Running Man: Episode 94

by gummimochi

The Running Man cast finally gets married! Well, sort of. Get ready for a crazy all-day race where our grooms will have to prove their strength, our brides will have to use their wits, and our couples have to work together to come out on top. That is, if you can hear any of their voices above all the constant yelling. But that comes with any marriage, right?

EPISODE 94. Broadcast on May 13, 2012.

The morning after an intensive “Nonstop Survival Race”, our cast is still very much in dreamland. Haha’s the first wake, picking up the letter Jong-kook left outside out everyone’s door (To jog your memory, he won the Survival Race thus allowed to assign pairings as he sees fit.).

His hands are nearly sweating as his heart races – will Jong-kook honor his wish to be with Suzy? And he bursts out in tears when he sees her name then forming a heart over his head to Jong-kook.

But there’s no time for bromance as Mr. PD tells them mid-hug that they’ve got 100 seconds to find their partner or she’ll drink that dreaded flowery tea from before. Their faces turn from excitement to shock in a blink of a eye; the effects still vivid in their memories.

Poor Haha’s face nearly drops to the floor when Suzy rejects him right away (as a joke). He starts crying again. Rough morning.

I love the little notes that Jong-kook leaves for them (Suk-jin: “I’ll give you the winning card.” Gary:”There’s no one like hyung, right?”). MY heart skips a few beats just from watching the timer tick down, especially when it dips below 30 seconds. I’m screaming, “Run run!”

Then there’s Gary who’s all disappointed that Jong-kook left the note (“Then why’d he write a heart next to my name?”) and takes his sweet old time choosing which hat to show off to Krystal.

At least that’s still better than late riser Kwang-soo who has trouble putting on his own shoes. The best part about this entire sequence is the boys’ reactions; as soon as they meet their partner, they chuck the flowery tea contents out like it was poison.

Mr. PD introduces today’s mission as a Wedding Race where are couples will face off in various challenges. He instructs the boys to match the ladies who are already in pretty wedding dresses. Gary comments that it won’t change their own appearance too much and Mr. PD agrees, “Especially Kwang-soo…”

Incriminating Kwang-soo strikes: “What are you talking about? Being an ass first thing in the morning.” Don’t worry, he immediately apologizes for it right afterwards.

Let’s introduce our couples: Jong-kook and HyunA, Haha and Suzy, Suk-jin and Ji-hyo, Gary and Krystal, Jae-suk and Seung-yeon, and last but not least, Kwang-soo and Gyuri. You still with me?

Our couples need to face each other off in speed quiz to win some nice furnishings every newlywed couple would die to have. All they need to do is press the buzzer first and correctly answer the questions. Oh boy, I already foresee bad things happening. Seung-yeon sharply decides that they’ll need to pick an expensive one first.

It’s exactly what you imagine as all the couples push and shove to reach that teeny buzzer, in such a rush that it tumbles towards Taek PD. And it is brutal because Gyuri gets jutted by someone’s elbow in the mayhem.

It’s utter chaos when the rest of the couples, 6 in all arrive, and Taek PD is shouting instructions to deaf ears. Well, you are trying to fight against ten other voices. Gary defends that they can’t focus because there are so many female guests.

Voices continue to rise as they shift blame towards one another. Gary:”My wife was about to get hurt!” Jong-kook: “What did I do?”The girls just stand by, clearly amused by the boys’ hypersensitivity over the situation.

Taek PD sighs. Won’t listen? No problem. “If you keep doing this, there won’t be any female guests anymore.” Instant silence and cooperation. HA.

The question is about a married couples’ bedding and Suzy answers:Bu-deop-bu-gae which essentially takes the first characters to the phrase, “The pillow couples use.” Oh, those abbreviations.

Jae-suk shouts that he’s sure of the answer but Gary swoops in first. He comes close but no cigar and then admits to looking it up on his phone. PFFT. Trivia King Jae-suk answers the correctly, winning a Smart TV for his bride and they jump with glee.

That is, until Taek PD tells them that they can wager a chance to steal someone else’s prize. He explains that they’ll need to answer two questions correctly to pass and HyunA exclaims, peeved, “Why didn’t you tell us earlier?!” What a perfect match for Spartakooks.

Remember what Jae-suk said about pretty guests and their temper? It roars out when Gyuri fails to say “I love you” in 5 languages and she chucks a flower to the ground. Woah there, missy.

Haha and Suzy manage to spit out the phrase in five languages but the members harp on that the German was iffy. The cast and crew agree to acknowledge the answer if he can say it clearly. Haha: “I was born in Germany.” Yeah, but you moved outta there before you could talk, buddy.

He succeeds in his next shot while sweet-talking the PD, guessing the German: “It’s not ich lie [diberi)?” It most certainly is not.

HAHAHA. Suk-jin and Ji-hyo finally get their moment in the sun and he eyes… the herbal medicine infuser. Jae-suk gripes over the choice and Ji-hyo just brushes him aside that Suk-jin’s ajusshi body needs it.

The question stumps all the couples until we’re back to Suk-jin who gets it right. The way that they celebrate makes me forget for a moment that they’re ecstatic…over an herbal medicine machine.

Is it okay that I find it hilarious that Haha and Suzy play the chance card… for the herbal medicine? You can see disappointment wash over his face while Suzy’s is completely serious.

What’s worse is that they get the question right and Haha declares that the infuser is what he’s been dying to have. Off to the second location they go.

The answer to the following question (Q: What do traditional brides wear on their head?) slays the room. Suk-jin had been complaining about switching prizes that he blurted “iron” without thinking.

In the car, Jae-suk and Seung-yeon are forced to wait for another couple to join them. Seung-yeon pouts: “Then we should have wagered for something else!”

Oh boy! Photo Time, how I’ve missed you! If you aren’t familiar, you basically want your face in the shot. The target here is to get your face within the heart which doesn’t seem all that large.

Haha and Suzy have to hurry because the other teams are right behind them. Seung-yeon already has trouble with her short stature, asking the other “long-legged” teams to give her a break.

HA – Ji-hyo is too cute. When the photoshoot “begins,” she jumps in front of everyone else hopping like a bunny. What’s amazing is that she’s in every shot.

Woah Kwang-soo completely towers over everyone. There’s more pushing and shoving to nab the front spot, bringing them mere inches from the camera lens.

Poor Gyuri is just having a rough day. Kwang-soo hoists her up but hits his head against hers and she crumples to the ground.

Everyone talks over one another about making it fair for everyone else that my head hurts now from all the noise. They continue to jump and this time, Gary and Krystal are given the green light to head to the next location. The successful shot isn’t quite the Peaceful Gary we’re used to seeing but he does look mighty happy.

Teehee, and the captions for Haha’s photo reads: First love, are you watching?

In order to speed up the longest photo shoot in the history of the world, the remaining couples resort to taking a shot and yelling “MOVE!” to allow the next couple to get a clear picture. Well, it would work if Jae-suk wasn’t so busy talking that he missed his subsequent shots.

Their third mission location is a test of the groom’s strength. The quicker they pass, the shorter the return trip across the bridge (up to 1.3 km. Yikes!). Krystal grows worried for Gary and claims that she’s super heavy, no thanks to the “food in her stomach.”

Gary shouts that he’ll be fine but you can’t mask that painful expression on your face. He counts off as he runs to the next station but fails to finish it in less than 10 seconds. Then he collapses while trying to squat while holding Krystal.

Third time’s the charm and he completes the sprint in plenty of time.

I should expect that with Kwang-soo’s long legs he can run faster… then I see the cars rush by him and realize that might not be true after all. Not surprisingly, Haha knees nearly give way too and he declares that he’s got no more strength left to expend. I’ll say, with that 17 seconds on your record.

I’m nearly impressed with Kwang-soo’s ability to lift Gyuri too until we see that his butt’s still in the air. HA – must be those long legs. Still, he misses the mark by a hair. Gyuri worries over him too, suggesting that he sit. Kwang-soo lies on the ground instead muttering, “You’re so light like a newborn baby!”

Really I’m worried about Haha here and he can barely bend his knees. He assures the Say As, Miss A’s fanclub, that the reason he can’t lift her is DEFINITELY not because she’s heavy (He mouths, “No it’s not” later on).

Jong-kook clears in one shot but poor Suk-jin and Ji-hyo fail four consecutive stations before they get to move on.

Gary and Krystal receive their final mission card which reads that they’ll be linked by a connecting glove. Disconnecting other couples from each other will result in their elimination.

As an added bonus for placing first thus far, they receive a bracelet that will take out their attackers instead. They strategize about whom to play this valuable card against and decide to hide for now, allowing the other teams to eliminate each other first.

Oh Kwang-soo, how scared must you be of Jong-kook that you advise your wifey that you two should plead for mercy? Thankfully, Gyruri suggests another method of forming an alliance with another couple instead.

Which is exactly what happens when the other couples fixate on the same target: Jong-kook. The couples, four in all, vow not to betray each other. Kwang-soo: “I’ll get double eyelid surgery [if I betray you guys].” Jae-suk: “Just get it done anyway.” I’m pretty sure he’s just saying that to call on his betrayal bluff.

They’re smart enough to identify Jong-kook’s weakness – women. So they split off, full of confidence.

Speak of the devil because Jong-kook shows up literally seconds after and he immediately sniffs out that an alliance has already been formed. If you only knew how large of one.

The alliance inches towards him, so Jong-kook and HyunA make a break for it. Not only does he have 8 other cast members but think of all those VJs who have to chase them down too!

The Union Versus Jong-kook shout gleefully, confident that together, they’ll have this in the bag: “If we stick together, we’ll live!”

Gary and Krystal converse in hushed voices in their hiding space to wait out the other couples. It’ll be a while, so Gary suggests they take a nap. And they do. Hehe.

Meanwhile, the swarm continues to hunt Jong-kook, high-fiving each other every time they give him a little scare. While they’re at it, they might as well take out Gary and Krystal too.

Jong-kook’s found an enclosed space they can stand their ground in. But he proves himself nearly powerless against three girl idols whose husbands praise them on their effective skills to weaken Jong-kook. Uh, you are married to them, right?

Gyuri points out another door and suddenly the allied couples are divided. Jong-kook’s eyes widen for a moment until the allies regroup. Jong-kook asks why they’re attacking them and HyunA pops out: “I didn’t know when I met him that he’d be this kind of man!”Like one day she thought she met Clark Kent who turned out to be Superman.

Jong-kook attacks first using it as a distraction to create a clear path for him to dart somewhere else.

Gary and Krystal get spotted before schedule though it’s cute how they try to hide anyway. They’re lured out and unfortunately are rejected to joining the alliance. Isn’t it one of those times where the enemy of my enemy is a friend?

But as soon as Gary takes out Suk-jin and Ji-hyo, he’s immediately inducted into the alliance. A minute later, Kwang-soo and Gyuri are out as well.

The newly formed alliance team now consists of Gary, Haha, and Jae-suk. Don’t expect these guys to be stealthy spies because Jong-kook spots them a mile away. He digs at them, calling them scaredy-cats.

Gary and Krystal exit the elevator they were hiding in and see in front of them a golden opportunity to take out Jae-suk. Haha shoots a knowing glance… and Jae-suk and Seung-yeon are eliminated.

Poor Seung-yeon who has barely made it through the day finally bursts in laughter (perhaps relief as well), unable to comprehend the quick yet painful betrayal.

Haha and Gary bring out their brides for their hyung to greet. Jong-kook ushers them closer, more likely to take them out one couple at a time rather than show some bromance. They poke Jong-kook to aggravate him and boy does Jong-kook’s blood boil.

The man’s not to be trifled with and neither his is bride. HyunA slaps away any hand that comes close.

Everyone manages to squeeze out of the tangle of hands in the narrow entrance. In a distracted moment, Gary grabs for Jong-kook’s couple glove and in the tussle it comes loose.

Gary and Haha along with their brides celebrate and Gary deliberately shows his own glove. Haha reaches over and dances in victory… when Gary and Krystal flaunt their bracelets which secure their win in the Wedding Race.

Krystal is gifted with a gold tiara (because I can’t imagine Gary with one), her prize as the victor.

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