Yeo Jin Gu!! I love that he didn't sound or look like a kid, yet he totally acted like one.

Grow up fast, Jin Gu yaa...

As far as fan made episodes go, I much prefer this to the An Hyemi one, mainly because this one had loads of action, which I loved. And name tag ripping makes a comeback after what? 6 weeks? It's been sorely missed.

The first game, I was not very enthused about, simply because I really am not a fan of the accupressure mats. Gary's comment about the blob game, that "Even if you spent a lot on the game, it doesnt mean you have to use it all the time" to me applies to the accupressure mats as well.

The second game was much much better. Two of the three games were very much repeated - the spring board chairs and blob jump. But Irene managed to introduce new elements to it, making them very interesting. You could feel the adrenalin rush when the top three teams were rushing to finish off first. I loved the "first to 30m" rule and the live scoreboard, made things very exciting. I was surprised though, that none of Yeo Jin Goo, In Si Wan or Jong Kook jumped the 10m platform. If any of Si Wan or Jong Kook, it would have given their team the win. Surprised Jong Kook settled for 7.5m, since he jumped 10m in ep 4, but I believe his back was hurting given the number of times he was touching his back during the game. Newfound respect though for the Easy Brothers who jumped 7.5m each, especially Suk Jin. I thought the best strategy was to do the diving last, since in a way, you can control the distance. If you knew you were lagging behind after the first 2 games, then just pick the highest height and jump to make up the difference. But this is coming from someone who has no fear of heights, so maybe the others feel differently. For eg I'm sure if Easy Brothers had done the diving first, they would not have jumped 7.5 each, but since it was their last game, they knew it was 7.5 or nothing and that spurred them on.

The last game was so good, so good. It was not just action but alot of strategy as well. Irene showed how the show can still inject new elements into name tag ripping 182 episodes in. Whether it be producer interference or genuine coincidence, I loved the fact that the two strongest RM members, Jong Kook and Gary, were placed as soldiers. This for the large part negated the physical prowess they had. Jong Kook's face lighting up upon hearing he could tear the general was brilliant.

While a lot of people focused on the last 5 person showdown, I thought the part where Jong Kook and Ji Hyo tore Jae Suk and Suk Jin in succession was very awe-inspiring also. It was not so much who they eliminated, but how quickly they did it.

Blue team's strategy really did them in. Sure Si Wan was out early (poor him, forever anointed as Idol Race Starter) but the other 4 should have stuck together. Instead, only Jong Kook and Ji Hyo as usual stuck like glue while Haha and Kwang Soo were left to roam. And I must say Gary read their tactics very well, knowing exactly how Jong Kook would shield Ji Hyo. Gary making sure Do Hee and Jin Goo stayed together with him at all times, was to me, what won the game for the Red Team. Rare to see, but Gary out-manoveured Jong Kook and Ji Hyo this time round. Great job to him.

Can I just say, the way Jong Kook shielded Ji Hyo like a real man - can I buy such a soldier for myself? That was swoonworthy cool

Well done Irene!

I really like this episode. The HK fan did a great job and as well as the production team in translating the girl's vision. Yeo Jin Goo was so fun to watch. I hope they invite him again or maybe become a semi member of the group.

This was a very good and entertaining episode. The rules of the game were all well-thought and very fair. Guests were quite active. And it's quite touching the fangirl was able to realise her dreams~ :)

The part where both teams were about to face off, and then there's Kwangsoo who was on his way to elimination, that part was hilarious. XD Such perfect timing. Haha.

They cut out so much from the episode. Honestly they should have made it two episodes since they cut out a significant portion of each game, one game in its entirety and the nametag race was bare-bones. Editing could have been better too. I honestly wonder why the show always releases photos from the episode that later are cut from the actual episode.

Despite that I thought the episode was good. I enjoyed the selection of teams and how they were formed. It was interesting to see how they switched up for the final mission and the rules that limited the play for certain characters. I also like the idea of pairs that switch from game to game. We didn't get to see a ton of interaction because of the limited time each game got, but I enjoyed seeing them interact with different people. Haha stood out to me when his partner Do-hee was unable to jump from a high distance but he still cheered her on as if she had jumped from 10 meters.

The guests were pretty good, Yeo Jin-goo was very active. Si-wan was adorable when he got flustered over being the first one out. I remember liking Do-hee during the episode, but I can't remember anything in particular she did to generate that goodwill.

Like I said earlier the games were severely edited but they were all good. I didn't mind the acupuncture mats for once. I don't think I would hate them as much as I do if they weren't forced to do the missions over and over. Time-based winning seems like a better idea. I liked all the water games too but they were pretty much all over the place.

Oh! That reminds me. I'm so proud over Ji Suk-jin for diving 7.5 meters. I still remember him jumping off 3.5 for the second episode. He's really come so far.

And Gwang-soo was cute when he was fangirling over the set of YFAS. Cuuuuuuuuute.

AND there was a lot of fun with the cast in the opening.

I loved when Jong-kook found out he could tear off the General's nametag and Jae Suk's realization that he put Jong kook in that position. haha.

During the final name tag elimination The Cho team were traveling in a big group so they had the advantage. When Jong-kook and Ji-hyo were paired together I thought they had chance, especially after the awesome way they eliminated Suk-jin and Jae-suk (and seriously... I love the running theme of Jae-suk smelling when Ji-hyo is near). The longer Gary stayed in the game though, I though their chance diminished and that proved true. I did want to see Jin-goo go against Ji-hyo though so I was a bit annoyed that Gary intervened but it was the smart decision for his team so I got over that quickly.

Slightly OT: This was Myuk PD's last episode, which really does bum me out. But I hope they make the best of things and try for an even more awesome show.

Another slightly OT mention: In the comments of last week's recaps someone mentioned something about Ji-hyo and Jong-kook dating. It was surprising to me so when I didn't get a response I goggled it but all I could find was some fanfiction and tumblrs. They aren't really dating are they?

Anyone else surprise that Gary couldn't jump off the diving board when he has in previous episodes like in episode 4, and during the 2nd idol olympics.

Thanks for the recap, Gummimochi!

Interjecting fresh blood to dream up an entire episode was terrific - the weekly RM team must have thought they died and spent vacation time in heaven!
This was a tightly paced show but I really wish that the competition showed ALL the teams and how they scored (like our Monday Couple holding hands at the water jump to go together off the platform, and then what?! It was never shown.)
If I have one ongoing complaint, it's that this type of editing is, and has been, really obvious this season and last. I want to see each member perform, not just the top three scoring teams.
BTW, thanks for the Mahjong explanation, Gummimochi. I was thinking it was a chess game - King, bishop, knight, rook, pawn - just 'easternized'.
:)

I loved this episode! I really appreciate the fact that the writers / producers of Running Man incorporate good ideas when they see them. This is the second (correct me if I'm wrong) fan-made race that they've done and it doesn't disappoint. Irene did a great job of incorporating signature RM games and putting her own little spin on them.

I think that my favorite part of the episode would have to be the water games. For me, it was exciting and inspiring to see Yoo Jae Suk and Dohee face their fears, espeically YJS. I've seen him on different shows and he always gets nervous about heights, but when it comes to a challenge YJS does what he needs to do. He isn't called the Nation's MC for nothin'!

Lastly, it was cool that she got to be with the RM cast throughout the day watching them play the games. As a Runner, I would be thrilled if I got that oppurtuinity. I hope that this episode will inspire the writers / producers to bring the classic style of RM and fuse it with the new.

Great episode, games and guests. Maybe that'll show the PD what fans like to see? No more of those silly cooking missions.

Great way to send Myuk PD off! It's weird to think he's not behind the camera annoying the cast anymore.
Thanks for everything Myuk PD, thanks for getting Ji Hyo to join Running Man and bringing her to us!

I don't understand how Jihyo's elimination was valid. Can someone explain it to me? I thought if someone was of lower rank then elimination doesn't count. Wasn't Gary of a lower rank than Jihyo?

This was such a great episode! I wonder if there will start to be a lot of fan-made episodes now.

Did anyone else notice in the first game, when they were pairing up, as soon as the PD said they would choose partners, Ji Hyo and Shi Wan immediately linked arms. It caught my attention, but then no one said anything, and everyone seemed surprised that he picked her. (Just a random observation.)

Best episode in a while.

Are Jong Kook and Ji Hyo slipping? I'm pretty sure back in the day that final confrontation Jong Kook and Ji Hyo would have won in 2, 3 seconds tops.

I just one to say that.. Thank you to irene who create this fun chess games is awesome!!! And that yeo jin goo actor.. he's voice.. wow!!! I like that kind of voice...remind me of top big bang and lee soo hyuk..

his episode is way better than i had expected -- i wish there were more episodes like this, where they keep you guessing and hanging until the end.

a few highlights:
-- the funny introductory segment (great spontaneous exchange between the guest and RM cast)
-- Gary and LKS groaning and moaning through the first race (made more enjoyable by the loving comfort of that torture mat hahaha). Kwang-soo's weird moves only made things worse for Gary. i was torn between sympathy and laughter, but laughter easily won out -- in fact, i was laughing so hard, tears leaked out of my eyes.
-- LKS hilariously falling off (twice) that giant airbag.
-- Jae-suk's clever ploy of switching KJK's position to that of a "pawn" (soldier), a move that eventually proved to be bad news for him LOL!
-- Jae-suk recognizing Ji-hyo's perfume just as he and Suk-jin were about to walk into KJK's trap. it made me laugh to see Ji-hyo's flabbergasted expression and how she took a sniff at herself afterwards. **maybe it's time to change her perfume?**
-- the nametag ripping game worked out well because most of them were not aware of the rank of the other players and who their actual teammates were. the outcome could have gone either way. if only the Green team had not been so spread out and had they been able to work as a group, they would have won I think (the SpartAce combo is formidable).
-- it's also nice that they have young athletic guests who are willing to go through the sheer physicality of these games (no pandering to guests this time, fortunately).

all in all the games had an air of unpredictability that "refreshed" the show's concept. Kudos to Irene (of HK) for coming up with this setup. good job!

1) (being) chased
2) fast
3) forget (it)
4) ?
5) durian

I really enjoyed this episode, and the reveal at the end, that the fan had been there all along, was really sweet. It was high intensity, and fun. I wish they'd do this more often - mix things up a bit, rather than reusing the same formula again and again.

In the group photo with the cast at the end, it looks like the fan is holding KJK's name tag. Aww, he must have given it to her as a souvenir. *squee*

This was the best show ever! Well, I have only seen about 20 of them - I am trying to catch up by watching all the oldie ones.

I really had tears squirting out of my eyeballs I was laughing so hard. The scene where Gary and Kwang-soo were in the horse costume had me gasping for breath - so friggin funny!

The filming and editing of the water events was incredible. It was like a 5 ring circus. Every one stepped up for great entertainment.

I admit I was a little confused with all the rules - but that didn't impede the fun factor.

Ji hyo being bounced into orbit with the blob contest was so cool.

Running Man rocks!!

This was a very good episode as we get to see the cast together in most scenes! To be honest, most of it is not new but the way Irene planned it out was great and fun! The scriptwriters can definitely get ideas from her =) It was a fun episode especially the name tag race at the end with the different levels.

my favorite part was dohee's introduction. hahahahahaha. their reactions made me fall over and heave. it was hilarious. although my favorite guest was still jin gu, he was so adorable. i would love to see him as a member i can imagine him being taken in under jongkook's wing, the other exception being yonghwa of course! very enjoyable episode

What are we waiting for? Let's push for a "Letter from the Beanies" special on Running Man!! (Heh heh)

I love the music they play when YJS has to summon all his courage. This was a really fun episode, they should do fan-submitted ideas more often.

Best episode in a while! Maybe Irene can join the writers and develop more games. Too many memorable moments to list, but I'm happy that the red team won with Gary's name tag ripping strategy.

Yeo Jin Gu is one helluva charismatic young man. His star potential is going to shine bright for a very very long time.

Love this episode! Shout out to Ji Suk jin for jumping off 7.5m!!

Great episode, special thanks to the wonderful work of Irene.

The nametag race is really fun to watch. Naming them with the chinese chess names, but incorporating the rules of animal chess actually works well.

For animal chess, the rules are something like, eg, the elephant is bigger than tiger > dog > cat > rat is the smallest, but the rat can kill the elephant.

Gary is really not to be triffled with. I can understand now why people voted for him after KJK during the Gong Yoo episode. He knows exactly how to counter the spartace combo here and the cold calculating way that he planned out the christmas episode gives me the shivers. lol. He probably feels responsible for the 2 guests under his charge and decided to get serious. He clowns around and plays the fool all the time but in actual fact his abilities are scary. And he has gained the ability to lie well already. Yikes.

Small nitpick, the show misspelled the character for Canon. The word they used 包 (bao) is for "bag". The correct character for canon is 炮 (pao), with a "fire" character at the side.

I really liked this episode!! The whole concept is refreshing and it's even better that the idea was from a international fan! Only shows how popular and much loved RM is by the international fanbase.

Someone mentioned 'producer interference' earlier, and that's exactly what bugs me the most for this otherwise fantastic episode. Usually I'm one of those who close one eye and just enjoy the show for what it is, but when the interference becomes too obvious, then it gets a bit grating. Especially towards the end when Haha says that the whole day has been Fun and FAIR, since the fan has indeed planned the day's activities quite well. I really enjoyed watching most of the episode a lot, and must applaude Irene for her creativity. The Chinese Chess pieces bring me back to my school days and lots of great memories, so the name tag ripping segment was something I really looked forward to.

Gary and Ji Hyo: I'm sorry, but colour me speechless when Gary was made to show that he was scared of jumping that 5 metres. He'd just done the blob jump, so what was the big deal? The Monday couple simply disappeared! It's KANG GARY for god's sake, he's like the second commander known to take others out and perform feats that rival the Commander - he's had more significant solo wins than Jong Kook definitely. I was half expecting both he and Ji Hyo to tackle at least 7.5m, but they were both unceremoniously removed from screen. Someone mentioned that they might have simply stopped playing, like Haha and Dohee, since it was pointless to, but at the end of the second segment, Ji Hyo looked significantly wetter (with a towel over her and everything) than when she was first shown to be up at the 5 m board with Gary. I do believe they did jump but somehow the producers chose to focus on the other three teams for impact, deciding that this week wasn't 'MC week.

Jingu: gosh could this kid get any more airtime? It was so blatantly obvious that the producers wanted to show him off as much as they could. Poor Si Wan was relegated to the background - the fact that his first round with Ji Hyo wasn't even shown already implies that he was the token guest compared to Jingu and Dohee. And when Jingu and Dohee ended up in the Red Team, I knew this team was going to win. The whole episode was filled with scenes of Jingu, since for all three games he's always at the top. Perhaps it's his youth and athleticism that the producers chose to highlight during this episode, but for the first time in a while, I felt irked by their interference, because it was too obvious (IMHO). This is a very different case from Lee Jong Suk and the other two female guests the last episode, because LJS was the male lead from the very beginning of the ep, and even then the producers couldn't ensure that he won, so that's still okay. For this ep, the Jin Gu love was way overwhelming. And I have had no prior knowledge to this young actor, so it's not like I'm hating or anything.

Kwang Soo: despite his irritating screaming for no reason, these days I've found him a little more tolerable since he's shown that he can use his brains and play the games properly if he wants to/ if he's allowed to by the producers. His Giraffe image is the more popular one that has won him fans though, so naturally the producers would want him to appear as such more. If this episode turned out the way it did due to producer interference, then there's nothing much to say. But if it's not, then I wouldn't understand why Kwang Soo would separate himself from Jong Kook and Ji Hyo, and aim for screen time with his worthless, irritating pandering to the camera in that Drama set. I've always...

'Cont

I've always felt that Kwang Soo was capable of working together with his teammates if he's allowed to do so, but for this ep, he wasn't. And can someone tell the producers that enough is enough? I mean yes we know it's variety, but how much more do we have to swallow of him shouting and screaming for no real good reason? I did like his saying THANK YOU VERY MUCH to Irene after the acupuncture pressure mat round, but his incessant yelling sometimes really grates my nerves. Anyway as mentioned by a few comments earlier, it was due to his goofing around OR purposely being removed from SpartAce that led to the team's loss. If not, he would definitely prove a worthy opponent together with his teammates. And to be fair to him, I think his couple moments with Ji Suk Jin were really good this ep - when he's ALLOWED to be competitive and win legitimately and not just worry about screentime and thus acting as wacky as he can. So yeah, I think the biggest interference (if that's really what's happened here) for the episode.

Jong kook: he really needs to work on a few things. His strategy of hiding until the end has proven to be wrong on many occasions (the Avengers ep and the horrendously skewed Law of the Jungle ep), so I'm not sure if its his injury again or the producers that've once again led him to apply this flawed move. I guess it makes sense for them to lure their prey, but without a third party present, SpartAce were doomed even before the last showdown with the remaining three Red Team members. And of course he couldn't do ANYTHING against a female opponent AT ALL since he has his image to protect right? We've all watched the Commander perform awesome feats of strength, so it seemed just too blatant when he was pinned down like that by a VERY small Dohee. Sigh.

Once again, I'm not complaining because I didn't enjoy the episode or because the Ace/ Monday Couple did not win (I've enjoyed many episodes when that's happened). It's just that I've always chosen to sit on the fence when it comes to the scripting debate, but for this episode, I'm really teetering towards believing that it really happens.

Such a great episode & enthusiastic guests. YJS, JSJ, LGS jumping off 7.5 m board was a big deal for them. Everyone was motivated. Gary was a good oppa/hyung to the kiddos. What a unforgettable experience for the fangirl. I love this show, but I've never thought off a mission, let alone a whole day of missions. I was thinking that Jihyo was pooped due drama schedule, but she didn't take it easy on that deep voiced cutie during the nametag elimination.

Can RM please add Irene to their production team? Seriously, this episode was so well thought out and action packed. One of the best RM episodes so far I think.

Great episode, props to Irene! And finally some name tag tearing action!

I got really curious about the video proposal Irene sent in, so I went looking for it and found it.

The link's below, if you are interested. I have to say, the production team only used about half of her ideas.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1adigz_rm-x-chinese-new-year-proposal_fun

Wong - thanks for posting the link to Irene's video. I was curious about the complete original. Did the filming match up with her trip to South Korea? Well, regardless, I guess she made the dates match when she was invited. So fun!

Boring episode with fresh ideas.. Contradicting? Yes because KJK did not show his power of dominance. Especially lose to female guests. Spartacus moment is a let down.

Exciting? Yes, Gary is getting better and has always being good in strategizing.

Admiring? Yes Yoo Jae Suk and easy brothers overcome their fears.

Disappointing? Yes, nobody jump from 10m. The repeat use of acupuncture mat

Irritating? Yes. LEE KWANG SOO

Funny? The math hyungs

Teamwork? Not enough to meet the mark

Overall? Average

PLEASE STOP NEGATIVE COMMENTS...!!!!
running man members and staffs suffer a lof to give us laugh....THE NEGATIVE COMMENTS WILL AFFECT OTHER RUNNERS AND READERS....PLEASE !!!1

Pretty decent ep, tho I would have liked more fun banter amongst the cast members themselves and w/ the guests, but the games weren't really conducive to that.

Yeo Jin-gu is a fierce competitor and at just 16, already has a manlier physique (not to mention voice) than much older actors like Lee Jong-seok - who has the body of an 11 year old.

Dohee is pint-sized but such a cutie (esp. when she talks tough in satoori); totally hilarious/cute that she only did the 1M dive.

Would be great to have them both back on RM in the future.

In the blob jump, Yeo Jin-gu timed his jump perfectly w/ his partner - where they hit the inflated blob at the exact same time w/ their rears, sending up YJS almost as high as Ji-hyo even tho YJS is a good bit heavier.

The final facedown in the name-tag game was pretty epic due to Gary's clever stratagem; love how pint sized Dohee went all out on Kookie who, as usual, was helpless against a woman.

Suk-jin, as usual, messed things up so both he an YJS got eliminated quickly in progression.

The name-tag ripping game is always better when there is an interesting twist to it like in this ep. (it was kinda of a bore in the dble Big Bang eps).

i love yeo jin goo here!!! well. i just live him in almost all of his dramas that's why i am happy seeing him guesting here in RM! this episode is DAEBAK! i miss the kind of action, fun and laughter in previous episodes that's why i really enjoy this! i love RM!

well, since song joongki hasn't come back, how about making yeo jingu a permanent Running Man cast member instead? ;D

Spartace!!!! I love this combination. Too bad Kwang Soo wondered away himself... That make me wonder is it script? I mean they could have stick together like the red team!!!!!!

just want to ask..
do anyone know the title of the song when irene meet and give the gold to the RM members in person?? pls. anyone answer my question.. thank you :)

Did Kwangsoo have a camera strapped to his foot during the acupuncture mat race? O.o

i like this episode, the idea is very creative and the cast was so funny as well! anyway, i'm wondering how we, as a fan, could contribute in giving ideas for the program just like Irene?? thanks =)

As much i am a fan of running man, i always hate when scripting is involved, even the editing is messed up, seem the PD & Editor love Yeo Jin-gu so much that the other guest and running man member didn't get enough air time,

So many thing wrong with this episode like for example

They didnt even show Im Shi-wan & SJH, Jaesuk & Sukjin in the first game,

Jihyo & Gary and Haha-Dahee suddenly gone in second game

The PD and the editing state that they win with only 5 sec different between the 1st and 2nd team, and 2 sec different for the 2nd team and 3rd team, and yet if you look closely you will know that the 2nd team Im Shi-wan And Kim Joong Kook still looks the 1st team when they made the goal, from the bottom floor near the stair, and when Sukjin Jumps and kwangsoo cheer (55m46sec), it show Jongkook still at the blob jump, and 1st team just standing still looking at kwangsoo, which means its more than 7 second different as stated, more like minutes

and the last game is full of controversy as well , Jin-Gu said he didn't know haha rank and yet it show he switch his chess piece with haha at the last game. and they also didn't show why he chose to look haha chess piece since there is much more stronger member like KJK, Gary, Jaesuk that he should worry.

And why did LKS run off on his own after he meet jihyo and jong kook, when his rank is second lowest,

also i always hate when Gary never show his true skill at nametag game, he did in this episode and yet KJK who didn't show his skill, i meant he just lying there leaving Ji Hyo fighting with Jin-Gu, and he didn't even grab gary hand which usually what he does.

I know its variety and all, but what i like from running man is they take the game seriously and still manage to make us laugh, i meant whats the point of the game if they didn't take the game seriously, what make me fan of the show is when Ji Hyo cries when she escape the punishement, Yong-hwa post Jong Kook Nametag in SNS after he manage to rip them, Kwangsoo Frame Jong Kook nametag in his house, the true feeling of winning and losing, but recent episode lose that feeling/energy, and instead they just try to be funny all the time, Way too much over reaction acting, like jaesuk with his Mud face wash, or like this episode Kwangsoo Shouting and never take the game seriously anymore, Gary who seem to lose interest, that's why i like ji hyo more now since she always do her best in mission, even when she looks tired, shame the editing team still hate her, always with low air time.

and for the one who said stop with the negative comment, we comment because we love running man even with its flaw i still watch it every week, and the comment is our frustrated mind because we don't want running man to be cancelled.