1 Night 2 Days: Episode 436

by girlfriday

EPISODE 436. Broadcast on April 28, 2013.

girlfriday: Time for dinner bokbulbok games, brought to you by mud, mud, and more mud.

javabeans: Let’s hope there’s a decent meal for all at the end of the mud train, because lunch was really sad.

girlfriday: I don’t know what Hae-jin is smoking, but when Su-geun asks him what he wants to do about teams, Hae-jin says he’ll stick with his (losing) lunch team.

javabeans: Uh-oh. It’s like gambling fever. Double-or-nothing mania. Stubbornness over logic.

girlfriday: Yeah. Pride before brains. Not that I blame him for wanting to win, but still…

javabeans: I wonder if this is the kind of trip where he has to go home, eat a good meal, sleep, take a hot bath, and then finally regain his sanity before he realizes what even happened and how off-kilter he went.

girlfriday: All in the name of crab.

javabeans: So the first game is the triple jump, which may or may not be the official name, where you take off running and take three jumping steps to see who gets farthest. Jong-min (Team Hae-jin) wins the first one against Tae-woong (Team Su-geun), and then Su-geun beats Hae-jin.

girlfriday: It’s down to the Long Legs to play the final round, and though Shi-kyung gets pretty far, Joo-won soars, because um… he’s Gaksital.

javabeans: Aw. They should’ve been more strategic and not wasted Shi-kyung against Joo-won, who woulda killed it against anyone. But I don’t think strategy is the primary force right now.

girlfriday: But then the next game is mud-bucket-sledding, and Shi-kyung takes a big lead dragging his teammates back and forth while Tae-woong huffs and puffs to keep up.

javabeans: They’re tied one game each, so Su-geun suggests a quick game to end it. (Is this the hunger talking?) On to chicken-leg fighting, one-on-one, which is sure to end with lots more mud and maybe some tears.

girlfriday: Oh, I like this version, where each team calls out the player from the opposing team, so you can’t plan who goes up against whom. Could be funny.

javabeans: Shi-kyung and Tae-woong go up against each other, and both of them are really unsteady right from the start. How hilarious would it be if they didn’t even fight, and the loser just fell on his own? They’re so wobbly it just could happen.

girlfriday: Yeah there’s always the good ol’ mud.

javabeans: Omo, Tae-woong totally just falls over on his own! Muahaha. To be fair it looks like his foot sank into a hole, but this is Dog Feet and it’s just extra-hilarious this way. Also because if he’d stayed up on his feet (well, foot) any longer I suspect Shi-kyung might’ve gone down too.

girlfriday: I like that his strategy was to stay still while Shi-kyung attacked, but in the meantime he just sank further and further into the mud. Ha.

javabeans: For Round 2, the players that get picked are Joo-won and Hae-jin. Ha, Hae-jin just exclaims, “No way!” Su-geun asks if he’d rather go up against him, and Hae-jin goes, “…no, not you.” LOL.

girlfriday: Su-geun coaches Joo-won: “I want you to stick your knee in his upper lip.” HA. This is going to be over quickly, isn’t it? Oh man, this one’s a photo finish. They actually start falling at exactly the same time, but instead of both going down, Joo-won jumps up and lasts just a few seconds longer.

javabeans: Tae-hyun doesn’t last long against Su-geun, and then Hae-jin says he really thought for a moment he would have won his round. So they offer a winner-takes-dinner rematch between them… and Hae-jin goes down even less ceremoniously than the first time. Hehe. The results are not surprising, but they ARE sad.

girlfriday: Somehow this team ended up caked in mud all over, and starving all day.

javabeans: They’ll get something to eat, right? They won’t starve entirely? I hope? For his sake? Aw, so the whole crew heads to the marketplace where they’ll get their fresh crab, and there’s so much screaming and adoration that it’s really sweet. The boys even get a little verklempt at all the love as ajummas literally assault them with hugs.

girlfriday: It’s so cute. That one ajumma practically acts like Su-geun is her long-lost son.

javabeans: Just out of army. After a war. And from North Korea, maybe. It’s really cute. It seems like even the producers are caught off-guard by all the attention.

girlfriday: Soon the crowd gets bigger and bigger, and the cast and crew start tossing around ideas. I feel an impromptu concert coming on.

javabeans: Honestly, the crowd there is just as big as a concert crowd. So they divide into teams for a last-minute sing-off and give the guys ten minutes to recruit citizens who can sing to join them.

girlfriday: Tae-hyun and Tae-woong seem more interested in eating fish than winning the contest, but manage to recruit a pair of sisters for their team.

javabeans: And Shi-kyung drools as he tastes soondae. Hee, you’ve gotta take advantage of any chance to sneak food past the producers. Omo, so Su-geun asks one of the students to come onstage and say something about Taean, and this girl bolts up and gives this cute speech about how everyone rallied together to clean up the oil spill. And then she confesses that she applied for the viewer trip and got as far as a phone call, but thought it was a joke so she didn’t answer seriously, and mimes crying. All to lead into: “Can I hug Joo-won oppa just once?” Haha.

girlfriday: It’s so sweet. She totally has her OMGOPPA moment, but the rambling speech leading up to it is the best part. He hugs her and she dies of happiness. And then it’s time for the singing contest to begin.

javabeans: Don’t you love how the guys are loving the contest particularly because it gives them excuses to taste food? All in the name of highlighting the locale, of course. It’s for travel and information and everything!

girlfriday: Dude, Shi-kyung and Jong-min bro-hugging because the fish is so tasty? Made my day.

javabeans: Wow, soondae ajumma can SING. She sounds like a legit trot singer.

girlfriday: Aw, she says it was her dream to be a singer.

javabeans: Then it’s the boys’ turn to sing, and led by Hae-jin they belt out that traveling anthem “To That Place.” I do think the concert got edited down quite a bit, but I suppose in this case I don’t mind because we got all the good stuff.

girlfriday: Yeah it was just long enough not to get boring but still get the highlights. Then it’s time to head to basecamp for dinner, which looks a lot like lunch. As in, a happy Tae-woong, Su-geun, and Joo-won, and a sad foursome sitting at an empty table.

javabeans: Yes, different seafood, same unhappiness. The winners take initial tastes of their dishes, describing them in loving detail to the hungry losers.

girlfriday: How truly sad: Hae-jin actually asks for more crab-shaped crackers. New PD hands them four empty gourds instead, and tells them to scoop their own rice from the kitchen.

javabeans: Shi-kyung points out that they need some sort of saltiness to make this edible, because it’s literally a bowl of rice and water. Hae-jin starts to ask for any sort of crumbs from the losers, gets denied, and exclaims, “I’m so sad!”

girlfriday: But Tae-hyun, expert loser that he is, scootches over next to Joo-won and tempts the winners to have a taste of his delicious rice, and helpfully suggests that they can repay him with any other dishes, “in accordance with how tasty it is.” Ha. He’s got this down to an art.

javabeans: Yeah, for some reason his explanations almost, not-really-but-a-tiny-bit sound reasonable, while the others just look like sad beggars as they crowd around asking the same thing.

girlfriday: And Hae-jin is still struggling with his pride enough that he’d rather steal right under their noses than beg.

javabeans: After dinner, the boys’ conversation returns to a familiar one of who’s the ugliest, now that a new member has arrived to shake up the standings. (They say “ugly” but it’s an overall ranking of which guy is most appealing according to the female staffers, which Tae-hyun won last time and for which Su-geun took last place.)

girlfriday: Su-geun and Jong-min go at it again with the 6th/7th-place bickering, and here’s the funniest statement of the night, courtesy of Kim Jong-min: “I got to be a singer because of my looks!”

javabeans: There’s this moment of silence after that that makes it extra-hilarious. And Hae-jin admits he’s suuuuper nervous that he might be in last place, especially since he’s so new that they haven’t had time to get to know him yet.

girlfriday: Omo, are they actually doing a beauty contest?

javabeans: They totally are. They come out one by one, lined up in front of a crowd of all the ladies who work on the show, and literally strut and pose, almost like it’s a dating show where they’re trying to sell themselves as the perfect match. It’s hilarious and embarrassing.

girlfriday: This is so awesome. I also love that Food Truck Ajumma is in the front row and having a grand ol’ time.

javabeans: Su-geun: “Can we go topless?” New PD: “You can do whatever you want.” Jong-min: “Can we go bottomless?” Caption: “We’ll call the police.”

girlfriday: The winner of the contest wins grilled fish, and the first category will be… log-splitting? That’s random.

javabeans: I like that it’s so random, ’cause you can’t get too real about it otherwise feelings get hurt, and bromances get fractured. We wouldn’t want that.

girlfriday: *gasp* No. This is just for bragging rights. And fish.

javabeans: Hee, Tae-hyun barely chips his log, but Tae-woong takes off an impressive chunk that merits a slo-mo replay of all the ladies’ reactions. Then Jong-min goes with grand promises…and misses entirely. Was that on purpose (like he says) or totally accidental?

girlfriday: With Jong-min, both are entirely possible.

javabeans: What cracks me up is that this activity is almost moot. The ladies are going to interpret based on how they already like the boys. For example, Jong-min is hilarious, but Shi-kyung (who takes a few tries before splitting his log) is manly and cool. Joo-won gets his ax stuck at first, but even after he’s all, Ehn! Ehn! trying to free it with a foot, one of the women whispers, “So good-looking.” HAHA.

girlfriday: Su-geun makes a useless display of doing the world’s shortest cartwheel, and then picks a log half his height… but then he splits it right down the middle on his first try. Despite the activity having nothing to do with looks, judging from the crowd reaction, he totally just won some manly man points.

javabeans: So does Hae-jin, who gets a big reaction for his log split. HA, food truck ajumma even sends him a heart with her arms. The next game is a variety staple: Men choose lady partner, and hold her in whatever way for as long as he can. Tae-hyun chooses the woman from the wagon race earlier, and Shi-kyung chooses food truck ajumma. Ha, why does that not surprise me? He’s probably over there more than anybody.

girlfriday: I love that Tae-hyun’s partner already has a variety nickname before the game even starts. They’re calling her Rio, short for “wagon fairy.” They all line up to start the game, and while everyone else prepares to piggyback, Jong-min goes for the princess carry and gets a round of squeals. But then literally as soon as he picks her up, he’s already putting her back down. Pffft.

javabeans: The lifting begins, and to make it worse, they have to squat and rise on the PD’s count. Some of the guys do better than others (Shi-kyung’s gonna win, easy), while Tae-hyun struggles and finally Rio hops off first to spare him the back pain. Hae-jin’s next to go, and then Su-geun just falls back from his squat.

girlfriday: Dude, this is totally like dramaland hero bootcamp.

javabeans: Wow, Joo-won actually outlasts Shi-kyung and takes this round. Then it’s time to vote, and Su-geun starts the ballot reading. Jong-min surprises them (himself included) by getting the first vote… but the reason is: “Because I don’t think he’ll get votes.” Aw, and ha.

girlfriday: He’s like, whatever, pity vote’s still a vote! But he looks like he might cry.

javabeans: Shi-kyung gets a vote with the reason: “When he was splitting firewood, he looked intellectual.” Hee. That’s his charm.

girlfriday: Hae-jin and Su-geun each get a vote, but then starts the wave of Tae-hyun love. Vote after vote it’s all “Rio’s Man Tae-hyun” and hearts all over the votes. So cute. Also just goes to show that people are gonna vote the same way, test of manly strength or no.

javabeans: Tae-hyun wins the vote and the fish prize. At least he got to eat a little more than normal this time!

girlfriday: And he shares his winnings with Rio. Heh. Poor Tae-woong gets last place, and he consoles himself while gazing at his wedding ring, “It’s okay, I’m married now so it’s fine.” You don’t look like it’s fine.

javabeans: But as the boys wait around for the next phase, they try to guess what’s in store for sleepytime bokbulbok. Only to be told there is none because they’ll all be sleeping indoors. Of course that just makes them extra suspicious…

girlfriday: That can only mean something really bad, like climbing a mountain in the morning or fishing in the middle of the night. Eep, fishing it is. New PD says that two of them will be heading out on a boat at three in the friggin’ morning.

javabeans: The game is pretty clever: They’ll listen to somebody eating, and have to guess what it is. If they guess right, they get to eat the food. Way to motivate! They block their noses (with noseplugs or wadded up tissue) and listen through a paper door. Nobody guesses jajangmyun right, though there are a lot of noodle guesses.

girlfriday: That’s just crazy. It totally sounds like jajangmyun!

javabeans: But we can see it! I would’ve guessed ramyun for sure. It’s hard because you have to guess the exact dish, not just “noodles.” This is really hard, because for the second one we’re given the sound but not the visual, and it’s crunchy, but what KIND of crunchy? They guess things like carrots, raw potato, cucumber… I’d guess celery.

girlfriday: Sounds like radish kimchi? Su-geun guesses plain radish, and the PD seems almost like he’s ready to give him the point, but decides no. Oh, because it’s yellow radish. Yeesh.

javabeans: The third one is also crunchy, and maybe juicy. I’m going with apple. That’s the first guess by Hae-jin, and he gets it right. Woo! Oh, he doesn’t win an apple but gets to be the taster for the next round, and he bites in with gusto. Crunch crunch. Ha, it’s not much of a prize, though, since it’s just ice (which Joo-won guesses correctly).

girlfriday: Aw, not even anything tasty? Though I suppose getting to sleep through the night is the real prize.

javabeans: Shi-kyung guesses Joo-won’s food right away, and it’s lemon. Dude, now we’re going into punishment territory, not even prize.

girlfriday: Doesn’t Joo-won actually LIKE lemons? I’m thinking Shi-kyung’s guess is based on the player, not the sound.

javabeans: But that’s coincidence. For anyone else it would’ve been terrible.

girlfriday: Shi-kyung’s guess is smart though, because he knows the PDs would only give that food to someone who could have a poker face after. Shi-kyung eats his mystery food sideways, like a corn on the cob, maybe? Sounds crunchy though. And Tae-hyun just tosses out an answer and gets it right. Wow, is he actually having a good luck day?

javabeans: We’re down to the last three guys—Tae-woong, Su-geun, Jong-min—which means that there’s only one more safety berth left. The other two get to go fish. Haha, and then we actually get a montage of all the times Tae-woong has gone fishing.

girlfriday: That’s a lot of times. But whoo, Tae-woong actually wins this time, which means Jong-min and Su-geun are goin’ fishing. I love that Joo-won runs over to hug him as soon as he wins.

javabeans: It’s adorable. Joo-won’s love for Tae-woong is an easy punchline, but I love that it’s also real.

girlfriday: And when Su-geun and Jong-min try to fake excitement over getting to eat crab ramyun on the boat, Joo-won quips: “Which you’ll throw up right after!” Hee.

javabeans: See, he really IS feeling sassier these days. Wow, Tae-hyun actually gets to sleep indoors for once! Note that it took PD intervention to make it happen. (He jokes that tonight is the night the ceiling will cave.) They’re also told their morning mission for the remaining members, which will result in the two losers having to cook for the others. So… it’s a punishment twofer tomorrow, is that it?

girlfriday: That’s mean. You have to cook but you can’t eat? Ha, Tae-hyun’s like, “That’s cool, see what happens if I lose.” Shi-kyung warns him and Tae-woong to be on the winning side, for all their sakes.

javabeans: At the butt-crack of dawn, Su-geun and Jong-min are roused from sleep and taken to their boat, where even the fisherman tells them it’s bad weather and “You’ll have to suffer a bit today.” They head out to catch baby octopus, which is a more labor-intensive experience than I’d thought—rather than casting a net as with fish, they send out yards and yards of line with seashells affixed to them, then reel in the line and pull out the octopus hiding inside the shell.

girlfriday: I don’t know why, but that activity looks really satisfying. Kinda like popping bubble wrap.

javabeans: The others get to sleep in a bit longer, though Hae-jin wakes up (once again) before the morning bell. He washes and gets ready, so he’s the first one out the door when the alarm rings, and finds the game: Dress yourself in ajumma pants, galoshes, gloves, and hat, but you can’t use your hands to pull on the pants. Hehe.

girlfriday: Er? How do you put on pants without your hands? Oh, with lots of writhing and wriggling, I see.

javabeans: Everyone struggles with the pants, but Tae-woong figures out this bicycling motion that works, and he quips, “The unpopular guy should at least do this game quickly.” They can get the pants on their legs but struggle to pull them up, till Tae-woong discovers he can use a shovel handle as a tool. OMG, but Joo-won is over on the side, trying to pull up the crotch of his pants with his teeth. So.. many… inappropriate… jokes.

girlfriday: Must… not… pick… low-hanging fruit. Whoops. Too late.

javabeans: I didn’t even realize Shi-kyung hadn’t joined them, and he’s still sleeping. Did he decide to just take one for the team and cook? It works out, with Joo-won as his sous chef, and they prepare a pretty impressive breakfast spread.

girlfriday: And to think, he could’ve just volunteered to help Chef Shi-kyung without the pants fiasco. At least they get to eat with the winners. And on the boat, Su-geun and Jong-min throw an octopus into their morning ramyun and eat with the captain.

javabeans: After breakfast, they split up into teams of Land and Air, which just means two guys get to go up in a tiny plane (Tae-woong, Tae-hyun) while Hae-jin, Joo-won, and Shi-kyung take a nature walk. Air looks way cooler, especially when Tae-woong gets a chance to pilot and totally geeks out.

girlfriday: Okay, THAT’s cool.

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