RUNNING MAN
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Episode 1 [edit]
The MCs and guests were locked in a landmark during closed hours and were required to leave before opening hours. In the first episode, they were divided into two teams and raced to find the codes hidden within the landmark that were required to unlock the main doors. With a total of 5 numbers, after one was found, a game was played to determine which team would start first in the next race, and the losing team received a punishment while the other team was given a head start. After all the numbers were found by either of the teams, they approached the main door and entered the code which they believed was correct. The correct team was allowed to leave the landmark while the losing team was required to complete a punishment inside the landmark.
Episodes 2-5 [edit]
From the second episode to the fifth episode, both teams competed to find golden pigs filled with money that were hidden within the landmark, and participated in games in attempt to win more money. At the end of each episode, the team with the most money was declared the winner and was allowed to leave the landmark while the losing team received a punishment. The money collected by the teams was donated in the winning team's honor. Viewers could vote on the official Running Man homepage on who they believed would be the winning team, and a lucky viewer who guessed correctly was allowed to have his/her name included in the donation.
Episodes 6-10 [edit]
From episodes 6 to 10, a consistent game format was used where both teams competed to obtain the most Running Man Balls (shortened to Running Balls in future episodes). Running Balls were awarded to the team that found a ball, and were also given to individuals who won a game, who received a Running Ball of their team's color (blue or red). Each of the games and races were referred to as missions, and were as follows:
- Mission 1 featured games related to the landmark. Previously, the Photo Zone Game was played at every landmark.
- Mission 2 was the race mission.
- Mission 3 was Leisure Time for a Cup of Tea. This mission was discontinued after episode ten due to controversies.
- Mission 4 was Morning Team Sports. This mission aired in full only in episode six, and only highlights were shown in episode seven due to time constraints.
At the end of each episode, the Running Man Balls collected throughout the night were placed into a lottery machine, and the color of the first ball ejected determined the winning team for the night. The losing team was required to commute home using public transportation while undertaking an embarrassing punishment.
Episodes 11-25 [edit]
As of the eleventh episode, the Running Man members and guests were no longer split into two main teams except for during the race mission, with smaller teams or individual game-play being used during the other missions. Everyone individually earned Running Balls throughout the missions and the balls selected during the lottery machine segment represented the individuals who were the winners for the night. The format of missions was also changed:
- Mission 1 was Challenge 1 vs. X.
- Mission 2 was Find the Thief. From episode 15 this was changed to different games related to the landmark.
- Mission 3 was the race mission, Bells Hide and Seek.
As of the eighteenth episode, only those who had earned no Running Balls at all throughout the night were the ones to be punished.
Episodes 26-43 [edit]
Beginning with the twenty-sixth episode, the race mission, Bells Hide and Seek, was replaced with a Find the Guests mission. The MCs and guests were locked inside a landmark and were required to earn Running Balls for a chance to escape punishment. Through a series of missions, the Running Man members were divide into teams and/or individually earned Running Balls. The format for the missions in episodes 26 to 43 were:
- Mission 1 was the race mission, Find the Guests. From episode 39-41, it was Catch the Running Man.
- Mission 2 featured games related to the landmark.
- Mission 3 was the One Chance challenge, which was played in episodes 27 to 31.
If there were many members with no Running Balls, they were automatically punished and no lottery was conducted. Additionally, if the members succeeded in the One Chance mission, they were all relieved of the punishment regardless of how many Running Balls each of them possessed.
As of episode 38 and on wards, there were some episodes which included spy/spies. These spies could either be part of the cast, guest, or both.
Episodes 44-47 [edit]
From episodes 44 to 47, staff (of the landmark location involved in the game) voted for who they believed would be the overall winner of the games and became supporters of that member/team. Teams were decided by the winner of the race mission, who received the first Running Ball, and the two teams then competed for more Running Balls throughout missions spread over two days (two episodes). The format for the missions was as follows:
- Mission 1 was the race mission, Find the Guests.
- Mission 2 featured missions related to the staff of the landmark.
- Mission 3 was a second race mission.
- Mission 4 featured missions related to the landmark.
The team with the most Running Balls was declared the winner and their supporters received a bonus from their boss.
Special Series [edit]
Throughout the history of Running Man, special series have progressed with storytelling and movie-like episodes. Many of these series have been praised for their thrill and excitement, and are considered some of the more higher quality episodes of Running Man.
Yoo-mes Bond [edit]
- Episodes 38, 91, 140
The Yoo-mes Bond series is famous for its protagonist, Yoo Jae-suk as Yoo-mes Bond, who is known to use a water gun to eliminate his foes to complete the mission. This series features Yoo Jae-suk against the other Running Man members, who do not know that Yoo Jae-suk is against them. In episode 38, during the Find The Guests mission, there was no guest and Yoo Jae-suk was given the mission to secretly eliminate the other members by spraying their name tag with a water gun. This was the first time Yoo-mes Bond appeared as a character. A year later, Yoo-mes Bond returned for his first anniversary in episode 91, where once again he is against the members. All members are arrested for various crimes they have committed. Yoo Jae-suk is given the opportunity of a pardon, where he must re-imprison the rest of the escaped members by spraying their name tags before they escape the building. If he is successful in re-imprisoning the other members, he will be free to leave while the other members continue to serve time. Episode 140 marked the second anniversary of Yoo-mes Bond, where he is framed for spreading the "anger virus" and infecting his fellow members. He must find that person who is impersonating him and eliminate them to retrieve the vaccine. At the end of this episode, the words "Yoo-mes Bond Never Die" appeared, hinting at future episodes in the series. The later two episodes have been praised for being like a movie instead of a variety show.
Best of the Best Match [edit]
- Episodes 42, 74, 130
The Best of the Best Matches take place once in awhile as the opportunity to decide who the best Running Man is. The first Best of the Best Match took place in episode 42 as a race to complete missions first then eliminate each other, with the last standing member declared as the first generation best Running Man. The second Best of the Best Match took place in episode 74 with a special twist. Each member was granted a superpower, and can use them to aid their efforts to eliminate the other members. Two times in a row, Garie emerged victorious becoming the best Running Man. The third Best of the Best Match took place in episode 130 with a special story, where half of the race takes place in the year 1938 and then in 2013. The members are reincarnated in the process, must find who the final surviving member was in 1938, and who they have been reincarnated as today, to solve the mystery and win the race. Haha became the third generation best Running Man.
Running Man Hunter [edit]
- Episodes 52, 53, 69, 118
The Running Man Hunter series originated from episode 52, where Choi Min-soo was featured as a guest and was to eliminate all the members. He was later betrayed by Yoo Jae-suk in episode 53. During that race, Yoo Jae-suk agreed to work together with Choi Min-soo to place name tags on the other team's back first, before turning on each other. However, Yoo Jae-suk quickly placed Choi Min-soo's name tag on his back, eliminating him from the race. Choi Min-soo announced that he will return in a few months for revenge with what he calls, Grasshopper Hunting. He returned in episode 69 as the Running Man Hunter, where the other members are tied up to a chair and confined in rooms in the landmark. Yoo Jae-suk is given four name tags and must save the six members then find the way to escape together before Choi Min-soo eliminates him four times. However, the way Choi Min-soo approached this was to great fear for Yoo Jae-suk. Choi Min-soo succeeded and Yoo Jae-suk proclaimed that the score was 1:1, one for eliminating him in episode 53 and one for being eliminated in episode 69. Choi Min-soo returned a year later in episode 118 to finish off this rivalry with the grasshopper. Again with a scary theme, he eliminates the other six members and provides Yoo Jae-suk a chance to face off with him for the final time. The Hunter once again succeeds, marking an end to the Running Man Hunter series.[10] At the end of the episode when Yoo Jae-suk complained once again on the way their rivalry ended, Choi Min-soo hinted at a possible return to the Running Man Hunter series in the future.
Secret of Nine Swords [edit]
- Episodes 133, 134, 136
The story surrounding the Asia Race which took place in Macau and Vietnam. The Heavenly Golden Turtle Sword sits at a shrine in Ninh Binh, which grants superpowers to its possessor. However, the greed of man led to the sword being scattered throughout Asia over time, hence the Secret of Nine Swords formed. These nine swords need to be found by completing missions and restore the Heavenly Golden Turtle Sword. The Asia Race and its prequel helped provide viewers with a progressing story which helped to explain the theme of the race, and is considered the first actual progressive story of all series'.
Missions [edit]
Main article: List of Running Man missions
Missions form the basis of Running Man as members try to avoid punishment or win for prizes. Many missions are taken part in each episode, with the highlight of Running Man being race missions.
Cast [edit]
The original members of Running Man are Yoo Jae-suk, Ji Suk-jin, Kim Jong-kook, Haha, Lee Kwang-soo, Song Joong-ki, and Garie. Song Ji-hyo was originally a guest for the second (episode 2-3) and third landmark (episode 4-5). She officially joined the program in the fourth landmark (episode 6) but was unable to attend until the fifth landmark (episode 7). Lizzy was also originally a guest for the eleventh (episode 13) and twelfth landmark (episode 14). She officially joined the program in the sixteenth landmark (episode 18). However, she has not been seen since episode 26. In February 2011, it was revealed that she was only a long-term guest and has left the program. Producer Jo Hyo-jin has stated that she is welcome to return at any time. In April 2011, Song Joong-ki recorded his last episode and as of May, and has left the program to focus on his acting career but returned on episode 66 as a guest after leaving for almost half a year.
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