Years Through Eyes of Running Man

 

Dear reader, I am sure that you clicked on this article because you are a fellow fan of the popular game TV show „Running Man“ like me! If not, then let me introduce you to the bundle of pure comedy that has made me and others laugh throughout many years.

First of all, this game show has been airing since 2010, which is almost 14 years as of writing this article. For a game show, this is something very hard to achieve, and I have pure admiration for the whole production team and the members.

How else should we celebrate their success other than by writing about the most memorable episodes from each year? Of course, all episodes mentioned in the article are subjectively my favorite ones, and I did not look at exact statistics, so feel free to drop your favorite episodes.

Personally, I have seen probably 80% of the whole show, which has whooping 689 episodes (as of 28.1.24). So if you feel that I missed great episodes, do drop them down below in the comments and share the love!

EPISODE 2

Let’s start from the beginning and travel back to 2010, where the second episode truly captured my heart! If you are a longtime watcher, you know that the format of the show was quite different back then, but honestly, I cannot complain.

In episode two, the Running Man members are playing at a popular Korean landmark, “Suwon World Cup Stadium,” which, by the pure sound of it, seems like a big place, right? The episode is very game-packed and focused on football and diving.

It is important to note that in the beginning, all Running Man episodes ended with a game of hide and seek or catch where the members eliminated each other by tearing off the nametags that were attached to their backs.

EPISODE 74

I would feel like a criminal if I didn’t include this episode in this wholesome long list, so here it goes! The year 2011 with Running Man was truly filled with many amazing episodes, and I was contemplating which episodes to pick, and in the end, I chose episode 74.

Episode 74 was the last episode of 2011, and truly, it served us a great deal of comedy, thrillers, and action, which is exactly why I love watching this show.

Members in this episode are trapped in the Korea International Exhibition Center, and their mission is very simple: eliminate other members by using your special superpower.

Indeed, the members in this episode gain superpowers, and only with their help can they get rid of other members, which can be quite a disadvantage to members who previously used only pure physical power for eliminations. Unlike other races, this race was individual, so there was only one winner.

EPISODE 91

Once again, I am going to be writing about an iconic episode that kept me on my toes because I am sucker for race episodes. Since I made a personal rule for myself and decided to only pick one episode per year of Running Man airing, I couldn’t properly write about the beginning of an important arc in Running Man: The Yoomes Bond Special.

Yoomes Bond is a nickname for comedian Yu Jae Seok, who embraced this identity thanks to Running Man. He officially started this arc with episode 38, where he had to eliminate other members by only using a tiny toy gun filled with colored water. The beautiful and chilling arc continues in episode 91, where the Running Man members are being imprisoned for their bad crimes, such as “wearing tight pants,” and they must find a code to escape their prison. But Yu Jae Seok has a completely different mission compared to his fellow colleagues. His mission is to secretly eliminate others with his lucky toy gun and escape the prison complex by himself.

The reason why I completely love this episode and watch it over and over again is very simple: chasing games are my favorite. The whole episode is basically focused on trying to find clues to get out while being chased by others and getting eliminated.

EPISODE 155

Other than chasing races, I am also a sucker for horror-themed Running Man episodes, and it would feel like a crime if I didn’t include at least one such episode!

Episode 155 has a very simple mission, and it does sound a bit cute in the beginning. Come on, mission “Find your fated partner” does sound like a romantic race and not a race where your mission is to find ghosts. Indeed, episode 155 is a pure ghost story in disguise, and I cannot say more to not spoil it for you!

The episode contains brutal games, pure comedy, and unexpected twists.

EPISODE 225

The game of betrayal—that’s how I should describe this episode.

I feel that this episode is less known for some reason, but still, for those who really love episodes with secret spies, than this episode is for you!

In this episode, we follow Kwang Su and U Bin on their secret mission to eliminate other members while also trying to find ancient script. But it wouldn’t be funny without a twist, right? While I cannot tell you about the twist, believe my words when I say that I didn’t see it coming.

EPISODE 261

If the previous horror special episode didn’t make you shiver, let me introduce you to episode 261 which took place in a haunted high school where the members had to find their nametags along with the nametags of their VJ’s. Honestly, I wouldn’t be able to complete the insane haunted hunt, and I was shivering while watching it.

As always, the year 2015 truly served us many great episodes, but this sticks with me to this day!

EPISODE 292

As a huge fan of Yi Kwang Su, who was throughout his whole career in Running Man branded as the unluckiest member, this episode was as if made for me and him. While other members had their own special episodes, I do feel that this episode was truly made for Kwang Su, because the point of this whole episode was to find the unluckiest member and name him as the king of the unlucky!

While the members completed small popular games where Kwang Su’s “luck” excelled, we could finally see who is the true king of misfortune, and let me tell you, it comes with a twist.

I recommend this episode to all Kwang Su fans and those who love to see the small misfortunes of others.

EPISODE 362

Once again, we are back in the teamwork episode, and this time the episode is dividing members into two teams: police officers and the villains. The guests make everything much funnier because the new addition to the Running Man family, So Min, is deadly weak against handsome guests.

I think the highlight of the episode truly lies in the amazing waterboarding games and the final chasing race.

As we go further into the new episodes, we can see that the Running Man format has changed a lot compared to older episodes, where the episodes ended with nametag-ripping races. In new episodes, that is not always the case, and slowly, the game is disappearing.

EPISODE 415

Have you ever thought about what a Heavenly Court would look like after you passed to the other side? Well, in this episode, the Running Man members must play games and gain “running man balls” in order to get reincarnated and lead a new life.

The whole episode is filled with fun little games that will make everyone roll on the floor. Even though the name of the whole episode sounds dark, it is not a horror special and could be watched in the evening. Special applause goes to the Death Queen, who was super hilarious.

EPISODE 453

Another episode, which I fear is not talked a lot about.
In this episode, our Running Man members become the grandchildren of an elderly couple who went on a trip around the world only to find a big treasure. Once they come back to South Korea, the grandparents want to give the treasure to their most beloved grandchild, but there is a twist. Among the eight grandchildren, there are three fake grandchildren, and they must be eliminated.

This episode is once again great for those who truly enjoy the spy episodes. I feel that this aspect of Running Man is also fading out along with the nametag elimination race, and I truly wish they preserved it.

Other than the elimination race, this episode contains great wordplay games, and the comedy level is really high.

EPISODE 511

This episode, like many others nowadays, does not contain an elimination race, but instead has a new format. This time the Running Man members are playing a modified werewolf game where each member gains a role, like Kwang Su gains the role of a judge. They all have one mission: to protect the house owner’s gold, which the thieves are trying to steal. Yes, indeed, two of the members are secret thieves who must steal the gold from the safes.

Unlike other episodes, this one is very chill and is set in one location, which may sound boring, but the point of the game is the use of your wit. Even though it is not an action-packed episode, it is keeping you on your toes because you are solving the case with the members. You are also included in the game, and back then, when it was airing, the fans could actually vote for who was the most suspicious.

EPISODE 570

You know how honest I am, dear reader? The truth is, I have been struggling with the newer episodes of Running Man because the spark of the older episodes is almost completely gone, meaning no chasing episodes, fewer spy episodes, more eating and chatting episodes, and fewer active games. I understand that the cast is getting older and you cannot lie to your own body, but still, I miss those older days.

Episode 570 is a special episode in its format, where the members are once again divided into two groups: citizens and the mafia.
Sadly, this episode does not contain a nametag elimination game.

EPISODE 627

Slowly, but steadily, this bunny is losing her way from Running Man. For some reason, writing about the most recent years is as hard as writing about the beginning of Running Man. This time I really had a hard time picking an episode because my tastes are very difficult, you could say. The action-packed, fast-paced bunny I am in 2022 was deprived of many action episodes.

I know that I am not the only one who is missing those episodes, but I will still try to make the audience that does enjoy the new format of this show happy!

Here comes episode 627, which gained its viewers with a very special guest: Seok Jin from BTS. The whole episode is basically a battle of two Seok Jin's, but one is from Running Man and the other from a popular group.

EPISODE 675

My slump with Running Man continued in 2023, and I am kind of ashamed to admit that 2022–2023 were not good years of Running Man for me. I could count on one hand how many episodes I have thoroughly watched. Among those few episodes, I did see episode 675, which contains my favorite prison escape or escape room, I guess. Other than escaping from a room, we play song-related games and talk shows.

Since the year 2024 is only starting, I have decided to end this article with my favorite episode of the year 2023.

I do hope that some of you found this article entertaining, and for those who are new to the show, I hope I gave you good inspiration for where to start watching. Honestly, as an old-time watcher, it has been an uphill battle to keep up with the episodes, and as I said in the intro, I haven’t seen all episodes, and I don’t think it is needed. Unlike with TV series, you aren’t missing anything if you skip a few episodes, which is great. You can tune in and tune out whenever you want, which is a great factor.

We went from the early stages of the show, which were very action-packed and game-packed, to the most recent ones, which are more of a talk-show format.

As you could observe, recent years of Running Man are not my favorites, and I feel completely detached from them, but I still love Running Man the same way. The members are still amazing comedians, and I applaud their constant care for the viewers.

I am going to end it on a happy note and ask you for recommendations, but this time for the recent years of Running Man! If you feel like I have missed recent action-packed episodes, do let me know.

Originally written to be published in 2024