"Running Man" is setting off on a romantic 1-night, 2-day escape to Tongyeong―and hometown hero Heo Kyung-hwan is along for the ride.
The SBS variety staple’s Nov. 30 episode takes the cast to the scenic port city for a breezy getaway built around a themed challenge dubbed “Isn’t This What Romance Tastes Like?”
During filming, the members kicked things off on a beach in Tongyeong. Thrilled for their first overnight trip in a while, they got a surprise drop-in from comedian Heo Kyung-hwan, a proud native of the city.
A frequent―and practically family―guest on "Running Man", Heo has a long-running gag that he’s somehow less funny on this show than anywhere else. Determined to break the “Running Man jinx” on home turf, he even arrived with baskets of Tongyeong specialties as a breakfast treat.
But the good deed reportedly backfired, drawing grumbles instead of gratitude―stirring up drama right from the start of the trip.
Sparked by Heo’s line, “Tongyeong is romance,” the race challenged members to capture the city’s charm in photos, add witty captions, and court real-time online votes. Those votes were the only way to shrink the number of members facing penalties―tied to the group’s travel budget―by knocking money off the tab whenever their “romance” was recognized.
Will they find the real thing? The “Isn’t This What Romance Tastes Like?” race unfolds on "Running Man" this Sunday at 6:10 p.m. KST on SBS.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)