RUNNING MAN CLASSICS Episodes 91-100 Review
The classic episodes’ cast was Jaesuk, Seokjin, Jongkook, Haha, Jihyo, Gary, Kwangsoo--7 members.
Episode 91
Guests: None
Location: N University, Incheon
Games: Prison Escape or Yoo-mes Bond, Never Say Die.
Highlights or notes:
The members were “arrested” and then had to escape the building where they were being held.
TWIST: Jaesuk had a water gun and if he shot another member’s name tag, the guards would come straight to them. If he could capture all the other members, he would get a suspended sentence (he could leave early).
This episode is my personal absolute favorite Gary episode. It’s not the TruGary show, but Gary is the peak funny here. “I’M NOT GOING OUT!” I’m not sure he ever figured out how the actual episode went.
My rating: 10
Penalty: None shown, though presumably the loser(s) had to ‘serve their sentences’. The winner(s) got a gold prize.
Episode 92
Guests: Chun Jungmyeong, Park Jinyoung (yes, that’s JYP)
Location: Various beginning in Incheon and ending on a southern island
Games: Take an Order, Guess the item, One-breath Bungalow Treasure Hunt, Name Tag Ripping.
Highlights or notes:
The goal of the entire episode was to deliver one order of jjajameon. The games that were played were to gather the various ingredients, utensils, and the address. After each game the team would get to pick an unshown item…only one of each was real. Teams could travel to the next location and play the game as soon as they finished the last, so a team had the opportunity to be WAY ahead of the others.
To take an order, the members had to first find the phone that was ringing somewhere in the restaurant.
At a beach, an item was shown at a great distance in flashes. All they had to do was guess it. They could dance while wearing a pedometer if they wanted to get closer and their step count would be converted to millimeters so that they could move forward.
Among 50 bungalows, 2 members of a team holding hands had to find the 2 pairs of named items before the final member ran out of breath while holding their face in a bowl of water. Each bungalow had 1 item in it.
The winning team of the name tag ripping would get all the real products and get to make the delivery.
My rating: 5 - I liked the games on this episode, but I could take it or leave it on the whole.
Penalty: None- Golden chopsticks for the winner
Episode 93
Guests: Hyuna (singer), Suzy (singer-Miss A), Han Seungyeon (singer- KARA), Gyuri (singer-KARA), Krystal (singer/actress- f(x).)
Location: SBS Building, National Science Museum, S Land Amusement Park
Games: Running Man Survivor
Highlights or notes:
Running Man Survival Game Special.
Every 30 minutes, a vote was held to determine a target. The 6 members that did not get voted to be the target automatically go on to the next round. The targeted member can be ousted if their name tag is ripped off. The targeted member can “pause” the chasers for the round by removing their name tags.
The final round is a free-for-all name tag ripping game.
The guests are assigned to rooms and each one has a condition. If you find a good ‘angel’, you’ll get an advantage. Find a bad ‘angel’ and you’ll get a disadvantage.
The ‘angels’ voted on who they wanted to win, so the advantages and disadvantages were given out at their discretion.
My rating: 9
Penalty: None- The winner was given the privilege of determining the pairs for the couple race the next episode (filmed the next day with the same guests as this episode)
Episode 94
Guests: Hyuna (singer), Suzy (singer-Miss A), Han Seungyeon (singer- KARA), Gyuri (singer-KARA), Krystal (singer/actress- f(x).)
Location: Various
Games: Confirm Partners, Wedding Gifts Quiz, Elevated Wedding Photo, Bridge Wedding Ceremony, Couple Name Tag Ripping
Highlights or notes:
Jongkook assigned partners, but the members had to find the ladies in order to confirm the pairing. If they didn’t get back in time, the ladies would drink the dreaded flower tea and transform into…someone less desirable.
This was the Wedding Race, so all the games were wedding prep themed and the winning lady received a tiara!
The wedding photo game made the members jump to get into frame.
The Bridge game is the thing I remembered most from this episode. The members had to piggyback the ladies across intervals of the bridge in only 10 seconds or do a certain number of squats holding the ladies in a bridal carry, etc. Each failed mission took them further across the bridge. Any successful mission and they were able to move on.
My rating: 8
Penalty: None
Episode 95
Guests: Each guest is only present for one game. Park Jisung (pro soccer player) gives all game instruction and arrives in person at the end, All four members of Sistar (library mission), All four members of MBLAQ (protect Jihyo Mission),
Location: Various (a market street, M University library, DMC gallery–which is a street apparently, P Company Building)
Games: Spy Meetup, 8-legged nametag ripping, protect Jihyo, Combine items to meet the last member
Highlights or notes:
In order to meet the spy, the members had to inconspicuously go into a market. If anyone called out their name or if 4 people began following them, that member would be out.
All the members are tied together for a name tag ripping game in the library with SISTAR. One member of the group is the agent they must meet. After a certain amount of time, the members can break into groups of 4-3 and then 2-2-3. To make it fairer for the members, the SISTAR members could not run, only speedwalk.
They only had to protect Jihyo’s name tag from getting hit by water guns wielded by MBLAQ as they made their way to the end of the street.
My rating: 8
Penalty: None - continues to next episode
Episode 96
Guests: Park Jisung (soccer player), IU (singer)
Location: Various (in Seoul)
Games: Superpower Soccer! Selling fish in the market to cover the cost of breakfast, team tug-of-war (with citizens)
Highlights or notes:
THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST WATCH!
The superpower soccer game was played 2 (Jisung and 1 member) v 7. Everyone except Jisung has a super power….and it was amazing!
I had completely forgotten that there was a whole race after the soccer match. They even go to Thailand…how did I forget that? Oh yeah, the superpower soccer was that good. Money is earned in all the games in this episode to be used in Thailand next episode.
My rating: 10
Penalty: None- race continues to next episode
Episode 97
Guests: Park Jisung (soccer player), IU (singer), Jong Taese (soccer player from North Korea), Rio Ferdinand (soccer player from England)
Location: Seoul for the Name Tag Ripping, Bangkok, Thailand for everything else
Games: Name Tag Ripping (Spy Jisung- Last Man Standing Game), Cameramen Representative Arm Wrestling, Thai Shopping, Get the Signed Ball, Soccer Name Tag Ripping
Highlights or notes:
IU left after the Name Tag Ripping game.
Jaesuk was absent in Thailand due to a schedule conflict.
The Bangkok Games were all used to choose the 2 members that would get to participate on the Korean Team for the Asian Dream Cup 2012. The other members would have to watch from the stands. It was a series of elimination games (where members were sent back to the hotel and would get no more air time during the episode when they were eliminated) with the last 2 standing being the members that would play in the Dream Cup.
For the Thai shopping, the members were given a Thai word. They had to find that product in the market and bring it back.
The four members left had to chase down 3 balls that Jisung signed and then kicked in random directions.
Jong Taese was only there for the soccer name tag ripping. In that he had to rip off the normal name tag, the yellow tag under that, and then the red tag under that to get a member out.
The final part of the episode is some footage of the Dream Cup.
My rating: 8
Penalty: none
Episode 98
Guests: None
Location: Mostly Muui Island
Games: Individual Missions (mostly unshown), zombie game
Highlights or notes:
Each member was given a mission to carry out and told that the first 2 to finish would get a prize. (Winning a board game against an elder, ringing a specific bell…things like that.) While on the missions, every member was approached by a student ‘from another school’ and given something random (towel, toothbrush, chocolate crackers…)
The rest of the episode is a zombie game. Zombies need to transform the humans by removing name tags while humans need to oust the progenitor zombie by finding and using a special solution in a water gun, then removing the name tag.
My rating: 8 - I had honestly forgotten how this episode began, although I remembered the zombie race very clearly.
Penalty: None
Episode 99
Guests: Lee Taegon (actor), Lim Ho (actor)
Location: Various around Seoul - this was a territory race, so they moved around a lot.
Games: Territory missions (Comb Fight, Make the store cat sit in your lap, Guess the Food, group jump rope, multiplication table challenge), Name Tag Ripping
Highlights or notes:
“King’s Race” - 3 ‘kings’ had to capture territory by completing missions before the other teams.
The Comb Fight was hilarious! I had forgotten about this one and I don’t know why. A large comb was slathered in mousse and held up to a member’s head. The member could hold the arm of the PD holding the comb and attempt to stop him from changing the hairstyle they arrived with.
The food to be guessed could only be described using taste words.
The members wore their territory names under their name tags. When a name tag was ripped off, the territories underneath would be conquered. The team that gathered all the territories would win.
My rating: 8
Penalty: None
Episode 100
Guests: Kim Heeseon (actress)
Location: Various (Yeouido Han River Park, A newly built mall…I think)
Games: God of Chariot, War of Gods
Highlights or notes:
The concept of the episode was “War of the Deities”. I wouldn’t have been able to list this one if you had asked me to name some of the older episodes, but as soon as I heard the concept, I remembered it all. It’s a good one.
The members play games to earn their ‘godship’.
The chariot race was novel. The members each had to run a leg of the race pulling the ‘chariot’...cart. When a member passed on the cart, they got into the back. So the final person pulls a cart with EVERYONE in it. They were racing against a staff member going the same distance riding a teeny tricycle. If they lose, two members will start the final War of Gods as humans instead of gods.
The vast majority of the episode is the War of Gods. Each member is assigned a deity and a weakness. (Some of these were hilarious. Poseidon’s weakness was water. Eros’ weakness was a kiss). No one was told ANYTHING, but weapons for each weakness were hidden around the area. So, they blindly wandered until they realized how to fight one another.
My rating: 8
Penalty: None - trophy for the winner.
