Running Man

Running Man is a weekly Korean variety show that started airing in July 2011. It's a game show with fixed cast members and usually with famous Korean celebrities as guests doing missions, races and games with large spoonful of hilarity and laughter.

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It has been my daily dose of stress relief and unfailing entertainment since two months ago, never fail to crack me up.

Before then, Running Man was just a name a friend kept on mentioning, which piqued my interest since I like game shows (Fear Factor, Wipeout, et cetera), but not enough for me to actively look for it since it's in Korean.

I ain't too interest in things in language I don't understand. Hence K-pop is not my thing.

hilarious games aplenty

But who would have known, that a chance pen drive test, which needed large files to fill up the drive to test for defect, would make a Running Man fan out of me?

I watched the Running Man episodes copied into the pen drive out of curiosity...

... and the rest is history.

Darn poison! =P

raw egg on the forehead, totally self-inflicted, absolutely hilarious

Unlike the other game shows I have watched, Running Man has fixed cast members participating in the games every week. While it has plenty of games and races introduced throughout the years, often funny or outright ridiculous, it's the casts interaction and banter that's the real jewel of the show.

purposely answers wrongly so teammates get punished is not uncommon, hehehe!

Kudos to the producers for coming up with new games every so often. Toe wrestling, gym karaoke, wearing pants without using the hands, just to name a few. It can even make classic like 'rock, paper, scissors' an adrenaline pumping, heart rate racing game! And I think it has made it's famous hide and seek name tag ripping game a classic.

love it when all Running Man casts work together as a team

I haven't a clue about the guests, they are supposed to be famous celebrities in Korea but I am pretty ignorant in that regard. On the other hand, since Running Man fixed casts are in every episode, I get to know and love them. =)

even (sporting) guest got dragged through the mud along with the regular casts

* this is G-Dragon, I recognised the name because of a colleague nicknamed G-Snake, who is supposedly some long lost sister to G-Dragon. But that's another story...

Of the seven cast members, I like Gary and Ji-Hyo the most. Okay, Ji-Hyo more than Gary since I am a guy. =P

I like Gary for his caring and honest character, and Ji-Hyo for her fearlessness, for giving her best, and her sweet sweet smile. ^_^

sweet <3

But of course it's really when the two of them are being the lovey-dovey Monday Couple that I love most. Doesn't matter that it's just for the show, the Monday Couple chemistry is good and it gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling that makes me smile silly.

If I am a fan of Running Man, then I am totally a fanboy of the Monday Couple! =P

like!

Not knowing the Korean language, I am at the mercy of the translator. Not sure how much was lost in translation but thus far I got my laughing fix in every episode.

Fearless Ji-Hyo enjoyed the bungee jump while the male casts were too scared to do it. She really deserves her 'Ace' moniker

For two months, starting from episode 1, I religiously watched at least an episode of Running Man every night, and went into weekend warrior mode of marathon watching as many episodes as I could in the weekends.

And I have finally caught up with the current latest episode (174) at the time of writing this. It's good to have no social life. =P

more Monday Couple moment

There are good episodes and there are lousy ones, but without fail all of them made me laugh. It's my stress relief, it's my laugh of the day, it's my fix for craptastic day, temporary though it may be.

Today is the first day since I started that I no longer have a Running Man episode to watch. What am I to do now that I can only get my fix once per week?

I think I am suffering withdrawal syndrome... *twitch twitch*

baseball code really! At least that's what Gary said