The fierce psychological battle between the '2 Days & 1 Night' members competing for the dinner table and the 'mystery thief Baegopang' unfolded.
On the afternoon of the 23rd, KBS2 variety program '2 Days & 1 Night season 4' (hereinafter '2 Days & 1 Night') aired the first installment of the six members' 'The secret of mystery thief Baegopang's dinner table' as they traveled to Goheung County, South Jeolla Province. The episode's nationwide rating measured by Nielsen Korea was 6.9%, holding the No. 1 spot in its time slot. A scene in which the final mission 'Mudflat Impossible' to capture the 'mystery thief Baegopang' proceeded more smoothly than expected surged to a peak rating of 9.5%.
The producers announced, "A little while ago your dinner was stolen by the table thief 'mystery thief Baegopang'," revealing that one of the six members was hiding as 'mystery thief Baegopang'. Before the opening shoot, the members each drew random cards, and the member selected as 'mystery thief Baegopang' hid their identity and officially began the trip.
The members took on a group mission that contained hints to guess the identity of 'mystery thief Baegopang'. The first group mission, 'Drum beat slap beat shuffle,' required them to shake their hips to the beat and follow the PD's commands through movements. The members had practice rounds plus three chances, but the mission ultimately ended in failure.
After the mission ended in failure, the members began to suspect Kim Jong-min and Yoo Seon-ho as prime candidates for 'mystery thief Baegopang' for repeatedly getting the moves wrong. But after DinDin made a mistake on the final attempt and Moon Se-yoon performed so well it seemed suspicious, the suspicion spread and the '2 Days & 1 Night' team's deductions became increasingly murky.
For their second mission, the '2 Days & 1 Night' team moved to a yuzu orchard for a 'relay yuzu eating' challenge in which they had to eat 10 yuzu within a five-minute time limit. First runner Cho Sae-ho and second runner DinDin smoothly completed their quotas, but third runner Lee Jun struggled to swallow the yuzu and time ran out, resulting in failure of the second mission. At the same time, Lee Jun, who received the members' concentrated suspicion, naturally emerged as a prime suspect for 'mystery thief Baegopang'.
The producers offered an additional chance, saying, "If Kim Jong-min and Moon Se-yoon eat five yuzu in one minute, we'll give a hint," but Kim Jong-min used the full minute alone and missed the last chance to obtain the hint. Although they did not get the hint, Moon Se-yoon succeeded in eating three yuzu alone within 30 seconds, securing at least yuzu tea for the members.
Before moving to lunch, the producers told the 'mystery thief Baegopang' during an interview, "From now on we will choose one helper to assist Mr. Baegopang," announcing the arrival of an accomplice. The member designated by 'mystery thief Baegopang' became the helper and was tied to their fate, while the other members were completely unaware of this fact.
At the restaurant, the six members played an individual 'magnifying glass food quiz' for the 'Goheung sea table' prize. Before the main game, practice questions were given, and Kim Jong-min answered correctly to win a bite of grilled eel. At that moment, a sudden siren blared, and security burst in and dragged Kim Jong-min outside.
With Kim Jong-min dragged away and all the members bewildered, the main game began, and only the top three who answered the most questions correctly — Lee Jun, Moon Se-yoon and Cho Sae-ho — received lunch. First-place winner Lee Jun was also given a hint about 'mystery thief Baegopang.'
In fact, Lee Jun's identity was the helper chosen by 'mystery thief Baegopang'. As the helper, Lee Jun was granted the additional privilege of eliminating one member other than himself, and in the restaurant he secretly pointed at Kim Jong-min with his finger, forcing him to be eliminated elsewhere.
Unaware of the reason, Kim Jong-min was taken to the Goheung yuzu festival site. Dressed as a human yuzu, Kim Jong-min took commemorative photos with tourists and used the earned pocket money to pay for lunch. After learning that he had been eliminated by the helper, he erupted in anger and showed he was sincere about catching the helper rather than the 'mystery thief Baegopang.'
The members and Kim Jong-min reunited at Udo mudflat for the final mission. Suspicion among the members toward one another only grew before the mission. In particular, DinDin said, "We have to spread Cho Sae-ho and Lee Jun out. The two are ruining the game," persistently pressuring by reasoning Cho Sae-ho and Lee Jun were the 'mystery thief Baegopang' and the helper respectively, unsettling the other members.
The final mission, which held the decisive hint about 'mystery thief Baegopang,' was 'Mudflat Impossible,' where crossing obstacles on the mudflat by walking on planks to reach the finish line meant success. The lightest member, DinDin, climbed onto the plank and began to move forward. Amid the members' screams and exaggerated complaints as they acted as the planks, curiosity is growing about whether the final mission will end in success and whether, as the members suspect, Cho Sae-ho really is 'mystery thief Baegopang.'
'2 Days & 1 Night season 4' airs every Sunday at 6:10 p.m.
[Photo] KBS2 broadcast screen capture.
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