The episode of 'Running Man' that aired on the 15th recorded a 2.5% viewership rating in the target demographic of 20-49, securing the top spot in its time slot. Moreover, the peak minute rating soared to 5.7%, an increase from the previous week (based on Nielsen Korea, metropolitan area, household basis).
This week's episode featured a race titled 'First in the City' in Incheon, where participants had to hold onto a card that listed a city's first occurrence of something until the end. Actress Kim Ahyoung, known as 'Running Man's Oksoon,' made a guest appearance, drawing attention.
Previously, Kim Ahyoung had sparked a romance by naming Choi Daniel as her ideal type, which led to Yang Se-chan joining the fray and creating an unexpected love triangle that piqued viewers' curiosity. Eventually, the three ended up on the same team, and the 'love war' began with the first mission, 'Relay Water Bomb.'
In a mission where each team's representative had to run and guess the title and artist of a song after hearing its intro on a buoy, Kim Ahyoung ended up getting wet, and Choi Daniel, seemingly determined, actively flirted by offering her a towel, attempting to take the lead. Later, Choi Daniel shocked everyone by revealing he had exchanged numbers with Kim Ahyoung, prompting a jealous Yang Se-chan to ask for her number right then and there, continuing the endless love triangle.
Meanwhile, the race also saw a humorous incident involving HAHA's wardrobe malfunction, leading to Yu Jae-seok's apology. Before the mission, Yu Jae-seok and HAHA had agreed to a 'no pants down' peace treaty, but in the heat of the competition, Yu Jae-seok ended up pulling down HAHA's shorts, causing embarrassment. An indignant HAHA exclaimed, "We agreed not to do this. I have three kids. There's a PTA meeting next week," while Yu Jae-seok humorously apologized, forgetting HAHA was 'going commando,' even extending his apologies to HAHA's wife, Byul, causing an uproar of laughter.
Additionally, a lunch mission involving Incheon's invented dish, jjolmyeon, titled 'Speak with Your Body,' saw Kim Jong-kook giving up, which brought huge laughs. Compared to Ahyoung's team and Ji-hyo's team, Ye-eun's team, led by Kim Jong-kook, showed a lackluster performance. Despite easy questions, HAHA and Ji Ye-eun went on a streak of wrong answers, failing to score more than 1 point. Eventually, Kim Jong-kook dramatically gave up, sitting down in resignation.
In the final mission, Yu Jae-seok, initially considered the weakest, pulled off a twist by selecting the oldest 'first' and won a gift voucher, showcasing the epitome of 'survival of the fittest.'
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)