TV personality Kim Jong-min, who recently married a businessman 11 years his junior, surprised Lee Joon with his fear of heights.
On the October 15th episode of KBS 2TV's variety show '2 Days & 1 Night Season 4' (hereafter '2 Days & 1 Night'), the first part of the 'Time Capsule Race' featuring five members in Cheongdo County, Gyeongsangbuk-do, was aired. The episode achieved a nationwide viewership rating of 6.7% according to Nielsen Korea, maintaining its top spot in the time slot. A scene where DinDin and Yoo Seon-ho surrounded Lee Joon with 45 seconds left in the tag game recorded a peak viewership of 10%.
The '2 Days & 1 Night' team, starting their journey with a time slip to the 1990s, was divided into Jong-min's team (Kim Jong-min & Lee Joon) and Se-yoon's team (Moon Se-yoon, DinDin & Yoo Seon-ho) for the 'Time Capsule Race.' The winning team could return to 2026 immediately, while the losing team had to perform a dawn labor penalty the next day.
The first mission, with 10 time capsules at stake, was the 'Real Initial Game,' where teams had to collect more initials from 1990s props than the opposing team. Both teams struggled with word combinations due to the limited initial cards, and after a close match until the final round, Se-yoon's team won the first mission.
Before moving to the next mission location, a nostalgic paper draw was held to select three members to taste chimney bread. Despite the low odds, Lee Joon, Moon Se-yoon, and Kim Jong-min won in a single draw, leaving DinDin and Yoo Seon-ho in disbelief as the three enjoyed a sweet feast.
In keeping with the 1990s concept, the '2 Days & 1 Night' team traveled to the next mission location, Cheongdo Train Theme Park, in an old car with a manual transmission. The second mission, 'I'm Getting Off Here,' involved retro games at three train stations, with the first team to win two games taking 10 time capsules.
The first round game was 'Reverse Egg Cracking,' where participants had to crack eggs while on an inversion table. Lee Joon and DinDin represented their teams, and DinDin seized the opportunity to win as Lee Joon faltered. In the second round, 'Double Chicken Fight,' Jong-min's team won after a fierce battle extending to the fifth match, balancing the score.
The final game to decide the mission's outcome was 'Heart-Pounding Name Compatibility,' a popular 1990s game where teams had to achieve a higher score in name compatibility. Kim Jong-min and DinDin, representing their teams, focused on selecting partners by matching names with staff. Despite both making calculation errors, Kim Jong-min scored an impressive 96 points, securing the second mission victory.
The third mission, held at the lunch venue, was 'Retro Quiz Show: Back Then,' where teams had to guess issue keywords from 1990s news. In a best-of-seven match, the teams were tied 3:3 by the sixth round, but DinDin answered the final quiz correctly, earning Se-yoon's team the lunch menu and 10 time capsules.
After lunch, the '2 Days & 1 Night' team moved to the final mission location, Shinhwarang Culture Village, for the 'Tag Game with Role Swap,' with the remaining 10 time capsules at stake. Due to weight issues, Moon Se-yoon couldn't participate, so DinDin and Yoo Seon-ho took the field for Se-yoon's team. Meanwhile, Kim Jong-min's fear of heights left him unable to move, leaving Lee Joon in a difficult position.
Nevertheless, Lee Joon charged at the opposing team with great momentum, quickly tagging out DinDin and then heading for Yoo Seon-ho. After skillfully dodging Jong-min's team's attacks, Yoo Seon-ho successfully captured Lee Joon, securing the final mission victory for Se-yoon's team.
As a result, Se-yoon's team collected 30 time capsules, while Jong-min's team gathered 10. The 'Time Capsule Race,' reminiscent of a time travel to the 1990s, evoked nostalgia and anticipation for the next episode.
'2 Days & 1 Night Season 4' airs every Sunday at 6:10 PM.
Reporter: Kim Se-ah, TenAsia haesmik@tenasia.co.kr