1 Night 2 Days: Episode 425

by girlfriday

EPISODE 425. Broadcast on February 10, 2013.

javabeans: We start the new episode at three freakin’ a.m, with the note that our producers are “on the way to pick up special guests.” How special are they that you’re dragging them out of bed at three freakin’ a.m.?

girlfriday: That’s not morning. You might as well call the trip 2 Nights 2 Days, No Food, No Sleep.

javabeans: That’s too long. It’ll have to just be Voluntary Suffering, or some such thing.

girlfriday: Our first guest is Olympic gold medalist Jang Mi-ran. Oh, isn’t she friends with Shi-kyung or something? Is that how they got her as a guest?

javabeans: I remember Shi-kyung being made to push around that huge millstone and shouting her name as his battle cry. She actually apologizes for sleeping in late.

girlfriday: Is it a joke or is she just that nice?

javabeans: She seems super nice, like, Oops, you said 3am and I came out at 3:10! I wonder if the show will toughen ‘em up (er, personality wise, I mean, not that they’re in any way lacking on the whole physical fitness front), or if they’ll just be really sweet guests who let Bird abuse them for kicks.

girlfriday: I’m sure the boys will have them yelling at Bird in no time. I can’t wait to watch them run races and do sporty games though, ‘cause that’ll be amusing. Remember jokgu when the soccer players were around?

javabeans: Weren’t they surprisingly NOT dominant in that? It was just dissimilar enough to their area of expertise to knock them off their game, but similar enough to still be embarrassing.

girlfriday: Exactly. Also super tense for no reason, other than pride.

javabeans: How cute, Jang Mi-ran explains that when she was first offered the guest spot, she had to ask if it was the 1N2D she knew and not some unknown other 1N2D. Like she wasn’t famous enough for it. I think when you win a gold medal, you’re famous enough.

girlfriday: They pick up two more Olympians — fencer Choi Byung-chul and taekwondo gold medalist Hwang Kyung-sun.

javabeans: As the athletes are driven in their separate vans, they’re asked what they’re worried about. Sleeping outside in the cold ranks high on the list.

girlfriday: They arrive one by one at the rest stop, and get transferred to another car. I think it’ll be fun ‘cause they’re at least friends with each other, so it’s less like three separate guests who are strangers.

javabeans: Elsewhere, the members convene and do the opening, ringing in the new (lunar) year. Ha, they all do the bowing rigamarole and hold expectant hands out to Seung-woo — the oldest traditionally gives money to the younger generation. He steadfastly bows every time someone bows to him, refusing to take that position as New Year’s ATM.

girlfriday: The new year is a good time to go on vacation when you’re the eldest. Bird tells Seung-woo to give the boys advice then, instead of money, so he goes around giving them hopes for the new year (Su-geun’s is to grow taller, Tae-woong’s is for his new baby, and he tells Tae-hyun to get some rest).

javabeans: Tae-hyun quips that it’s all Joo-won’s fault that his show didn’t get its glorious finish, though I’m glad Jeon Woo-chi at least pulled up into first place for its finale episode. Heh, I did wonder if they’d joked about it behind the scenes. Maybe Tae-hyun could make him do punishment push-ups or something, for stealing his thunder.

girlfriday: I was just thinking that — they should be meaner about it on camera, even if they’re super sweet about it behind the scenes. The maknae should give up his dinner for beating Woo-chi in the ratings game.

javabeans: Bird introduces their guests as people who are “pretty good at athletics.” Yeah, just a little. Seung-woo gets a peek at the guest list first, and stirs everyone’s curiosity by gushing about how fantastic they are, and even throwing in a bit of praise Bird’s way for scoring the guests.

girlfriday: He introduces Mi-ran first, and she comes out shyly, totally embarrassed at their cries of “Jang Mi-ran! Jang Mi-ran!” Su-geun lies down flat on the ground in front of her: “Pick me up! Pick me up!”

javabeans: How cute is it that she also calls him Bird PD? She must be a fan of the show. Su-geun makes her laugh by totally outing Jong-min, who had just moments before whispered into Su-geun’s ear, “I like her.” And she replies that Jong-min’s always texting his “mom” while on the show.

girlfriday: Aw, she watches the show. They ask her about the Olympic tracksuit that she gave to Shi-kyung (he wore it on the show once and the boys had all teased him about it) and she says she gave it to him because she heard him talk about exercising on the radio, and she’s a fan of his. How cute.

javabeans: I wonder if she and Shi-kyung bonded over their mutual love of food, which they briefly mention, only to have the guys anticipate some clashing with Bird down the line: “They give you nothing on this show!” In the car, Choi Byung-chul watches Mi-ran’s introduction and says he doesn’t get very nervous… while the camera pans down to show his shaking hands. Ha.

girlfriday: How funny, they ask Byung-chul when he arrives if Bird PD went to go meet him in person too like he did with Mi-ran, and he says no: “There are [fame] levels with athletes too.” Bird immediately starts stuttering in defense.

javabeans: Hwang Kyung-sun is introduced last, and gets Jong-min all excited because she’s purty. (She reminds me of Lee Yo-won.) We all know about his “mom” so I’m sure this is a bit he’s playing out, but it’s hilarious how he’s in the middle of this really embarrassing full-body squeal when she walks up behind him, all, WTF?

girlfriday: Yeah he’s like… fondling himself. Okay that sounds wrong. But he’s doing something embarrassing.

javabeans: It turns out Kyung-sun is a 1986-er so they ask what she thinks of Joo-won, all ready to pair up the maknaes. Cut to Jong-min, glaring fireballs at the twist in this fictional loveline. Haha, is this going to be a storyline in this trip? I hope it is. Jong-min wriggles his way next to them and issues his ultimatum: “Pick one, him or me!” She immediately shoves Jong-min away, LOL.

girlfriday: She does it before he even finishes the question, ha. And then his last-ditch effort is another round of solo slow-dancing with himself. Shi-kyung: “Is that what you do when you like someone?” Jong-min: “YES!”

javabeans: Bird explains how the athletes have all said they haven’t had any time to travel, so they’re taking a special train that runs along the seaside. The seats face the windows to capitalize on the view, which is nifty.

girlfriday: How cool. It’s vaguely like a moving aquarium or a ride at Disneyland. After the opening, Shi-kyung and Mi-ran chat for a moment, and then there’s this awkward silence and he’s like, “We’re not super close yet…” and just silently hands her the hand-warmer in his pocket, and gives the other one to Kyung-sun. Aw, is Mi-ran blushing?

javabeans: I love that she’s an actual fan of the show and the guys. I guess it’s a lot less awkward to bond with the guy, because in no time they’re totally feeling up Byung-chul’s legs and marveling at the rock-solid muscles.

girlfriday: And then all ten members squeeze into a van and head to their first stop. On the way, Jong-min yells all the way up from the back of the car, asking Mi-ran who her ideal type is. Byung-chul quips: “Not you!” Hee.

javabeans: Byung-chul adds that she likes guys who are solid and strong, and they decide Shi-kyung fits the bill the best. She totally has a crush on him, but she handles it really well by quipping that he’s not bad. Jong-min, in his characteristically amusing-but-tactless way, shouts, “DO YOU LOOOOOVE HIM?”

girlfriday: By the end of the trip, I want to see Jong-min in a headlock from either of the two girls, preferably both at once.

javabeans: I know, right? He’s cracking me up but he’s also being totally over-the-top. If it weren’t Jong-min (and we know he means well) it would be crass. Anyway, they arrive at the station and Bird hands Mi-ran his credit card to buy the train tickets, since neither she nor Kyung-sun have ever bought any (or ridden a train) before. That’s sweet. And also, the boys make grabs at the card and make sure to tell Mi-ran to hang on to it.

girlfriday: They get their tickets and find their sideways ocean-facing seats on the train and head out. They notice that there’s a Proposal Room on this train, and Jong-min can’t resist: “Kyung-sun, I have something to say to you…” Su-geun’s on the same wavelength we’re on: “I think we’ll be seeing a head-kick later.”

javabeans: During the ride, Tae-hyun asks Byung-chul about fencing and Seung-woo gets Mi-ran to talk about the foundation she started to help athletes after they retire, since they often don’t know what to do next or have the skills to enter the workforce. Aw, go you.

girlfriday: How cool is she?

javabeans: So cool. She has an awesome personality just as a person, but as a public figure she’s also got big ideas and a vision for helping people and it’s really nice to see.

girlfriday: I hope she gets a kiss from Shi-kyung by the end. Hee.

javabeans: That would be so cute, just to see her reaction. Anyway, Bird notes that they oughtta be feeling hungry and presents their lunch menu.

girlfriday: What? Endless crab? Why didn’t I get invited on this trip?

javabeans: Why does “endless refills” make me more worried than happy for them? Bird crushes a bit of their happy glow by clarifying that not everybody gets to enjoy, though. Of course not. I think he enjoyed delivering that news a bit too much.

girlfriday: They arrive and Bird says they’ll be playing a 5:5 race to win the all-you-can-eat crab lunch, and the two ladies will be team captains. He calls them out to the front and says they’ll play a game, and the winner gets to choose her entire team first. What?

javabeans: Whoa. Hardcore advantage.

girlfriday: I love that Tae-hyun, who’s always on the losing team, immediately gets whiny with Bird about these rules.

javabeans: This is cracking me up. Bird refers to “loser team” members (our perennial losers Seung-woo, Tae-woong, Tae-hyun), and Seung-woo pipes up to protest being called the loser team. Except that Bird didn’t actually name him as one of them—it’s just how they identify themselves now.

girlfriday: Mi-ran and Kyung-sun play a really simple word game, just repeating one word, one syllable at a time till someone trips up. Kyung-sun’s the first to falter, so Mi-ran gets to pick her whole team first. She naturally picks Su-geun, Shi-kyung, and Joo-won, and then looks around for the last member, and then decides on Tae-hyun.

javabeans: This is a major victory for Tae-hyun, although I’m going to crack up if Mi-ran’s team ends up losing anyway.

girlfriday: Haha, then he really is the jinx. For now, Tae-hyun acts like he just won the Olympics.

javabeans: Kyung-sun says the teams are too unfairly stacked and asks for one swap, which they agree to for the price of one high kick. She’s all, “Just kick?” Nope, that’s too easy — so we cut to Jong-min standing in front of her, eyes screwed shut. Hee. They should put an apple on his head. Jong-min mutters to himself over and over, “She’s the best in the world, this is nothing.” But then she advances and he jerks back reflexively. Dude, you’re less likely to get hurt if you just let the master do her thing.

girlfriday: Hahaha. Okay, seeing him flee was kinda worth it.

javabeans: HAHA, and then Mi-ran decides she won’t change the members after all, since this is variety and she can do that. I love it. Each team captain is given a photo of a nearby spot and the mission is to find that location, because that’s where they’ll get their car keys. Of they go a-runnin’. It looks like a tough job, but Joo-won finds his bench in three minutes.

girlfriday: They ain’t the winning team for no reason. I love that the whole time, Tae-hyun’s like, “It’s very different here.”

javabeans: It’s hilarious how Tae-hyun, Mi-ran, and Su-geun don’t even bother running — they’ve got Joo-won and Shi-kyung for that — and they hang out by the cars. But it doesn’t take Kyung-sun’s team much longer to find their key, so it appears to be a tight race.

girlfriday: When they reach the next beach, they have to choose between a nose and foot race, so Mi-ran chooses foot. It’s a team relay, where the first member hops on one leg, then next runs on two, the third is two boys tied together in a three-legged race, and the last has to run on all fours.

javabeans: Now I’m wondering what nose would’ve required… which we see with the next team, who are hot on their heels. Oh, it’s the elephant-nose of dizziness! Phew, foot was a good choice.

girlfriday: Yeah that’s for sure. The elephant team goes over their time limit because they keep falling, so they have to go again. Meanwhile, the foot team is doing well and it’s Joo-won’s turn to go on all fours… and what on earth… he’s crazy fast.

javabeans: He looks half-monkey, half… giraffe? Super long limbs and really strange, but effective, coordination.

girlfriday: I swear, at one point he’s going both arms first, then both feet, like an actual animal. It’s nuts. Su-geun: “You were like Gollum!”

javabeans: At least the nose team has a longer time limit than the feet, which seems fair. They get it on the second try, and then it’s on to “rail bikes,” this bike-golf-cart-railroad hybrid vehicle. You pedal like a bike and the thing is mounted on railroad tracks. The PDs take one rail-bike, and Mi-ran’s team pedals along behind them. At one point they complain that the PDs are going too slow — it’s Joo-won and Shi-kyung propelling them along — and Joo-won pedals up, deciding, “Imma hit them.”

girlfriday: Hee. He gets this crazy look in his eye: “I’m gonna do it! I’m gonna do it!”

javabeans: Don’t you love how Bird looks back at them, gasping out, “This is hard”? ‘Cause the PDs have to make their car go by pedaling too. They finish that leg and get back in the car for the last task, and now Shi-kyung’s grinning at the thought of food. They’re given a treasure hunt with each of five boxes containing a clue.

girlfriday: Mi-ran’s team arrives first and they get to choose between photo clues or object clues, and they go with photos. Off they go, clue hunting, and like clockwork, Joo-won finds the first clue in minutes. At least Kyung-sun’s team doesn’t arrive too far behind, so they quickly get into the game too.

javabeans: Byung-chul goes zooming off and leaving his VJ in the dust. Ha, you can see the moment when the VJ gives up, when he goes from running behind him to zooming from a standstill. Both teams start finding boxes here and there, but the clues make no sense as of yet.

girlfriday: What’s weird is that they’re clues to the same answer, but the object team keeps finding food, and the photos are nothing alike.

javabeans: Heh, there are two boxes bobbing in the water about twenty feet out, and nobody wants to go in, particularly Jong-min. Finally Shi-kyung just says screw it and goes after his box, and Kyung-sun follows to grab her team’s. Way to not impress the girl, Jong-min. Mi-ran’s team puzzles over the three photos they have… and Shi-kyung gets a brainwave. OOH. It’s another wordplay scenario, and he guesses it’s Olympic. Sure enough, the clues fit the pattern. They’re told the word isn’t “Olympic,” but I’m thinking it’s related.

girlfriday: They puzzle over it some more, and then Mi-ran wonders if it’s the Olympic rings, and radios the answer in. It’s right, and they get the combination to the final flag-pulling location. But then they encounter a problem at the last minute — they can’t find Tae-hyun anywhere.

javabeans: Joo-won runs up and down the pier screaming Tae-hyun’s name and finally finds him. This cracks me up, since Tae-hyun’s just ambling along looking for clues, while Joo-won the uber-competitive is shrieking, “I called you 500 times!”

girlfriday: It’s hilarious. Clearly, this is why one’s always on the winning team and the other is always losing. Tae-hyun’s just surprised, “We’re done already?” and Joo-won’s having like an aneurysm over the precious few seconds they’re losing.

javabeans: Dude, the clues for the other team are tricksy! It isn’t the food item on the plate, but the ringed plate itself — each one is the color of an Olympic ring. Shifty PDs. Kyung-sun’s team hazards a bunch of wrong guesses before finally landing on the right one… but Mi-ran’s team is already pulling up to the flag location.

girlfriday: So Mi-ran’s team wins lunch, which is probably a good thing, since they have the most grumpy bears on their team. There might’ve been tears.

javabeans: The losers are set up on a mat outside the restaurant (with a window giving them a view of the winners’ table, of course). But wait, Kyung-sun is inside with the winners. Flashback! Apparently Jong-min decided to make up for his lapse in chivalry by offering to soak himself in the ocean if the PDs would let her eat with the winners, and he’d trumpeted it grandly like this really big deal, only to have Bird agree right away. Heh.

girlfriday: Pfffft. His reaction is so, But I was only kidding and now I can’t back out! Into the ocean he goes.

javabeans: The losers get a pretty decent meal (for loser standards), which is a cup ramyun and a triangle kimbap. They’re quite pleased, actually — enough that Tae-hyun actually complains from the winning team. But that only lasts till the platters of crab come out for feasting. The losing team is having a nice bonding time over their meager lunch, asking Byung-chul about how hard training is and how it feels to be in a sport that isn’t popular. Byung-chul tells a cute story about how all athletes in the less-popular sports do have moments of that, but they get through it by knowing they’re not doing it for glory, except sometimes he does go out in public wearing his national tracksuit just for the thrill.

girlfriday: That’s so cute. Haha, inside Mi-ran starts to feel bad that Bird is just watching them eat (she’s new; she hasn’t had time to start hating him yet) so they offer him a crab leg. But then the air turns mutinous when the losing team sees him. Jong-min bangs on the glass and Bird crawls back immediately.

javabeans: I wonder how long they were at lunch. I know there’s editing in here, but they’re just eating, and eating, and eating…

girlfriday: Omg they eat forever. At some point, Kyung-sun, Tae-hyun, and Su-geun get their fill and stop, but Mi-ran, Joo-won, and Shi-kyung just KEEP going. Su-geun starts turning it into a crab-eating contest with his sports commentary, and even while they’re laughing, they’re still eating.

javabeans: Mi-ran chuckles along to the funny comments, but Joo-won and Shi-kyung have these serious faces on, focused completely on their food.

girlfriday: They’re like, Imma put this crab DOWN. They finally have to call it a draw because none of them will stop. After lunch, they take the bus into the village school where they’ll be staying for the night. The entire elementary school only has 15 students, and they announce that they’ll be doing a mini-Olympics with the kids tomorrow.

javabeans: How cute, they head to the school that’s still in session and surprise a class of kids, who gape in awe at the stars. The cast members and guests all introduce themselves like they’re new students in class, and tell the kids about tomorrow’s Olympics plan. Aw, Su-geun asks if they can walk the kids home from school, so they split up into groups and head off holding hands with the students.

girlfriday: That’s adorable. Next week: more games, and Jong-min gets his ass kicked.

 
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