Running Man: Episode 242

by gummimochi

In the nearly five years Running Man has been on broadcast, it’s no surprise that it’s gained quite the international fanbase. There’s no better time than the present to give those fans a chance to submit their own games and shake up the same ol’ weekly routine. But sometimes it’s nice to see an old classic make another reappearance and inject some new life into the game.

EPISODE 242. Broadcast on April 12, 2015.

Given how Running Man is hitting its fifth anniversary this year, and the same games can be rehashed only so many times, it’s nice to see the show branch out and get ideas from its international friends—that’s you guys!

Time to meet our three Hallyu reps today: actor Jung Il-woo, CNBlue’s Jung Yong-hwa, and FT Island’s Lee Hong-ki. Yong-hwa looks right at home with the cast, and Hong-ki frequents the same gym Jong-kook exercises at.

Suk-jin is eager to upload a photo together with the flower boys, which spurs Yong-hwa to comment that Big Nose Hyung is always on social media. Lol, takes one to know one. Yong-hwa: “But why would you upload a selfie with a face mask on?”

For today’s Global Mission Tour, our teams will be playing games put together by the fans. The show received over 2,000 submissions from all over the world, and Gary mentions that the viewers reached out to him on Twitter, too.

Although today’s split is 3 vs. 7, only one person from the team of three will take on the other seven. Who better to lead the trio than Jong-kook, and Jae-suk immediately grips, “What kind of 3 vs. 7 competition is this?!”

Jae-suk will lead the seven, and at once, he moves aside to leave Jong-kook with his lackeys aka Gary and Haha. Jong-kook chooses Kwang-soo and Il-woo to round out his team. And though Il-woo slaps on a belated smile, Haha asks, “Why does Il-woo look so uncomfortable?” Il-woo: “I’m just shy.”

That leaves the Seven: Jae-suk, Suk-jin, Gary, Haha, Ji-hyo, Hong-ki, and Yong-hwa. The team receive their first mission card in the car (“What time is it, Mr. Wolf?”) which suggests it requires strength. Il-woo promises to do his best, and Kwang-soo advises that he shouldn’t give false promises and end up being awful later.

When it comes to being on Jong-kook’s team, you’ve got only two choices: either act dumb or do very, very well until the end. How so very true.

In the other car, Suk-jin snaps a group selfie—heh, it’s the same one from his Weibo. Jae-suk argues that he can’t join in because he’s driving, and Suk-jin says it’s tiring trying to keep up with three social media accounts (Twitter, Weibo, and Instagram). Hahaha.

The first mission “What time is it, Mr. Wolf?” (submitted by a Singaporean fan) requires a muddy field and a tree. Asked what time it is, the wolf will call out a number between 1-8, which corresponds with the number of steps the Seven will take. The group will win if they manage to rip off the wolf’s name tag.

However, the wolf can also call out “It’s meal time!” and rip off a nametag before all seven can run away. The wolf will win if he can rip off at least four nametags in five rounds.

Suk-jin asks if they can try to tear off the wolf’s nametag while being chased. That’s not allowed, and Jae-suk adds some perspective: “You think you’ll be able to tear off Jong-kook’s nametag when he’s coming after you?”

The catch is, each member of the Three can only compete once. And when Haha asks if there’s another game that requires strength today, Taek PD says all the names were given out to them earlier… it’s just that Jae-suk left those cards behind in the dressing room. Whoops.

The Seven start to taunt Jong-kook, in hopes that he’ll compete and get it over with. It works like a charm. While they get dressed, Jong-kook says he even gave today’s masterpiece a name: Silence of the Lambs. LOL.

How appropriate is this background track of EXO’s “Wolf”? Even though he’s supposed to be scary, that cute wolf mask of his is ADORABLE. When Ji-hyo suggests that they come up with a strategy, Jae-suk replies that they have no choice but to sacrifice a few in their numbers.

In the first round, Jong-kook calls out three numbers, which make the Seven nervous. Rightly so, because he calls out mealtime next and bolts down the field like a bullet before expertly ripping off Suk-jin’s nametag.

Scaredy-cat Gary finally figures out the rules, having forgotten the part where he could tear off Jong-kook’s nametag so long as his back is turned. So this time, Gary takes large leaps and so does Hong-ki.

The Six now try calling out softly as if they’re still far away, but then Ji-hyo is still within earshot when she tells the others not to move. Yong-hwa suggests that those in the back remain to keep shouting, and Kwang-soo loudly shares that idea with the class.

So Jae-suk takes that dangerous leap, taking precautions to be as quiet as possible. Gary jumps ahead to and tries to extend himself to reach Jong-kook’s back… but it slips through his fingers.

This situation has turned hilariously dramatic, with Jae-suk telling the others NOT to call for the wolf yet. Gary tries again and oh-so-gracefully falls into the muddy water. Haha calls to abandon the lost, and Jong-kook calls out mealtime to start the hunt and takes out Jae-suk.

In the third round, the remaining Five realize that their first move is crucial, so all of them take great leaps and create as much noise at once to confuse Jong-kook. But then Jong-kook declares that he’s hungry and gives chase.

In a twist of fate, Haha makes a sharp turn and gets left behind. Oh man, this is not looking good for him. It looks like a page right out of a wildlife documentary, and the captions capture each step: After Kookie drives the lamb into a corner… he immediately pounces.

Jae-suk provides live coverage of this vicious event, and in the end Jong-kook comes out victorious.

Jong-kook almost seems sad that this fourth round could be the last, and Jae-suk takes the glass half-full approach: dealing with Jong-kook now means they won’t have to deal with him later.

Yong-hwa manages to outrun Jong-kook, who’s told that after this game, all he’s responsible for is flapping his lips. We skip ahead to when Yong-hwa is thrown towards Jong-kook. Everyone enjoys watching from the sidelines, and Yong-hwa prepares for the riskiest leap of his life…

… and then run right into Jong-kook causing him to ram his head into the tree. Ohhh somebody gonna get a hurt reallll bad.

Thankfully, he gets back into position, and Hong-ki looks like he’s ready to run. Jong-kook calls it and everyone dashes towards the other end of the field. Once again, Yong-hwa barely outruns the wolf, earning his team the Singapore card.

The second game is entitled “World Tour” compiled from a number of fan suggestions. Jong-kook says he’d rather do an all-day nametag ripping race instead, and that kind of fixation is why Jong-kook is on his way to become “a man frozen in time.”

They could go ahead and put him in a cryogenic chamber and wake him up at the age of eighty. In Suk-jin’s case, a manual error left him refrigerated instead of frozen, which is why he’s slowly aging.

Reading off a few of the possible suggestions leaves the cast in utter shock—the first would require six cast members to catch a teammate dropping from a height of three or four meters. The second bring on more laughs: climbing up an oiled 10 meter tall tree and grab a flag.

They take a moment to clarify that their supernatural episodes don’t exactly mean that they have superpowers, and Haha adds, “You think I could actually control time?”

Time for the actual mission: the team who win three out of five games first, wins. The first is entitled “Bottle Fishing,” whereby they must “fish” for the bottle by “catching” it with the pencil hanging from their behind. Oh my god, I can already imagine the unintentionally hilarious inappropriate body positions.

Il-woo is the team rep this round, and he must beat at least four people to win. And so the squat competition begins, as both Il-woo and Hong-ki oh-so-carefully lower themselves onto the bottle. There… really is no other way to describe this, is there?

Il-woo manages to lift his bottle, which falls a moment later. He does beat Hong-ki, but then gets defeated by Jae-suk. The Seven wonder why over-confident Suk-jin volunteered himself, and Il-woo redeems himself by snagging a second point.

Oh man, even I’ve lost count as to how many times Yong-hwa has appeared on this show. But Yong-hwa knows how many (twelve) and Haha adds that Yong-hwa has won more times on Running Man than Suk-jin.

Both Yong-hwa and Il-woo snag their bottles at around the same time… but Yong-hwa’s a second too late.

Jong-kook complains when it seems like Haha hasn’t fastened the belt properly — that’s just where his hips are, and Haha attributes his genes to his mother’s side of the family. His shorter height does give Haha an advantage, but Il-woo only needs to grab one more point.

And like the expert bottle fisher he is, Il-woo succeeds and scores the final point. Ha, he even puts on a celebratory butt dance.

Next up is a zombie game where a blindfolded Il-woo will have two minutes to bite all of his victims (the Seven) within a two-minute time limit. But instead of biting down and ripping apart flesh, Il-woo will don lipstick and leave a mark on his victims.

Hahaha, that color really does look great on him. Kwang-soo: “If someone bleeds without a lipstick stain, let’s count that as lipstick.” Il-woo starts groping around as soon as the whistle blows, but his targets are agile and speedy. Growing frustrated, his teammates yell that he’s wasting time.

After what seems like a good long while, Haha becomes his first victim. Il-woo is up to three victims at the one-minute warning, and he crumples to the ground, exhausted. Kwang-soo offers Jae-suk to Il-woo, but at the crucial moment, Jae-suk offers Kwang-soo’s arm to the zombie instead. Ow, that’s gonna hurt.

Needless to say, Il-woo doesn’t hit his goal. His fiery competitive spirit burns, just like it did when he lost a round in the first game. But we skip to the fourth game (after Il-woo won the earphone untangling game) is a stand-off and the rule is simple: either shoot a water gun or successfully block the shot to earn a point. The team that scores four points first, wins.

Il-woo fires the first shot, but then blocks the second. Aw poor Hong-ki has been having a rough day today, and as the reassuring hyung who always makes sure people get enough screentime, Haha rises to his defense.

Although Yong-hwa and Il-woo arrive at the same time, Yong-hwa fails to shoot. So the others call for a do-over with Jae-suk egging Jong-kook on. Jong-kook takes him up on the offer to “hit him,” and when he starts dragging him away, Jae-suk screams for a VJ to follow them. LOL.

Any time Jae-suk starts to protest about the details of the do-over, Jong-kook cocks his head, all, Wanna take this outside? And while Jong-kook is busy setting the table, Suk-jin employs the others’ help to move the tape closer to the table. Hahaha.

Awww, Il-woo lets Ji-hyo shoot directly into his face. She feels super bad about it afterward, and Jong-kook says chivalry is basically dead in this variety’s day and age.

For a moment it seems like Jong-kook caught on about the moved tape, but he simply edges Haha’s foot behind the line. Phew. That closer distance helps Haha grab a point for his team, but that’s when Kwang-soo and Jong-kook finally catch on.

Jong-kook wants to measure the distance with a ruler, and then Suk-jin makes the unpopular offer to switch places. He still bends the rules by placing his heel behind the starting line (“This is my style! I walk around like this!”), but it’s still an easy win for Il-woo, and a rogue pot lid leaves Jae-suk with a sting to the knee.

So the Three win the second mission, and the global variety of its games earns them a “World” card.

We’re then thrown right into the middle of the action, the Seven searching the SBS building as discreetly as possible. And then we hear it: bells. OHO.

Our final mission today was the most-requested game from the fans: a Hide and Seek game with bells. It’s a Running Man classic, and Jong-kook, Kwang-soo, and Il-woo break into wide smiles. The Seven aren’t as excited, but their mission is to find letter cards and spell out “Running Man” on the globe outside before the Seekers eliminate them.

The Seven have earned two cards: “G” from “Singapore,” and an “A” from USA, thanks to a Musical Scare game (where members dropped through the floor) that was edited out. Aw, it looked like it could’ve been fun. The Three have hidden the “R” card in a water fountain tray.

That chilling sound of bells draw near not long after the Seven begin their search. Il-woo spots Yong-hwa and Gary once he turns the corner, and whoa… he’s really fast. Jong-kook comes running from the opposite end to ambush the two, who are promptly eliminated.

Yong-hwa and Gary’s short run makes the others nervous, but then Suk-jin picks up an “N” and Jae-suk finds an “M” in the prop warehouse. They need six more letters to complete the phrase.

Because Il-woo stops for a quick water break, he doesn’t notice Jae-suk running past and into a room. But he does hear the creaking sound of a door and immediately goes to investigate. We hear a door click… but it’s the one down the stairwell and Ji-hyo runs down the stairs.

It isn’t long before he catches up to eliminate her, and Kwang-soo wonders why he hasn’t run into anyone yet. Il-woo captures Suk-jin, who offers up Jae-suk’s location in exchange for his freedom. When Jae-suk doesn’t pick up, Suk-jin offers, “Who do you want?” But Il-woo eliminates him anyway.

Kwang-soo hasn’t seen any potential targets, making his run-in with the already-eliminated Suk-jin the first. He unintentionally gives up Jong-kook and Il-woo’s locations, and when Suk-jin immediately relays that intel, Kwang-soo grabs the walkie-talkie and runs off…

… only to be scared out of his wits when he crosses paths with Il-woo. Hahahaha, he’s your TEAMMATE.

A long-term effect of Hide and Seek Psychosis includes auditory hallucinations of bells ringing in the distance. Soon it’s accompanied by real bells, and Jae-suk flies down the hallway and into a room. But Jong-kook has spotted him and pushes his way into the door.

Seeing Jae-suk struggling, Jong-kook asks if he’s pushing against the door. He is, and then Jong-kook swings the door back and forth with ease. Spartakooks hasn’t forgotten Jae-suk’s taunting behavior towards him today and now it’s time for a little payback by tearing off his nametag.

Who gets blamed for the elimination after the fact? Poor Kwon-ryul VJ. Jae-suk: “How could you be even more afraid than I am?” Kwon-ryul: “I’m afraid [of Jong-kook] too.”

It’s down to Haha and Hong-ki to find the remaining letters. Haha gets spotted by Jong-kook, who then sends Kwang-soo away so he can finish the task. Now Hong-ki is all on his own with five more letters to track down. Could he come out as the hero in the end?

Trying to hunt down one man in an entire building turns out to be more difficult than anticipated. Kwang-soo jumps a foot again when he runs into Jong-kook. Heee, that’s the second time tonight.

Hong-ki sneaks a peek around the corner, but then locks eyes with Il-woo. Oh crap, run for it! Down the hallway and stairwell Hong-ki goes, and who does he run into but Kwang-soo, who looks like he had ANOTHER scare. Hahaha.

It isn’t long before Il-woo and Jong-kook join them, and the Three rip off Hong-ki’s nametag together. So once everyone gathers together again, Il-woo attaches the letters to light up the globe, giving him and his teammates the win.

The group sends their sincerest thanks to all the fans for their submissions and then sign off in gold.

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