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Running Man: Episode 144

We get not one, not two, but three Spartakooks likenesses to join our cast in a Children’s Day Special. Is it too early to start panicking? Then it’s time to settle the score once and for all between the two ddakji masters. Who will come out on top and flip our expectations? Will there be a new ddakji king to usher in a new era?

EPISODE 144. Broadcast on May 5, 2013.

There’s a mix of excitement and apprehension in the air from the start of today’s nametag-rippin’ race. Jae-suk is immediately suspicious – by now he knows all too well that this kind of opening can only mean that today’s guests will be strong contenders.

Then the speakers blare to introduce our first guest: actor Cha In-pyo (Gye Baek, Daemul). With brains, brawn, talent, and an overall amiable personality to boot, you could almost call him Mr. Perfect. The man sure ages well for someone who’s been in the industry for over two decades.

Our second guest, actor Ricky Kim (I Need Romance), greets Mr. PD with a smile. From what I’ve seen in Let’s Go Dream Team! (a sports variety program), it’s safe to say that his athleticism can give Jong-kook a run for his money.

After the initial wave of shock subsides, Suk-jin comments that the strongest enemy is usually announced last. So there couldn’t possibly be any more, right? Why, meet recently retired basketball star Seo Jang-hoon, who stands over 200 cm tall. Gulp.

Everyone’s reaction? Panic.

At the start of the race, Jae-suk ducks inside to avoid eagle-eyed In-pyo’s line of vision. But as luck should have it, he crosses paths with Ricky, who gives chase. And yet we learn all that running was for naught when Ricky huffs to the camera: “I just wanted to say hello [to Jae-suk]!” Ha.

Jae-suk’s momentary refuge is cut short when he sees In-pyo smiling from above in the stairwell. In-pyo’s in no rush to take anyone out, but he serendipitously runs into Jae-suk once more and swiftly rips off his nametag.

He bolts with a courteous but hurried, “Thank you!” (It’s also the name of his variety show on SBS.)

In-pyo retraces his steps to confirm whether the nation’s MC deliberately allowed himself to be caught for the sake of variety. Jae-suk humors him, but I’d bet that was a genuine look of shock and terror earlier.

He teases Jae-suk about his longstanding friendship with actor Lee Jung-jae (the two were once army buddies) and asks, “Are you going to carry me on your back too?” As in, he’ll support you as an MC today? Then he races out there with another round of “Thanks!”

It cracks me up to watch Jong-kook hoist Kwang-soo onto his shoulders in order to intimidate Jang-hoon. Then it hilariously backfires on them since Spartakooks’ nametag is now that much more vulnerable, and Gary has to fight the urge to rip it off himself.

They’re soon joined by In-pyo, who quickly thanks Gary for his charitable donations (aw!). Gary takes this as an opportunity to slip out, but a few seconds later, Jang-hoon grabs him and tears off his nametag.

Looks like even today’s guests aren’t safe from In-pyo as he tries to swipe past Ricky. He’s forced to retreat when the others give chase and zip by a much-confused Ji-hyo. Hahaha.

Elsewhere, Haha and Suk-jin whisper in their hiding place, both uneasy about the other’s betrayal blood flowing in their veins. They do, however, try to sneak up to Ricky via an opened window.

Alas, one small misstep on Haha’s part alerts his target of the attack and Suk-jin tears off Haha’s nametag. So much for a win for the Betrayal Trio today.

How hilarious is it that the mat-hyung has more energy than the rest of the cast combined? He’s like the Energizer Bunny, hopping around in an attempt to gather everyone together for one epic showdown. Then in a moment of distraction, Ricky eliminates him. Aw.

His elimination surprises everyone, and In-pyo buries his face in his nametag when he arrives at jail. His English joke about the DTA (Don’t Trust Anybody) flies over everyone else’s heads, so Haha tries to salvage the moment by asking the man to show the trademark “angry toothbrushing” scene from Daemul.

In-pyo: “I had to get my tooth extracted after [that scene]!” Puhaha.

Back outside, the others circle around Ricky until Jong-kook finally steps forward. It’s brawn versus brawn as they try to overpower the other… and it’s Jong-kook who wins the battle.

Jang-hoon worries that his fatigue is attributed to his lack of physical training thanks to his retirement. He and Suk-jin exchange silent looks of agreement on an alliance. But as the latter backs inside, Jang-hoon slyly tears off Big Nose Hyung’s nametag. Oho, look who’s been learning a thing or two from the Running Man handbook.

Our guest is also quick to shoot down Kwang-soo’s proposal to take on SpartAce together. He knows that alliances never last long on this show (see above for example), and soon both men grab for each other’s backs.

Surprisingly, it’s Kwang-soo who tears it off first, only to realize his grave mistake when SpartAce approaches. Then it’s like watching dominos fall as each man gets eliminated until Ji-hyo is left with Jong-kook’s nametag in her hand. Ha, I think I love Jo PD’s amused reaction the most.

Our cast finally gathers together for the opening as Mr. PD introduces today’s episode as a Children’s Day special. With a thousand pairs of sneakers on the line, which I presume will be donated, the cast is prepared to bring their A game.

After everyone is paired off, the cast heads out to their first mission. In the car, Haha assures his partner, Jang-hoon, that he has plenty of Running Man wins under his belt. Turns out these two are also friends off the air, and Haha is convinced that with Jang-hoon’s tall stature and his speed, they’ll be unstoppable.

Jang-hoon cocks his head, unsure that their height difference will be much of an advantage. “Won’t we meet halfway?” Ha. They settle on ‘Hoon Two’ (they both have ‘Hoon’ in their names) as their team identifier.

Meanwhile, In-pyo shows his optimistic temperament when Jae-suk thanks him for filming even though he feels under the weather. Then In-pyo suddenly asks whether Jae-suk is happy or not.

That’s just the beginning of a litany of questions on In-pyo’s part about Jae-suk’s well-being. Is this car ride turning into an impromptu therapy session?

Jae-suk interrupts and asks if In-pyo is naturally assuming his MC role in Thank You, and In-pyo smoothly directs Jae-suk to speak to the camera. Ha, I suppose this is what happens when you have two skilled MCs in one car.

Our cast arrives at our first mission location, and here they’ll complete various games at different stations on their railbikes. Woah, this course is over 8 kilometers? That’s one helluva workout.

It’s adorable how excited Ji-hyo gets about their adventure, whereas Haha tirelessly tries to elicit a reaction from his less-than-enthused teammate. I can’t tell whether he’s glad to be here or annoyed with Haha’s variety persona.

In any case, Haha and Jae-suk bicker back and forth about who has the better teammate. Haha barks, “Buy a train ticket!” (In Korean, gi-cha means ‘train’ and pyo refers to ‘ticket’). Ahh, wordplay.

In-pyo calls back: “Watch what you say! I’m a menu!” (charimpyo means ‘menu’)

As the cast enters a tunnel, Gary hilariously pretends that he’s afraid of the dark and reaches towards Ji-hyo, who pushes him away. They pass through it in no time, and Gary sighs that it was far too short. Aww.

The tunnel reminds In-pyo of a scene from the ’90s movie Peppermint Candy when the hero stops a moving train. Thus, In-pyo reenacts this line and bellows in his best rage-filled voice: “I want to go backkk!” Puhaha – it’s really the exaggerated facial expression that sells it.

Haha can’t be beat, so he turns to Jang-hoon to do something for the cameras as well. Jang-hoon shies away, so the others egg him on to spur him to do… well, something. In a separate railbike, Ricky thanks his lucky stars that he’s not paired with an overactive Haha.

There’s another tunnel ahead and Gary excitedly comments: “I hope this one is over a kilometer long!” Unfortunately, second time isn’t a charm, and his attempts to cuddle with Ji-hyo are shut down. When a staff member turns on a light, Gary’s all, Turn it off! HA.

They’re on their own once they’re out of the second club music-filled tunnel and Gary exclaims that this is a perfect date spot. Then he jokingly leans back to relax, and Ji-hyo snaps at him to keep pedaling.

Their first station is a perfect pitch game, and Gary is confident that his music background will help him out here. But you’re a rapper!

The Monday Couple flubs on their attempt and is sent off to the next station. At least they don’t seem too torn up about it as they happily share food on the way. Surprisingly, Haha and Jang-hoon are the only ones to earn stickers here.

On to the second game where our pairs are required to work together to eat a hot potato and whistle, all in a span of thirty seconds. Ricky and Jong-kook inhale their food, and get pretty close before they strike out.

As for eagle-eyed In-pyo and Jae-suk, they work hard to consume the potato, but they too are sent sticker-less.

As they tirelessly pedal along the track, In-pyo has trouble keeping Jae-suk’s plethora of variety characters straight. So Jae-suk explains his multiple personas: Yoomes Bond has a water gun, Yooruce Willis comes up in Hide and Seek, and Yoo Hyuk only when dancing.

In-pyo is itching for another nickname and his suggestions are pretty hilarious, like Chaminator or Chambo. The last one, Chaperman, initially sounds ridiculous, but this is variety and In-pyo wholeheartedly throws himself into his new persona.

We skip ahead to the fourth station where the Monday Couple pulls in to play the Pepero game. Omo, so soon? And did Ji-hyo retouch her lip gloss in preparation?

They’re both determined to complete it one go, and Gary can’t help but acknowledge his racing heartbeat though the two have done this mission before. Sure enough, they’re left with what looks like a crumb.

Filled with confidence, they puff up that the other pairs won’t be able to tackle the task as well as they did. Cut to: the Easy Brothers in mid-discussion about how to go about it. HA.

Suk-jin confesses this is his first time playing this game with another guy. So Kwang-soo offers to take the lead, completely nonchalant about the entire situation.

Then Suk-jin burns a fierce red when Kwang-soo takes him by the back of the neck as he approaches closer with each bite. Suk-jin is the first to break first, and despite their repeated attempts, they fail.

When he’s asked about it, Suk-jin can’t help but admit embarrassment, to which Kwang-soo jokingly returns, “Hyung, do you like me?” Hahaha, these two.

Now it’s time to put those hard-earned stickers to use, and Myuk PD explains the rules to shoe basketball: The team who ‘shoots’ the highest number of shoes into the yellow heart wins it. I’m not going to lie; that’s a pretty small area.

The cast is hard-pressed to believe that anyone could kick a shoe into the teeny area, let alone five. Suk-jin; “Show us a video!” Jae-suk and In-pyo are the only ones without stickers, and the nation’s MC steps in to defend the mat-hyung: “He can’t see very well AND he has a [tooth] implant!”

The Easy Brothers are up first and Kwang-soo attempts to get the crowd riled up to chant his name. Too bad those fan chants are short-lived and the crowd quickly grows silent again.

Kwang-soo does get one supportive shout from a fan, but just before he kicks, Jae-suk squeaks in: “That’s a lie.” And the shoe flies high but falls short.

The cast members try their foot to kick their shoes onto the steps, to no avail. Then it’s Jae-suk’s turn, and he has one shot to make it… and it lands perfectly within the target area, to everyone’s amazement.

The lone shoe withstands a few more rounds of kicks, until Kwang-soo’s shoe lands next to it. Unfortunately, it’s only halfway within the circle and Jae-suk’s shoe counts for the win.

At their next stop, Ricky is pleased to hear that he’ll finally get to use his strength. Here, whoever sits on the stool by the end of the time limit wins the round for their team.

It’s absolute chaos once the whistle blows as each person struggles to remain on the seat. Up to now, the cast has used tickle attacks on each other, but when they prove useless when Kwang-soo sit down, they easily unseat him by lifting his legs over his head.

Funnily enough, this new tactic works for everyone who attempts to sit down thereafter, including giant Jang-hoon. Things turn into a mess again with just under 30 seconds on the clock. In the aftermath, it’s Jong-kook who wins the round.

Now that is one awkward position to be in. In-pyo shamelessly wraps himself around the chair legs to secure Jae-suk’s spot, and stubbornly resolves to remain there. It’s madness once more as the timer ticks down, but In-pyo manages to slide into the seat to bring in third place.

Turns out Jang-hoon’s height isn’t that much of an advantage after all, and Haha takes his frustration out on his teammate. Both tired and annoyed now, Jang-hoon snaps at Mr. PD to wrap up the game as quickly as possible.

They’re up against the Monday Couple, and though Jang-hoon can’t bear the thought of coming in last, he can’t bring himself to forcibly unseat Ji-hyo either. So he tries to reason with her, but time is ticking against them, and Ji-hyo pulls in a last second victory.

Before we move on, Haha calls Jang-hoon out on a 1:1 battle. Jang-hoon fights with himself, since losing to Haha would be yet another hit to his pride. Then Jo PD starts to introduce the round anyway, and when Jang-hoon asks if he must participate, Jo PD immediately answers, “Yes.”

It should come as no surprise that Jang-hoon easily moves Haha aside for the win. When Haha naturally kicks up a fuss about it, Jang-hoon holds Haha’s head in his hands like a human basketball for a tense second before he lets go and stalks off.

We finally get to the final mission location where a thousand pairs of sneakers lie in wait to be donated. In-pyo praises the team for their generous donation and the cast use this charming opportunity to raise awareness about In-pyo’s fan club again. Heh.

Today’s final game is a ddakji showdown and both the Monday Couple and the In-pyo/Jae-suk pair are given an additional ddakji for winning the earlier games today. Each pair (equipped with two ddakjis) will face off in a knockout tournament style.

Thoroughly pleased with today’s setup, Jong-kook rubs in: “You might as well consider us victors already!” The others murmur that the first-place pair is better off, and Jong-kook corrects them: “We’re better off because it’s me! The Ddakji King!” Look who’s trash-talking now.

Gary is up first, and though he easily flips over the first ddakji, he fails to flip the second one over. Then Jang-hoon tries a hand at the game, but it hilariously falls flat on the ground. Finally, Gary eliminates them out of the game before you can say “ddakji king.”

In the next round, the original ddakji king makes an epic return as he flips over the first of the Monday Couple‘s ddakji. He gets another turn when Ji-hyo completely misses, and takes out their second. Man’s on a roll.

He reassures In-pyo that a match against Gary is no different than the final match. Jong-kook pops his head in to say, “It isn’t a final match without the champion.” And then Jae-suk knocks out the Monday Couple‘s third and last ddakji.

It’s time to take on the Easy Brothers in the semifinal, and In-pyo removes his jacket to intimidate his opponents. It’s totally badass, until the caption blows his cover, and hilariously informs us that the man’s already fighting a cold.

And then In-pyo coughs. AHAHA.

In-pyo puts on an elaborate dramatic performance to rev up for his turn… and then Jang-hoon pipes up in the background: “What if he misses?” Then In-pyo raises his arm to deliver the blow… and he totally misses. HA!

His most unfortunate attempt slays the entire cast as they cry tears of laughter at the heodang ajusshi. In-pyo then tries to save face by blaming the failure on his failing eyesight and puts his jacket back on.

Only to take it off again when Kwang-soo fails a minute later. He’s all, What should I do now?

Oh gosh, the hilarious exercise has a name: “Spine, abs, and sides.” Then he shows off another move that works off your love handles. It’s both adorable and freakin’ hilarious and I could watch this man stretch and strut all day.

As for the ddakji battle, Kwang-soo takes out one of the ddakjis and completely misses his second attempt. Then Jae-suk steps forward to settle the score and chucks the eliminated ddakji out of the arena.

Hee, Suk-jin’s bumble bee striped sleeves do make him look more adorable than badass but his one attempt is soon trumped by Jae-suk, who knocks the Easy Brothers out of the tournament.

Now it’s time for the battle we’ve all been waiting for as the staff recounts the epic tale of the ensuing battle between the two ddakji masters. The deposed ddakji king can only bite his lip as Jong-kook starts with the trash talk again.

Jong-kook fails his first attempt to flip over the hyung’s ddakji and before In-pyo’s turn, Gary gives him a word of advice: “Pour your entire life into that ddakji!”

It doesn’t work, and then Jong-kook flips over the first of the two ddakjis.

The tension rises when Jae-suk gets another shot at the ddakji (and In-pyo hilariously directs the camera from the sidelines). This battle is more than just a victory; it’s a chance to reclaim his title. Alas, no dice and neither ddakji budge.

He looks on nervously as Jong-kook prepares himself… and fails. They go turn for turn as everyone’s hearts race in anticipation. Then Jae-suk throws down the ddakji and they both flip in the air… and lands on the same side. Ooh, so close.

Again they go turn for turn as each attempt brings them closer and closer to victory. Both Jong-kook and Jae-suk take a short break before they pick it back up again for another 30 MINUTES.

Everyone is desperate to see the end of the suffering but both men are willing to see this battle to the end. They switch out for new ddakjis and it doesn’t seem like it makes much of a difference. That is, until Jae-suk delivers one final blow… and the ddakji rises and falls on the other side. Daebak.

It’s a glorious moment as Jae-suk falls on his knees and gathers himself again to succeed one more time. And he does.

All hail the return of Ddakji King Jae-suk.

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I hope we're finally done with the Ddakji games now that they PDs have gotten their wish - a Yoo Jae Suk Ddakji win. I'm sure they were waiting for this for a long time, only to continually get spoilt with Gary and Jong Kook winning the Ddakji games.

I thought the chair snatching game was so fun, finally Ricky Kim won something. The train game went on for way too long, and PDs up to their usual gimmicks again - MC peppero. Getting old.

Ricky Kim can come back. Such an eye candy. Kudos to the RM members who tore out Ricky and Jang Hoon. That took some strength and finesse

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Ricky was alright but he was nowhere close to being as funny and engaging as CIP (probably due to the language barrier) or even SJH w/ his constant grumbling about HaHa.

As for strength, seems to me CIP > RK - tho RK probably has the edge on stamina and youthful vigor.

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Yes, Ricky is indeed eye candy :) love him in laws of the jungle and dream team. I was hoping there were games where he can show off his strength, strategic skills, but most of the games were luck.
Cha In Pyo was funny! i was also hoping for CIP-Ricky or KJK-Ricky bromance since these guys were already known to be close.
This episode had a lot of potential but a little bit disappointing with the lack of interactions with the overall cast.

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HEH Cha In Pyo is a hoot to watch! I felt that Ricky Kim was sort of redundant in this episode though. He should've made his appearance in the next episode! AND I WAS ECSTATIC when Jae Suk reclaimed his King of Ttakji throne! And there was lots of Monday Couple moments too! :3 Loved this episode through and through.

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He is a hoot and a half, isn't he? I thought he'll be a serious guest, but he proved me wrong. I laughed everytime he slipped the "Thank you" between his lines. Sounds hilarious. And when he wants his own nickname: Chaminator, Chambo and Chaperman, I laughed so hard.
But his exercise moves and exaggerated dakji moves totally had me in stitches. I wish he'd be back as a guest again.
And I really didn't mind how long the games last (both train games and dakji) because both of them were really entertaining to watch. And I'm glad that Yoo Jae suk won his title back again.. :D

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lol i didn't know that was the name of his show! i just thought it was really adorable the way he said it, now in retrospect that just got funnier, that he's promoting his show on the side.

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Yes, I hope so too! I hope Cha In Pyo will be back. Jang Hoon was like a grumpy old man being bothered by his young grand son (Haha). I love the fact that Jae-Suk had to tell Haha to stop poking at Jang Hoon when JH looked like he was about to blow his top, but Haha just kept on going. He's such a kid!!

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Double congratulations to Yoo Hyuk for reclaiming the ddakji throne and for winning the Daesang at the 49th Baeksang Arts Awards!!

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1st time seeing CIP in anything and he was great; not only a major threat in games requiring physical prowess, but a constant source of the funny.

Definitely one of the best male guests on RM.

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Cha In Pyo!! :D

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My first love since twelve years old. ^_^

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thanks....

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I was so happy when Jae Suk won!

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You forgot to mention the post official match duel between jang hoon and ji hyo. I guess, it was just for laughs, but still, thought it was a funny ending moment.
I enjoyed this.. But will admit RM sure likes to milk moments and games to the point I get the feeling of pointlessness. The,long takes of games can be boring, but the cast keep me from not watching RM, though I do contemplate the point of variety in general and RM and why I should bother watching it..
Darn you, cast! I've watched all your eps, some multiple times, that it feels like I'm watching old friends and brings me the good feels regardless of the mediocrity of the occasional guests and games! Darn you!

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Didn't know In-pyo was such a heodang ajusshi, I could seriously watch him all day! As it is I'm sad we won't get another ep with him being adorkable even though the laws of the jungle ep preview does look amazing. I get why Jang-Hoon was annoyed but I felt bad more for Haha who was just trying to inject more variety spirit into his partner. And hey, at least they got more airtime compared to Ricky Kim who kinda looked like a lost pretty boy throughout the ep.

Aww, I love me some MC couple moments especially with Ji-hyo looking so excited and faithful gary humoring her.. Although where was the frontal shot when they were reducing that peppero stick to a crumb?? I need evidence people!

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Thanks for the recap! Loved this episode, though that was a loooooooong dakji game if I ever saw one!

Cha In-pyo's exercise dance was hilarious, same with how he constantly slipped into Mcing, and had Jae Suk complain about it!

Seo Jang-hoon: as soon as he walked in I thought "he is gonna turn out to be a gentle giant isn't he?" And he really did, besides his annoyance at Haha (which honestly I cannot really blame him for..)

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IKR? I usually find Haha's antics to be rather entertaining, but he really irritated me quite a lot in this episode (no offense to his fans out there), but it seemed that he was going a bit too far with all the teasing. Even Jang Hoon looked genuinely annoyed and was trying his best not to show it. And judging from the other RM members' reaction of not joining in the teasing much either, I guess even they themselves could empathise with what Jang Hoon had been going through the whole day..

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Yeah, I can find Haha's antics entertaining at times, but a lot of the time he just takes it too far and over does it so that it ends up annoying me more than anything (And yes no offense to anyone :) )

I think there is just a line there that he doesn't see, or he hits a point where stopping would be more awkward for him than not. I donno.

I get an even annoyance all across the board though; with Kwang Soo sometimes as well he overdoes things. Along with Jae Suk's constant teasing of Kwang Soo. Sometimes I just think it crosses a line where it stops being funny. That being said I do love the dynamic among the cast, and you sorta get that they feel comfortable enough with each other to act like they do.

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If you look at the earlier episodes of Running Man, you can see how much Kwang Soo has changed....
KJK, Haha, YJS really helped him create his character and although Kwangsoo sometimes overexaggerates, I think Kwangsoo always seem to have good nature :)

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Really liked this episode and Cha In Pyo was really funny and cute (in an endearing way).

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Oh and thanks for all the recaps gummi! I've read them all even if I'm more of a lurker-beanie. Thought I'd crawl out of the woodwork and start commenting from now on :)

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Wow, I never expected that this episode would be this hilarious.
-Even though Jang Hoon seemed not really enthusiastic, but somehow it's not annoying for me :)
-In Pyo ahjussi needs to come back as a guest. He's so damn hilarious.
-And as for the game, like Dakji, even though it has been played over and over in RM, but they always make it worth to watch. Really. Really glad Jae Suk got the title back.

Glad that RM is back bringing me laugh again :)

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Yoo Jae Suk!! Thanks for the recap!

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<3 Cha In Pyo, his humor and his niceness. I want me the massages he was offering. Hope he comes back to RM.

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hello, anyone knows the song that they played for Cha In Pyo? The one where the cast imitated his finger movement. Thanks in advance! :)

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oy. I never read recaps of Running Man, but that hunk pulled me in. who is he exactly?

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Ricky Kim, star of Dream Team and married with wife and kid.

He's also apparently my married housekeeper's crush. Ahem.

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ha-ha and his partner (seo jang-hoon) = Mutt & Jeff LOL!

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Cha In Pyo was a great guest. Great teams too, to pair Cha In Pyo with Yoo Jae Suk, and Haha with Seo Jang Hoon. Haha and Jang Hoon were so playful, I wouldn't mind him coming back to RM!

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Thanks for the recap, Gummimochi - a fun episode!

Cha In Pyo is aging like a fine wine - that man is HOT and funny - a perfect combo. And an added plus is that he and his wife are so devoted to doing charity work in 3rd world countries, it's wonderful to see how consistently giving their hearts are. Those 1,000 sneakers are a terrific donation and gave an added impetus to the games.

Speaking of games, this show evidenced that the tried and true games are always going to bring on the funny and competitive nature of the RM and guests. I really liked the pedal rail car segments, especially since the Monday Couple are over their akwardness of the previous months and are relating to each other like the 'old days' - Gary sweet yet pervy and Ji Hyo doing her push-n-pull with him. Love it!

The only negative I had with this episode is that Ha-Ha has now turned into a total pain-in-the-butt. He's making the guests uncomfortable with his loud, unfunny behavior. The PD needs to pull him aside for a serious talkin' to. Just sayin'.
:)

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I think the games were mainly for the guys and Ji Hyo was awkwardly left out especially during the first game. I can see the Running man and the guests ripping each other tag actively and Ji Hyo was missing in action. I think it will be better if they bring in a female guest? i don't know but i think Ji hyo was given an advantage during the first game. However, she is smart and fast enough to remove spartakook name tag otherwise he will be the winner.

I find the games a bit repetitive such as the MC peppero game. I mean it was funny especially the easy brothers part but it was a little boring now. The kicking of shoes was repeating itself too. The last game of Tdakji game was obviously make for Yoo Jae suk to regain the title. Yeah, indeed it was exciting but again getting bored, especially since i have been watching Running Man for so long. Finally Jae Suk win so are we waiting for Jong Kook to regain back the title again?

The chair game was funny and i think Jong Kook was really so strong like a tiger to endure the pushing and pulling from the guys. This reminds me of the early episode when he pull five people up the staircase like a strong bull. I like the two commanders Jong Kook and Ricky pairing and see how excited they are when they need to use strength. Howerver, i think they both were too serious so their screen time was short.

The guests were fine but that basketball player looks grumpy. I supposed that is his character and this is the first time he is fliming variety show. Haha tried to inject his humor but it does backfire. However, Haha helps to gain more screen time for the both of them. Cha In Pyo was funny but his repeated jokes was getting a little dry. I like the acrobatic dance though. He look like a funny ahjushi. Anyway, i still like the interaction between the cast. Jong Kook and Kwang Soo is very funny. The monday couple is so cute. :)
Thanks for the recap.

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I think you might be mis-reading the strategy here. Whenever there is a lot of testosterone flowing around the tag game, with posturing and wrestling as opposed to alliances and clues, Ji Hyo plays on her own--one of the men even mentioned that recently during a game.

Obviously, she does this because she is shorter and smaller than any of the male players. Her only high percentage chance to pull off a tag is a surprise attack. You generally cannot do that around someone as bright as Jong Kook or Jae Suk or Gary more than once per game, so, literally, she needs to let the men take each other out and get the smarter male players to focus on each other. What you saw today was that strategy working to perfection. Ji Hyo stayed out of the line of fire and out of the posturing as much as possible, then made one sudden, lightning strike to pull Jong Kook's tag. Something she had almost no chance of doing without a distraction.

The best rule of thumb on whether a female player (or, for that matter, a weak male player) is going anywhere in the running tag game is this: do they hesitate? If you want to overcome someone physically who has 10 cm of arm reach and 20 kilos of muscle weight on you, you have to move instantly when opportunity rises. As Jong Kook complained, you don't give them a chance to speak!

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Hi, i agree with what you said. :) That is why i said Ji Hyo is fast and smart, her sneak attack suceeded. She know it is to her disadvantage to fight against the guys and she observe the situation and stay out of the fire.
The advantage i am saying here is that she being the only girl will mostly not be targeted and even notice by anyone. If they add in a female guest to challenge Ji Hyo, it will be more challenging/ exciting.
These are the men's game. Ji Hyo is definately a good player with her own strategies that is why she got the nickname - Ace Ji Hyo.

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I agree that the lack of a female guest puts Ji Hyo into the background. In the tag game, though, it is not so much because it challenge's her but that it changes the social dynamics among the men. They behave differently when female guests have to be given air time. Less posturing, more alliances. And, of course, the PD is more likely to put complications into the game that require thought over chases.

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It is not the first time, even in recent episodes, that Jong Kook, ever so observant, lost his guard against Ji Hyo. It happened during the virus ep as well when he exposed his whole back to Ji Hyo (they were seemingly working together, or at least he was trying to shield both of them).

So I was not surprised Ji Hyo once again tore Jong Kook's tag this ep, given that he once again exposed himself to her.

He seems to trust her a lot (she too), but in these two eps for example, he paid the price

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Don't know why there is all this talk about RK's strength; CIP clearly had the more imposing physique.

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"ah!! A 2 meter guy beating up a 1.6!"

Oh Haha. What is Running Man without you?

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loved this episode, very fun!! poor kim jong kook ♥ he is still a king in my book

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Who is this Ricky Kim?? I've never heard of him and he's awesome.

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I loved this episode, but I wish they'd spent more time showing the first mission games rather than the rail ride.

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Yeah, but it does tell you who the PD thought was hilarious while he was editing. Sometimes it does come off as an inside joke.

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Is it just me or doesn't jongkook and kwang soo have the same hairstyle?

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Seo Jang Hoon really needs to comeback for another episode. It's hillarious to see how much of a stone a guy could be :D

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Thank you for the recap!
And all the Monday couple moments! Dang that pocky stick was tiny at the end. Ji hyo and Gary were practically kissing.
I feel kind of sorry for seo jang hoon though. I hope they have him back and he actually enjoys it next time.
The match between seo jang hoon and ji hyo at the end was funny though. They looked adorably confused as to why the paper ddakji refused to flip.

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Does anyone know what's the name of the song playing when they reached the rail bike platform? Thank you :D

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Too many cute SJH and MC moments :)

CIP and Ricky are HAWT

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Jihyo won without effort. She's asking for a fair fight but she attacks without notice to Kim Jong Kook.

A selfish b*tch. They call her an Ace because she won so many times. She just won because she's a girl.

She can't fight one on one.

Yejin and Hyori is better than her. Jihyo always says she's at disadvantage while Yejin and Hyori always attack the boys without fear, Yejin and Hyori never use Gender.

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Excuse me, but isn't calling her a selfish b*tch a little too much ?

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for once, I disagree with the comments
I really didn't like Seo Jang-hoon, he was so annoying he kept grumbling and didn't even try to play with anyone especially with that poor Ha Ha who became a little awkward at the end. JS tried to laugh it off, but that didn't work for me :/
and I'm a little shocked with all the Ji hyo hate, I think she deserves her title of ace because she is truly one and not because she is a girl.
Yejin and Hyori attacking the boys without fear is all good on paper, but I don't think they can win relying only on strength and that's something Ji hyo fully enderstand
I didn't like the nametag elimination but truly enjoyed the rail train mission, wish they made it a little longer.
and last but not the least I LOVED CIP, he is SO funny XD

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Ya i agree that why some people "hate" Ji Hyo? maybe they are jealous?

Ji Hyo is highly competitive and recently had actually grown softer because of Gary, she may not be the hottest girl but both She and Gary have those chemistry together

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This is one of my favourite episode, mainly due to the Monday Couple..LOL

this is an episode where they finally bond together as a "Couple Not Meant to Be", they fully hold their trust and "Love" together, but i think it is until the level of best friends ever.

I think the monday couple carry their momentum from here till ep 159, where like i said in that episode Ji Hyo totally has a soft heart for Gary, and she chose Love over Gold

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