there was); YEH wouldn't go to KJK's brother's wedding on the side of the groom if there wasn't.

Fans of FO kept saying that KJK and Hyori should get together, but it was pretty evident that it was purely for the show and that there wasn't any underlying feelings (at least on KJK's part; kind of thought that Hyori kinda dug KJK, but she's not his type).

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I know they played up the Hyori-KJK pairing, but man, they had awesome awkward chemistry when the show was first starting out. After that it was just familiar/comfortable territory. Heh.

Thinking of FO is making me want some of the FO guests to appear here. Can we get Jang Hyuk please? That man is not much of a talker, but he could probably do a hunter themed episode. Maybe not as good as Choi Minsoo, but his prowess should give him a good advantage.

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Oh wait... I just remembered. Jang Hyuk WAS a guest before. XD

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Yeah I definitely think there was something there between KJK and YEH too. Unfortunately, KJK doesn't really want to talk about it anymore - I honestly think YEH has a problem with it being talked about now purely because of KJK's reactions whenever the subject is brought up. I particularly one episode of FO when Jang Hyuk and Cha Tae Hyun (KJK's BFFs) came and they all played Dangyunhaji. As soon as Cha Tae Hyun started talking about Eunhye being his woman, jokingly of course and as a homage to the good old days of X-Man, KJK immediately shut him up and the game was stopped, with a cute Cha Tae Hyun turning to the camera and saying 'Eunhye-ah sorry!' at the end. I don't think Cha Tae Hyun would've felt the need to apologise to YEH, had she not had a problem with the scandal being brought up.

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i think its started when kjk say that yeh is his ideal woman and regretted that he didn't court her.....its after hisrelease from the army....
after that he receives lots of antis and accuse of using yeh's popularity...... that's maybe why kjk doesn't want to talk about yeh till now.... but still hoping they end up with each other :)))))

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Loved this episode! I love it when the female guests are so into the games. It makes the show so much more fun. Go Ara was awesome!

I was disappointed when Kwang Soo and Suk Jin were partnered, because that always happens and it's gotten rather old. But they were the last to be eliminated, so at least that wasn't typical.

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Can't believe Im Soo Hyang is the maknae...girl looks too old to be a 90'er!

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a funny episode thanks for the recap :)

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yoon eun hye should be a guest on running man!

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I love Running Man so much! :D Love the cast, too bad the Monday couple is no more. :(

They really should have Yoon Eun Hye on the show and couple her with Jong-kook! It would be hilarious cause she is such a big star compared to what she was six years ago and jong-kook had faded until being on running man.

They could get her couldn't they? If they can get all these big name stars, they could get her.

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Eh? KJK was on Family Outing which was huge back in its day.

Remember, he lost 2 yrs fulfilling his military duty.

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Those were my thoughts too. And his KJKGlobal following was going strong even before Running Man.

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Love your variety roulette recaps!!! Is it possible to request that you do some from the older variety shows too like xman, love letter, happy together, and ysmm??

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Honestly, SME should just let Ara loose on variety shows. Her recent promotional appearances for her movies have been awesome. She went dorky dancing to SES in "Happy Together." She did great on "Strong Heart" too. Definitely much more cut out for variety than Lee Yeonhee.

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God I love the Running Man cast. There are so many pairings between the main cast, and each one always works out. Maybe it's because they've known each other for so long and they're comfortable with each other? I don't know. But I love them and that's no joke.

Mung Jihyo is the Ace that stands above the men filled cast in this show, and I love her for it. Haroro is a dork right next to awkward and equally adorkable Kwangvatar. Calm Gary is just this ditz that I love. And can't leave out the Capable One. With Big Nose Hyung being to Running Man what Jongmin is to 1N2D (aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaw) and rounding it out with the Grasshopper that holds this ship together. I love them all. <3

Go Ara was fun in this.

I agree with what you said gf about how the guests are usually a hit or miss and that I normally watch for the main cast. HAHAHAHA. Thanks for the recap. Hopefully gumi-san got some welldeserved Sunday rest. See you next week crew! Fighting!

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I just noticed something about that last screencap: Haha looks like he's giving the Ace the evil eye, and the Ace is looking at him all "smiley and mockingly". Heavens to Betsy, I love them.

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Didn't know Javabeans doesn't usually watch RM haha. No overall impression after the end of this episode?

Only after reading this recap do I realize the numerous translation errors in kshownow's subs. But I can't help it, I love the show too much to wait for isubs' release. D:

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Thanks JB and GF for doing a terrific job of filling in for gummimochi this week!

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Thanks for the tag-team recap - it was a fun read.

RM always ends the episode with a commercial just before the final take-down. It's fast and weird but it's a staple event for RM. It's usually a plug for the next RM show.

Gary was beyond funny being paired with his 'Angel' - she was like a 3 year old with the constant whining and questions. The fact that Gary ditched her in the end and hid by himself had me lmao - even his innate sweetness for all things girly couldn't handle it.

I love RM when the guests are the young female idols or actresses. The guys go totally bonkers over them, making themselves the unaware prey for nefarious scheming by the ladies. And, Ace Ji-hyo? ROCKS as usual!
:)

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thanks for recaps JB & GF ^^

this episode is fun, the dance and inter action between running man and guest are so funny.

and love jaesuk's (1st) photo...ha ha ha

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ah XMAN days.. can't forget the pairing of Han Namja and Young Girl Warrior

thanks for the recap! love Running Man so much!

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I'm really glad Ara didn't hold back like Hyomin and Soohyang. Ara did really well and I think it would be better if she could be a guest again with maybe... Siwon?? xD or Minho??? That would be really funny :D

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Siwon? Second this. He's really competitive in variety shows like this. I rarely watch RM but I did catch the one where Siwon was a guest with the other guy from Athena.

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LOVE it when you both recap together! I hope you would do this for Running Man once in a whole. ^_^ It makes it all the more enjoyable to watch it and read your recaps after, strange, but it makes me happy!

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I've always loved JB's and GF's recaps. :D I wish you both would recap Running Man again once more, but for a better episode.. because honestly, this episode wasn't really as great as the previous ones, but it's still hilarious and I also enjoyed it though :)
thanks for the recap guys!

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hope gummimochi has a great rest, love her rm recaps! i love how in most of the variety roulettes jb appears to be a little cynical about the games while gf tries to explain hahah
loved this ep, loved the ace with playboy haha who kept insisting on hiding behind jihyo and loved how gary couldn't keep his annoyance hidden despite hyomin's purrdy looks hee

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that was a great episode!! Girls total win!!! :D
Ara was so surprisingly good, i liked her before but now even more!!!
And Hyomin, that girl must be really smart, cos ever since she learn how to do varieties (instead of being "folding screen" on Invinsible Youth) she's doing them really good :p

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Oh I love it! Always fun to read your convo posts.

I love RM before I started to watch 1N2D, since I'm more Yoo Jaesuk's fan than Kang Hodong's. I think his humor is more polite and smart. But after 1N2D, I like KHD too.

Anyway. RM surely isn't as fun as Family Outing. RM has its dull moments, but thankfully the latest episodes were getting better. And SBS surely tries to beat 1N2D especially when 1N2D was going to end, by going on overseas outings.

I think you two have bad lucks with this Variety Roulette. You'always got the bad episode of WGM. Strong Heart, and now Running Man. :D

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Thanks for the recap!!

Come to think of it, it seems quite obvious that Ji-hyo is Charlie since this makes its harder for her to get in contact with the other gals.

If Charlie was a guy, he would have 2/3 chance to be grouped with a guest and signal that he's Charlie so they can pass on the message?

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Why haven't they invite Eun-hye to RM yet??! LOL OMG, I can't imagine that day when they finally do. She can't be too big for variety shows now, is she?

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Girls for the WIN! =) I loved it that the Easy brothers won the dance part so easily =)

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Bwahahaha! Lord of the Flies always goes down like poop.

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Running man is awesome!

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Thanks for the recap. Definitely surprised that javabeans and girlfriday recapped this one. Goes to show I don't read the author of the article until after I've clicked the link.

I thought javabeans and girlfriday would have a comments section after about their thoughts on Running Man. Since javabeans doesn't watch this show normally, I found her views about it, in the beginning of this recap, interesting and thought she would expand on her thoughts about the format of the program after watching it.

Still a fun recap and the dance party at the end of the dance/raise-your-temperature game was entertaining. I liked that Yoo Jae Suk MC-ed like it was a dance party show.

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I love the way you guys recap! I wished girlfriday would team up with gummimochi and keep making recaps like this one.

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Seeing this episode makes me wish to see Eun Hye guest star on Running Man!

She's already aquainted/or friends with several members of the cast like Yoo Jae Suk, Kim Jong Kook, Song Ji Hyo and HaHa...

If not, then I just wish to see her in a new drama/movie soon :)

After she rejected the offer to play in a movie with Chow Yun Fat, Alec Su and the super hot Tamaki Hiroshi, there's been no more news about what her next project might be :(

I just miss her <3

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Ah our Young Girl Warrior with the One Man...those X-men memories...

The Pattaya Special with Lee Min Ki, "Do You Have to Have Everything?"

Man, it was obviously a real impact if I remember it so well.

The reuse of covering the ears by YEH when Stephanie was being all pushy on her man. *sigh*

Seriously when are we having YEH on Running Man?

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as stupid as the dancing game sounded, i think it was the highlight of the whole episode, they were so freaking ridiculous, jaesuk and haha took the spotlight on it

i love the anti-couple, maybe even a bit more than the monday couple and grandpa gary with his female guests are hilarious, he acted like a grandpa to jessica as well and hyomin just upped it another notch with her constant questions

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LOL!

So many people asking for YEH to appear on RM but I don't think she has appeared on a variety show in some time and I highly doubt that she'll appear on one w/ KJK since she probably wants to avoid all the scrutiny a reunion w/ KJK would bring.

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I just love all Jae Suk variety programs and have seen all of them ,
but I havent seen x-man , and I dont know the whole KJK-YEH thing , I guess I will search it as it seems so serious and deep

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Apparently, my comments did not get posted.

Thank you JB and GF.

Never followed the show nor the recaps before, but had to check this one out because of Yoon Eun Hye's reference I read earlier on Allkpop.

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Just wondering... are the games rigged or scripted? I find it odd that sukjin and kwang soo are ALWAYS on the losing end. I also find it strange that Jong Kook is also able to guess the missions so accurately. Its so eerie how he gets it so right sometimes. Its kind of unfair because he's already plenty strong but then he has to be really smart too. Jihyo and Jaesuk are smart but they're not strong like JongKook. I always end up rooting for the guy who goes against Jong Kook because of that.

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Or maybe Kwangvatar and Big Nose Hyung are just really bad at these games? Hahaha. Also, nothing unfair about The Capable One having strength and smarts. He's made like that and he worked hard for his body. And he's not the only one who figures things out. The Ace does too. Just because KJK can figure things out doesn't mean he knows before hand. If Jiwon can guess things on 1N2D, than why not KJK on RM? The games here aren't scripted. The part that's scripted is the set up and "relationships", so that makes the show partially scripted. Most of the things that come out of there mouth? That's all them.

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Anyone know when Soo Hyang dance the unsexy sexy dance, what is the background music?

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I was wanna ask same question too. Anybody knows the music?

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I love the ability of variety shows to drastically change your impressions of people. I think I only watched Ara in "Who Are You?" and I thought she was okay in it. She's not the best of actresses but she was decent. And then I watched this episode, and she is hilarious. It totally changed my opinion of her. I love how she totally went for taking off the name tags. She was so ruthless! Lol.

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Actually, i think the rule in this game is a bit unfair. It is FOUR spies vs SIX running man! Also, running man don't even know there are spies! How do you expect them to play it! Also, although Ji-hyo isn't allowed to say she is Charlie, but she can just tell them by ripping Haha in front of them! I think the production group are always underestimating how good girls are like in episode 23.

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what is the title of the song/background music when they have to know who's the owner from the girl's things?

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i notice something when gary is picking from the girl's personal items when he is saying to go for the phone go ara waves her head saying not to pick the phone so gary gone for the wig without hesitation.

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Wow, people are still commenting on this 2 years later. I screamed out loud when Ji Hyo was determined to be Charlie.

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Hai,do you know the songs played when Go Ahra enters the shop?

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This episode kinda unfair and not interesting to watch because we can predict girls groups charlie's angels sure to win at last. kinda hard for a guy to tear name tags girl group ( feel shame)

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