S1·E541 2021 New Year Driving Out Bad Luck Race: Take My Bad Luck Away

Episode recap

The 2021 episode of Running Man titled “New Year Driving Out Bad Luck Race: Take My Bad Luck Away” (Season 1, Episode 541) brings a fresh twist to the long‑running variety format by centering the competition around the theme of shedding misfortune at the start of a new year. The episode opens with the arrival of three young actors who join the regular cast members as guests. Their presence creates three distinct teams, each composed of a mixture of the show’s permanent personalities and the newly arrived actors.

The central premise of the installment is a race designed to “drive out bad luck.” To determine which team succeeds, the participants engage in a series of games that are structured to generate “Penalty Men.” Throughout the challenges, each team accumulates these penalty markers, and the objective becomes clear: the group with the fewest Penalty Men at the conclusion of the contests will avoid the final consequence. The episode’s structure therefore hinges on the competitive tension of minimizing penalties while navigating the assorted tasks set by the production.

As the games progress, the teams vie to keep their penalty counts low, employing the quick‑thinking, physical agility, and teamwork that have become hallmarks of the program. The narrative builds toward a climactic finale in which the team that ends the series of challenges with the smallest tally of Penalty Men faces a singular, dramatic penalty: a giant water bomb. The water bomb is presented as a symbolic device intended to “wash away all of their bad luck,” aligning the comedic physicality of the show with the cultural notion of cleansing the year’s fortunes.

The episode concludes with the anticipated soaking, delivering the visual spectacle and comedic payoff that fans expect from a Running Man finale. By framing the competition around the concept of bad‑luck removal, the episode blends the series’ familiar game‑show energy with a seasonal motif, offering viewers a light‑hearted yet purposeful conclusion to the New Year special.