Season 1: The Human Condition Pilot Episode Review - 리얼체험 프로젝트 인간의 조건 (KBS)

It was a boring Saturday night or is it morning (since it airs at midnight in Singapore) when I came across this reality show with a twist of variety: a bunch of six comedians with different characters were set to live together for a week, and these comedians have to carry out a specific mission for that whole week (which basically meant of life without necessities). The pilot program started with the withdrawal of their mobile phones, and basically no usage of technology for 7 days (no TV, computer and mobile phones).

With six comedians, there’s bound to be some drama and lots of entertainment (especially when two of the eldest have unresolved issues with each other). They would be...

Kim Joon-Ho (김준호)

Man-child comedian and CEO of an entertainment company and boss to some if not most of the other comedians on this show, except for frenemy... Park Sung-Ho (박성호).

Park Sung-Ho (박성호)

An awkwardly unsociable individual (he’s really bad at expressing his feelings but he starts to warm up episode by episode) with a wacky sense for comedy.








 
Next up are comedians...

Jung Tae-ho (정태호) 

Infamous for his role as Madam Jeong on Gag Concert. Tae-ho is the more sensible one and considerate towards others' feelings. He even tried to get the above two comedians to resolve their differences.







From the skit of 4 Men on Gag Concert we have

Kim Jun-Hyeon (김준현)  

Resident fat guy with a slim heart and a big appetite.

Heo Kyung-Hwan (허경환)

Apparently the shortest member with height issues, but confident of his looks.

Yang Sang-Gook (양상국) 

 The sophisticated country bumpkin.










The voice-over narration and wording throughout the show, gives it a documentary-like presentation with a twist, there is heart in this show as the comedians interact and strive to successfully accomplish their mission. It is also something more than that – it makes the viewer actually think how the various things in life we have taken for granted and how they can actually become hindrances in our daily interactions with the people around us.

It was intriguing to watch the comedians being placed in a real life situation where they have to carry on their lives without the use of technology. It was painful entertaining watching them suffer from their ‘withdrawal’ symptoms and trying to find alternative things to keep them entertained and occupied. Their solution was simple – to go old school:

• want to take a photo? Ok sure, just use an analog/film camera and get the photos processed instead
• want to call someone? Try finding that almost non-existent pay phone where you have to slot coins and have a time limit. They eventually had a landline installed at the place they were staying at.
• No TV to entertain? Try getting a radio to listen to songs or play the guitar and sing along. Or better yet get some DIY toy models you can build yourself to spend the lazy weekend afternoon away.
• no mobile phone on hand to check the latest news? Simply read the newspaper – paper stye

The results were not only hilarious at times and entertaining (at the comedians expense), but also very heartwarming upon their afterthoughts and reflection.

With no mobile phone or technology on hand, this show made me realize how much we rely on technology as a smoke-screen to (un)intentionally avoid interaction with others (especially when it gets awkward or there is nothing to say) and how we actually take the people around us for granted. Without technology, you are actually “forced” to interact and get the opportunity to bond and foster a friend/relationship. Technology is there to make our lives easier and more comfortable, but relying on it too much makes us ‘lazy’ to even bother interacting properly with others; missing out on bonding and interacting with the people around us, and making us distant and ‘cold’ individuals.

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金钟国特别专栏

金钟国特别专栏 (Special feature)

1) 音乐人

在九十年代的时候，钟国以双人组合Turbo领导韩国偶像市场。这个组合发行了许多舞曲，例如：我的儿时梦想 和 Twist King. 他们的专辑销售成绩理想， 随后这个组合解散后，国儿便独自单飞以抒情歌手的形象攻占市场。他独自发行七张专辑，其中有许多名曲,例如： 原地踏步， 星星，风，光茫和爱，和一个男人。 经典歌曲讨人喜欢更在韩国音乐榜表现出色。 最近，他带着最新专辑：回家的路程，独特柔美的嗓音唱出‘男人都这样。大众公认了他的才华，并与此同时各大电视台KBS,SBS, MBC 颁发了‘年度大赏’和 ‘年度最佳艺人’奖项给他。

2) 从另类到帅气

金钟国在Turbo巅风期时，他的帅气青少年形象就如现今的偶像一样。 然而，他当时的发型土气，穿着也怪气。他既然穿着和伙伴一样的 服装，衣服和裤子都穿大号的， 并且戴着一副奇怪的墨镜。最终，只能用舞曲和舞蹈掩盖潮流另类的选择。随着时间的流失，金钟国抛开过去的形象，并以健壮的体魄现身。他拥有性感的发型和充满魅力的个性,尤其在跑跑人中能人的形象出众。幸好如今金钟国变得更帅气了，并摆脱过去的造型。

3) 保持样貌需要花费不少工夫

 能人国儿是其中一位拥有健美身材的韩国艺人。然而，他也坦诚要拥有健壮的身体并不容易。钟国表示这不仅须要有自制能力，还要注意饮食，并且经常去健身房健身。在跑跑人的节目中，他也展现出只吃健康食物的坚持。当所有人正为游戏吃进全部食物时，钟国却只挑食物吃。当哈哈要减重时，他甚至给他的忠告是吃得饱，但要挑健康的食物。

 

4) 怎么有蚊子的声音？

很多人认为以金钟国的体魄，他的声音应该很沉厚。但是，其实钟国的音色偏高并喻为‘蚊子歌喉’在节目中，钟国也开玩笑表示他的歌声是因为儿时候不小心喝下了一瓶杀虫剂，并送进医院。正因如此而伤了喉容造成如今的- 蚊子歌喉。毫无意外的，资深歌手金钟国总是能掌握自己的音调和歌声并且把歌唱好。

5) 长劲鹿+ 老虎 = <3

 

国儿(老虎) 和 光舒有着猎人和猎物的关系在跑跑人的节目中。 如果你最近才看跑跑人会误以为他们的关系很差。光舒总是想尽办法在适当的时候报复国儿，他甚至在节目第一百零八集中以钟国害怕的崔民秀为借口赏国儿一个耳光。他也把国儿的名牌卦在墙壁上。 但其实在镜头后面，他们的关系很好甚至是好兄弟。在访问中光舒感谢钟国“欺负”他才有今日的长劲鹿这个角色。虽然钟国知道自己批评还是继续欺负我，所我很感激哥。

 6) 想读法律 

在以前的访问中，钟国透露自己的梦想是念著名的大学修读法律科。据说他拥有高智商(136) 属于全世界少数的比例，达到理想应该不难。这位聪明的歌手或许是少数得到硕士学位艺术表演的演艺人员。他最终放弃修读法律，我不知你的看发但我庆幸这个梦想没有实现否则跑跑人就没有能力者了。和光舒争吵也是很好的训练阿！

 

7) 感情线

金钟国是著名的对女生很尊敬的绅士。他也曾经有许多诽闻，最令人印象深刻的是和尹恩惠的感情线。还记得当时两人还是新人在X-Man的时候，当国儿问到是否爱着尹恩惠时，国儿用双手捂住尹恩惠的耳朵说，“当然”如今这对银幕恋人仍然在跑跑人节目中被提起。有趣的是尹恩惠为了不愿提起过去的感情线而不肯参与节目。然而在第114集的跑跑人中出现了文瑾莹，钟国在躲避球的是候奋力保护她。甚至比腕力的时候故意输给文瑾莹以免伤害她而跌破大家的眼镜。 更有趣的是钟国说文瑾莹是他理想的类型，并不介意和她约会。 这将是一对新情侣吗?

8) 重情重义

老虎习惯独自生活，然而这鬼马的综艺前辈曾经上过许多节目例如：X-Man,梦想组合和家庭外出是个重家庭的人。 他替哥哥还医科补习费也经常带母亲到处玩，是时常陪伴母亲的孝子。他甚至同侄女Soya 合唱歌曲，钟国不常参与别人的歌曲可真是莫大的荣幸阿！希望跑跑人来太阳岛拍摄。

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JTBC Hidden Singer - Kim Jong Kook

I watched one episode of jTBC Hidden Singer when i was in Korea and they were featuring Baek Ji Young at that time. After that, the preview showed Kim Jong Kook in the next episode of Hidden Singer. Unfortunately, i will miss this episode since i will not be around in Korea to watch this show. Nonetheless, i managed to watch this episode of Hidden Singer through the website. Thanks to KJKGlobal facebook that announced the link before the premiere of the programme. The technology is so advance nowadays, we can even watch the show about the same time as it was shown in Korea. For your information jTBC Hidden Singer is shown at 11pm (K.T) every Saturday and a repeat telecast on Sunday.

For those who are not familiar with the format of this programme, the main purpose is to identify the original singer (guest of the show) in the midst of the singers featured. The 1st round is to gather 6 singers behind the screen that include the singer himself. The audience were given a remote controler to vote for the singer whom they think is most probably not the guest singer. There are a total of 4 rounds and the audiences have to listen carefully to the signature songs in order to identify the singer. Each round, they will gather the most number of votes and the contestant with the most votes will be eliminated. In the final match (Round 4), the singer will compete with two finalists and stand behind the door to sing his or her song. The votes (scores) will be determined by the audience and the winner will be the one who has the most number of votes. The contestants in the programme are usually talented people who is able to sing as well as the singers.

We begin the show with the MC Noh Hong Chul introducing Kim Jong Kook as Mr Capable. After that, the guests begin to talk about their impression of Kim Jong Kook and how they get to know him. One of the guest is Kim Jong-Min, who is Kim Jong Kook long time friend. I am not surprise that he is able to identify Kim Jong Kook voice. Not to forget this bald bespectacled guest - Hong Seok Cheon who is a big fan of Kim Jong Kook. Being the first open homosexual celebrity, he was rejoicing at the mention of Mr Capable.

Anyway, back to the show and  Kim Jong Kook appeared in a grey jacket and he was wearing a white V neck shirt underneath. He politely greeted the audience and the guests begin to tease him about his voice which sound like Micheal Jackson. He was also remembered as part of idol duo - Turbo and during the show he revealed that Mikey is living in America now and he is doing well selling insurance. He added that Mikey wants to be a insurance king. After that, Kim Jong Kook turned around and revealed his name tag pasted at the back. Adopting the idea of Running Man, the eliminated person will have his name tag removed. MC Noh was tempted to remove his name tag just like Kwang Soo. The audience spurred MC Noh to remove spartakook name tag, however as hard as he tried, he just could'nt remove it. lol. That is spartakook. :)

Kim Jong Kook and Mikey

We move on to the the first round and the familiar tune of Turbo hit song - December was played. The six singers were hidden behind the door and each of them sang a few lines of the lyrics. It was interesting to see the confused facial expression of the audience as they tried to guess where is Kim Jong Kook in the midst of the sound alike voices. Wait a minute, did i hear a familar voice in door 5. Anyway, i think all the singers did well, especially the singer in door number 4 . Even though i am a 100% Kim Jong Kook fan, i am still struggling to identify Kookie voice.

Finally i decided on number 3, and is there 0 vote on the door? It seems that the audience agree with me that Kim Jong Kook is at door number 3, although i doubt my listening skill. The most number of votes is at door 1 with 47 number of votes casted to this singer. Subsequently, door number 1 opened and  revealed a sound alike kim jong kook singer, so where is our kookie? In the end, it was revealed that kookie is at door number 3! Yay! The contestant that have the most number of vote was eliminated in the first round.

The next song to be sang was taken from Kim Jong Kook This is Me album titled - Walking in one spot. MTV flashes of Kim Jong Kook taking off his shirt and showed off his six pack abs were shown onscreen. A female guest wondered can they still see the abs now? Kim Jong Kook was embarassed by those remarks and smiled awkwardly. Although i do not understand Korean very well, i still can grasp what is happening. The MC challenge Kim Jong Kook during the second round if the audience could not identify his voice, he have to show his muscular abs to the audience. Kim Jong Kook panicked and rejected the suggestion, while the rest of the audience were supportive of this idea. MC Noh really knows how to bargain and 'benefit' the audience with that deal.

During the second round, there were 5 challengers including Kim Jong Kook standing behind the doors as they belted out - Walking in one spot. Likewise, their voices were very silimar but i eventually identified Kim Jong Kook distinctive mosquito voice. I am sure Jong Kook is at door number 1! Hey number 5 sound familiar too. The voice sounds like K.Will who is also one of my favourite singer. The door opened and i did guessed correctly but there is a greater surprise in store for me - door number 5 opened and K.Will stepped out! Wow! I can see everyone jaw-dropping when they see K.Will. Interestingly, all the contestants wore their name tag at the back. Kim Jong Kook will personally eliminate the person with the most number of votes. Haha. That was hilarious..

The guest spotted that Kim Jong Kook changed to a black tuxedo and he had buttoned up his suit. Does it mean that he does not want to show his abs? Anyway, it was the singer at door number 4 that won this round. Omo! Is Kim Jong Kook going to keep his words about showing his six pack abs? Trust that this man really did honor his promise as he turned around to unbutton his shirt. Look at Hong Seok Cheon expression! Some people looked on with wide open eyes while some of the female audience were shy but could not stop themselves from peeping through their fingers. Kim Jong Kook showed his abs to the camera but the audience at both side complained that they can't see. Therefore, he had to relunctantly remove the buttons again and show his abs to the audience at the side too. Scream! chocolate abs!

Kim Jong Kook accidentally drop his name tag on the floor amist all the excitment and he bend down to pick it up. Hmm, that bending position was a little awkward because of those muscles and the tuxedo seem to be too tight for him. MC Noh did not let go of this opportunity to tease him as he took the name tag from him and threw it back before asking Jong Kook to pick it up again. I like Jong Kook reaction as he sat down on the floor and picked up the name tag. Haha.. I was reminded of the famous phrase by Yoo Jae Suk saying,"You build up those muscles to pick up the name tag?"

The next song is Kim Jong Kook classic hit - Loveable. 3 contestants and Kim Jong Kook stood behind the doors and they sang the song remarkably well. This time round not only did i managed to identify Kim Jong Kook voice, i was able to identify K.Will voice too. I am so glad that my two favourite singers were featured in the same music programme. K.Will proved to be a cute comedian with his funny antics and expression. He is trying to impersonate Kim Jong Kook!

The first contestant told Kim Jong Kook that he like his character in Running Man as Spartakooks and that his favourite song is - Letter. He requested to sing the song with him. Wow! That was a really good collaboration and i was blown away by their voices. It was funny how they skipped K. Will turn and talk to the other contestant beside him. This Kim Byung Man look alike contestant said that he is strong like Kim Jong Kook in Running Man. He claimed that he is able to lift Kim Jong Kook and he did exactly that as he bend down and carried Kim Jong Kook up by his legs. Now it was left with K.Will and MC Noh said that he is going to dance. Back to the dance floor as Kim Jong-Min, Kim Jong Kook and  K.Will stood infront and dance to Turbo hits - Black cat and Twist King. Woohoo! bring back the old school!

They finally introduce K.Will as one of the contestant and MC Noh begins to bicker with him again. I like it when K.Will imitate a few singers and a cartoon character very well. Then, he challenge MC Noh to sing like him and the latter failed terribly. Ha. Finally, time to announce who will be eliminated from the final round. MC Noh asked Kim Jong Kook who will be eliminated in this round and he jokingly replied, "Contestant number 2 (K.Will)." Indeed, K.Will name tag was removed just like the rest and he went back to his seat.

Hong Seok Cheon

Finally, the fourth round to determine who is the winner and there were two contestants competing with Kim Jong Kook. The last song is - Han Namja (One Man) which is a meaningful song for Kim Jong Kook as this is the song which helped him gained popularity after he became a solo singer. Kim Jong-Min was asked to comment and he accidentally made a mistake when he called Jong Kook hyung by his name. Angered by the mistake, Kim Jong Kook walked towards Jong-Min but was stop by Hong Seok Cheon. Look at where you place your hand! That was sneaky of you to place your hand on - Jong Kook oppa chest!

I have absolutely no problem in identifying Han Namja Kim Jong Kook when he sang this song, especially only three of them were left. The heartbeating moment came as we need to announce the winner of the day. MC Noh interrupted those tense moment and beat about the bush with the result. The winner is, "Jong, jong, jong, jong...KIM JONG KOOK" Finally , Kim Jong Kook heave a sigh of relief as he won the competition with 79 votes. However, it was not over for MC Noh as he need to receive his punishment. (One of the guests suggested to have him punished for keeping them in suspense over the result.)

Kim Jong Kook readily agreed and pretended to take out his black suit. Omo! did Kookie hold the microphone in an upside down position after all that hype? Jong Kook realized it the next moment and he immediately flipped over the microphone. MC Noh was grabbed by the other guests as he get ready to pay the price for his naughty antic. Jong Kook lifted up his index finger amist the anticipation and get ready to hit his forehead. Ouch! That was a loud sound and soon we saw the red bruise on MC Noh forehead. Kim Jong Kook immediately hugged him and the show ended with a finale song - Loveable, presented by Kookie and all his lollol. :)

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Rich Man, Poor woman Episode 4

Chihiro accidentally let slip that she has been using a false identity. Her actual name is Matoko Natsui. Hyuga was angry with her and ask her not to come back to Next Innovation. Clearly affected by the incident, Natsui was mopping at the university when her friend ask her to do something to amend for the mistake. Natsui did a part time job at a petrol station under her friend recommendation. Coincidently, Hyuga drove his car to the petrol station and Natsui was flustered when she saw him and tried to hide from him.

Hyuga was busy with the operation of the data and there were things he had yet to figure out. He met yoko while taking a break and they spent time together. Yoko revealed that they met each other a few years ago and they make a pact to meet again. However, Hyuga does not seem to remember anything to Yoko disappointment. On the other hand,  Natsui was busy doing survey and getting information for the project.

Asahina had a hard day at work and had some conflict with Hyuga about work. Yoko noticed that he had a hard day at work and casually commented that, "brother, you are the best number 2." Yoko asked about Hyuga illness as he did not remember anything about her. Asahina explained that Hyuga is suffering from a medical condition and he can't remember people names and faces.

It was late at night, Natsui was wrongfully arrested for stealing an elder bank book. She called Asahina to bail her out of the police station, but Hyuga came instead. He explained that nobody is in the office at 1am. Hyuga was testing the usibilty of the system that he created and he asked Natsui to test run the system in the office. Natsui has problems in accessing the system and Hyuga figured out that the high technology system may not work well with the general people. He decided to change the system into a simpler version to cater to the abilities of people who are not good in technology. Natsui stayed with Hyuga in the office while he did the changes for the programme. They discussed and modified the system to a simple way through Natsui help, they finally succeeded.

In order to market this system to the public, they need the help of big companies to promote the personal files. Hyuga was annoyed with the attitude of those big bosses and refused to make a deal with them. Because of that, Asahina and Hyuga had an argument and Hyuga remarked, " Asahina, this is the first time i am disappointed in you." Natsui was called back to Next Innovation the next morning. Hyuga offered her to be a temporary staff till the launch of the personal file interface. He re-introduced to the staffs that her name is Matoko Natsui.

Hyuga met Natsui at the lift and gave her a stack of name cards. Natsui was overjoyed to received her own stack of name cards with cute pictures printed on it. She mentioned about meeting Hyuga mother at the country side but she was asked not to reveal that to anyone. She had been bothered by the fact that she did not help the two of them to meet, however, Hyuga had no recollection that they met on that day. Natsui was disappointed with his reply and tried to hide it. Hyuga tried to explain his medical condition but could not as the lift door open and he went in.

Yoko and Hyuga met in the restuarant and they talked about that time they met and their promise to meet again a year later. Hyuga suddenly remembered something about them. Delighted,Yoko gave Hyuga a kiss on the lip and Natsui happened to be outside the restuarant and witnessed the scene. On the other hand, Asahina seem to be planning something in his mind.



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U-weekly: Special feature - Kim Jong Kook

First Time in Singapore

UW: How do you feel about the first fanmeeting in Singapore?

Ans: I look forward to meeting my fans in Singapore. In the past, i held my fanmeeting in Japan before, however, that was a long time ago and since then i did not have any fanmeeting. Therefore, i felt nervous about the Fanmeeting. Most of my fans in Singapore know me as part of the cast in Running Man, will they find it strange to see me singing on stage? Hope they will feel happy to see me on stage.



UW: What type of special performance will you prepare? Have you ever been to Singapore?

Ans: I planned to sing for my fans and play games with them. In 2011 Summer time (Running Man) after the Hong Kong Special episode, i went to Singapore privately to rest. Surprisingly, singaporean recognized me at the Supermarket and at the airport. Some of them asked to take picture with me and took my autograph. I never thought that many people watch Running Man in Singapore and this has been a good memories for me.

Singer first 

UW: You said that you are always a singer, followed by host and comedian or actor. Does it mean that you love and value your job as a Singer first? Why did you put that as the upmost importance in your career?

Ans: The main reason is that i do not want people to forget that i am a singer. In addition, I can use that image to crack joke during Running Man. When my fellow Running Man members lose to me, i will say,"you can't even win a singer?" Everyone will laugh loudly at this comment, therefore, i did stress on that on purpose.

UW: What type of satisfaction does singing give you which other job could not satisfise you?

Ans: I have been working as a singer for 18 years now. Although participating in variety programme became a important part of my life, but to me standing on the stage to sing enabled me to express my deepest feeling. Therefore, nothing can compare to that.

Not a born winner

UW: Does hosting Running Man affected your personality, popularity and career? Are you glad that you are part of the big family?

Ans: I have a wider range of fans and that includes the kids, which laid a strong foundation for myself in the future. I remembered the last time we flimed Running Man, there were many kids that wanted to tear my nametag off my shirt. I can't even move about among all the kids. In the past, i may find that irritating, however, i changed my mind when i have a nephew and i begin to like kids. When some famous people came to take picture with us because of the kids, i felt that the power of kids were so great!

UW: The audience and your commades think that you are the greatest rival. Do you view this as a pressure or a motivation?

Ans: There is motivation and pressure because of the high expectation from the audience. They would think that even though i may not win the race, i should be able to survive to the end and should'nt be the first to be eliminated.  However, the rest of the Running Man members had improved a lot and sometimes i may lose to them. Therefore, i do not think that i am a born winner.

UW: In Running Man, which member are you most impressed with?

Ans: Hmm..Kwang Soo. From the programme i can see how he presented his comedic ability and bring laugher to everyone. He does not care if he fall into the water or get hurt, he does his best to participate in the games and i admire him for that.

Marry before fourty years old

UW: Is Moon Guem Young your dream lover? Is the ten years age gap a big issue to you?

Ans: I like big eyes and round face because my eyes are small and i wish that my girlfriend has bigger eyes. I like Moon Guem Young or Yoo Eun Hye type. In the past, i felt that ladies that were four to five years younger than me was a big gap. However, now i think that ten years age gap is okay as long as we can get along. Because of the nature of my job, i came across many celebrities. But when it comes to finding a girlfriend which would eventually lead us to marriage, i would wish to date an ordinary person. I hope to marry before i turn 40.

UW: Will you surprise us with a sudden marriage? What criteria are you looking for to be your wife?

 Ans: I said this in a TV programme before that i wish my future wife will be 1.65 and above, not too skinny and it does not matter if she is not very rich. The most important thing is to have a round face and a bigger eyes than mine. For the sake of our children, I still wish that my wife has big round eyes.

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The Success of Running Man

Running Man began to air in mid 2010 and till now the popular variety program is still running. On top of that, this program is very popular overseas too. What make it interesting and fun for Running Man? 

First of all, it is the creative and interesting games. Secondly, even if the games were repetitive, they were able to improvise and think of different ways to play the game. Remember the times when the Running Man cast was trapped in a departmental store completing missions and tearing nametags? 

They basically filmed the program at night and they will return home the following day. Those were the time when they were given punishment such as walking on the streets with ‘hot pants’ or greeting the employees early in the morning when they came to work.

Nowadays, Running Man has moved to outdoor activities and the cast were given gold or rewards should they win the game. Subsequently, there was a change in the cast after the exit of Lizzy and   Song Joong Ki. The Running Man team found a replacement in Song Ji Hyo and from then on, she became part of the Running Man cast. Recently, the program does not focus on Yoo Jae Suk, Kim Jong Kook or even the guests as much as previous times. I am glad that all the cast were given screen time to shine and play their characters. Gone are the days that the Running Man obviously gave in to the guests during games. 

What makes the variety show a success apart from the interesting games and famous guests were the interactions between the cast. Let’s take a look at some of the nominees:

1) Leaders combination (Grasshopper/Tiger team)

Kim Jong Kook and Yoo Jae Suk

If you put this buddies together, there is a higher chance of winning the games. However, they tend to bickers around with each other and were often noisy together. Despite that, these two leaders have absolute chemistry and the MC ability to put the guests at ease. With lots of screen time, who doesn't want to partner with them?

2) Monday couple

Gary and Song Ji Hyo

Monday couple was established much earlier at the beginning of running man. This adorable pair has lots of chemistry. In the beginning, Gary used to give in to Song Ji Hyo and let her win in games. Nowadays, they were pretty much doing fine on their own without emphasizing this name too often.

3) Spartace couple

Kim Jong Kook and Song Ji Hyo

Be assured that the games will be more competitive when you put the two competitive and capable Running Man together. They can cooperate and work together so well in games which normally ensure a win for their team.

3) Traitor trio

Haha, Kwangsoo and Ji Suk Jin

When you pair these three up, ensure a hilarious and comical antics from them. They were definitely good in playing their roles. Haha - the ultimate spy, KwangSoo - the ultimate betrayer and Ji Suk Jin - the betrayer.

4) Strong/weak link combination (Race starter and the commander)

Kim Jong Kook and Ji Suk Jin

We need a strong and weak player to team up sometimes to make the program more interesting. Indeed, Big nose hyung Ji Suk Jin is considered weak when compared with the rest of the cast, however, he is still a good team player and he is good at spotting things. As the eldest of the Running Man, sometimes he take things easy and allow other people to shine at his expense. Nonetheless, he did play a great part in the variety show and he proved that he can flim Running Man despite his age.

5) Girrafe-Tiger pair

Kim Jong Kook and Lee KwangSoo

This pair has a love-hate relationship. Initially, KwangSoo was often 'bullied' verbally by Kim Jong Kook. Nowadays, the Girrafe often disturb/provoke the tiger as an act of 'revenge'. Given a chance, he would always want to eliminate Kim Jong Kook. Despite the often bickering and fighting, they have a great relationship in real life. Kim Jong Kook revealed that he often meet up with Kwang Soo. It was reported during interviews that they were good friends and KwangSoo love his hyung.

6) Siblings combination

Yoo Jae Suk and Song Ji Hyo

They were like siblings teasing and making fun of each other whenever they were game partners. Yoo Jae Suk is always good in taking care of the people around him. Therefore, he is always the caring big brother whenever he was paired up with Ji Hyo. On the other hand, Ji Hyo is the mischievous little sister.

7) Brothers combination

Yoo Jae Suk and Ji Suk Jin

During the early part of the show, Ji Suk Jin always says that he is Yoo Jae Suk sunflower. The two brothers know each other for a long time and they were both MC in their respective programme before they work together in Running Man. Both of them have the most experience among the Running Man cast in terms of hosting a variety show. It is funny how Ji Suk Jin was jealous of Kim Jong Kook when he heard that the both of them work up in the gym often.

8) Kim Jong Kook and the two kids

Kim Jong Kook, Haha and Gary

This was one of the highlight in the early episodes of Running Man. Kim Jong Kook taking control over the two kids. Most of the time during nametag tearing games, they will be grouped together as catchers. Those were the days when they had so much fun chasing Yoo Jae Suk mission team. We as viewers of the show were highly entertained by them.

9) Easy brothers - Girrafe and Impala pair

Ji Suk Jin and Lee Kwang Soo

"Feel, touch, cross!" This is their favourite phrase whenever they are paired up. I love easy brothers and their funny antics. Most of the time, they will not win any games whenever they are paired up. Nonetheless, they are so funny together which is the most essential element needed in a variety programme.

10) The bickering pair

Song Ji Hyo and Haha

Song Ji Hyo and Haha were around the same age, therefore, i think they can be more playful around each other. They were often bickering and making fun of each other during the show which i think is very interesting and fun. 

11) Dumb and Dumber pair

Yoo Jae Suk and Lee Kwang Soo

Both of them were natural comedians and their body gag is so funny. What can i say about this pair except that they are prefect for each other. :)

12) The two kids

This brothers are so cute and funny to begin with. With them around, the atmosphere is bound to be lively and cheerful. They were able to dance well and have a great sense of humor.



Thoughts

Running Man is always the best whenever they are unified and work hand in hand together as a team. It is this close-knitted friendship which enabled the programme to reach out to its audience. Even when divided into groups, they were able to present their individual characteristic and played their roles well. In my opinion, Running Man members cannot be replace, neither can they lose any members. I like the Running Man cast just the way they are right now. Although i do miss Song Joong Ki and sometimes Lizzy, they are doing well in their respective domains. I would continue to support Running Man and hope that they will continue to explore different genre of games. 

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Running Man Episode 138

We kick off this episode with Gentlemen high school dignity. The characters appears to be taken from a manga. First we have Kwang Soo who declared that he is the captain of the Track and Field club, followed by Haha and Gary who fought for the position. The door opened, and teacher Ji Suk Jin came in. Song Ji Hyo yelled at the boys and stated that she is the captain. The other boys said that this is an all boys school. Ji Hyo replied that she is a boy wearing a skirt. The commotion has anger captain Kim Jong Kook as he slammed open the door and threw his jacket on the floor. Everybody stood still and rise up their hands. Haha pointed that Kwang Soo wants to be the captain. Kwang Soo immediately picked up Captain Kim Jacket and said he is the hanger.

At the other side, we have the drama club and it was announced that Yoo Jae Suk has transferred from the altheletic team to the captain of drama club. Yoo Jae suk kept grumbling that it was a sensitive issue to transfer club. Next, we saw all the members falling in. Family Outing Game Devil Kim Soroo, pretty boys Kim Woobin, Lee Jonghyun (CN blue), Lee Jongsuk and Min Hyorin assembled. It was announced that today theme is 'Gentleman high school dignity competition' whichever team win in a race will receive a flag and they have to protect the flags till the last game.

The first game is a tournament whereby two members from each team will be blindfolded as they reach their respective place and engage in a nametag tearing game. Jong Hyun immediately lamented that they will lose this game because of Jong Kook Hyung. Game devil Kim Soroo was'nt pleased to hear that and stated that they should live positively. Yoo Jae Suk recalled that Jong Hyun had guested in Running Man for three times and he was always eliminated by Jong Kook. Despite that, the drama club decided to sent Woobin and Jong Hyun to the field. At the other side, the altheletic team were discussing their strategies. Next we saw the betrayal brothers Ji Suk Jin and Lee Kwang Soo being blindfolded and led to their respective position. The betrayal brothers cried out to each other as they were separated.

It does not take long before Woobin and Jong Hyun spotted Girrafe Kwang Soo and gave chase. They surrounded the betrayal brothers in a few minutes. Ji Suk Jin was tired with all the struggle and intended to leave Kwang Soo alone to deal with the youngsters. Kwang Soo called out to Suk Jin and he came forward to help, in return betrayer Kwang Soo leave Big nose hyung to them. Not surprising, Ji Suk Jin was the first to be eliminated. With the impala Ji Suk Jin eliminated so early in the game, commander Kim Jong Kook was flaming mad as he stood up and make his entrance. On the other hand, the drama team rejoice at the announcement. They spectaculated that Kim Jong Kook should be kept till the last. Never did they expect that Jong Kook make his entrance early in the game.

Kwang Soo who had being waiting for his team member stood near the lift and when he saw Kim Jong Kook being blindfolded, he took revenge by leading captain Kim to bump on the walls and chairs. As expected, the next moment Kwang Soo was being punished by Spatakook. In an attemp to lure the duo to the place where the commander laid ambushed, Kwang Soo shouted out loud.

However, when the drama team spotted Commander Kim, they immediately retreated and ran away as fast as they could. Now the situation has reversed and the drama team have to hide from the Athletic team.

Soon, Kwang Soo and Jong Kook found their hiding place and they joined hands to eliminate Woobin and Jong Hyun. That was a big blow to the Drama team as they lost two members and they immediately guessed that Kim Jong Kook is out at the battle field. Next, the Drama club send Lee Jongsuk and Min Hyorin to the battle field. It was like an idol drama when they saw Jong Kook and Kwang Soo and they held their hands to escape together. Feeling envy, Kwang Soo suggested to Jong Kook that they should hold hands too. Jong Kook immediately dismissed the idea. Soon, Kwang Soo and Haha were eliminated by JongSuk and Hyorin while Jong Kook was at the other side. The Drama team wonder what is wrong with Jong Kook and next Song Ji Hyo joined hands with Jong Kook.Finally, the Spartace team is back in action and it was no surprise that they eliminated the other team easily. Finally, the drama team trump cards were called to the battlefield.

Yoo Jae Suk spotted Jong Kook and Ji Hyo from a distance and attempted to lure them to Kim Soroo. The Spatace couple saw through his trick and wondered who is the other opponent. Eventually, they met and went head to head with each other. Kim Soroo and Yoo Jae Suk torn Jong Kook name tag. Gary was called to the field after Jong Kook elimination. The Monday couple met and felt threatened by the other team.

The two team met again and it was the final fight. During the confusion, Ji Hyo make use of this opportunity to eliminate Kim Soroo. Now it was left Yoo Jae Suk fighting against the Monday Couple. Jae Suk eliminated Gary and Ji Hyo eliminated him. The first round, Song Ji Hyo secured a win for the athletic team. Three cheers for 'Mung Ji Hyo!'

The next mission was set at the canteen. Each teams were seated at different tables as they munched on their snacks. The PD asked each team to write down something that they were good at to play the game. When the food relay challenge was announced, the Athletic Club rejoices as this is what they does best. They were supposed to eat and drink all the items lay out on the table. These includes ahard boil egg, a cup noodles, ice cream, chocolate, , a bottle of water and a bottle of Coke.

The Athletic team did pretty well as they gobbled down all the foods until it was Jong Kook turn to drinkthe bottle of water and Kwang Soo interrupted him by tapping on his throat. After he regained his calm, he finishes the bottle of water. Finally, it was Kwang Soo turn to drink the bottle of coke. He drank amazingly fast but when he is about to whistle, he gave a loud burp to the laughter of everyone.The Drama Team tried their best to gobble the foods except that the pretty boys does a better job as they eat gracefully. Eventually, the Drama won the game as they completed the mission at a shorter time (10 seconds) lesser than the Athletic team.

The next game is to do a spilt and join their foots as a team and see who can reach the furthest on the line. The Athletic team complained that it is unfair as the other group has taller people. Nonetheless, the Drama team were lacking in exercise as they have problem even in spreading their legs. During the process, Jong Hyun even torn his pants and he need to use his jacket to protect his modesty. The Athletic team tried to spilt their legs under the command of Captain Kim. Eventually, Gary managed to reach further than the Drama team and they won this round. Now the Drama team punishment is to pay for the meals. Kim Soroo took it upon himself and paid for all the expenses.

The third mission was at the pool and we saw the floating board in the middle. That was a similarsight as we were shown flashback of the game during X-Man. Kim Jong Kook and Kang Ho dong wrestled on the floating board. Yoo Jae suk was the vanguard for the Drama team and he tried to threaten the other team. However, his opponent was Jim Jong Kook and he flauted his six packs in front of the other team. Lol. In return, Jong Kook tried to scared the other team by charging forward. Yoo Jae Suk Kept on retreating and the frightened look on his face was so funny. The Atheletic club hide behind Jong Kook and laughed at Yoo Jae Suk. To retaliate, Yoo Jae Suk exclaimed that they will be rolling pins without Kim Jong Kook and he turned around and lamented that there were taller guys than him in his team, why is he the vanguard at the front. Kim Jong kook made use of this opportunity to to attack the Drama team. The first round, the Athletic team won.

The second round, Peaceful Gary rules as he flipped Jong Hyun and Jongsuk into the pool before he was pushed into the pool by Woobin. Yoo Jae Suk stepped up on the game and charged forward, however he need to overcome the obstacle- Kim Jong Kook. Surprisingly after Kim Soroo fall into the water, Kim Woo Bin fall into the pool too after he attempted to attack Jong Kook but was instead pushed into the pool. Jae Suk being the underdog, tried to trip Jong Kook over and succeeded and he secured a win for his team. Finally, thegame devil Kim Sooro charges towards the Altheletic team and overthrown them like bowling pins.

The last game is to place their flag in the right flagpole within 30 minutes. Everyone was taken to different levels of the school building. Jong Kook and Haha deduced that Kim Sooro must be protecting his team flag. Therefore, when they saw him at a corner, they chased after him. Soon they were joined in by Ji Hyo. Unfortunately, the team flag was not with him and he mangaed to tricked them. Ji Suk Jin found Woo Bin with the team flag and he informed the Monday couple who laid in ambush outside the room where he hides. However, Woobin figure out a smart way to escape and that is to jump out from the side window. He went back to his original hiding place but was found by Kwang Soo. He tried to espcape but Jong Kook was on his tail and managed to pin him down. Haha got the flag and ran to a storage room. Soon, he was greeted by Sooro with a devilish smile. He snatched the flag away.

After another struggle, Jong-Seok got the flag and rushed off to the flag pole but he was intercepted by Jong Kook. With 3 minutes left, Haha ran to the gymnastic room to tied the flag on the flag pole. However, they tied the flag to the opposite team flag pole. Eventually, Jong-Seok managed to hang his team flag on the flag pole and secured a win for his team.

Afterthoughts

This is a hilarious episode where we can see the amazing teamwork of the Running Man. The first part of the show was funny as we see the Running Man fighting to be the captain and suddenly Kim Jong Kook opened the door and act angry. He almost laugh out lot when he threw his jacket on the floor. On the drama team, i am glad to see some eye candies. However, the team will be considered weak if not for Kim Sooro and Yoo Jae Suk. Yes, based on age the guests has an advantage, however, the Running Man members has much more experiences.

The strategies for the first game was good. The drama team did not expect Jong Kook to come out early in the game. Therefore, most of them were in for a surprise when they saw the commander. Kwang Soo as usual betrayed the impala Ji Suk Jin, i felt pitiful for the race starter. The Second game at the canteen was interesting. Especially the part where Yoo Jae Suk and Lee Kwang Soo burp after they drank the coke. The only part which i dilike is when Lee Kwang Soo tap on Jong Kook throat while he was drinking water. This prank was not funny and it could be dangerous too. Nonetheless, it is a variety show and it is supposed to be for fun so got to let it pass.

The third game at the pool was fun and i always like to watch Running Man water sport games. Kim Jong Kook was so cute when he showed off his muscle and trying to scared Yoo Jae Suk. It was interesting that the guest were all pretty weak in their physical strength. I like Kang Gary act cool face when he won against the idols. Kim Sooro last attempt to charge on the Atheletic team was bravo and it works as they were hit like bowling pins.

The last game was a little boring but they did make the game interesting with all the passing and running. I rooted for the Running Man team to win but i am fine that the Drama team wins.

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