S1·E535 New Year's Eve Race

Episode recap

The episode identified as season 1, episode 535 of the Korean variety program Running Man aired as the final broadcast of 2020. In keeping with the show’s format, the regular members were joined by four guests who are the leads of the forthcoming film “New Year Blues.” The guests—Yoo Yeon Seok, Lee Yeon Hee, Choi Soo Young and Yoo Teo—participated alongside the cast in a series of missions that were themed around bidding farewell to the outgoing year and ushering in the new one. The premise of the episode, as described in the official synopsis, centered on a competition in which the combined teams of members and guests undertook tasks designed to symbolically send off 2020 and welcome 2021. Throughout the broadcast, the participants engaged in the customary blend of physical challenges and strategic games that define Running Man, a program noted for having its members compete in a sequence of missions to achieve victory and avoid penalties. The episode’s structure culminated in a decisive outcome: one of the competing teams emerged as the winner, while the opposing side received the designated penalty. The specific identity of the victorious and penalized teams was not disclosed in the source material, but the conclusion adhered to the show’s established pattern of determining a clear winner and a losing side at the end of each mission‑based segment. By integrating the promotional appearance of the “New Year Blues” cast with the year‑ending motif, the episode served both as a celebration of the calendar transition and as a platform to highlight the upcoming movie. The broadcast thus combined the series’ characteristic competitive spirit with a seasonal farewell, delivering a finale that aligned with Running Man’s reputation for lively, game‑driven entertainment.