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Running Man: Episode 243

It’s time to take a trip down memory lane with the rising stars in varietyland, playing games that remind them of their old haunts. All five of our guests each have different charms to bring to the table, and it won’t be long until we fall for their quirky humor, competitive spirit, and most of all, a willingness to pull out all the stops when it comes to bringing on the laughs.

EPISODE 243. Broadcast on April 19, 2015.

We start off today’s race at daybreak, with our cast instructed to climb into a van. Our mystery guests are all rising stars in varietyland, and waiting by the road to be picked up. It’s up to the cast to let said guests in or not—and to make room, they’ll need to drop one of their own in exchange.

Jae-suk immediately offers up Jong-kook’s name, and Taek PD explains that the dregs—er, the others will be picked up later. Today’s teams will be divided between the Riders vs. the Rejected, and with that, the van zooms off.

On the way, Jae-suk jokes that Suk-jin should get ready to get off, to which Suk-jin counters, “Why aren’t you thinking that you needn’t take your seatbelt off?” They pull up to their first potential passenger whose oversized head mask and shopping bags make him look adorable.

The man behind the mask is Noel’s Kang Kyun-sung who immediately brings on the laughs with his soft speaking voice contrasted with his rockstar impersonation. Suk-jin suggests they let their guest choose someone to boot from the van instead… and it’s Suk-jin’s door that Kyun-sung opens.

Given his numerous variety show appearances, Kyun-sung has garnered lots of attention in the past several months. He’s also joined by Jang Su-won former Sechs Kies member turned actor best known for his robotic acting. The lines “Are you okay? You were really shocked weren’t you?” now follows him everywhere.

Because there’s no such thing as a free ride on this show, Su-won tries to earn his way in by dancing to the Sechs Kies’ classic “Pom Saeng Pom Sa.” Jae-suk suggests they put it up to a secret vote, but then as soon as he gets out of the car, Jong-kook rushes towards the driver’s seat.

Just like before, they ultimately let the guest decide, so Su-won unlocks Kwang-soo’s seatbelt. Aw, it’s been awhile since we’ve heard that “Saint Agnes and the Burning Train” tune.

Is it sad that I can already tell who our third guest is from the way he’s crouched in his chair? Eee, it’s Ho-joonie! (aka Son Ho-joon) He’s even prepared food, but since the group decides they can’t have ALL the guests on their team, they drive off.

So when the Easy Brothers pull up a minute later, Ho-joon runs ahead to offer them food. Kwang-soo: “Why didn’t they pick you up?” Ho-joonie, near tears: “Maybe because I wasn’t forward enough?” Aw, you can’t make me cry BEFORE the race even starts! Aww, and the guys make sure that he feels appreciated.

Our fourth guest is model turned actor Hong Jong-hyun (Dating Agency Cyrano) who misinterprets Jae-suk’s silent cues to choose Jong-kook and chooses Jae-suk instead, insisting that he’s a great driver.

It isn’t long before the other car pulls up, and Jae-suk’s attempt at making amends with Ho-joon is too little too late as he rolls up the window. Then it’s time to meet our fifth and final guest whom we find lying on a bench covered in newspapers.

Writer (and now actor) Yoo Byung-jae (The Superman Age) is the only one I’m unfamiliar with, but I have no doubt that he’ll bring plenty of laughs to the table by the episode’s end. Like always, the guest gets to pick who gets the boot, and it’s Kyun-sung, who realizes that he’ll be teamed up with Suk-jin.

Once everyone’s gathered together again at their first location, there’s a need to send one teammate to the Rejected to balance out the teams. The Rejected have their eyes set on Byung-jae, who breaks Jong-kook’s heart when he takes a step. But Byung-jae crosses over in the end; now detached from Jong-kook’s grasp, he smiles brightly.

Let’s announce our teams before the games begin: Hot Guys (Jae-suk, Suk-jin, Kwang-soo, Kyun-sung, Ho-joon, and Byung-jae) vs. Cool Guys (Jong-kook, Gary, Haha, Ji-hyo, Su-won, and Jong-hyun).

Prior to filming, everyone had been asked about their own favorite hotspots, which correspond to twelve different locations in the park. And to start things off, the teams will compete in an all-kill name-tag rippin’ race. Immediately regretting their newest recruit, Jae-suk appeals to Jong-kook for a strong member of their own, like Gary or Jong-hyun.

To that Jong-kook makes an offer: either play the nametag rippin’ game or duke it out with him. But it turns out the nametag ripping is an in-between game, in that the teams can only rip each other’s nametags off en route to the following station. However, the team that wins at each station will be given a ten-second head start to the next location, along with a gold coin.

Jong-kook considers that a generous time frame for his targets, and when Taek PD clarifies that this is a face-off and not a chase, Jong-kook adds, “If we chase them, they’ll run away.”

Anyang sounds like Jong-kook’s hood, but billiards is a callback to Kwang-soo’s memory as the place where he was first robbed of money as a kid. When Byung-jae is asked what was stolen from him, he replies, “A half-eaten bread.”

I don’t know how the point system in billiards work, but the group goes around sharing numbers that are met with disbelief. Su-won says he never played ’cause while his buddies played pool, he was out on dates. Ha.

The rules on this giant billiards-bowling game is simple: Best two out of three rounds, the team that sinks all of their balls (solid vs. stripes) first wins the round. Even before the game begins, the Hot Guys are already planning on making a run for the next station.

Ji-hyo starts things off by sinking in a solid, and Kyun-sung sinks a ball for his team as well. Gary sends one of his balls and a cue ball in a pocket, and after some argument about neighborhood-specific billiard rules, both balls are back on the table.

Ha, Jae-suk chalks his hands before his turn. He doesn’t make it, and then we skip ahead to when both teams need to sink two more balls each. Haha has his game face on while lining up for a bank shot… which actually works. Unfortunately, he misses the next shot.

Ho-joonie misses his shot, then gets thiiiiiisss close to sinking in the cue ball. Su-won has a pretty good shot, and immediately the Hot Guys start lacing up their shoes, preparing to run. When the ball doesn’t go in, Jae-suk cries, “Loosen those shoelaces, guys! Loosen them!”

When Byung-jae steps up, Jae-suk shares how Byung-jae brought a hyung he knows vs. a manager to filming today. It has to be a weird transition for a guy who’s always worked off-screen to think about assembling an entourage now that he’s working in front of the camera. And aw, that super shy hyung allegedly feels super lonely because he doesn’t know what to do all day today.

Despite receiving mixed signals, Byung-jae manages to sink in the first ball. He looks confused and annoyed again at the cries of “make sure you hit it hard, but not too hard but also not too weak,” so Jae-suk clarifies, “Just make sure it goes in!”

The Hot Guys win the first round when that ball spins into the pocket, then Kwang-soo gets a nice break shot to start off the second round. He also gets a second ball in, and only needs to make a final bank shot to sink the third ball in. There’s a slight hit, but it isn’t enough.

Ji-hyo’s failed shot puts the Hot Guys in prime position to secure the win. Kyun-sung enters the table, but then manages to knock the solid green ball out of the edge of the pocket. That allows Gary to even the playing field, and the Hot Guys immediately start tightening their laces. Lol.

Now each team is down to one ball each—on Haha’s turn, the ball spins around the pocket, then back out onto the table. Ohhh, that sucks. Byung-jae steps onto the table and the ball heads straight for the corner pocket… which is when Gary catches it. Suk-jin makes sure it goes in, and the Hot Guys celebrate their win with 10 gold coins. The Cool Guys still pocket five coins.

Time for that in-between nametag rippin’ game to get going: the teams have five minutes to travel to the next station. Should a team eliminate all of their opponents, that’ll be the curtain call on today’s race.

As promised, the victors get a 10-second head start. Not that it really makes a difference when Spartakooks and crew give chase. Suk-jin makes the silly mistake of trying to hide and prepare for a sneak attack. He gets found out and Jong-hyun does the honor of ripping off his nametag.

The Cool Guys disperse to try and ambush their prey with a flank attack, but the Hot Guys safely enter the safe zone. Sans Suk-jin, whose nametag now reads “Kkakdugi 1.” Any of those eliminated in-between stations will join the team with the least number of people. Furthermore, while the kkakdugis can’t win, they can still acquire extra gold coins.

Changgyeonggung Palace is nostalgic for Jae-suk who allegedly participated in group blind dates in this historical area. No one believes that Jae-suk was always in the Top 5, but they do believe that he never had a successful match on those group dates.

Jong-kook shares that he’s only been on those group blind dates once—back in his school days, he and a group of guys would intercept a co-ed meeting between the Anyang Arts High School students to meet with the pretty girls. Gary has done the group blind date thing once before too, but it didn’t work out for him because he wasn’t that popular at the time. Aw.

Jong-hyun shares that he never went out on a group blind date, which spurs comments that the handsome boy probably never had to. Asked if he received mountains of love letters and gifts from admirers instead, Jong-hyun denies that too, so Haha asks, “Then what? Tell us.” Ha, smooth.

Here, the teams will face off in a best two out of three mechanical pencil relay to empty their lead cartridges first, lest the bomb blows up in their faces. Kwang-soo starts off with a comfortable lead when Haha has trouble with his pencil, but the Cool Guys eventually catch up by their last competitor.

Jae-suk and Su-won are pretty close…. and it’s the Hot Guys’ bomb that bursts first. After some switcharoos, Suk-jin is first in the line-up based on his claim that he’s super speedy. But it turns out that he looks like a tortoise compared to Ji-hyo.

Even with the delay, the teams catch up by their final competitors: Kyun-sung vs. Su-won. It’s looking pretty close again… but Kyun-sung is a second too late. That makes it an easy win for the Cool Guys, and now the teams are tied with fifteen coins each.

After the Cool Guys head out, the Hot Guys opt to find a different route. But that leads up a mountain and their bright colored jackets make them easy to spot. Their second idea is to ride in a passing van, but the Cool Guys are already waiting for them just outside the next location.

With only two minutes left to reach the next station (lest they face elimination and join the kkakdugi bunch), the Cool Guys offer safe passage as long as Kwang-soo is offered up as the sacrificial lamb. After sending off all the guests, Jae-suk and Kwang-soo stubbornly stick out the last few seconds.

So Jong-kook, Jae-suk, and Kwang-soo become kkakdugis, but only two of them can participate in the next game (with the Hot Guys) and earn gold coins. They all clamor for a spot, and in the end, Jong-kook and Suk-jin score a seat.

The Shinwol Apartments Station was chosen by Byung-jae—who lived with that hyung he knows for seven to eight years, along with that hyung’s girlfriend. Er, I can see how that can get pretty awkward. But things didn’t end there—that girlfriend ended up cheating on his hyung, but both men pretended not to know because they needed a roof over their heads.

It’s a sad story, but it’s Byung-jae’s straight delivery that makes it funny, as he shares how that hyung tried to avoid any confrontation because once that truth was in the open, they’d have to move out. Eventually there was a three-person confrontation, and he and the hyung were beaten up and driven out.

In this next game, one team will have 30 seconds to transfer an “R-rated” videotape behind their backs while the other will have five minutes to deduce who is ultimately in possession of the tape.

The Cool Guys are up first, and once time is up, the Hot Guys present their initial suspicions. Ho-joon claims to be exceptionally good at guessing the exact right answer, still remembering how he once guessed the right answer down to the decimal place of the most difficult question on his college entrance exam. How did he do that? “It looked more than seven, but a bit less than eight.”

After a few more questions, the Hot Guys decide to go with Ho-joonie’s gut. But just to make sure, they shoot one last question to a flustered Jong-hyun. They ultimately decide on Jong-hyun, and one by one, the Cool Guys show their empty hands…

… and Gary’s hands are empty. But in the end, it’s Su-won in possession of the videotape, and now the Cool Guys lead with twenty-five coins to twenty coins. The remaining Hot Guys are outnumbered 5:3, and momentarily believe that their pursuers are fleeing.

That’s just a tactic to lure them in, of course, and Jong-kook comes running from the rear. Although the Hot Guys quickly find themselves surrounded on both sides, Kyun-sung slinks his way to safety.

Ho-joon runs to help Byung-jae by grabbing Gary’s nametag, but Gary’s faster in eliminating his target. And oh no—Jong-hyun has got a grip on Ho-joon’s nametag! Both nametags are ripped off simultaneously resulting in double elimination.

That leaves Kyun-sung all by himself, and Haha jokes that at this rate, they’ll wrap up filming before lunchtime. Jae-suk gathers his fellow kkakdugis, since only three of them will get the chance to participate. The eliminated group has created their own hierarchy by now, and as the newest recruit, Gary defers to his sunbaes.

Boramae Park holds a special place in Ho-joon’s heart, as he still remembers the first time he saw it after moving up to Seoul. Byung-jae remembers the first Seoul subway station he got off at (Yongsan), which feels oddly reminiscent to Samcheonpo in Answer Me 1994. When asked what place made him feel like he finally arrived in the big city, Byung-jae replies, “Yongsan Electronics Market.”

Here the teams will face off in an animal kingdom-themed baton race. Kyun-sung and Su-won start off by running on all fours, then the snakes roll in their sleeping bags to the awaiting kangaroos who will hop to the next station. Over there, the rabbits will hop all the way to the finish line.

Ho-joon hops across to win the first round, and the teams switch roles in the following round. Kyun-sung gets into a rhythm, then HA—Kwang-soo slinks like a snake across the pavement. But rolling is a faster way to reach the next teammate, and that’s how Jong-hyun turns the tables.

That is, until Kwang-soo rolls right over him, and then Jong-hyun pulls him back. Kwang-soo manages to get the upper hand, but the race stays tight to the final leg until Ho-joon finally hops across the finish line first.

Jae-suk, Kwang-soo, and Ho-joon all pocket five coins of their own due to the win. Jae-suk’s reluctance about splitting the coins equally is met with a punch to the gut.

Kyun-sung heads off first to the Anyang Noraebang, putting as much distance between him and his pursuers as possible. Meanwhile the kkakdugis stumble upon Gong Yoo, Ma Dong-seok, and Jung Yumi just enjoying their day together outside—turns out they’re all appearing in the upcoming film “To Busan” together. Ooh, do come and play when the premiere date draws near!

Jae-suk doesn’t miss the chance to brag about how he’s close buddies with Gong Yoo, a statement they check up on immediately. Gong Yoo simply waves at them to go about their day.

Jong-hyun spots Kyun-sung and quietly outs his hiding place before giving chase. But Kyun-sung manages to run into the safe zone in time and now the two teams are tied with 30 coins each.

Jong-kook shares how he used to sing at the noraebang during his lunch hour, which begs the question of how he was able to leave and enter of school grounds during the day. Did Jong-kook have free rein about his coming and goings because he was that scary in his school days?

But Jong-kook says the students at his school were free to leave school premises during lunch, and he’d head over to sing his heart out to various rock ballads. Ho-joon had a short-lived singing career (in the idol group Tachyon), and it turns out his favorite tune is Emerald Castle’s “Footsteps” too.

Since Kang Haneul has already made his mark on this show with that very song, Ho-jooonie sings to izi’s “Emergency Room.” Aw, he’s got a nice, smooth voice that we can’t fully enjoy because Suk-jin keeps rapping along in the background.

Kyun-sung opts to sing the female part in LeeSsang’s single “Rush,” because he’s confident in his Jung In’s impression. That lasts all of fifteen seconds before Kyun-sung apologizes. Byung-jae says he can tackle the entire song on his own, and Gary warns that he was still traumatized from Kyun-sung’s impression.

As he should be because while Gil’s impression is spot on, the squeaky voice impersonation of Gary causes the ladder to burst and put Byung-jae in a headlock. Kyun-sung chooses a different song, and if it wasn’t evident already, he’s made his name known on variety for his humorous impersonations of other singers.

This one to Kim Jang-hoon is no different, but when he can’t hit the already higher notes (because he cranked up the pitch), Kyun-sung immediately stops and apologizes. He’s given one final chance to do a Jong-kook impersonation, and again Kyun-sung increases the pitch for Jong-kook’s classic “Lovely.”

This one is a bit more similar, even if the choice to go up a few octaves work against him. Kyun-sung pays close attention to Jong-kook’s reaction, afraid that he’s going to lash out at him at any second. It’s when Kyun-sung finally apologizes that Jong-kook knocks the mic from his hand, and apparently all of this was just a warm-up.

It would’ve been nice if we got to hear Kyun-sung’s natural singing chops because they are impressive.

But it turns out this is a short and sweet game: Jong-hyun and Kyun-sung will randomly choose a number on the noraebang machine, and the one with the longer title wins. Kyun-sung goes first, but his choice is only three syllables.

Jong-hyun wins with five syllables, and Jae-suk pretends to know the tune, but the first few bars give it away that he doesn’t. With the Cool Guys’ win at this station, they all wait for Kyun-sung just outside the station’s boundaries, waiting to pounce.

Kyun-sung makes a run for it, and damn he’s speedy. It looks like he might be able to make it after all…

… but by the time he arrives with the Cool Guys at the next station, his nametag has already been ripped off. Turns out, Jong-hyun closed that gap, and although Kyun-sung grabbed Haha’s nametag, Haha eliminated him first.

That gives the Cool Guys the win, but the kkakdugis haven’t been forgotten: they can trade their gold coins for a coffee coupon. For our victors, they snag a gift certificate to a department store. You know, since these guys will need to buy threads to stay ahead of the curve.

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The guests outshone the members hard today imo. Rather flat episode to be honest while 1N2D is seriously killing it these days. Honestly not surprised why RM's ratings are rather subpar these days.

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While I agree that the entire episode was rather bland, I don't think it's a bad thing for the guests to outshine the cast. The guests are really supposed to be the focus and most of the time they make or break the episode. On the contrary, when guests are so boring or try too hard to maintain their image that the show has to focus mainly on cast interactions, that's when you know it's a sad episode.

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I am watching both shows and yes I agree with you that 1N2D is killing it. It never felt like it is scripted even though the PD there (PD Yoo I think) said that it is. Well all shows are scripted including "reality" show hehe.

RM reached its full potential. A change is an option maybe.

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This episode is not fun... and not even funny. The games are boring too. Only casts' interaction saved this episode.

Next time, please be better RM!!

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I watched the start then hit the FF button..are those two guys {I am sure everyone know what two} in every korean show at the moment? and they pretty much both one trick ponies at that as far as i can see.

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the guest were all awkard

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Running Man its over, i think it time to change all the members and start the season 2.

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Not all the members, but....

Ji Hyo ----- she's not funny, and the monday couple its over years ago. now its a joke.
Gary ---- lazy member, its there but at the same time not
Suk Jin --- Too old now.
Jong Kook ---- Its injuried too much right now, many times he can't walk.

Jae Suk, Kwang Soo And Haha + 4 new members and changing a bit the concept, RM will be again in the top.

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Ji Suk Jin ---------------------- Ryu Seung-Soo
Gary --------------------------- Kim Ha Neul
Ji Hyo -------------------------- Kim Ji-Hoon (no more girls) more equality
Jong Kook --------------------- John Park

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Jong Kook should stay but if the time comes for a replacement, someone very athletic should fill in. Park Ji Sung or Ryu Jin.

And staff please invite Joo Sang Wook often.?

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i don't see why not having a girl would make it more "equal" blank-ji pulls her own weight and she's the ace in the game usually.

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Do you mean Kang Ha Neul? or the actress Kim Ha Neul?

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I really don't get it... If you don't like it stop watching then... Why are you losing so much time in watching and reading and writing about something you don't like.... It makes no sense whatsoever...

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i think i might agree at some point that JSJ might need to be replaced (he just can't physically compete on the same level with the rest of the RM cast, which usually leads to a predictable outcome), but the moment they take off Gary, Ji-hyo or KJK from the line-up, i'm getting off the RM bandwagon for good (and a few people, too, i would imagine). it just won't be the same show w/o these guys anymore.

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plus Ji-Hyo and Jong Kook are both very big in China right now, no way they going to be swapped out and risk RM also losing pop in china as well as korea, I think as long as the money keep rolling in the show will keep going, even if home viewers may be turning off. Heck it need be it could likey get by just being an internet show for that matter.

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+1 to this

RM is what it is because of the members. I do see JSJ possibly retiring before the rest of the cast sometime down the road, if his body can't physically keep up. I don't think that's going to happen for a while yet though-- I don't think he's even 50? And he's become more popular nowadays.

Also for everyone who thinks the cast line-up should change... the RM international fanbase is pretty overwhelming and they're just tapping into that market now with the Race Start concerts and stuff. It's clear the current cast (including all the ones people usually have issues with, like Ji-hyo or Suk-jin) have tons of fans overseas, and even the members with existing careers prior to RM are building off it now (like KJK and Haha's Running Brothers concerts) so I doubt RM would be looking to switch up their line-up anytime soon-- I feel like it's more likely that members will leave on their own when their careers get too much to handle, not the show replacing them.

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I agree, RM is what they are because I can totally feel how close they are with each other. I'm probably one that would just completely check out once they start removing many members from it.

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Seriously you guys are thinking about replacing it so much and here you call yourself fan.If other show are much better than go and watch it.

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I think the problem has always been Jong Kook. No one else on the cast can match him physically. Thus, they either have to cheat, ally together, or script his elimination to have any sort of balance to the games. Eventually, that just becomes stale and boring.

I think Running Man was much more successful in the past partly because his physicality wasn't a problem before. When Running Man first started, there wasn't a single winner. The goal was to not lose since the losers were punished via humiliation (having to wear short shorts in public). Jong Kook's advantage didn't really matter so much because you didn't have to finish first, just not last. That promoted a lot of different cast pairings, like the jail trio, Jong Kook and the kids, monday couple, jae suk and his sunflower, etc. as members shifted alliances in an effort to collect running balls so as not to be losers. It was often an advantage to team with Jong Kook. Now, with the single winner format, they all try to eliminate him first because they know they can't take him 1 vs 1.

Basically, they need another player who can compete physically to balance out the games. Then you get all sorts of variety pairings instead of watching the same pairings all the time.

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Don't think it's been that much of a problem (often can get a guest to take on KJK), but that was one of the things FO had over RM - the "Game Devil" to balance things out when it came to games.

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Actually, while you are right about JK's physical ability, it is wrong to assume that RM is failing because of him. And if you count the number of episodes Jong-kook has won, it's a lot lesser than Gary or JH. If you count the individual nametag tearing battles the cast has had among themselves, JK has won only 2 or 3 - in 5 years I might add.
Also, JK didn't ask for that portrayal. It's his character that is supposed to be the strongest. Since the conflict between the strong and the weak is what brings the fun. If you see what toll it takes on his body, where he almost quit RM a couple of years ago- it's not easy for him either.
Moreover, while people see only JK's strength, he's the one who balances out YJS like how Park Myung-soo does on Happy Together and IC. You need someone to take on the Mr.Goody-two-shoes. He's the guy the guests are usually paired with apart from YJS - since him and YJS are considered the two leaders of RM. He's also the guy who usually if not always, takes on the villain role. It's because he has the variety chops to make a water-gun battle, which is a trademark of YJS, and give it a twist of his own, to know when to nametag tearing easy, and yet the strength to win it for his fellow RM members

I really don't want to cause a battle by ranting here, but I feel disappointed that people are criticizing JK in an episode where he didn't participate actively in name-tag tearing at all(he wasn't able to get it torn- that's why he was out).
If this is based off the last episode, it was Jung Il-woo who tore most of the nametags. Moreover, the nametag-tearing itself has decreased a lot.

Also, it was the PDs decision to have nametag tearing, not JK's.

Just my two cents.

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hehe I luph KJK, big softie man. the rating drop wasnt because the cast. ratings decrease is normal. RM already running for 5 years. its true that it has been hit and miss lately, but RM still can kick occasionally tho .. the PD just need to find the right game and right guest .. and dont even think about changing it member ..

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It's the game mechanics' fault. The PDs should think of more games that do not depend on strength to win.

As we have seen, Kookie does very poorly in different sports like badminton and baseball. And the mini bar games, he normally lose at those too.

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Thanks for a detailed response. I'll just say that I don't think Running Man is failing, but I do think it is a bit stale. As Gwen points out below, its more of a game mechanics things. It just gets old seeing the cast all plot to take down one guy.

I'm not opposed to having Jong Kook stay on the show. Unlike the original post, I'm not advocating eliminating cast. I think they should add more members. Remember, Running Man originally also had Song Joong Ki as an original member and Lizzy was a somewhat permanent guest for a while. I think adding one more person would help balance out the show a bit and allow for more creative pairings...it doesn't even have to be a strong physical person. I mean can you imagine how flustered Jong Kook would be if he had to fight off Ji Hyo, another permanent female cast, and a female guest?

I think your point about YJS being a counter/rival to KJK is a good one. But I don't think it's true. Because it's really YJS and the PD vs KJK. The water gun spy game is clearly rigged in YJS favor. That's the problem game mechanic wise. When the game isn't fair--ie the spy has an advantage--its harder to get invested in the battle between rivals.

I'm not saying the show is bad. It's still entertaining to me. But I think it could be better and that by mixing things up a bit, it could improve. Change isn't always a bad thing.

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You really think replacing the members, who have spent 5 years in the show with lots of titles and memories and experience will make the show better?

I feel sorry for you. Why don't you watch something else instead?

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Agree, watching RM without the original cast would not be RM anymore and adding a new cast will certainly tarnish and ruin the show!

These guys who commented that RM is boring nowadays, should do some research! While yes, the latest episode quite dull, but the recent episode says otherwise!

-For start the It's Okay,It's Love theme, that episode was fun, funny and the interactions between the cast and the guest were superb!
-The two 2015 kickstart episodes when Lee Seungi and Moon Chae Won came,
- the love themes episodes,
- the non guest episodes
-and last week episode, where they made games based on fans request all over the world..

Actually there are more, I just lazy to type in. There are so many good,fun and funny on RM recent episodes, AND these annoying guys keep on saying that RM should change its members because one or few boring episodes?Instead of your nonsense,how about exercise your fingers a bit and google it!

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and one of my favorite episode the music theme where Kwang soo won over Jong Kook! XD

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A moot point anyway.

Don't think any of the other RM cast members would continue if some of them were forced out.

They weren't going to continue filming until Gary decided to cut short his leave/absence after his "scandal" (which was no big thing).

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I'm agree with gary ji hyo and jsj but not kjk entering too competitive person with low chemistry will kill the show. but the most important problem of show is all of them have lost their characters and worse than it is editing ,it's terrible sometimes.I think the show is over in knetz heart and has turned to a show for kids and teens they need new ideas.whatever,next episode is really funny so don't get disappointed

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Don't know why anyone would include Gary.

Not only is Gary "Mr. Random Capable", he is one of the best cast members when it comes to witty/funny quips.

And people tend to be too hard on Suk-jin, but he also is good for funny quips as well.

Some of the funniest moments on RM have included Suk-jin like when KJK and Suk-jin were poking fun at Mong-ji (about how she looks older than Gong Hyo-hin and looks taller when sitting down), so much so that Mong-ji couldn't even finish her try at making Gong Hyo-jin's heartbeat race faster.

Or when Suk-jin was being the "bully" in the eating portion of the Icey Ranking race, where they were given an appropriate spread according to their rank (Haha getting a sumptuous feast and Kwang-soo getting some rice, seaweed and a bottle of water - the latter which was taken from him).

Higher ranking members would offer some of their bit to lower ranking members like YJS, but since Suk-jin was higher ranked than YJS, would try to steal those goodies from YJS (which forced YJS to gobble them up quickly).

Suk-jin tried to do the same w/ Ms. Mong after she was given some sausages from Gary, but then she called out to Gary and being higher ranking than Suk-jin, put a hand on Suk-jin's tray of food and asked him if still wanted to eat (threatening to take away his tray).

There have been a good no. of pretty entertaining eps lately, but some have unrealistic expectations for RM.

Not every ep is going to be great/funny.

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when u say like that.... you like a boss! i like running man because of them.

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That would not work. Remember what happened to Family Outing 2? The new cast just didn't live up to the original one. And it will always be like that. I don't think any of the members are boring or not funny. I think they just need to make RM excited and thrilling again. Some of the games they play are boring and some theme are really badly produce. But I still enjoy watching the cast's interaction no matter what. It's the cast that is keeping RM alive.

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Son Ho-joon singing "Emergency Room" though. So swoony with his low gravelly voice. *flails*

He's totally gone from cute puppy to hot oppa in my eyes. (It's crazy to me that he's 30 with that baby face.)

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not as exciting as the past few episodes but i find it rather nice that the RM regulars seemed to be genuinely amused by their guests. and there's even a cameo by Gong Yoo et al.!
the giant billiard game was nice though. Ji Suk-jin -- the most experienced "extra" LOL!

i think the RM cast went out of their way to give each of their guests a time to shine -- which is a bit difficult to pull off when there are so many guests, most of whom aren't as physically well conditioned as the regulars.

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Stop trying to change he members. It's not Chinese version of RM. The K-RMs allure was the main cast and that's why they have success. Try changing the lineup and it's unlikely that the international recognition and success will stay. You don't try to break family.

Ji hyo may not be as funny but how many actresses are willing to break their image that Is oh-so-the-conventional-stereotype of the K-industry. JSJ may be old but his body Gags are life. Gary has his cheesy moments. KJK puts others in place and frankly, it balances things out.

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Ji-hyo isn't good w/ the banter/quips nor does she have an outgoing personality, so she's not the typical type of celeb/entertainer that are geared for variety.

But she does well at the games (including being "lady luck") and can be quite entertaining when "bad Ji-hyo" appears - so she certainly has her role.

Actually, based on some of the bigger female guests (Han Hyo-joo, Han Ji-min, Gong Hyo-jin) as well as the recent groupings of female guests - we have seen a good no. of female guests more than willing to let their hair down.

But Ji-hyo has her own charms and not many more competitive.

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Ji hyo has never been known for her wit, eloquence, dancing and singing ability or comedic talent. That's not why she is loved.

Everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses. As long as there are other members who can cover her weakness and as long as her strengths can cover others' weaknesses, then it is a good team. We don't want everyone to be the same. So she does not need to acquire the things she lack, just work on her strengths to compliment the team.

The PDs should make games or scenarios to showcase every team members' different strengths more to make this a better programme.

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Totally agree.

I've always felt Ji Hyo doesn't get enough respect. She's just as good at betrayal as Haha or Gwang Soo. She just doesn't do it all the time so it hasn't become part of her character. She's smart and quick on the uptake--usually she's one of the first people to suspect a spy. To me, she's the ultimate wild card. Everyone else is fairly predictable. Suk Jin will be eliminated first. Jae Suk will lead a gang to try and eliminate Jong Kook. He'll probably be betrayed by either Haha or Gwang Soo. Ji Hyo and Gary have the most diverse set of possible outcomes, probably because their characters are least developed/rigid.

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+1 One of the most beloved things about Ji Hyo for me is her complete ability to shed her actress image for RM. How many actresses have we seen are stressing out about how they look while our Ace just trucks along? I remember in one episode she was picked up early early in the morning, and she looked like she just woke up and jumped to the car. The guest actor (who was a seasoned actor, but can't remember his name) even commented how rare it is that an actress just did that with no reservation.

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i REALLY loved this episode, I watch Running Man because I love the interaction between the RM members and I love it when the guest are getting into the RM mood and playing wholeheartedly like they did on this episode!

Long live RM !

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I enjoyed this ep.

The games were pretty simple (more reminiscent of the games during the early days) but entertaining since they allowed for a lot of interaction (altho, the general concept of name-tag ripping btwn games and whole kkakdugis was less successful).

The intro (often the best part of RM) was entertaining in finding out who the guests are and then all the shenanigans w/ regard to positioning and lobbying the guests to pick so-and-so as a "reject" (Suk-jin suggesting that the guest picked and then being the 1st reject was classic).

Like all the guests but my favorites were Son Ho-joon and Yoo Byung-jae.

While a guy, Ho-joon is simply adorable and Byung-jae is not only witty, but love his straight-faced delivery.

Liked that we got to see a peak into the pasts of some of the RM members and guests (like Kookie singing noraebang at a place where his buddies worked which made him think about pursuing a career as a singer and Byung-jae's story about how he and a friend did everything they could to survive in the city and live in a nicer place than some basement level dump).

The highlight was the "rejects" running into Gong Yoo, Ma Dong-seok, and Jung Yumi.

Gong Yoo is so charming and good-natured (as he was in his RM guest appearance) and JY is so cute - definitely would like to see the 3 guest when it comes time to promote their new film (interesting that GY and JY are working together again on a film).

Also really enjoyed the fooling around w/ the singing and really butchering the LeeSsang and KJK songs (and seeing Gary's and Kookie's reactions).

This was one of those easy-going eps which allowed for a lot of hijinks.

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I agree with you! I've recently been on a RM rewatching kick, and I found myself gravitating towards the old episodes, where the games weren't as high-concept, but the laid-back interactions and comfortable bickering really made the show. This episode was great because we got to see the members reminiscing and talking about their pasts (like the whole conversation about group blind dates, which I thought was totally hilarious), and it was all super natural and entertaining.

The Gong Yoo and friends cameo was also great!

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At the same time, some of the old eps weren't that great either.

I didn't start watching RM regularly til about a yr and half in since some of the early eps were boring (such as the one finding the golden soccers balls at the stadium).

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I really enjoy RM back in 2012-2013. From 2014-2015, it has been lackluster. The past few episodes were such boredom that I don't actually look forward to the new episodes. Heck, I even forget that a new episode is out until I have nothing else to watch. My problem isn't the casts (they're fantastic together and separately) but it's the games/concepts and often times the guests.

This episode was okay to meh. Games were boring but the guests were adorable and at times, hilarious.

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Giant billiard balls were a nice touch - from the previews, I actually thought they would have to use the cue sticks, which would have been just impossible, but a nice game.

The mechanical pencil game - I'm more used to calling them "pacers" - looked like it was more thrilling for them to play than for us to watch. Looked tricky, though!

Nice serendipitous cameo by Gong Yoo and Jung Yumi! Thanks for recapping, gummi!

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I belong in the minority who loves this episode. Hilarious but I wish they played more games. Wondering now why JiHyo toilet at Gimpo Airport is her special place.

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I know, I'm pretty curious about this too! I wish they would explain it at least...

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Me too! I wish they'd explain that one.

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Thanks for the recap!

I actually really enjoyed this episode. I thought the game format made for a nice change, even if one team was clearly advantaged over the other. It made for a nice showcase of chasing technique and strategy, and the guests were all great.

I thought the editing was really good this episode (minus the whole e-cig accident), and I liked that they didn't cut out any games and we got to see at least snippets of everything. The games weren't anything special, but the interactions and conversations really made this episode. The karaoke part was seriously great (although it's too bad that Hong Jong-hyun's awesome Gary rap got cut out, I loved that we got it as BTS footage), and I loved getting the bits of insight into the members' past. (Still curious as to what Ji-hyo's story at 'toilet in Gimpo Airport' would've been.)

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I didnt think this episode was bad, there were lots of cute moments. Am a bit surprised n sad some ppl are calling for members to be replaced. Runningman has been around for some time now so it is getting more difficult to come up w fresh ideas. And some members having physical difficulties of not matching their previous image. A lot of ppl has pointed out that Kim Jong Kook hasnt been as active as before. He talked about this in healing camp, how he wanted to leave RM because he is no longer sure he can plays up to his sparta commander image. Am v glad he decides to stay and it shows the members and producers loyalty to each other to support him. Nowadays his role is that guy that kwangsoo will betray. I think most runningman members have more than just 1 character and I dont see it as a bad thing to try to establish or expand their main characters. It just makes members interactions more fun. I hope RM team will keep on going, experimenting w new games and new concepts. RM manse!

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And thank you for continuing the recap, gummimochi!

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yes, thank you for being an RM loyal fan too, Gummi!

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Who's here because you saw Ho Jun in the photo, like me?:) Don't usually read the recap for RM but Ho Jun made me click. Really liked him in 3Meals A Day. :) Hope he gets more projects (and exposure) soon.

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I miss Jo PD and Myuk PD.

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You guys who negatively critics RM, are the worst. Know y? Because you guys watch RM but do not actually see RM. I've been watching the whole RM episode over and over and never getting tired of them. You don't realize that every RM cast have a very important role in RM. If one of then is gone, it's not going to be RM. That's what make RM so special. The bond between RM cast are irreplaceable. If you don't like RM, then stop watching RM. Is it norm to just change something you don't like with something you like? Only STUPID people watch something they don't like and start critisizing.

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Um, what? The forum section of this website is for people to give their opinions. You can make the choice to not be offended by them but instead you post a comment insulting people who "criticize" and throwing an obtuse attack like calling them stupid (yeah, I'm sure you hurt them). The fact that people are mentioning what changes they want doesn't mean they don't like RM. It means they like RM and want to have fun watching it. Yeah, sure the bond between the members is irreplaceable but also predictable. People commenting that KJK or JSJ or any other member should be replaced don't hate that member nor do they hate RM. They just want the show to be as thrilling and exciting as it was in its beginning. There's honestly no reason to call people stupid. The best thing you can do, as a "true" fan which I'm sure you believe you are, is to either ignore the comments you dislike or reply to them and explain why you think they're wrong.

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And by reply to them, I mean logically and calmly explain your own opinion. It doesn't involve calling them stupid.

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bit of a bore - except for Byung-jae in the billiards game - and his story of his friend's girlfriend who was cheating on him - but they pretended not to notice!!

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stop comparing with 1n2d. it's always easier to make your show look great in the beginning. but 3-5 years in, you can become stale and people already know you.

You guys complain abt the games...it's not easy to ocme up with new games after 243 episodes. Not at all !

Running man used to be funny and suspenseful. Lately it has been mostly funny and not that suspenseful. Hopefully the pd's can make the mini-games become more meaningful like they used to be, and get nametag ripping back as the final game.

i doubt that last par though becoz the cast is too good at nametag rippiuing for 99% of the guests to have a chance nowadays.

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Your comment is probably the best comment I've read in a long time. Yes, people need to stop comparing RM to other shows. RM has its own magic and that doesn't mean its better or worse than 1n2d. At the same, a show does become stale 3-5 years in at which point it's usually customary for some changes to be made. The changes could be cast changes but could also be game changes. It's not easy to run the show as it used to be in the past.

Thank you for the logic!

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It's a 'Okay' episode. I love the throwback photos and the story on why Byung-jae chose the next location.

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