**Note: News came out that Kwangsoo will be retiring from the show. I don’t know when they’ll film his last episodes, but it wasn’t yet mentioned in the show. Prepare your hearts for a whole new dynamic.**
Guests: None
My Entertainment Score: 7 out 10 laughs
There was a lot that was funny in this episode, but most of it was incidental. All in all, it was a solid episode.
What Happened:
Theme: Credit Card Payment Race
Cafe Visit (start of episode- 9:38)
Members arrive one by one to the SBS building. A staff member greets them holding a tray with 9 credit cards on it, one from each member and one from the main PD. They are told they can choose any card and go to the cafe to purchase a meal or snacks. As you can imagine, some members got pretty excited about this one.
Race Explanation (9:38-12:17)
The members will do activities based on several variety shows. The cost of each activity will be paid for using one of the 9 cards available (one from each member and one from the main PD). The winner of the games will choose which card to use. They start the game with 1 person slated for a penalty. They will do a marble race at the end of the day to decide who will get that penalty. If they choose the PD’s card, it will continue to be only 1 person for the penalty. However, the member that uses the PD’s card will get an additional marble to race, thus increasing their chances of getting the penalty. Each time they use a member’s card, 1 more person will get a penalty. However, when they use a member’s card, they will have one less marble to race, and the member whose card was used will get one additional marble. Each member starts with only one marble.
Throughout the day, the person that paid the most for the previous game chooses the team for the next round.
Law of the Jungle Game (12:17- 37:54)
Game Explanation/Bickering (12:17- 20:05)
I don’t even know how they managed it, but they got into a huge argument about fashion.
All the members are made to give their phones to another member so that when a text arrives about the money being spent, they could hide what happened if they chose.
For this game, the members are split into two teams of 4. Each team is given the exact same set of camping equipment: a tent, a hammock, 4 chairs, shelves, a table, and a parasol. They have to set everything up. There are decorations too, but those are bonus. At the end of the time, they will be judged by a camping expert to decide who contributed the most to their team and getting set up. That winner will get to choose who pays for everything.
The teams are:
Jaesuk, Jongkook, Kwangsoo, and Jihyo
Sechan, Haha, Somin, and Seokjin
Setting Up Camp (20:05- 32:15)
One team was miles ahead of the other both in ability and teamwork. I have become increasingly uncomfortable with the way Kwangsoo is treated in the show and this game didn’t make me feel any better...actually it made me think ‘he’ll be so relieved to get away from those guys’. There were some amusing bits here and there.
Results and Payment (32:15- 37:54)
A staff member from the actual variety show ‘Law of the Jungle’ announces the results after the members enjoy the camp a bit. The winner is sent right away to choose a card pay for the camp supplies.
Lunch Game (37:54- 51:54)
Camping Games (37:54- 47:23)
They played a variation on the Strawberry game (which you all know I love), where they had to start on the first beat. It was just as messy as you would expect. Then, to save a couple of the members that struggle with that, they played the Silent 007 game. The 007 game is played by pointing at the other members. When you are pointed to, you point to another person. If you’re speaking, the first person says 0, the second 0, the third says 7 and the next one is “Bang”. The two people next to the one pointed to on “Bang” raise their hands and say “AAAHHK!” And then the ‘shot’ person starts over again. In the silent version, you have to keep track of the number in your head and they added the rule that no one should smile (showing their teeth).
Lunch/Payment (47:23- 51:54)
The members ate peacefully and the winners of the round went to pay for the meals.
Master in the House Game (51:54- 1:13:30)
Game Explanation (51:54- 54:39)
To determine which member communicates with the fans best, they held a vote on the Running Man website. The four members with the lowest number of votes will have to have a meeting with Director Choi (a goliath in the variety industry in Korea). They will also each get an additional marble for the penalty marble race.
To assist in the voting process, they held a live online fan meeting. It only lasted for 10 minutes. They were not allowed to ask for votes or mention the voting while they were live. If they did, 5% of their votes would be deducted at the end.
Live Online Fan Meeting (51:54- )
This was a disorganized mess, but I enjoyed it.
Results and Meeting with Director Choi (1:01:04- 1:13:30)
Knowing the members...I was baffled by the extent of wrong my guess was on who would win and lose this. Let me know if anyone else was close to right. I was SO SO wrong!
The meeting with Director Choi looked like it was a little awkward as most of them didn’t know each other well, but it looked like it was fun anyway.
Final Results (1:13:30- end of show)
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Flaming Youth Game (1:13:30- 1:14:41)
This was beezed over. They only showed the winners and then the winners’ choice for payment.
Marble Race (1:14:41- 1:19:01)
The marble race happens. The staff will count doubles, so if any person is chosen twice, one less person will get the punishment. After running the race once, the members request that the losers run one more time and one be saved from punishment because they enjoyed the marble race so much. That was allowed.
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Punishment (1:19:01- end of episode)
The punishment this week was to dress up like an old time criminal with the wood around their neck and to sit in the lobby of the SBS building for 10 minutes. They were only upset about it when they learned that the camera’s would be hidden.
Sechan stopped by to see them and then helped people pose behind the punishment members for photos.
Preview: Escape Empty Head Land---this looks great. They’re going to have to do all kinds of quizzes and puzzles.
!!!Spoilers!!!
Cafe Costs
Somin uses the PD’s card to buy drinks for herself and the staff. $32.20.
Jihyo uses the PD’s card to buy hotdogs for the staff and herself. $31.00
Sechan uses Jongkook’s card to buy a bunch of cookies and a drink.Kwangsoo uses Jongkook’s card to buy a bunch of cookies and drinks.
Jaesuk also uses Jongkook’s card.
Seokjin buys all the most expensive things using Jaesuk’s card. $184.
Haha uses Kwangsoo’s card and hands out drinks and food to random people in the building.
Jongkook uses Seokjin’s card and buys one drink for $3.
Setting up camp results
Sechan wins. He uses Seokjin’s card to pay $300 for the camping game. He now has no penalty balls to race and Seokjin has 2. 1 person will get a penalty.
Lunch Game Results
Jongkook and Somin win.
Jongkook chooses to eat fried chicken with Jihyo, Jaesuk, and Kwangsoo. He pays with Kwangsoo’s card. He now has 0 penalty balls to race and Kwangsoo has 2. 3 people will get a penalty.
Somin eats kebabs with Haha, Sechan, and Seokjin. She pays $80 with Seokjin’s card. She now has 0 penalty balls to race and Seokjin has 3. 3 people will get a penalty.
Master In the House Communication Vote Results
1st- Jihyo WHAAAAAAT???? Even she was baffled by this result. (stays at 1 marble)
2nd- Jaesuk (stays at 1 marble)
3rd- Jongkook (stays at 0 marbles)
4th- Kwangsoo (stays at 2 marbles)
5th- Somin-Meets with Director Choi and gets a marble. (1 marble total)
6th- Haha- Meets with Director Choi and gets a marble. (2 marbles total)
7th- Sechan- Meets with Director Choi and gets a marble. (1 marble total)
8th- Seokjin- Meets with Director Choi and gets a marble. (4 marbles total)
Jihyo pays for the game with Jongkook’s card, removing her marble (now at 0) and giving him 1. 4 people will get a penalty.
Flaming Youth Game
Jongkook and Sechan win. They use rock, paper, scissors to decide who would pay, and therefore get rid of their one marble and have no chance at punishment. Sechan won and paid using Jihyo’s card. Jongkook remains at 1 marble, Sechan is down to 0, and Jihyo is up to 1. 5 people will get a penalty.
Marble Race
Going into the final marble race, the marbles are:
Seokjin-4
Kwangsoo-2
Haha-2
Jaesuk-1
Jongkook-1
Somin-1
Jihyo-1
Sechan-0 (exempt from punishment)
1st RACE---Seokjin has 2 losing marbles. Haha, Somin, and Kwangsoo have 1 each.
2nd RACE--Somin gets exempt from punishment.