RUNNING WITH BTS: RUN BTS! SEASON 1 RECAP
“Seven men are running and running! A variety show by BTS – Run BTS!”
The first-ever Run BTS! episode was broadcasted in August 2015 with the launch of the new app VLive that selected BTS as their prime promoters. The first season of the Run BTS! variety show aired with 10 episodes that were filled with a range of challenges for the boys to compete in. The series became a hallmark of quality BTS content.
Season 1 of Run BTS! was originally a test to see if the variety style content produced by VLive and BTS would pay off. Even though the average time of an episode in this season was ten minutes only, the boys were able to provide now-iconic moments, gifs, and memes for the whole fandom to enjoy. The show proved to be a huge success, and has been running with BTS (pun intended) for three seasons.
In the first episode, BTS introduced themselves and talked about their expectations for the show. Here they gave a taste of their personalities by describing themselves as well as showing a few sneak peaks of the upcoming content.
Episode 2 “The Best Man”
The second episode put the boys through several challenges to crown “The Best Guy” among the BTS members. They were tested on their patience, the sexiness of their lips, and their power and quickness. Spoilers: the Golden Maknae Jungkook came out on top and was crowned “The Best Guy”.
Episode 3 “Theme Park”
This time the boys were caught in the U.S. having a day out at a theme park. The twelve minutes were filled with the members enjoying (or not) different types of rides at the park. J-Hope lost his soul a few times but still braved through the rides with SUGA’s encouragement, while Jimin gradually grew more confident. The rest of the members (and manager Sejin!) had the time of their lives.
Episode 4 “30-second Gate”
The fourth episode found BTS hanging at a swimming pool, ready to complete more missions with a smelly punishment – garlic juice. The boys played the “30 Seconds Gate” game, where they had to complete three challenges in 30 seconds each. With the stakes high, the boys turned on each other fast. Mischievous Jimin pranked members, SUGA tried to cheat his way through the challenge, V showcased smart strategy while Jungkook showed that he deserved to be called “The Golden Maknae”. J-Hope’s self-sabotage moment proved once more why he is the god of entertainment. At the end, Jimin became the day’s MVP and the winner of the game.
Episode 5 “Welcome to Hangawi: 100 Seconds Sports Festival”
Broadcasted on Chuseok, BTS reached their peak chaotic behavior mid-way through the season. Spending a day at a soccer (football) field, the members had to complete an unusual relay of traditional Korean games in 100 seconds, with a harsh penalty if they failed. With six missions in total, the members showcased a variety of surprising skills; SUGA’s perfect form for “hit the tombstone”, Jin’s hidden talent of opening packets with his toes, and Jimin’s amazing one-shot catch of Songpyun that won BTS the 100-second mission.
Episode 6 “Conte: Confession”
Run BTS! introduced the first 2-part skit called “Confession” where Jimin and SUGA took the roles of priests, listening to the rest of the members’ confessions. With Academy-worthy acting, the boys kept on exposing each other, hoping to be forgiven for their “sins”. SUGA’s performance as Father Louis Williams Suga Adams with the iconic middle-finger-sin-forgiving technique was definitely the highlight of the second part of the skit.
Episode 7 “Survival”
The boys took a change of scenery by visiting Gangwon-do for a bit of fresh air and a paintball battle royale. Split into two teams – Team Red (Jin, RM, V and Jungkook) and Team Black (SUGA, J-Hope, Jimin and one of their managers) – the boys worked on strategies, plots and cunning plans to win.
Episode 8 “The Treasure Hunt”
Mounting ATVs, BTS went off on a treasure hunt in Gangwon-do for a valuable prize – a meal ticket. The boys had to collect as many flags as possible to ensure themselves some tasty food. While four members got onto the auto-bikes, three members that have cheated previously had to trust their legs and find the flags on foot. SUGA, yet again, provided iconic meme material and Jimin and RM turned out to have collected the most flags.
Episode 9 “Bungee Jumping”
Reaching the final mission day at Gangwon-do, BTS faced the biggest challenge yet – overcoming their fears with bungee jumping. Most of the members struggled to gather up their courage to jump from a 22-story height. Yet, none of them bailed on the challenge. Completing the last mission of Run BTS! Season 1, the boys continued into the final episode.
Episode 10
Season 1’s finale had BTS enjoying the well-earned meals from the “Treasure Hunt” episode. However, it was also revealed that Run BTS! crew assigned one member to be a spy to act on missions. Spoilers ahead: even though many suspected V to be the culprit, it turned out that Jungkook was the spy all along. Spy’s prize – cash!
With Episode 10, BTS said goodbye to Run BTS! for a little while until their return with Season 2.
ARMY, what was your favorite moment from Season 1?
Written by: Jynx
Edited by: LJ and Hel. B
Design by: Kaitlyn
ARMY Magazine does not own any of the photos/videos shared in our blog. No copyright infringement intended.