Variety Review: Running Man Episode 612
Guests: None
My Entertainment Score: 7 out of 10 laughs
A couple of the games in this episode felt fresh and enjoyable. I wasn’t as huge a fan of the improvisation section as they probably hoped the viewers would be. That said, the ending was one of my favorites.
What Happened:
Theme: Sharing Penalties Playbook
Opening (start of episode- 7:00)
Race Explanation (7:00- 12:40)
In a twist on the ‘Sharing Playbook’ race from episode 508, the members are going to be trying to avoid penalties this week. After each game, the members will get to choose how many R coins to take for themselves from a pool of 30 possible coins. The first to choose is the winner of the game and then the tray goes to the second place winner and so on. Essentially, it’s a loyalty game. At the end of the day, the number of R coins each individual has collected will determine which penalty they get as follows:
0-1 coins: Do an experience in Jamsil called “Sky Bridge”.
2-3 coins: Wear a costume to next week’s opening.
4-6 coins: Dance BTS in the SBS building’s lobby.
7-10 coins: Ink bucket poured on their head.
11-14 coins: Whipped cream bomb.
15-18 coins: Water bucket.
19-23 coins: Face rubbing (paint their face and ‘print’ it)
24-29 coins: Flogging
30-39 coins: Drinking sephora root tea.
40-49 coins: Gourd breaking.
50 or more coins: No penalty
There will be a total of 140 coins given. If everyone was fair, they would each end the day with 20…a face rubbing penalty.
First Mission: Let Me Clock In (12:40- 25:16)
While blindfolded, the members have to take the fewest steps while getting as close to a door as possible. They get less points the closer they are to the door. Those added to the number of steps gives them their final total. Lowest total wins.
40 coins are on the line.
Second Mission: Episode Memory Game (25:16- 36:10)
The members are to choose an episode number between 346 (2017) and 611(2022). The member that one the episode gets a point and the member that got a penalty loses one point. Originally, each member was going to have one guess, but they were having so much fun that they played all the way to the next location.
35 coins are on the line.
Third Mission: Answer My Call (36:10- 41:14)
The top 3 players get coins (5 for 1st, 3 for 2nd, 2 for 3rd). They simply have to call someone. The members whose calls are answered fastest get the coins.
Third Mission: Improvisation Challenge (41:14- 1:16:51)
The members move through four themed rooms. In each room, they must get into character and act for 5 minutes. They are scored based on how accurately they react (how many correctly related words they use). In the middle of each “skit” an item will be brought into the room. They must incorporate it into their skit to the best of their ability. After each room, one member is eliminated.
35 coins are on the line.
Fourth Mission: Random Ranking Game (1:16:51- 1:23:05)
Three tables are brought out. The first table has ranks 1 and 7. The second table has ranks 2 and 6 and the third table has the others. The members work out who will go to each table, then they each pick one of the face down numbers to determine their rank for the last round of coins.
35 coins are on the line.
Final Results (1:23:05- end of episode)
Preview: Fairy tale spy invasion! The members are going to be characters in classic Korean fairy tales and attempt to determine which among them is a spy.
!!!Spoilers!!!
Let Me Clock In
Somin- hits the door - 0 points
Haha- 19 points
Sechan- 9 points
Jongkook- 18 points
Jihyo- 18 points
Seokjin- 17 points
Jaesuk- 17 points
Coins:
Sechan - 25 coins
Jaesuk - 11 coins
Seokjin - 4 coins – all the coins are gone.
Episode Memory Game
5 points- Jihyo
3 points- Jongkook
Haha (won rock-paper-scissors to break a tie with Somin)
Somin
Jaesuk
Sechan
Seokjin
Coins:
Jihyo - 15 coins
Jongkook - 15 coins
Haha - 5 coins – all the coins are gone.
Answer My Call
Haha- 15 seconds
Somin- 21 seconds
Jaesuk- 5 seconds (2 coins after winning rock-paper-scissors to break the tie with Jongkook)
Sechan- 4 seconds (3 coins)
Jongkook- 5 seconds
Jihyo- 1 second (5 coins)
Seokjin- 8 seconds
Improvisation Challenge
Jihyo is eliminated after the doctor room.
Sechan is eliminated after the lawyer room.
Somin is eliminated after the scientist room.
1- Jaesuk
2- Jongkook
3- Haha
4- Seokjin
Coins:
Jaesuk - 20 coins
Jongkook - 10 coins
Haha - 1 coin
Seokjin - 2 coins
Somin - pass
Sechan - pass
Jihyo - 2 coins
Random Ranking
1- Somin
2- Jihyo
3- Haha
4- Jaesuk
5- Jongkook
6- Sechan
7- Seokjin
Coins:
Somin - 15 coins
Jihyo - 10 coins
Haha - pass
Jaesuk - pass
Jongkook - 6 coins
Sechan - pass
Seokjin - 4 coins
Final Results
Somin - 15 coins (water bucket)
Jihyo - 31 coins (sephora root tea)
Haha - 6 coins (BTS dancing)
Jaesuk - 33 coins (sephora root tea)
Jongkook - 31 coins (sephora root tea)
Sechan - 23 coins (face rubbing)
Seokjin - 10 coins (ink bucket)
