Barefoot Friends E1-E3

I wonder if I’m the only one who thinks that Kang Ho Dong must have felt strange yelling out “Barefoot Friends” when he has been calling out “1n2d” for almost five years. I bet his fingers were itching to hold out “one” and “two.” Old habits die hard and it’s obvious that Ho Dong only knows how to do variety one way – his. He sets the pace and doesn’t think twice about who is following along.  If you are on a variety show with him, it’s either keep up with him or prepare to be edited out. It’s a good thing KHJ has some variety experience under his belt and can match HD’s whimsical thoughts and remarks or else KHJ could have ended up looking like a deer caught in headlights. Even if he didn’t say a word, there is no way any sensible editor would take out any of his close ups cuz not sharing the “pretty” is going to cost ratings.

*More photos will be added tm.

It starts from the members getting their backpacks and assignment from last time. The scene in the car is repeated with HD and HJ talking about the 3 top rivers and other trivia they don’t even know the answers to and that lame joke about “white sand” and “red sand.” HD points out the people in the distance and talks about when you go on a lot of *MTs during college to Kangtoo, don’t they call those “4 wheels” (in Korean he actually said “4 legged”).  HJ says I’ve never been to an MT – I didn’t get to go on MTs. HD: you don’t know what 4 legs are? when there are four wheels and ride it like a motorcycle. HJ: what’s that called? ATV?  HD: MTV. I don’t know. HJ: hyung isnt that a music station? HD thinks about it for a second like he is confused between ATV and MTV. HD remarks the people in the distance are getting closer. HD says it’s like the Ohara desert so HJ cracks up laughing. HD laughs too cuz of his mistake. He meant Sahara desert. HD tells him – you don’t laugh at me at least –you shouldn’t laugh. (cuz HJ makes mistakes like that too).  HJ consoles him and says at least we didn’t say Go Ara (the singer)

they finally reach the group and ask some kid what his name is as they film him. they ask what he is carrying on the back of the ATV and it’s a strip of plastic for people to slide down the sand. HJ asks what would make you smile the most right now. the kid said if I had money I would want to build a house. HD says we wanted to make you smile the most but (he doesn’t finish cuz it’s not like they can fork over so much money to the kid) HJ says so that you can earn a lot of money to build a home – I will give you money for this and slide down over there so show us your most happy smile. I will go down with a lot of fun. the kid breaks into a big smile. HD asks how much it is to rent those and pays for it. HD points out the incline they are going to slide down and says the angle is 90 degrees but it’s more like 60. HD says going down is ok but after we get down how do we get back up? he is told to walk back up so HJ points out it’s not worth the price of the slide (cuz it’s so much exercise). HD says I cant go down that. the translator says you can do it. the poor guy is totally missing HD’s point so HD looks frustrated. he meant he knows he can walk up but it’s going to be too hard so he doesn’t want to. HJ looks down and says I think we might be able to come back up by tm.  (LOL).  the two of them get ready to slide down. HD goes first but his weight keeps him from sliding. his butt just seems to sink in the sand and keep him there. he has no choice but to laugh cuz it’s so funny. he finally gets what he was doing wrong – he has to lean back to distribute his weight so now he slides down a little further. still very slow but at least he moved. he moves over to the side and calls up instructions to HJ to move his body back. HJ starts off in a reclining position and gets a push from the kid. HJ slides down pretty well – much faster than HD but still pretty slow compared to sledding down on ice. when he stops HJ looks over at HD and just chuckles. HJ says it’s not that great to pay 50,000 dong to sled down this all day. They look back up to where they have to climb and start. HJ turns it into an exercise routine and really tries to run but it looks like he is running in place cuz his feet keep sinking into the sand. They also didn’t carry their sleds back up either. HD finally makes it up but he cant catch his breath. HD manages to say how it wasn’t worth it to ride that for such a short time. HJ is out of breath too but the sun seems to be getting to him cuz he laughs like a crazy person. cuz what they did was just so sad probably. HD says let’s go.  as they walk back to the car HD remarks their specialty is to try things and HJ says again for the hundredth time that his specialty is using his body (as in if it requires using your body he will try it. that’s why he is always working so hard at physically difficult tasks and not backing off)

*I have a feeling that kid is going to earn enough money to build a house by the time he is 60 if he stays with this sledding down sand business. No tourist in his right mind is going to want to pay to suffer in the heat to sled down for a few seconds in slow motion and then go through the exertion of climbing back up.

*MT = membership training which is basically singing songs around a campfire or playing games indoors

* ATV= all terrain vehicles that you ride off road where cars can’t go on.

on the car ride back HD snores and wakes up HJ, but HJ sleeps through it later.

at 6am the guys come out and say they slept well. they think they should say goodbye to the home owners so they go over. they shake hands and says we stayed well – we have to go now. SY jokes to the woman we didn’t fold up our blankets so you have to fold them- just kidding. they hug and say boy some more and walk out

they separate so now SY and YSY are paired off to capture smiles on their camcorders. SY looks into the lens and asks is my BB cream too white? YSY: it seems like it – but still. SY finishes his sentence and says: it’s better than getting burned (getting sun burned or tanned). YSY: since you are good looking hyung it’s ok. SY looks at him with amusement at the lie. YSY: looking at you closely – you are good looking. SY mutters – what about you. (Cuz YSY is way better looking)

SY says I think it’s important to fill a lot of people’s smiles so they go to a market and wonder how to fill the camcorder with the best smiles of Vietnam. they go into a hair shop. SY says we are Koreans. the women laugh so YSY says we found the best smiles in Vietnam. SY offers to wash the woman’s hair but she holds up her hands saying no. YSY shares my family has a hair salon. SY: really? SY tells the woman that YSY’s mom runs a hair salon so trust him once. YSY goes over and says since you must be tired, I will give you a scalp massage. he starts to massage her scalp as she smiles. YSY says tell her to say something if it hurts. SY asks if it feels refreshing. YSY feels her the point of her head and says it’s hard here so she must have some stress.  the woman gives a thumbs up cuz she is enjoying the massage. SY jokes and asks for money. she slaps his hand. YSY asks if her children are at school now but her child has a job. they say how young she looks. they ask her to say something to her son. she does and they thank her and say be happy.

when they walk out SY asks again – so your mom has a hair salon? YSY: yes. SY: what about you – where do you get your hair done? YSY: I get it done at a salon (meaning a more upscale one than his mom’s). YSY asks should we get something to eat? they go to the food area of the market.

they go over to a grandma’s stand and buy some refreshing drinks that taste like Korean rice drink. not the alcohol one- with squash. YSY asks how long she worked for. 40yrs. they ask how much she earns in a day. 300,000 dong so around $15. SY tries to share some of his drink with her but she wont share his spoon so he says am I dirty? he asks when she is the most happy and she says she isnt. they offer to sing for her and sings the song – have strength – you have us. they ask if she feels better so they sing again and make her smile

they go to the street and sing the same song to the people selling stuff on the sidewalks.

they drive to a place and walk along a bridge saying no one is here. they wave to a statue trying to make it smile. they decide to ride the boat. YSY thinks it will be hot. inside, SY pretends to be Vietnamese and acts like he cant speak Korean. YSY asks what is your name. do you know korea? do you know Korean singers. SY says UV. YSY asks what Korean drama do you like and SY says Kim tak gu.

they ride the boat to some mountain top. there are like a million stairs in front of them to get to the top. they think there are like 200 steps so they count as they walk up. poor guys and poor camera guy. after they marvel over the view SY says there is no one here too. (duh- what crazy tourist would climb that many steps in that heat) there is no one so how can we fill smiles of Vietnam. they decide to get footage of anything that smiles so they film statues, flowers, rock, and a faucet. (I’m sort of glad no one was around cuz they will think Koreans are crazy)

in the car JS shows E the video of his children singing the song YSY and SY were singing earlier. E says they are really cute. JS: this is how I live. when it gets hard I watch this. this message just came.

JS and E walk up to a place and say how beautiful it is. they go over to a monastery and they are just sitting down for lunch so E and JS join them. E and JS gush over the food saying how delicious it is. JS thought the brown one was meat but it’s tofu.  they keep talking with their mouths full.

B sings for people as he works and makes them laugh. Uee makes that cute pose to some old man and makes his day. she should have done that to a young guy and I bet he would have fainted. it shows quick shots of the cast making people laugh or smile.

both teams meet up at 8pm. HD’s team heads over to meet JS’s team. HJ says it’s been 2n3d since we met them. HD: our family that’s been separated. Uee says it feels like 5 days not 3. B says it will be good to see them again. HJ: how much their faces have tanned. YSY and others get up to greet them. SY says it’s good to see you. they all say you suffered as they hug. HJ and SY hug. then HJ and E. SY hugs HD and YSY hugs B. No one hugs Uee. SY just clasps her hands.  HD hugs E. JS hugs B. they all sit down – each team facing the other.  they point out HD’s hoarse voice. JS says HJ got a lot of tan and got thinner. cuz of his tan his teeth look whiter. HD suggests talking. he asks how was the weather for you and E says it was 41 C. SY and YSY explain cuz they were on asphalt it was hotter. freshly laid ones too. they talk about the heat from motorcycles. HD says we suffered. JS asks did you suffer like them. HD: they don’t think of it as suffering. YSY asks do you know what a cyclo is. since HD’s team doesn’t know E explains about them and how hot it was and goes into details about how much they suffered. HD’s team doesn’t know where to start about their struggles but JS goes back to the topic of cyclos and how their butts still hurt from sitting for 6hrs. how YSY yelled “ahhh” as he cycled. HD’s team starts to talk about the pancakes they made but doesn’t know how to explain it. B jokes you didn’t already forget right? E asks if it wasn’t hard maybe it wont be aired. B says it was really hard on us. HD says look at my face – it’s half now. both teams joke about who should do the narration for their teams.

at 11:30 pm when they have showered and changed, they get backpacks again. JS says it’s time to sleep though. PD says first see what you have to do tm. YSY jokes can we not get these. they read their mission and Uee says you want us to do this on the trip? it’s not enough time. they all sit around staring at each other. SY comes up with the idea of a flash mob. B suggests a hot item the song Harlem shake. flash mob. HD looks confused and lost cuz he has no idea what they are talking about. so he says professor KHJ will tell you all about flash mob.  HJ sighs deeply and stands and says flash mob -flash means burst of light (he probably meant brief outburst or display) so like a burst of light for people –we have to do something. his explanation was bizarre so Uee laughs and claps. YSY says you are so smart. JS points out the way HD is laughing right now means he doesn’t know. JS asks for someone to quickly explain so YSY says on the internet each person through social networks tell people to gather at a certain time and place to do something and they gather like it’s no big deal and it just explodes.  it’s famous all over the world. JS asks then like a dance. SY says it could be a dance or just to stop in their tracks at a certain time. JS says HD’s expression is that he is the only one who doesn’t know. B talks about harlem shake again. they all watch a video of one on the computer. B demonstrates the dance and everyone breaks out in dance too. B says dance naturally and at a certain point in the middle everyone matches the timing. SY suggests should we do it barefoot tm? HD likes that idea and so do the others. HD says plain face (no makeup) barefoot- do the flash and be like friends. HJ says I suddenly got a good idea – since we are barefoot friends – at a certain point we take off our socks and dance barefoot. HD says we already said that. HJ says I didn’t know (guess he wasn’t listening this whole time). HD says Uee’s dance is cool so you go ahead of us and we all go in and follow you. he checks with HJ and asks how was my idea. (to make sure HJ heard this time). they practice which dance move they will do cuz it’s easy for anyone to do. HD suggests going out to the front yard and trying it like it’s for real.

they decide to dance barefoot and assign who will dance after Uee when they suddenly pop out to dance in the center of attention. B and SY end up being the last two. Uee goes first and does a sexy dance. they tell each other to dance without rhythm naturally. E says I will find another version of the song. if someone pulls back you have to sense it and the next one steps forward and dances. SY says the point of Harlem shake is who is worse at dancing. SY and JS go out and dance like crazy. SY tells HD to stick out his tongue and roll his eyes back but HD tries it and says it wont work. they start again so Uee goes first and dances. then HD, then HJ, then YSY does his panda suit dance. YSY says his dance is cute.

next morning at 8 am they wake up. HJ slept next to SY. B and HD and then E and YSY. YSY slept with a hoodie on.

HD and everyone gathers in the yard again to rehearse. HD says we have to do this at 5pm today and we should leave them with a good memory. he explains why JS didn’t join them cuz he isnt feeling well. E says then let’s do this without him and they think it wont make much of a different.  B says yesterday he danced with so much passion. HJ: I didn’t know he was shaking that much cuz he was feeling sick. HD asks did you edit the music. E says to a faster tempo mixed version

they begin as Uee starts dancing and leads them off. HD says it feels like a morning alarm. she had a flower behind her ear that fell off as she danced so E tries to pick it up for her but cant cuz he is afraid to get in her way. SY jokes her dance is like a morning call (an alarm or someone who wakes you). E tells the group when to join in the dance. when we come out we can do it like this. Uee says this is way better than yesterday’s. HD says there is no start – 1,2,3,4. SY asks E to do this. the timing for them to all dance. HD wants him to count off 1,2,3,4. Uee goes up again to start them off. HJ: Uee is dancing again.  morning call alert Uee. HD says she has confidence. SY jokes around and calls out “everyone you are still sleepy? wait a minute.” as soon as she breaks out in her sexy dance SY yells out “wake up” The guys all laugh. SY: the wake up dance. E counts off for others to jump in and says 1 – 123 – like this but it was a fail cuz no one joined in. he didn’t time it right. so Uee tells E “oppa- I cant dance it again” (cuz she already did it twice) E tells the other – when I say 1,2,3,4 then dance. YSY says let’s go again. Uee is the only one who isnt thrilled to hear that. she wipes the sweat from her upper lip on her sleeve. HD tells her to do it like it’s real. she nods yes at him but isnt paying attention to him cuz she asks E “oppa – am I the only one who is hot? they all say we are all hot too. Uee: it’s not right? it’s cuz I was dancing right? ” E says to do it again and asks for the music. HD says let’s do it again. Uee gets ready and SY asks if she is ok. she just smiles. they say to do it like it’s real. SY jokes at the camera “have you still not woken up yet? wait a second.” Uee breaks out in dance so SY says “wake up – good morning” She waves her vest jacket around and dances with all her might. when she steps back into position with the others she says to E “oppa – please” as in get it right this time. E dances and then raises his arm to cue everyone but he didn’t count so HD yells at him – I told you to say 1 2 3. we cant hear. Uee falls to the ground cuz she has to do it again and she is exhausted. they sit around to talk about how hard the timing is and HD asks SY what do you think. SY: why do you keep asking someone who knows the least about music? I’m am emcee. E stands up to demonstrate and counts 1 234 – everyone do this. he explains more so HD says now that we heard it you guys get what he means right? now that I heard I get it – this is how you should have explained it. E: I kept explaining it like this all this time. HD: it was hard a while ago. they decide to go again. E helps Uee stand up cuz she is reluctant. . she says I already got the feel for how to do it from a while ago. this time Uee doesn’t go all out and takes it easy. the guys join in and this time E counts off 1234 so everyone gets it right. E says to dance with confidence. YSY tries a break dance move on the grass. HJ does crazy moves like slapping his shoes. E says the important thing is we all got the hang of it but what about JS hyung. SY says JS can go up on dance and hold his tummy in pain. HD says let’s go rest for a while.

the members get to the venue where they are going to perform the flash mob. HD says in a little while a few hundred will become one with us and dance. they hold hands and go up the steps together to get on stage. it’s 12:30 so HD says we are going out to promote this. they say let’s do this barefoot – let’s make this a trend – so everyone follows along. as friends let’s leave good memories to keep in hearts. we are barefoot friends. HD and B go out to the streets to tell people about the time and location. some people say they have other engagements at the time and cant make it. they meet a group of girls who seem to understand Korean.  JS, HJ, YSY, and E meet with some students who are studying acting. so YSY acts out a scene with some of them. a lucky girl gets to hug him cuz the scene calls for it. the students are invited to the flash mob. HJ demonstrates that they need to take off their shoes and come to dance.

Uee and SY stand at the sidewalk and tell passersby to come barefoot by 5pm to the HC university.

there is one hour left and they are in a room practicing so JS can catch up to what’s going on. they go over the dance again and how to naturally step out. HD says we have 13 mins left. they say how they are looking forward to this – it will be so fun. HJ says 9 mins so they all take their shoes off. E says this is the first time standing on stage barefoot. it would be so cool if everyone gathered here were barefoot. HD tells Uee not to get nervous but she says I am shaking. E says since we are about to do this I am shaking. B says don’t let your energy run out. do it till the end. let’s become friends. JS wonders if a lot came. B says 5 mins left. Uee: what to do.

they all go down the stairs to the courtyard. the massive crowd screams when they see the cast. the crowd took off their shoes once they got there. E says I am shaking. so does HJ and Uee. HD says 3 mins are left – let’s do this impressively. E says the sound is loud so you might not hear me so watch me. they all extend their legs in a feet huddle and HD says with all our energy let’s become one. barefoot friends – 123 fighting. Uee says I will go up now. she goes on stage holding her vest and puts it on when the music starts at 5pm. when the lyrics start she pulls off her hair tie and shakes out her hair and does her sexy dance. the crowd goes wild as she takes off her vest and shakes it around over her head. she throws it out of the way when the guys come on stage. they all break out in dance when E cues them. the dance ends and the cast lines up holding hands and bows. they high five each other. HD asks if they are ready to do it again. E runs down to the crowd and takes someone shoes back on stage and waves it around. the people in the crowd follow his lead and do the same. when it’s over HD says we are barefoot friends.

the cast is all sweaty and tired as they go back up the stairs. they gather around. JS says when we first came we had on shoes but at the end we took them off. he says something deep about their warm hearts and how they will go back wearing the shoes ( something – cant hear ) we will go back well. YSY: when I first came it was my first time on variety so I felt awkward in Vietnam but the people here were not awkward towards me from the start. cuz of that I think we were able to finish up well. thank you very much. they all say we are barefoot friends and do the feet huddle again.

end

Preivew of them suffering in the next country doing back breaking work and having to run to get to the airport by 7 oclock or they cant get on the flight back to Korea.

YSY did the panda suit dance here during practice, but not at the live performance. His dance cracked up a lot of the members.

This episode felt like a filler. They barely had enough interesting footage to stretch it out to a third episode so they replayed the same scenes from the previous episode to start off and included a lot of rehearsal time. 1n2d does this too when they had to stretch out one trip to three episodes – lots of flashback scenes and previous footage. Not the wisest move for the editors to make when they are scrambling for a position in the ratings race as a new program.

If I had been in Uee and B’s position I would be taking out that contract and looking at the fine print right about now– trying to find a loophole out of this show. They suffered just as much sweating in the heat trying to film more footage for the show and just cuz they weren’t paired with KHD, they only got like two seconds of air time in short snapshots for all their effort. There is something seriously wrong there. It’s not like KHD and KHJ’s adventure on the sand dune was so gripping and exciting, but it took up a large portion of the opening segment. How is that even fair? After watching all three episodes for the trip to Vietnam, that is the obvious conclusion every viewer will reach – KHD literally meant every word when he said you will get more airtime if you share screen time with me. Putting aside the low ratings issue, I am starting a countdown of how long these members will last. KHD will be the last to bail on this show so I’m not worried about him – he probably gets paid the most too. I was worried in the past that Uee, YSY, and KHJ’s drama or music career commitments might pull them away, but now I’m thinking we need to worry about how much longer they can suffer for the sake of the show. To save face they need to hang on for at least a few more trips, but I think I would be scrambling for the exit sign the first chance I get.

KHD told Uee to kiss this so she pretends to air kiss it. Looks like they might be splitting up each trip over a span of 3 episodes cuz that open concert doesn’t air till next ep. I noticed it last week and it’s even more obvious tonight, but this show is favoring HD a lot. His team gets more airtime than the other four. It seems like HD found his LSG cuz he sure is becoming fast buddies with HJ. They even got paired to go off on their own together when the team split up. I guess diving them in half wasn’t enough cuz now they split up the four too. At least the preview shows all 8 coming together to practice for the concert. Thank goodness for small favors.

Barefoot friends cast:

Kang Ho Dong: HD

Yoon Jong Shin (the old guy formerly from family outing): JS

Yoo Se Yoon (the guy who used to co host with KHD on knee drop guru): SY

Eunhyuk (the super junior member): E

Kim Hyun Joong: HJ

Kim Bum Soo: B

Yoon Shi Yoon (his frizzy hair problem was resolved with hats)

Uee

Starts with clips from previous episode. KHD’s team arrives at their boat. As soon as HD stands up, his weight messes up the balance of the circular boat so either HJ or B quickly says “for real – hyung you need to get off (the boat) quickly first.” HD goes up some guy on the bigger boat and asks are you the captain. the man nods so HD makes him sit next to him and says “our lives are on the line to catch crabs today. you have to look at it that way. we will work really hard so give us a lot of crabs. a lot. promise.” HD made the guy pinky swear and high five. then he finds out the guy isnt the captain. as the boat takes off HD yells about eating Vietnamese noodles later. HJ says that I can do something with my body now –I’m really looking forward to it (as in looking forward to the manual labor). HD: cuz we don’t have to use our heads (brain). HJ: cuz we can do it with our bodies. Uee claps and laughs. HJ looks out over the water and B and HD comment that he looks like a photoshoot – that he looks good. HD adds cuz HJ is sitting there like that – “he looks smart” so HJ laughs and says “cuz I’m doing it with my body.” HD points out the marker in the water and says we are here. they start pulling in the baskets and emptying the contents as told. they start yelling when they see the first crab. Uee holds up a shell and says how cute the crab inside is and taps on the shell telling it to come out. they say stuff like “wow it’s big – keep coming out – it’s totally full – look at the eggs- daebak – we can eat noodles” A crab holds onto HJ’s finger so he yells out in pain. Then another gets HD’s finger and he yells out in pain. he shows his bloody finger and says on the sea you cant joke around cuz if you joke around a little – blood comes out.  Turns out they cant sell the smaller crabs in the shell so they are thrown back in the water. HD and the others think it’s a waste and ask “you cant sell them?” They are told that even though they caught a lot of them, the only things they can sell are in that one container. B says what a waste – there aren’t that much we can sell like we thought. Uee: what a waste cuz we worked so hard to get those.

when they get back, the boat owner divides up the catch and gives them their share. HD: cuz we worked half – if they give us half we would be so grateful.” the team thanks the crew and moves over to the circular boat again to go ashore. B wonders if they will be able to get even 300,000 dong if they sell all of it. HD wonders if they can still eat noodles with this much so Uee says maybe one bowl. they get to shore and walk along with their catch. HD says we have to sell all this. B: how do we sell this. HD starts calling out “buy crabs” in Korean. B wonders how much they can get if they sell all this – it would be nice if we earned enough to buy noodles. HD: about 200,000 dong. B: I am carrying it more carefully than when I held my nephew. HJ smiles. a man on a motor bike passes by with ice on it so Uee says “wow it’s ice.” HJ turns around wanting to follow it and says I just thought I saw an illusion/a mirage. I feel like I should believe it. they walk by a restaurant and HJ says I smell noodles. HD walks over to the lady and Uee tells him what to say in Vietnamese – to ask if the woman sells noodles. she tells them how much a bowl is -10,000 dong. the PD tells the team to hurry and go and earn money. the team is reluctant to leave. HD tells the woman to wait a while till they go and sell the crabs and earn money. we will be back soon. HD keeps dropping by places that have food so B points out HD only sees stuff to eat. HJ goes over to a case full of ice cream and says I don’t even eat ice cream in Korea but after coming here I am craving it. they say “while you have it you should be good.” B wonders what to say to sell this. HD says at the market – whoever wants to buy it tell them to pay (whatever they want and think is right).  to come and get it. HJ must have watched 1n2d cuz he suggests they all go inside the bank and cool off before they go (they did this on 1n2d during the summer when they had to travel in a car without AC). B wonders it the bank here will be cool. as soon as they try to go inside a stern looking guard comes out and scares them away. HJ says even just this area is cooler.

they arrive at the market and HJ says the stuff here must be delicious. they look around and HJ says how do we sell this. B calls out to buy crabs in Korean like HD did. B: fresh crabs are here. they go over the phrases they need to speak to sell these and call out in Vietnamese. they get their first customers so HD explains we went to the sea to catch this so it’s really fresh. he weighs how much they chose and asks them to determine what is a fair price and pay them. as their first customers, HD gives them one more shell for free. they get more customers plus a crowd so B points out that they are the only ones drawing such a crowd. HD explains cuz it’s unusual to have people filming. HJ says make it 500 grams and ask for 200,000 dong. he high fives them after they pay. they keep getting female customers only. B says we can eat noodles. Uee says we sold out. HD and the team thank everyone.

HD says after working hard – in a little while – we finally get to eat the Vietnamese noodles we’ve been wanting to eat ever since we arrived in Vietnam – can finally see the chance to eat it now.  they get to a restaurant and marvel over the ice water. HD asks how to say rice noodles and tries to order it, but he is told how much the food will cost. HJ wonders why it’s so expensive. HD tries to pay but the woman takes the amount from his hands. he tries to say noodles again but they get portions of rice and meat with a small bowl of soup with it. HJ tries to say noodles and demonstrates eating it pretty accurately. they came to a place that doesn’t sell noodles. HJ says it feels like we are eating dinner but it’s only lunch time. when we go to korea we will want to eat this again. HJ mixed his rice in with his soup – old fashioned Korean style.

back in town YSY’s team write out signs for “cyclo” to get more attention for customers. JS says how he is sweating a lot. they point out how it’s only about $5. they go down an alley and realize there are no foreigners here cuz it’s the time of the day when it’s too hot so none of them are around. E says there is no one so how can we earn this money – for real. JS: what should we do. E comes over and says let’s do some other work. I don’t think this will work. they realize no one is riding – all the other guys are resting too. SY points out a foreigner. YSY says we have to earn money and runs after him. as he runs yelling out “excuse me” he says how his legs are trembling (cuz of all the cycling he did earlier probably). he goes over and asks where are you from. the man says USA so YSY keeps saying “USA – wow” and shakes his hand. SY walks over and says YSY works hard. YSY tries to get the man to ride the cyclo but the guy says I have a bike. YSY says but cyclo is very exciting. the guy says so is a motorbike so YSY says “more than a motor bike this is a “human being” bike. JS comes over and says how it’s a traditional Vietnamese. SY comes over so YSY tells him the guy is from the USA. SY asks where-what state. the guy says Texas. E comes over and says I like Texas. texas hot dogs. (so not what Texas is known for, but it’s cute how he said it.)  JS asks if he wants to ride so the guy asks where they would be going. SY and E says running around and where you wanna go. the guy says go around and you bring me back here? the guys say yes – for 30 mins so the guy says ok. E tells the guy to choose one among them so the guy chooses SY. SY thanks him and takes him to the cyclo. SY’s English is pretty good.

SY attempts to sing hotel California, but it was too painful to listen to the second time around so I did what his customer did – only I pressed the mute button. Pretty sure The Eagles is going to feel really insulted by this. SY says earning $5 is not easy. to go around once it’s taking about 40 mins. it’s not a small amount of money and not a big amount of money but what I feel is that those drivers are suffering a lot for $5

after the heat wave time passes, JS, E, and YSY say foreigners have come to visit. there are more foreigners now. now there are more. suddenly they are coming. after they had their lunch. the guys run over to some foreigners and YSY stops and says it’s so hard. they run over to a group and says excuse me. hello. it’s nice to meet you. where are you from? they say Italy so E says I love Rome and the woman says we don’t. E: you don’t? JS asks do you know super junior and E sings sorry sorry but she doesn’t know the group so he asks why they don’t know the group. the guys try to get them to ride and they agree to it so all 3 of them have customers now. JS asks them to follow them (to their bikes). YSY notes that there are more foreigners passing by and wonders if he should just let them go. JS gets the woman Katarina and E gets the skinny Asian guy and poor YSY gets the huge Italian guy. YSY says to the camera I got the biggest person. YSY tells the guy “it’s ok – I’m very very strong-  a strong man. ok?” I don’t know if he is trying to convince the guy or himself with all that pep talk. Katrina decides to tan during the 30 min ride while YSY is still yelling out “I’m strong. aaahhhh” while huffing and puffing along. he gets to a hard part and peddles with all his strength yelling out accusingly to the man “ahhhh- you said you only had fruit for lunch! ahhh!” (LOL – that was like the most hilarious thing ever )

JS drinks some water as he peddles and says how hard it is. E grimaces through the pain and tells himself repeatedly– for the sake of 100,000 dong. some riders get in his way so YSY has to stop suddenly. the people passing by say hello to him in Korean so he says hello back. then he says there is a problem in Korean. but he tells the guy it’s ok “no problem.” in Korean he says it hasn’t ended yet.  he takes a breath and tries to peddle again to get back his momentum.

SY tells his guy we are finished. the man says good job. SY hops off and can barely stand up. he says I am tired. that’s not easy. he tries to get paid but shakes his hand instead. the guy jokes and says you want to get paid? for scaring me. so SY says I am sorry. the guy pays him 100,000 dong and a tip so SY is thrilled to get the extra tip.  he says how it’s really hard to do this. he goes back to his driver and the man fans him with his hat. SY brags I got a tip so the man tells him to keep it. Katarina gives JS a round of applause and a hug. YSY arrives with the man and cant talk cuz he used up all his energy. YSY can only manage a hand shake. JS says sorry but it’s time for the check. so the man pays JS and YSY. E arrives and says it’s really too hard. really. he gets off the bike and sits on the curb holding out his hands asking his customer for money. 100,000 dong. E gets paid and sits in the chair saying “this is no joke” (cuz it was so hard on him)

I love when he laughs like this – it’s so genuine. I miss this smile from WGM days.

HD’s team sits around after their meal. HD tells the director how they have a debt of 250,000 dong right now so how do we come up with that? the PD says we are going to introduce you to do some other work. if you go to the market you can make bean pancakes and sell them. HD points out the obvious saying “you don’t cook that on ice – you cook that over a fire – look behind you – the temp now is 45 degrees C.” the PD realizes his mistake in choosing such a hard task but says “you have to do this before the sun sets.” they walk out and HD wonders if there is anything else they can (instead). they go and greet some woman saying they heard the ingredients and supplies they need are there. the woman gets up and points to a big stash of supplies and stuff. HD asks if this is what they need to make the food with. they negotiate the price for using all this stuff and she says 300,000 dong. HJ asks how much to charge each piece of pancake and she says 4,000 dong. HD does the math and realizes they have to sell too many of them to cover the cost of the ingredients so he fans the woman and tries to get her to lower her price. HD tells HJ to go over and use aegyo to haggle and lower the price so HJ goes over and wiggles his shoulders at her in a cute way. it totally works cuz HD gets her to lower it to 200,000 dong. HD overacts again and says we will make a lot and earn a lot of money. she ignores him and takes a call so HJ laughs really loudly. B pays the woman for the ingredients and wiggles his shoulders at her and says it doesn’t work when I do it. they all laugh. the team carries the supplies to the market with her. she shows them how to make the fire cuz HD brags he can make the fire but he couldn’t. she wont let him fan even though he argues the fire will get stronger with fanning. he tells her to pull his cheek if he did well – to indicate he is cute so she does. but she also slaps it too so everyone laughs. HJ throws back his head laughing. HD tells the woman I don’t like you. the woman keeps making HJ do stuff for her cuz she likes him the most. she doesn’t get any of the other guys to do it. so HJ says it seems like she is only making me do stuff. Uee laughs and says: what to do. she even makes HJ wipe the table off. Uee claps and laughs. HD tells the woman to make Uee and B work too but she ignores him and keeps motioning for HJ again. Uee asks B – it feels like we are outsiders huh?  the woman shows them how to make the pancakes. in each one they have to put two shrimps, two pieces of squid, one piece of meat, veggies, and add batter. they try tasting one and says it’s yummy. the woman is going home now so HD asks her to kiss him on the cheek so that they can have good business. but she wont go for it and lightly taps him on the cheek. HJ slaves over the heat to make them so B goes out and tries to get customers.

B calls out to people and says adults don’t like this so maybe kids do. some customers come over and say how it’s yummy so Uee tells HJ. B brings over some customers from Russia – a mother and her son. Uee says hello to them. Uee asks B to talk to them so B asks if the mom finds it delicious so she nods yes. they thank her. B says I am a famous actor in Korea and says the guy is handsome and asks am I handsome. some other guy says no jokingly. the team is sweating and saying how busy they are. poor HJ keeps wiping his eyes from the heat. Uee counts and says you only need to make 8 more. they made and sold a 100 of them.

the other team is still trying to get more customers when they see a woman come over selling yogurt drinks from a plastic bag for 5,000 dong each. E asks the PD – couldn’t we do this instead? JS says let’s try to sell cola at the market. (I typed “coke” at first and realized it sounded like they are selling drugs so I changed it). JS’s idea is to buy plastic bags and cola and then E and I will sell colas. They decide to buy plastic bags, straws, and cola. Vietnamese is very similar to Korean cuz the word for plastic is almost the same. they go to the market and buy the supplies they need. E says we just need to start our business now. they sit down and make them. E is pretty quick at putting the rubber bands on them and says I think I figured how to do this. JS says we wouldn’t have even thought of this in korea –  this only works in hot countries.  E says I didn’t even know this existed and didn’t imagine we would be doing this. they try drinking one cuz E asks to. I wanna know what it tastes like – plastic bag cola. JS says let’s share it. E: it tastes good – now I know why people buy this. E says let’s start selling them so JS calls out super junior E’s cola. nothing happens then suddenly people come running over and they are sold out before they know it.

*shows you how little they get around in Seoul. in Myong dong and other popular locales there are places that sell drinks in plastic bags. but those bags don’t leak like these look like they could. plus those drinks in Korea come in a variety of tasty flavors.

it’s 5pm and SY and YSY are at the market shopping for their dinner. SY says leave out 200,000 dong and we can buy with the rest. they decide to buy some tomatoes but it’s really expensive. E and JS decide to buy a chicken and haggle to lower the price. they buy some fruit too and complain it’s expensive. then they buy veggies and keep spending money. after they are done JS says we should have taken out 200,000 from this. E: we bought without taking that out? JS looks down at the money and says I cant see any big bills for now.

in the car the guys talk about what they bought as JS counts the small bills in concern that he doesn’t have enough. SY asks if they took out 200,000 dong and then spend it but JS says I don’t see any big bills. they look at the bills and don’t think it’s enough. E asks if the other two have any money leftover.

they are back at their residence all washed up and sitting at tables trying to calculate their expenses. JS goes over how much they spent on their drink business. YSY goes over how much they spent for lunch. JS says how they ate the food first when they hadn’t earned any money. JS and SY give YSY some numbers and it confuses him. YSY wonders how the calculations could come out like this and smiles. he has on a ski cap to tame down his frizzy hair.

HD’s team is gathered in their room talking about how it wasn’t easy. HJ: I didn’t know it was this hard to earn 100,000 dong. HD says something deep about ways to happiness and B says something I cant hear cuz the audio is so bad. HJ talks about living as the average person –if I wasn’t a celebrity I would live like the average person. I would have wanted to do this once. what I felt today is that living as the average person is the hardest. what I really felt today is that I am a very happy person – I get to do work I want to do.

at 11:30 at night everyone is given bags with new assignments inside. each one is given a camcorder and told to fill it with the best laughter/smiles of Vietnam. HD asks what he means by best laughter so the PD says find the best laughter in Vietnam.

next morning they are woken up at 6am. HD asks to wash up cuz we cant have messy/dirty bodies if we are going out to find happiness. as they get ready to go HD asks if everyone slept well. he comments how Uee snores too. Uee is shocked and says “for real? me? it was coming from my side? ”  HD: do women stop mid breath too while they sleep? Uee: did I do that? HD demonstrates what she did so Uee says didn’t that sound come from oppa’s side (pointing to B) so HD finally puts her out of her misery and says I just made it up. Uee fell for it so she smiles and says it’s so annoying. HJ asks which direction B said he was going as HD slathers on a lot of sun cream or lotion – cant tell what he is doing. HD says we are going to the white sands. they have a hand drawn map and HJ points out how they don’t need to go around and can go straight to white sands so HD says but there is no road. he shows him on the map how there is no road so HD asks are you going to fly over it – there is no road here. HJ realizes his mistake and smiles sheepishly. B calls out to the home owner and says thank you – we slept well. he pays the man as everyone claps and says thank you. HD says last night when we slept – the owners came and asked if they were uncomfortable and brought them fans. thank you. HJ and uee hug the owners and thanks them. HD says we will be going – we will come and visit again. stay healthy. they say how the woman is crying but Uee was already crying before her even.

in the car HD talks about that family so HJ says how people don’t expect anything when they are happy. HD: when you are happy you are kinder. HJ says since it’s morning and we didn’t get to eat those noodles yesterday so should we start off by having a bowl. HD: eat the noodles that we wanted – fill up our tummy and then film laughter/smiles. they walk over to the same noodle place and HD explains how they went yesterday but the doors were closed. he orders two bowls of noodles and HJ orders a bowl of something else. HJ asks for a lot. HD says how delicious it looks – we finally get to eat noodles. as she puts the toppings on HJ asks for an egg. HD yells out to the woman how daebak it tastes. HD tells the staff to eat some after filming. HJ says it’s really delicious. you cant taste this in korea. HD says these noodles aren’t a dish or food – it’s a gift from art.  HJ: after coming to Vietnam – I am the happiest today. I am the happiest right now. HD pays and tells her how they ate well and thanks her.

as they walk out HJ says I want to leave behind a big smile/laughter. they pass by a salon and HD says they recognize you. he asks the women if they know KHJ so one of them does. she says how she likes him. HD jokes it’s not boys over flowers today it’s boys over smiles. so HJ offers to go over and wash her customer’s hair. HD says how good a scalp massage HJ is giving. HD films how happy the woman is. omg she is like going to be famous – she got her hair washed by KHJ.

in the car ride over, HJ points out on the way there is a huge river. HD says then it would make it bigger than the Amazon. they quiz each other about the largest rivers and HJ asks him to name the largest 3. HD names the amazon. then HJ names the one in Egypt. problem is neither one knows the right names of the rivers and HD mixes up the name of a Korean movie with the name of a river so they both crack up laughing. HJ: no one can give the right answer. he admits even if I know I only know half. HD: the important thing is there is no one to give the correct answer. even if we argue over it. they laugh again.  HJ looks out and says it feels like the grand canyon. HD asks have you been. HJ: no. I saw it in a magazine.

they arrive at the white sands. HD asks you know what that means right? HJ: I know. sands = cookies (as in those sandwich cookies). white cookies. red cookies. there are chocolate sandwiches too.  HD laughs at his lame jokes. HD remarks I saw the rehearsal. this is the first time I saw a kid with so many characters all in one body. you have a little bit of Jong Min. Eun Ji Won. did you have a leader too? HJ: yes. Ji won hyung was the leader. the leader is the one who has to be sorry to the members first. the team’s baggage. HD keeps laughing.

they get out at the white sand dunes. HD says we have to find out how to get the best laughter/smiles. he points off in the distance where they have to go to fill laughter/smiles. so HJ quips: before that happens we will cry. (cuz it’s too far away and it’s too hot and they will suffer getting over there). HD says let’s put our strength in and run. let’s go. they take off running. HJ runs for real as HD plays with the sand and stops suddenly from being out of breath. he says this isnt it (as in this wont work). HJ stops and says the same thing – this isnt it. HD: even if I work out I wouldn’t work out this hard. as they walk over HD says those people who were off in the distance are getting closer. HD says it’s like the Ohara desert so HJ cracks up laughing. HD laughs too cuz of his mistake. He meant Sahara desert. HD tells him – you don’t laugh at me at east –you shouldn’t laugh. (cuz HJ makes mistakes like that too).  HJ consoles him and says at least we didn’t say Go Ara (the singer)

end.

preview

the members reunite and hug saying it’s good to see you again. they rehearse for the guerilla concert.

* most of these screencaps will be removed by next Sunday to make room for new ones. 🙂

I always watched 1n2d for the camaraderie and it was an added bonus when I happen to pick up some facts about Korea and its history and culture along the way. With this show, I am learning more about how celebrities deal with arduous tasks when they are on camera. I feel like I gained more insight about who gives up easily, who is a constant cheerleader ready with a smile and positive attitude, who just follows the group, who maintains his personality no matter what country he is in, and who persists despite the difficulties by allowing himself to take a break for a second cuz of weakness from physical exertion – then quickly goes back to working hard again making everyone around him feel better and lifting their spirits. I’m pretty sure the producers of this show wanted the audience to learn more about other cultures and the difficulties they face to make it through each day to earn a living, but the lesson I feel like I took away was how you can always tell the measure of a man by his character and that he was raised properly by his parents.  This first part of the trip proves that one man’s words and actions can feed a group of weary travelers and his resilient spirit should inspire others to follow his lead.

I might as well put it out there early- my three reasons for recapping this new variety show. Just like people think JW is the only member on 1n2d, this show is going to have a lot of screencaps of KHJ, YSY, and Uee. The dialogue is killing me cuz they all talk at once a lot of times. I knew this would happen cuz 8 members plus the director is a lot of people talking. I have to say that it’s a lot more fun than I thought it would be and they haven’t even left the airport yet. Maybe the mood will be different once they land in Vietnam and are split up. I fast forwarded and watched them suffering in the heat so now I feel sorry for them. This should teach them a lesson about signing up and joining a variety program they didn’t know about in advance. They are learning the hard way that reading the fine print can make the difference between suffering and sleeping in a room with AC. Now I get where the budget is coming from for them to be able to keep traveling to other countries each time they film. By skimping on the luxurious accommodations and saving on the cost of feeding this group, they could keep this up for a while. No wonder they flew the members first class – that was going to be the last time they were treated with any perks as celebrities.

Starts with a long preview of the 8 member team split up into 4 each at two different locations. KD is with Uee, B, and HJ. they are blindfolded and holding hands as they walk to a spot and told to remove their blindfolds. a voice was asking why did we have to cover our eyes. The camera pans around them and right away HD overreacts and pretends to be panicked and yells where is this place. HJ is not looking as good as he normally does so it took a second to recognize him. HD asks the director why did we have to come to the desert starting from the morning. the members are given back packs. there are notebooks with their names and instructions. for 24 hrs they have to live like regular Vietnamese people.

on March 30^th at 10am at a residence with a Vietnamese name, each member was given a laptop and told to open it. the screen says welcome – confirm the members who will be with you together. you can click on their photo to hear their intro. (Each video was like an audition for why they should be chosen as a member) YSY comments all their faces look good. SY clicks on YSY saying he doesn’t do variety programs. a woman says it’s his first time filming on one. YSY video plays and he says: hello I am YSY. no one knew that YSY would come out on variety –cuz I haven’t shown a lot on variety so everything will be new to me. to be honest – all the others – I admit they are fun but they showed a lot (he sort of jokes about how other variety members took advantage of the situations as much as they could for laughs) so the time has come to have new members. everyone believe in me and leave it up to me. I will work hard.” SY watched the video and says I trust him. SY jokes if Ho dong hyung takes him (YSY) around he is going to sap his energy I think. then SY clicks on HJ and says “oh he is good looking.” HJ says hello –to film for SBS’s new variety, I am KHJ. other members watch HJ’s video. YSY says he is good looking. B stares at HJ’s video and says he is good looking. good for you. HJ goes on and says he thinks it might be more fun to have a new characters on variety on Sundays-keep watching and see. HD smiles and copies HJ. all the other guys laugh about JS’s hat asking why did he wear a hat like that. YSY keeps laughing and saying “that hat.” (other members videos are shown) Uee introduces herself and says I hope I can be of strength and will try to be that so let’s go together – thank you. E says cuz of Uee – it feels like the screen/view changes for certain. HJ clicks on E and watches E give his interview: I am really being honest and telling you this – I am really popular. what I am most worried about is if we go overseas, will we be able to film. I am really worried. JS watches that and says if we can film you take responsibility. E: I will be grateful if you choose me. fighting. each member is asked to choose two members and send them questions via email within 30 mins. YSY types I will do everything that is asked/ told for me to do no matter what. HD is the only one with typing problems – even his short sentence to B had a typo. he was trying to ask for more time, but was told he ran out. HD sent a message to B and said “with Ho Dong’s experience and B’s newness, let’s mix them well” but HD typed “rot” instead of “mix” so B laughs.

5 days later on april 4^th they gathered at the airport. HJ got there first and they played the BOF theme. he is carrying a really big back pack and looks like he is moving abroad. HD showed up next and he confirms the name of the show was chosen as barefoot friends. they were given plane tickets for Vietnam and a guide book about it when they arrived. they stand around awkwardly and HD remarks that HJ is dressed to go mountain climbing in the Himalayas. HJ explains I brought a lot of stuff I need. HD: do you know what kind of program ours is? HJ: I dont really know.  SY arrives next and then JS. then YSY comes over and shakes their hands. he has a sly smile on his face like Enrique after shaking hands with HJ. HD remarks it’s still awkward. Uee comes over and keeps bowing and saying hello. then B comes over with the lion king theme playing and everyone cracks up laughing cuz of his crazy sunglasses and hiking outfit. he goes over between YSY and Uee asking this is my spot right? E says cuz I came late I didn’t get to see but B hyung –what’s wrong with you. JS says it’s too obvious that B didn’t know where he was going and prepared. B explains if I knew we were going to Vietnam I wouldn’t have come like this. YSY and Uee check out B’s outfit some more. Uee says I think you will get hot. JS jokes “since you are here climb that” and the camera pans out. JS and Uee say we don’t know if we will go there and suffer. they all talk and wonder if they will get foot massages and healing since their show is called barefoot friends. the director says they sent emails and received them so it turned out to be a popularity vote. that’s news to JS that they exchanged emails so Uee and YSY laugh cuz it means JS didnt get any emails at all. HD asks who was last with zero votes. JS asks Uee – why are all of you looking at me? HD asks who was last and it’s JS. HD asks who was first. the director says 4 votes – KHJ so HJ bows and thanks them. HD says I sent you one.  JS asks why did you send HJ one and HD says I originally liked HJ. E says Ho Dong hyung likes good looking people. to ride along on their popularity. HD: that’s not it. it just happened that person is good looking. HD asks who was second place. it’s YSY and HD. he is so happy he hugs YSY. E gets embarrassed cuz he only got one. HD asks what HJ thinks so HJ explains like he is giving some kind of an award speech about how it was too bad cuz they were only able to give two stars (cuz they can only choose 2)– if he had 7 he would have given all of them. Uee is asked who she got emails from. she says B oppa and HJ oppa. JS asks HJ: what were you thinking when you sent it to her. Since HJ cant say “cuz she is hot,” he seems surprised to be asked and says “me?” JS says the reason so HJ explains “I thought it was going to be kept secret anyway.”  E asks you didnt know you would end up saying it like this huh? HJ: I didn’t know it would become an issue like this. everyone reacts cuz he used the word “issue” so E had to explain that for HJ “that he didnt know it would become an issue that he sent her one” so HJ tells him “you are good at translating.” director says they have to choose teams and then go so they will be split up -4 and 4. he suggests dividing up by popularity votes they got so HD tells E to go to the other side cuz E was standing next to HJ and HD. HD brings Uee over so now HD has all the good looking people on his team. JS jokess B looks annoyed even with sunglasses on. B takes it off for a second and cracks them up. director says since JS was last – he gets to choose his team so he has to pick 3. others try not to make eye contact with JS. he chooses YSY first. others ask him is it ok? YSY looks shocked and says “it’s ok” over and over, but he doesnt seem convinced. someone says your expression doesn’t seem like it is. JS says you are an actor so cant you control your facial expression better. YSY smiles and pretends to be happy and runs over to JS’s side. JS explains how YSY hasn’t been tainted by variety yet so YSY scrunches up his nose behind JS’s back. when JS looks at him asking what was that. YSY lies and says it’s cuz I like it. JS says this actor cant act. JS: I want to know him better and I think he can be dependable and take care of me. YSY: there are still 2 more left. JS says I wont choose B and choose E. E doesn’t look happy. YSY asks E: it’s hard (to look happy) huh? E: I cant smile big. the last member is SY. it’s time for their flight so HD asks HJ to say the fighting cuz he was first in popularity. he gives HJ so much instructions on what to say and to face the camera so E says if you are going to be like that – why don’t you just do it HD hyung. HJ faces the camera and says to the audience – the 8 of us are going to be one family so from here on we will try to make good memories and good talk-  barefoot friends fighting. They board the plane and rode first class to Vietnam.

they land and there is a massive crowd of fans there. HD’s team goes off on a bus. YSY’s team takes another flight to somewhere else. on the bus, the 4 of them are sitting really far apart. HD tries to fill up the silence by making passing remarks about the view outside. he even goes so far as to say “is that the sea” so B says how can there be a sea over there when it’s all city. there is nothing else to film here so stop it. they pass by some local food stand and HD speaks up and says that was in the book so we should stop and get some to taste it – let’s buy some – along with iced Americano. HD and B go outside to buy some and the way HD is ordering it is hard to understand cuz he wanted something taken out of the sandwich. they go back and the 4 of them eat the sandwich. then they all sleep except for HD who is eating again.

YSY’s team gets to a place to sleep. there are 4 beds so they say it’s just for sleeping here. E takes out his PJs while YSY goes through his snack bag. he says how he was able to bring a lot cuz it’s packaged. he shows off his flip flops that has his face on them. then he shows off some gadget that can turn into useful tools like pliers when you unfold them. then he sits there and fans himself with a Korean fan. JS went out to buy some incense and some bread cuz it’s E’s birthday. they all sing happy birthday to E.

*YSY reminds me of a little boy who likes to show off his toys. He is an only child so having these other guys around must be so fun for him.

I think it was super sweet of JS to get that bread and snacks for E’s birthday. as the eldest, JS was thoughtful enough to take care of his dongsang on his bday.

HD’s team gets to a place that doesn’t even have beds. just mats on the floor with mosquito netting in one large room. (based on what I know from 1n2d, those other 3 wont get any sleep at all cuz HD snores louder than elephants) HJ starts in on his nightly facial regimen and sprays mist on his face. while B unpacks, HD goes through the language and teaches them words that sounds like snake in Korean. Uee is going to sleep on the other side of them and quizzes HD. he gets it right.  they all seem impressed except for B. he asks HD: you have short term memory don’t you. it wont matter if you know it today if you don’t know it tm. B is worried about the other team cuz they have YSY – he will memorize this. he is strong (as in hard to beat).

sure enough while the others sleep, YSY stays up alone to study the language. even after he turns the lights off to sleep, he is still practicing in the dark.

HD’s team finally goes to sleep cuz B says it’s 2am. HD remarks this is their first night. They are woken up at 4:30 am. Uee avoids the camera when she wakes up. B should have too cuz his double eyelids tripled. Uee mumbles what do we do. HD complains while going outside and putting on his shoes- where do you want us to go this early in the morning. the sun will be coming up soon. where are we going. director says you will know when you get there so B complains you always say that. HD: we studied till 2am. they get on the bus. before they leave the director says they have to put on the blindfolds (sleep masks) so HD says no teasingly. HJ jokes “you wake us up you tell us to sleep you wake us up.” they all put on the sleep masks and HD worries wearing it will make him fall asleep. HD keeps mumbling about the time and how they wouldn’t let them sleep – where are we going? HJ jokes around saying the phrases they learned to say “it’s cheap it’s expensive give us a discount– maybe they are going to sell us off? it’s cheap it’s expensive- we came from Korea.” this sounds funnier in Korean so the others laugh. they arrive and hold hands as they get off the bus. as they walk up, Uee says the wind is blowing. HD says it feels like we are going uphill. B: it’s uphill? no matter it’s hard. the person leading them warns them about dips. just as HD says their writer seems tough but he doesn’t make us do dangerous things, they reach a dip and they all panic. so HJ points out – look how he didn’t let us know. as they keep walking HJ reaches an area that has a real steep incline so he slips in the sand and loses his footing and fights to keep walking despite slipping. he mutters there seems to be something really wrong. Uee pulls him up to safety as HJ says I don’t know what it is but something seems to have really gone wrong. they all walk down an incline together and stop. they say how they are sweating. they are told to remove their masks. they look around and see all the red sand. HD yells where is this place. is this the desert? the director says yes it’s called red sand. HD explains cuz we had our eyes closed and then looked – right now we cant come to our senses. B says we have no sense of direction -where did we come from. they say how beautiful this place is – how could there be a place like this. HD: if we stand still – let’s react like we dont know which way is the sky and which is the land. he tells the director to make the camera spin around them as they show that on their faces. HD: where are we – who are we. so they all stand around and act out what he told them to do. worse idea ever cuz the poor staff has to run around avoiding the camera while they are holding onto the members’ belongings. HD keeps overreacting and asking which way is the sky and which way is the land. the poor staff just falls down from all that running around. HD and the others say this is their first time at a desert. HJ: the sand is redder than I thought. they spot the flying camera. HJ says the ones they use in movies. HD remarks “it’s an impressive system, but it’s really noisy. enough to disrupt. go away.” he asks the director why did we come to the desert starting from morning. just like at the preview at the beginning they are given backpacks and told to live for 24 hrs as a regular Vietnamese person. B says 24 hrs isnt short. HD says it means we have to live like the average vietnamese person.  make our own food. Uee: eat and sleep. HD: what about money? we need money to buy food to eat. HJ: what about a place to sleep – we have to get that on our own? director tells them how much they will be getting (around $10) cuz 200,000 dong (vietnamese currency) is how much the average person earns in a day here. (the other team was told the average person earns 250,000 so the members get around $13). HD gets annoyed by the flying camera buzzing above them and stands so HJ says i think you better sit (so HD doesnt get hit). the camera comes close and makes sand fly into their eyes so HD gets up to chase it away.  the camera does it again so HD gets angry and yells “you are making me annoyed- this is already a nightmare.” Uee shakes out the sand from her hair like a hair CF.  HD goes over what they have to do again – fee to sleep somewhere tonight, what we want to eat -fee for that, 3 meals morning lunch and dinner -with our combined strength – we have to earn the money and take care of that? but we cant speak Vietnames so for a day living like the average person – is that possible? HJ likes this concept. ” I think that’s really going to be good -the best thing – after coming all this way – to live like a normal citizen- it’s something we cant experience in all our lives so I think it’s good.” (This guy has a great attitude in this situation. where is his halo cuz mine wouldnt be in sight if I was sitting there on the hot sand in the middle of the desert cuz I would be on the phone with my agent trying to get out of this show) They all get up and HD says we will go and try that. we dont know what suffering is ahead of us waiting – we will go find it and overcome the suffering.”  they all yell barefoot friends. they walk away talking about “the ones who will suffer”

back in town the other group wakes up at a more reasonable hour at 5:30 am. the PD wakes up JS first. it seems like even on 1n2d they always wake the eldest first. YSY was sleeping with a mask on and wakes up smiling and muttering “so this is what it’s like.” SY pops up really quickly and sits. E rolls around in bed and tries to cover his eyes from the light. JS mutters about a fear of not knowing what they have to do. the PD says they will get 10mins. outside SY says “they said right at 6am the sun rises and what they said was correct cuz right now it’s 6:04. YSY says “really…I came out after just washing my face.” (dude – you are on camera- that isnt something you wanna share with the world – what about brushing your teeth?) The guys get in a car and are told to put on the sleep masks. E says “there is something scary about this.” someone says “why are they not letting us see.” “I cant hear the motorbike sound at all.” E: it feels like we are being dragged away. YSY: now we will know what we have to do on this program. they are told to get out of the car. YSY puts his hands on E’s shoulder as they are led up the stairs. he asks aloud: what is this? JS asks if the person ahead of him is the director but they are being carefully escorted by some quiet policemen. someone asks what did I do that was so wrong to be dragged along like this. YSY: I don’t even know who I am holding onto. at the top they keep asking what is this. I am really looking forward to this. they are told to take the masks off so they do and look around. It’s adorable how YSY pats his hair down like it’s actually going to obey and stay down cuz on this trip, his hair decided to do its own thing. I bet I know what he is going to write on his “thanks” notebook for later on that night- thanks that he survived the day.

the guys look around and get their backpacks with the same instructions. JS reads it aloud and E repeats the words cuz he cant believe it “live like a Vietnamese?” They are told the average person earns 250,000 dong a day- about $13. so they need to earn $13 and live off that for food, sleeping accommodation, and everything. E says “OMG.” They sit around looking stunned. JS: so it was this kind of program?  They show clips of life in Hue. E asks is this possible? PD ignores him and says let’s start and go to the village now. E: wait a minute. this really doesn’t make sense. is this possible? even in my dream I didn’t know it was like this.

at 6:30 HD’s team is walking over to a place. HJ suggests renting a motor bike to earn money. (with his looks and popularity he would earn a lot of money that way) HD points out the giant basket looking thing he mentioned that is a boat and explains how it was made so water cant seep in. how they catch fish with it and sell it right away. HD calls out to the home owners in Korean while the others say hello in Vietnamese over and over. HD explains we came from Korea. hello nice to meet you. could we go inside? they all go in and HD says the home is nice and cool but it’s hot once you step outside. it’s cooler inside – maybe it’s cuz of the tiles. he spots a hammock and asks if anyone sleeps on it. he calls HJ over and asks him to lie on it. you have to lay on it to look cool. all this time HD had used the wrong word for hammock so he stops and laughs when he corrects himself. HJ admits “cuz I didn’t know – I wasn’t sure if what you said was correct. since you called it that hyung, I thought since hyung said it I have to lay on it.” HD asks is it comfortable? HJ gets on it and Uee says it’s cool. HJ looks comfortable and says beds are bad. HD goes over to a bottle of liquor that has dead dried lizards in it. he calls HJ over and shows it to him. he asks can we drink some of this? Uee laughs. HD uses his body to motion with and asks the woman if she made this herself. she said she bought it. HD asks where do you feel better if you drink this and she says the back. so HD says the disc in the back. (I wouldn’t care if it cured every ache in the body – no way would I ever drink something like that) HD asks when we come back where do we sleep. they are told in the room where they are standing in now. HD points out the motorbikes passes outside so the husband goes over and shuts the doors to show how it can get quieter.  B wonders if the rest of the family will sleep here too. they are told they are headed out to the boats like the one they saw outside. HD calls out to the house owner “father we will go and come back.” HD high fives them. HJ tells them we will come back after catching a lot.

at 7:30 they arrive at the fishing village to get on the boat. they are told they are going out to catch crabs. HD asks do we have to sell them at the market after we catch them. it’s a yes so B says to earn money we have to catch the crabs first. HD tells his group we have to get on the boat and do our best to catch a lot of crabs. that’s how we can sell a lot and earn $10. with that money let’s eat Vietnamese rice noodles. they all clap. HD explains they are going to ride the circular boat and then get on the bigger boat.  HD hesitates so B says you ride a lot of boats so why be awkward about it. Uee asks if they have to split up and ride but HD says we can all ride on this.  HD says I saw this boat on a documentary. Uee asks if they went fishing on this in the past. HD says yes. Uee asks why their boat guy has a helmet on. HD says I was curious too – I think he rode on a motorbike and forgot he has it on. HJ says he wants to try steering this once.

JS’s team gets to their place that they will stay for the night. they greet the owners in Vietnamese. they even say phrases like “please take good care of us.” They go inside to see their room. it costs the same per night as HD’s team – $2.70. JS asks if there are a lot of mosquitoes. E: there are mosquitoes and spiders here too hyung. the guys go back outside and thank the owners. JS asks we cant just sleep here so how do we sleep. they are told to go to the city so E asks with concern – when we go – there will be work we can do right? they are told yes. they walk out and are told to ride on the back of those motorbikes. they are driven through town on them. some hold the waists or shoulders of the driver and others hold onto the back of the bike like YSY and SY. someone says the driver doesnt like it cuz they are men (holding them). as they ride along YSY yells-does this make sense cuz I am so scared I could die. at the end of the ride YSY gives his driver a slight hug.

The guys are taken to a place with a lot of cycle rickshaws or passenger bikes -not sure what to call them. they are told starting from now they are going to earn 250,000 dong with these. YSY laughs aloud in stunned disbelief and says wait a minute.  JS: we are going to be the drivers? E: but we have never done this before. JS: we have to learn. they are told those drivers behind them will teach the guys. YSY: we have to do this – when it’s this hot? the PD says if you go around this whole palace once you will earn 100,000 dong which is $5.   those men own these bikes so the members are borrowing it to earn money so they have to split the profit 6o – 40. so the members keep $3 out of $5. JS asks how long it takes to go around once. he is told 30 mins. the members are given a ride around the place once. YSY takes pics. JS says how they not only have to be the driver they have to be the guide for this place as well by answering questions from foreigners. E: what do I do – I dont know the road. JS gathers with his group and goes over what they have to do. be sure to go around within 30 mins. E: we cant go fast or go slow. also they must be friendly. E: so as soon as we meet someone we have to be friendly – like that guy who said “yo my friend” as soon as he saw me. E mentions how easy those drivers’ names are cuz it’s one letter/character. JS suggests they all come up with one syllable names. JS says I am Ssin so E tells SY to be Sse. YSY chooses Tak so JS says cuz of baker kim tak gu. E: I’m Hyuk.

at 9am the guys get on their bikes and start off. SY calls partly in Korean for his customers and the rest in English but he says “cheap like cheep.” he looks over his shoulders and says the others got passengers when I couldnt. YSY calls back to E and says there are some foreigners in front. he spotted a couple so E nods ok and follows YSY. YSY goes over and speaks English to them and asks where are you from as he shakes hands with the guy. the guy says australia so YSY says wow I love australia. friend. they shake hands again. YSY gets each of them to get on. unfortunately he got the guy and E got the girl. right away E flirts and says you are so beautiful. he says in Korean – ok we are going now. the guy asks YSY questions like “how long are you in Vietnam for” but the onscreen subtitle was wrong and wrote “how long have you been in Vietnam?” YSY didnt understand the question so he says “what?” Andrew changes his qurstion to “how long have you been in vietnam? are you famous?” YSY only understood “name” from the word Viet”nam” so YSY says  “Tak. my name is Tak.” the guy says “Andrew” but YSY totally missed that too. YSY peddles and says this is not easy. E calls out to YSY to go at a easy pace so it will be better. YSY agrees. they pass SY who watches them and says must be nice. he asks how they got that couple to ride cuz he couldnt. YSY tells andrew “picture” and says the rest in Korean “you should take pictures of this” cuz there were some women passing by wearing traditional clothes. andrew takes a photo with YSY so YSY says (take it on) 1,2,3 ok? YSY uses very minimal English – like “ok” or “yeah” a lot. YSY is huffing and puffing so andrew asks are you tired yet? YSY: no no no. I’m fine. YSY says to the camera “must be nice for E cuz she was really skinny.” YSY looked at the guy giving him instructions to turn right and lost control of his bike for a second. he tells andrew sorry and andrew says it’s alright – it’s all good. YSY says to the camera how he feels bad to his customer cuz of how complicated this is. he gets going again and sings the words “i will be going like nothing just happened.” he tells andrew sorry again. as they ride along YSY makes the mistake of asking if andrew knows “gangnam style” cuz suddenly andrew starts to dance to it and rocks the bike like crazy. YSY says andrew is doing it well. YSY explains “this is how it normally feels when you ride a horse” and then he bounces like he is riding a horse. he sings out the lines from the song but then runs out of steam cuz he is so tired. I think YSY was making small talk to distract himself from how tired he was from peddling. he asks andrew his age and gets 25. YSY seems surprised and andrew asks for his so YSY says slowly “28” and andrew is shocked “you are not.” YSY says to the camera in disbelief “he is my dongsang (my junior)” Andrew looks back at him and asks again “you are 28? no – 21” YSY explains to the camera “cuz he is a foreigner it might be similar.”   YSY points to himself and says “86” so andrew says he was born in 86 too. YSY says in Korean “so we are the same age?” friends -yeah – wow. they shake hands. YSY says in Korean: no wonder – I thought you were cool. you were born in the year of the tiger right? oh yeah he wouldnt know the year of the tiger. this is good – this is good.

JS is having zero luck finding customers. after he gets rejected he mutters about being scarred from it. there are no people to give rides.

E is pretty good at speaking English and chats up the girl. he asks – are you married with him. she says he is my boyfriend. E: nice couple. I am a Korean singer. she asks what song so he asks do you know sorry sorry by super junior and starts to sing a little part before she even asks him to sing it to her. E wonders aloud – did we come this way? he is so lost. he stops in the middle of traffic so people honk at him as he sits and wonders where is this place. what do I do. I dont know the way. he is told to go so he does. she must have asked if he is lost cuz he replies “maybe….we lost your boyfriend” so it cracks her up. E: dont worry I will find your boyfriend. I promise you. she says that’s fine. good luck. E makes a turn saying: I dont know if I can earn money today. I wonder if the other hyungs are doing well.

*the weird thing was the whole time these guys are on the bikes, they had escorts WALKING next to them guiding them along. that’s how slow these guys are riding. people can walk right next to them.

SY is still having zero luck giving rides and just sits and watches people zooming by. SY: this is so hard – when am I going to earn money. what to do. he goes over and sits next to the bike owner in defeat.

it’s 10am and YSY announces where this place is. he gets stuck for a second and cant move so andrew gets up and walks along as YSY pushes. YSY tells him to keep sitting – dont worry friend. andrew is so sweet and thoughtful cuz he pulls the carriage part along. YSY keeps telling him to sit – it’s ok. they start off again and YSY is on his last ounce of strength. it’s written all over his face. he calls out friend to andrew and then grimaces from the exertion of more peddling. YSY is right in the middle of traffic so he says it’s hard to go in between them. he slowly moves over to get near the sidewalk. the ride is finally over. andrew goes over and thanks him. they shake hands and  andrew gives him a shoulder hug. YSY: yeah – have a good time. andrew: you too. as he walks away YSY calls him back and wonders how much to charge him. he says 100,000 dong. andrew checks his bag and says my girlfriend has my wallet – we have to wait till she gets back.  YSY translates that to the camera. (how did he understand that so well but didnt get the other easy questions) Andrew explains she has all the money. they stand around awkwardly. YSY wonders which way E went that he isnt coming.

E is still lost and wonders :where is this place.

SY and JS still dont have any customers. JS is groaning just from peddling an empty carriage. he complains about a headache and how he is hungry.

E says we will arrive there soon. YSY wonders is E coming? it’s 10:45 and E finally arrives. E says sorry to andrew. andrew shakes his hand. YSY tells E you did well. YSY asks the girl for the money but E tells her it’s free for her. YSY: really? E: yes cuz I feel so bad to her. he tells her she is free so andrew asks if he is free too. YSY explains then combined cost for both of them is 100,000 dong. 50,000 for each of them. the girl pays while the random ost from TWTWB plays. I know that was an SBS drama and this is a SBS variety show but that was the most sporadic music placement ever. she pays YSY so he kisses the money and thanks her.  he hugs andrew and the couple leaves. then he looks down at the number on the money. E says this is what you earned. YSY tells the camera this is 10,000 dong. there is another random insert for a preview for next week’s running man. YSY: wait a second. he runs after the girl and explains it has to be 100,000 dong. YSY thanks her and hugs andrew again. then he sort of hugs her too. he waves bye to them and tells the camera : I was so surprised cuz it was the first time seeing this money (currency). he runs back to E. E asks did you get the right money. YSY: “I got the right money” and shows it to him. E says the others arrived. JS and SY come over and YSY shows him the money. JS asks who earned this. YSY: me. E asks JS and JS says I didnt earn any. E: why?  JS: cuz no one rode. SY asks E: what about you? E: I gave a ride but I kept going on another road and came around in a circle so I felt sorry and didnt take the money. JS: but you should have still taken the money. E: but I felt too sorry – for real. JS: it’s really hard earning $5. E: if we give the driver 40,000 dong then we have 60,000 dong left. YSY goes over and pays his driver and gets change from him. YSY thanks him. JS tells his driver to wait (t0 be paid). E: what do I do – I dont think I can earn any money today. I’m in big trouble. JS asks shouldnt we get something to eat. the PD explains normally these drivers bring packed lunch and eat here. to eat a meal it costs $1.60 so E suggests they order one and share that. but JS says let’s just eat. E: then 2? JS: two. they go to a place where you can order 3 toppings on the rice. JS tries to ask for her to let them choose but she ignores him. he points to the meat to get her to put that on and tries to ask for more cuz it’s too small an amount. he said “one” so she holds out a chicken leg for the guys. JS asks her to just let them have it but the woman puts the leg back. they spend all their money for those two portions.

the guys sit on the grass to eat. E says while we are eating this hyung we need to come up with a plan. in this situation we are just going to suffer and not be able to earn any money. JS: we spent all the money we earned didnt we. E: we are back to zero now. the screen showed “0” for each guy except YSY who had “6”but then it turned to “0” cuz they used it on their meal. JS says right now it’s 12:15. we have to earn some.

End

Preview for next week:

E loses control of his bike. JS: I dont think it will work if we wait here. try running a business once (as in try doing sales). the guys say we have to sell this. HJ hurts himself and HS yells be careful. someone yells “buy crabs” HD tells people the crabs are delicious. how much? please. 250 grams. it’s fresh.JS: earning $5 is really hard.

*Those drivers didnt earn any money while they let the guys use their bikes so doesnt that mean the other 3 bikers wont get compensated for sitting out if the other 3 members dont earn any money for the rest of the day. I hope the show’s staff paid them at the end if that happens cuz it doesnt seem fair that they didnt get to earn their daily income. It sort of bugged me that JS said it was hard to earn the money considering he didnt contribute and has no idea how hard it is to go around that whole place once with a customer. only E and YSY suffered and sweated to earn that cash.  since it’s still early in the day the other two need to step it up and give rides.

**Now I get why these guys were wearing and carrying so many products from Discovery – cuz they are sponsoring this program.

KHJ did nothing for me on BOF, but he made quite an impression during his stint on WGM. I didn’t get how someone so good looking could be so goofy in real life. You could really tell that he wasn’t in love with his “tv show wife” and only pretended throughout the series. He didn’t cry one tear during their farewell episode. He just looked like he was in a hurry to get back down from that mountain. In some of my screencaps, I was so shocked cuz he has aged a lot in the last few years and it shows. maybe his “failed to air” drama made him so weary looking. he has wrinkles where there weren’t any before. he was born in 86 so that makes him only a year older than JW and same age as YSY, but he looks way older than both of them. I really hope “barefoot” doesn’t take a toll and age him even more. So far I like his presence on this show cuz he is still funny with his ad libs.

All through FBND, I kept wondering if YSY ever took a bad photo or even had a bad angle – turns out he does – I found one, but I blame the camera.

I feel bad for these guys. They are really suffering in the name of variety. A lot of them didnt even know they would have to go through so much hardship. It’s like a rude awakening as if to say “what did I sign myself up for.” This is like way tougher than anything I’ve seen – it makes 1n2d bare bones boot camp seem like a resort. Except for KHD, these guys are too skinny to work so hard. I bet even HD will lose weight just from sweating so much. Poor Uee – I bet she is really suffering too in the heat. I bet she wishes she had just waited for 1n2d to call to do a guest spot. At least that only lasts two days. This trip seems like it goes on for more than just two episodes worth. Normally I would be hoping these guys stay with the show for years to come, but based on how much they have to endure, it will be a miracle if this same cast stays the same even a few more countries.

I love the concept of roughing it, but I didn’t like how the groups were divided up. They should have stuck with the original choice and left YSY with HD. I get why the director didn’t let them though cuz JS’s team desperately needed YSY to survive. YSY has the brain to learn the language faster, the charm to woo the customers, and the brawn as well cuz those heavy bikes couldn’t have been easy to maneuver. It’s really true though about being on HD’s team means you get more airtime cuz this show was skewed in HD’s favor since we had lots more scenes with them than YSY’s team. I’ve always enjoyed these variety shows cuz they give us glimpses into these people’s real life persona a lot more than any interview or character portrayal. I was pleasantly surprised to note that YSY is even more adorable than I imagined and very hard working. He complained the least out of all the guys except for KJH. KJH didn’t even complain that much and rolled with the punches better than I ever expected him to. He even had a great attitude about the hardships and gave it his all. In the preview he even hurts himself while crabbing cuz of the pinchers. Poor E seems to have gotten into a bike accident cuz the camera falls with him.  Uee is not as high maintenance as I thought she would be and she seems to be very unobtrusive. She doesn’t get squeamish all that much and keeps the mood upbeat and bright. I found it hilarious that KHD treats this show the same as when he was on 1n2d. He goes right up to the locals and speaks in Korean like he is expecting them to understand everything he says just cuz he repeats himself. I always wondered why he didn’t go back to 1n2d and now I get it. He wanted to start fresh with a show like this, but I bet he will be missing the good old days when he ends up skipping more meals on these overseas trips. He gained weight during his hiatus so maybe a show like this will do him good and build up his character more. To be honest, I don’t really know SY and I never did like JS even when he was on Family outing so I don’t have anything positive to say about those two. I doubt the show would even be affected if they weren’t around cuz it’s not like all the humor is coming from them anyway. I did end up liking E a lot cuz he is a really funny and sweet guy. The stuff he said to that girl passenger was so fun and he had the right attitude in not charging her cuz he did get lost. I’m not sure what to say about Bum Soo cuz just looking at him makes me smile. Half the time he doesn’t even mean to be so hilarious, but he just is cuz of his sincerity. It really takes a brave man to put on that ridiculous outfit and strut into that airport with all those cameras on him. Not a single person had a straight face when he walked into the area so as far as variety show standards go, that’s a great start for your first outing.