I have being an avid fan for Korea Running Man since its broadcast four years ago. It has been a popular urban variety show in Korea and the cast members gained their popularity in Asia. Therefore, China wanted a piece of cake from the wildly popular variety Programme. After all the hype that China had purchased the copyright from Korea, I decided to watch some parts of the show out of curiosity. 

I was disappointed to say that I do not enjoy the Chinese version. The reason being the uninteresting characters. The production brought the whole concept of the game which doesn't seem to be that fun as compared to the korean version. The Chinese sense of humor does not amaze me, neither do I think they were funny. 



My bias is Kim Jong kook and I felt that he was not being "welcome" in China. He was invited as a mystery guest in this episode. The Chinese cast members have to tear off his nametag in order to win the game and receive the reward.



Perhaps, Wong Cho-Lam was trying to be comical and he exergerated. He was deadpanned after his nametag was ripped off by kim Jong Kook. His remarks was insensitive when he mentioned that he hope Kim Jong Kook did not come to China. 



There was this great moment when Kim Jong Kook black shirt was violently ripped off during a two versus one challenge. That was the first time Jong Kook shirt was literally torn apart which reflects on the fiercely competitive nature of the Chinese counterparts. At least, we can see Kim Jong Kook muscular body and I am definitely not complaining. After this incident, the Chinese production team should consider purchasing better quality shirt for their cast members. Anyway, Kim Jong Kook was given a red shirt in replacement.



There were rumors that Kim Jong Kook was instructed to lose to the Chinese cast members. Be it intentionally or unintentionally, it does not matter as long as it created a pathway for the Korean Running Man to come as a whole to "revenge" for their member. Kim Jong Kook came to give the Chinese cast members some lessons on nametag ripping and to show his superhuman power. Yes, above all it was to congratulate the premiere of Running Man China version. 



Finally, the Korean Running Man cast were here to challenge the Running Man China. It was obvious that the Koreans went easy on the Chinese in this episode. The Koreans have to be polite to the Chinese cast, therefore they have to take things slow and give opportunities for the Chinese cast to counterattack. 



Korean Running Man has been well trained in nametag ripping during these four years of broadcasting. In order to match the level of the Chinese counterpart, the Koreans opted for a one to one challenge. There was not much of strategy used in this epsiode as expected. We know the Koreans can do better than this since they are more experienced and have great stamina. Initially, I wondered why the Chinese team leader have a small nametag as compared to the rest. I figured out that this was intended to be an advantage for the Chinese team. It was unfair to a certain extent but we can still overlook that fact since the Koreans are good in this game.



The only person I really cannot stand is Angelababy. What's up with her begging for leniency and using sympathy? She knows that she can never win Jong Kook in terms of strength and made used of his weakness for women. Song Ji Hyo is so much better than her. Thank goodness, Kim Jong Kook did not let her win or else it will be an immediate turn off for me. At least Kim Jong Kook was very gentle with her so she should be glad. In my opinion, this lady is simply annoying.



The Chinese Running Man cast were too focus on winning in comparison to the Koreans. Both groups were equally competitive since it is a matter of pride for both countries. However, the Koreans were great in adding some "variety sense" on top of being competitive. That was the greatest differences between these two teams.



Veteran MC Yoo Jae Suk is great in reporting the "live" scenerio that was happening at the scene, making the variety show more interesting. Haha is a great entertainer with his great dance steps. Gary demostrated his strong power during the nametag ripping. Kim Jong Kook and song Ji Hyo works well together as Spartace. Ji Suk Jin is entertaining as well when he took it upon himself to challenge the weakest link in the other team and won the game.



Lee Kwang Soo could have done better but he was supposed to act this way whenever a "beauty" came onscreen. That is his character in Running Man. In my opinion, the Chinese Running Man need to establish their own identify and play their characters well in order to gain more viewership. The Koreans presented themselves very well and have great sportsmanship and rapport with each other. These were traits that the Chinese Running Man team can learn from their Korean counterpart. In conclusion, I personally will not continue to watch the Chinese version as I am more than contented with the Korean version. Nothing beats the original version!