''Keep Running'' (), previously known as ''Running Man China'', or ''Hurry Up, Brother'' () before 2017, is a Chinese

variety show Variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is entertainment made up of a variety of acts including musical theatre, musical performances, sketch comedy, magic (illusion), magic, acrobatics, juggling, and ventriloquism. It is ...

broadcast on ZRTG:

Zhejiang Television Zhejiang Television (ZJTV, ) is a satellite television channel owned by Zhejiang Radio and Television Group serving Zhejiang Province. It was launched on October 1, 1960. History January 1, 1994, Zhejiang TV program first started to use satel ...

. It is a spin-off from the popular original

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

n variety show '' Running Man'' by SBS. It was first aired on 10 October 2014. The show is classified as a

game A game is a structured form of play (activity), play, usually undertaken for enjoyment, entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator s ...

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

show, where the MCs and guests complete missions at a landmark to win a race. The program has itself also been spun-off into a supplemental show, named ''Running Man is Coming'' (). It is hosted by Shen Tao (), Luo Xi (), and/or "Jenny" Lin Jieni (). The show typically centers around secondary footage of Keep Running episodes, behind-the-scenes clips, or even the conclusion or final outcomes of a Keep Running episode that is too long to fit into the original broadcast time slot.

Program name

When the show was first announced, it was known as "" () or "Running Man" in Chinese. Programs on the Zhejiang TV channel required names with five Chinese characters (words), hence the program was then renamed to "" or "Hurry Up, Brother". But, before the official name changed, ZRTG had registered "" as a trademark with the SAIC. The supplemental show "" continues to retain the "" moniker in its title.

Episode style

() or "Name-tag Elimination" () is one of the main games of each episode and is usually the longest game. There are also many games played by the MCs and guests that often contribute to their result for the final mission. The team that wins the final mission will receive a prize, usually related to the theme of the episode. However, even if a team wins most of the games, victory is not guaranteed (for example in Season 1 Episode 2, Deng Chao did not win many games but the other teams who had won did not make the right choices of switching the waters, therefore causing their team to win).

Personnel

Cast members

The original members of ''Running Man'' are

Deng Chao Deng Chao (, born 8 February 1979) is a Chinese actor, comedian, director and singer. His recent films, '' The Breakup Guru'' (2014), '' The Mermaid'' (2016) and ''Duckweed'' (2017) are among the highest-grossing Chinese films of all time in ...

Angelababy Angela Yeung Wing (; born 28 February 1989), better known by her stage name Angelababy, is a Hong Kong model, actress and singer. In 2013, she was chosen by ''Southern Metropolis Daily'' as one of the New Four Dan Actresses. In 2016, she won ...

, Li Chen,

Chen He Chen He (; born 9 November 1985), also known as Michael Chen, is a Chinese actor. Chen is noted for playing Zeng Xiaoxian in the romantic comedy television series ''IPartment'', which enjoyed the highest ratings in China when it was broadcast ...

Zheng Kai Zheng Kai (, born 17 April 1986), also known as Ryan Zheng, is a Chinese actor and television personality. He graduated from Shanghai Theatre Academy Performance Institute in 2008. During university, he was roommates with famous actors: Du Jiang ...

Wong Cho-lam Wong Cho-lam (born Wong Ho-yin; 9 January 1980) is a Hong Kong entertainer currently working as the Chief Creative Officer of TVB. He works as a stage actor, stage director, television actor, voice actor, DJ, television host, lyricist, scriptwrit ...

, and

Wang Baoqiang Wang Baoqiang (; born 29 May 1984) is a Chinese actor, martial artist and director. His debut role was that of Yuan Fengming in the movie ''Blind Shaft'', for which he shared the Best New Performer prize at the 2003 Golden Horse Awards. Early ...

. After season 1,

recorded his last episode and left the program to focus on his career but returned on season 3, episode 10 as a guest. In season 2,

Bao Bei'er Bao Bei'er (; born 3 May 1984) is a Chinese actor. He is noted for his roles as Lu Maoku and Zhang Kai in the films ''Welcome to Shama Town'' and '' So Young'' respectively. Early life Bao was born and raised in Harbin, Heilongjiang, his paren ...

replaced

but left at the end of the season as he was cast in

Stephen Chow Stephen Chow Sing-chi (, born 22 June 1962), known professionally as Stephen Chow, is a Hong Kong filmmaker, former actor and comedian, known for ''Shaolin Soccer'' and ''Kung Fu Hustle''. Early life and education Stephen Chow was born in British ...

's ''

Journey to the West II ''Journey to the West II'' is a Hong Kong television series adapted from the 16th-century novel ''Journey to the West''. The series was produced by TVB and was first broadcast on TVB Jade in Hong Kong from October to December 1998. It is a sequel ...

''. Singer

Lu Han Lu Han (Chinese: 鹿晗, born April 20, 1990), also known mononymously as Luhan, is a Chinese singer and actor. He was a member of the South Korean-Chinese boy group Exo and its sub-group Exo-M, before leaving the group in October 2014. That ...

then replaced

from season 3 to season 6.

Dilraba Dilmurat Dilraba Dilmurat ( ug, دىلرەبا دىلمۇرات, Dilreba Dilmurat; zh, p=Dílìrèbā Dílìmùlātí; born on June 3, 1992), known in Chinese as Dilireba ( zh, s=迪丽热巴, t=迪麗熱巴, c=, p=Dílìrèbā;), is a Chinese actress, ...

replaced

in season 5 due to Angelababy's pregnancy. Due to scheduling conflicts, Dilraba left in season 6. For season 7,

, and

left due to scheduling conflicts, while

Wong Cho-Lam Wong Cho-lam (born Wong Ho-yin; 9 January 1980) is a Hong Kong entertainer currently working as the Chief Creative Officer of TVB. He works as a stage actor, stage director, television actor, voice actor, DJ, television host, lyricist, scriptwrit ...

left to focus on his family.

Lucas Lucas or LUCAS may refer to: People * Lucas (surname) * Lucas (given name) Arts and entertainment * Luca Family Singers, also known as "lucas ligner en torsk" * ''Lucas'' (album) (2007), an album by Skeletons and the Kings of All Cities * ''L ...

from South Korean boy group NCT and its Chinese unit

WayV WayV ( zh, s=威神V, hp=WēiShén V; an initialism for We are your Vision) is a Chinese boy band and the fourth overall sub-unit of the South Korean boy band NCT, managed by SM Entertainment's Chinese sub-label, Label V. The group is composed o ...

Song Yuqi Song Yuqi (, ko, 송우기; born September 23, 1999), known mononymously as Yuqi ( ko, 우기), is a Chinese singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. She is active as a soloist in China and is a part of the South Korean girl group (G) ...

from South Korean girl group

(G)I-dle (G)I-dle (), stylized in all caps, is a South Korean girl group formed by Cube Entertainment in 2018. The group consists of five members: Miyeon, Minnie, Soyeon, Yuqi and Shuhua. Originally a sextet, Soojin left the lineup on August 14, 202 ...

, and actors

Zhu Yawen Zhu Yawen (, born April 1984) is a Chinese actor. He appeared in the films '' The Witness'' and ''The Founding of an Army''; and the television series '' Red Sorghum'' and ''Empress of the Ming''. In 2018, he took part in variety show The Sound ...

and

Wang Yanlin Wang Yanlin (, born 28 July 1989), also known as Ian Wang, is a Chinese actor. He is best known for his works in '' Wu Xin: The Monster Killer'' (2015), ''The Starry Night, The Starry Sea'' (2017). He also starred in the film ''Operation Red S ...

replaced them in the new season. For season 8,

and

left due to scheduling conflicts. Singer

Cai Xukun Cai Xukun (born August 2, 1998), better known by the Mononymous person, mononym Kun (stylized as KUN), is a Chinese singer-songwriter, dancer and rapper. He debuted as a member of SWIN and its sub-unit SWIN-S on October 18, 2016, after participa ...

, actor/comedian Guo Qilin, and actor Sha Yi joined as new members and replaced them. Lucas and Song Yuqi, who are both based in South Korea, were absent for the whole season due to

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

and travel restrictions. For the first Yellow River special season,

and Yuqi were again absent.

only participated in episodes 1-2 due to scheduling conflicts, while

Guo Qilin Guo Qilin (born February 8, 1996) is an actor and a crosstalk (Xiangsheng Xiangsheng (), also known as crosstalk or comic dialogue, is a traditional performing art in Chinese comedy, and one of the most popular elements in Chinese culture. It ...

only participated in episodes 3-4 due to scheduling conflicts.

was absent from episodes 1-2 due to the birth of his daughter. For Season 9,

left the cast due to scheduling conflicts while

and Yuqi rejoined the cast. Yuqi was absent from the first few episodes due to quarantine restrictions. For Season 10, it was announced that due to scheduling conflicts, Lucas would not be involved in filming, while Yuqi left to focus on her career. Actress Bai Lu, who joined during the second Yellow River special season, and singer

Zhou Shen Zhou Shen (; born ), also known as Charlie Zhou, is a Chinese singer known for his ethereal voice and wide vocal range, capable of singing soprano. He is best known for his song "Big Fish", which has won 8 awards. In November 2017, Zhou releas ...

joined the cast. Meanwhile,

returned after a temporary hiatus in the second Yellow River season.

was absent for the second half of the season, starting from episode 7, due to the birth of his second child. For the Common Prosperity special season,

only participated in the first two journeys, which spanned the first two-and-a-half episodes.

only participated in the first three journeys, which spanned episodes 1-4. For Season 11, it was announced that due to his upcoming tour,

would not be participating. Yuqi rejoined the cast, and

Fan Chengcheng Fan Chengcheng (; born 16 June 2000) is a Chinese singer, rapper and actor. He is a former member of the Chinese boy group Nine Percent and a member of Yuehua's NEXT. Early life Fan was born on 16 June 2000 in Qingdao, Shandong. Caree ...

from the Chinese boy group

NEXT Next may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Next'' (1990 film), an animated short about William Shakespeare * ''Next'' (2007 film), a sci-fi film starring Nicolas Cage * '' Next: A Primer on Urban Painting'', a 2005 documentary film Lit ...

also joined as a new cast member. For the Nature special season, it was announced that

would not be participating, while Zhang Zhenyuan from the Chinese boy group Teens In Times joined as a new cast member. This member setup was retained in Season 12.

Production staff

The chief production director (PD) is Yao Yitian, who is often referred to on the show by his nickname "Yao PD". His voice is typically the one heard during interactions between cast members and the production crew. He has also at various times been featured on-camera during the show, such as during the last episode of Season 9, "Cast members vs. Production team", where he was nominated by the cast members to be one of the production team members to undergo the final "giant water bomb" punishment if the cast members were able to beat the production team, and episode 8 of Season 10, where he was pulled on-camera by one of the teams to be their extra helper during one of the games. The

announcer An announcer is a voice artist who relays information to the audience of a broadcast media programme or live event. Television and other media Some announcers work in television production, radio or filmmaking, usually providing narrations, ...

and provider of most of the

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-Diegetic#Film sound and music, diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, th ...

s is He Yannan (), who is a radio host for

Zhejiang Radio and Television Group Zhejiang Radio and Television Group (ZRTG) (), is China's fourth-biggest television network after China Central Television (CCTV), Hunan Broadcasting System (HBS), and Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation (JSBC). The television network is owned by th ...

and also provides voice-over for various other

programs, such as

The Voice of China ''The Voice of China'' () is a Chinese reality television singing competition broadcast on Zhejiang Television. Based on the original ''The Voice of Holland'', the concept of the series is to find new singing talent (solo or duets) contested by as ...

List of episodes

''If more than one set of teams are used other than the Race Mission teams, they are divided and distinguished to the corresponding mission under Teams. Team members are listed in alphabetical order from Team Leader to Members, to Guests. As some episodes consisted of road missions and were not confined to a single landmark nor was a landmark officially recognized on-air, the landmark shown for those episodes is the final mission venue.''

List of episodes

Series overview

Movie

Running Man is a 2015 Chinese

reality Reality is the sum or aggregate of all that is real or existent within a system, as opposed to that which is only imaginary. The term is also used to refer to the ontological status of things, indicating their existence. In physical terms, r ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

directed by Hu Jia and Cen Junyi. Deng Chao was unable to participate in the movie filming due to scheduling conflicts. The movie was released to theaters on 30 January 2015.

List of guests

The following is a compilation of guests and the number of times they have been on the show. They are listed in order of their first appearance.

Ratings

First season

, - , 1/01 , 10 October 2014 , 1.132 , 3.92 , 3 , - , 1/02 , 17 October 2014 , 1.808 , 5.95 , 1 , - , 1/03 , 24 October 2014 , 2.180 , 7.25 , 1 , - , 1/04 , 31 October 2014 , 2.140 , 6.68 , 1 , - , 1/05 , 7 November 2014 , 2.489 , 8.04 , 1 , - , 1/06 , 14 November 2014 , 2.210 , 7.09 , 1 , - , 1/07 , 21 November 2014 , 2.455 , 7.81 , 1 , - , 1/08 , 28 November 2014 , 2.408 , 7.73 , 1 , - , 1/09 , 5 December 2014 , 2.486 , 8.01 , 1 , - , 1/10 , 12 December 2014 , 2.775 , 9.05 , 1 , - , 1/11 , 19 December 2014 , 2.889 , 9.59 , 1 , - , 1/12 , 26 December 2014 , 3.162 , 10.07 , 1 , - , 1/13 , 2 January 2015 , 3.180 , 9.52 , 1 , - , 1/14 , 9 January 2015 , 4.116 , 12.43 , 1 , - , 1/15 , 16 January 2015 , 3.993 , 12.22 , 1 , - , 1/SP , 23 January 2015 , 2.373 , 7.14 , 2

Second season

, - , 2/01 , 17 April 2015 , 4.794 , 15.10 , 1 , - , 2/02 , 24 April 2015 , 4.886 , 16.24 , 1 , - , 2/03 , 1 May 2015 , 4.484 , 15.21 , 1 , - , 2/04 , 8 May 2015 , 4.549 , 14.81 , 1 , - , 2/05 , 15 May 2015 , 4.303 , 13.95 , 1 , - , 2/06 , 22 May 2015 , 4.830 , 15.75 , 1 , - , 2/07 , 29 May 2015 , 4.462 , 14.86 , 1 , - , 2/08 , 5 June 2015 , 4.828 , 15.62 , 1 , - , 2/09 , 12 June 2015 , 5.002 , 16.43 , 1 , - , 2/10 , 19 June 2015 , 5.016 , 16.20 , 1 , - , 2/11 , 26 June 2015 , 4.999 , 16.04 , 1 , - , 2/12 , 3 July 2015 , 4.915 , 16.35 , 1

Third season

, - , 3/01 , 30 October 2015 , 3.929 , 13.95 , 1 , - , 3/02 , 6 November 2015 , 3.970 , 13.17 , 1 , - , 3/03 , 13 November 2015 , 4.461 , 14.40 , 1 , - , 3/04 , 20 November 2015 , 4.345 , 14.84 , 1 , - , 3/05 , 27 November 2015 , 4.337 , 14.32 , 1 , - , 3/06 , 4 December 2015 , 3.963 , 13.00 , 1 , - , 3/07 , 11 December 2015 , 4.427 , 14.53 , 1 , - , 3/08 , 18 December 2015 , 5.284 , 18.05 , 1 , - , 3/09 , 25 December 2015 , 4.071 , 13.64 , 1 , - , 3/10 , 1 January 2016 , 3.832 , 12.02 , 1 , - , 3/11 , 8 January 2016 , 4.701 , 15.30 , 1 , - , 3/12 , 15 January 2016 , 3.969 , 13.14 , 1

Fourth season

, - , 4/01 , 15 April 2016 , 3.631 , 12.18 , 1 , - , 4/02 , 22 April 2016 , 3.725 , 12.60 , 1 , - , 4/03 , 29 April 2016 , 3.367 , 11.42 , 1 , - , 4/04 , 6 May 2016 , 3.765 , 12.52 , 1 , - , 4/05 , 13 May 2016 , 3.908 , 13.13 , 1 , - , 4/06 , 20 May 2016 , 3.667 , 12.29 , 1 , - , 4/07 , 27 May 2016 , 3.934 , 13.64 , 1 , - , 4/08 , 3 June 2016 , 3.178 , 11.16 , 1 , - , 4/09 , 10 June 2016 , 3.545 , 12.39 , 1 , - , 4/10 , 17 June 2016 , 3.156 , 10.78 , 1 , - , 4/11 , 24 June 2016 , 3.394 , 11.85 , 1 , - , 4/12 , 1 July 2016 , 3.754 , 13.74 , 1

Fifth season

, 5/01 , 14 April 2017 , 3.049 , 11.73 , 1 , - , 5/02 , 21 April 2017 , 2.685 , 10.62 , 1 , - , 5/03 , 28 April 2017 , 2.766 , 11.18 , 1 , - , 5/04 , 5 May 2017 , 3.284 , 13.41 , 1 , - , 5/05 , 12 May 2017 , 3.260 , 14.52 , 1 , - , 5/06 , 19 May 2017 , 2.901 , 12.41 , 1 , - , 5/07 , 26 May 2017 , 1.654 , 7.61 , 1 , - , 5/08 , 2 June 2017 , 3.045 , 13.10 , 1 , - , 5/09 , 9 June 2017 , 2.907 , 12.919 , 1 , - , 5/10 , 16 June 2017 , 2.746 , 10.73 , 1 , - , 5/11 , 23 June 2017 , 3.062 , 12.54 , 1 , - , 5/12 , 30 June 2017 , 2.715 , 11.63 , 1 , - , 5/BTS , 7 July 2017 , 1.631 , 6.73 , 1 , -

Sixth season

, 6/01 , 13 April 2018 , 2.038 , 9.677 , 1 , - , 6/02 , 20 April 2018 , 2.207 , 9.616 , 1 , - , 6/03 , 27 April 2018 , 1.459 , 6.528 , 1 , - , 6/04 , 4 May 2018 , 2.003 , 8.617 , 1 , - , 6/05 , 11 May 2018 , 1.975 , 8.866 , 1 , - , 6/06 , 18 May 2018 , 2.313 , 10.076 , 1 , - , 6/07 , 25 May 2018 , 2.34 , 9.881 , 1 , - , 6/08 , 1 June 2018 , 1.988 , 8.449 , 1 , - , 6/09 , 8 June 2018 , 2.296 , 9.889 , 1 , - , 6/10 , 15 June 2018 , 1.926 , 7.512 , 1 , - , 6/11 , 22 June 2018 , 1.803 , 8.899 , 1 , - , 6/12 , 29 June 2018 , 1.88 , 8.019 , 1 , -

Other activities

References

External links

Official Website

Official Weibo
{{Zhejiang Radio and Television Group 2014 Chinese television series debuts 2014 in Chinese music Chinese television series based on South Korean television series Chinese variety television shows Running Man (TV series) Zhejiang Television original programming