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First things first:

• There’s the song ‘Run‘ by BTS

• There’s the song ‘Run BTS‘ by BTS

• There’s the show ‘Run BTS‘ starring BTS.

This was actually a meme/joke amongst Army in 2022 when PROOF dropped. But yes, today we’re talking about the show, Run BTS!

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Run BTS is the band’s own and owned variety show, which began airing on August 1st, 2015 (fun fact: this was a trivia question the members had to guess/remember for their Staycation themed two-parter episodes, 150 and 151). It has a run so far of 155 official (numbered) episodes, plus 10 “special” episodes (which are really five two-parters), for a total of 165 Run BTS videos available as of May 2023.

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I think watching through the whole series is really good because a big – HUGE, really – part of Army inside jokes and BTS lore in general come from very random episodes that aren’t necessarily top-ranking. Also, that’s how you get to fall in love with the members. You see a lot more of them, their creativity, their humor, their wit, their skills that they don’t get to show on stage, etc. on this show. With that said, I know time is of the essence so for those looking for the highlights ONLY, these are the top episodes to watch if you want to be somewhat in the know and also enjoy yourself with cream of the crop quality content.

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They’re listed in chronological order of release (a lot of these are two-parters and I’m considering those as ONE episode because I learned from my idols and cheating is my passion! Anything to fight my way into fitting more content for you one way or another).

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Note: I will also highlight the “bookends” to the eras/seasons of the show as we go, mostly by the change of intro they had at the time. For no purpose other than… ‘good to know,’ interesting info that could be asked at a trivia night I guess? You’re welcome in advance.

• From episode 1 until episode 10 they used their hit track ‘Dope’ for their intro sequence.

• Episode 11 didn’t have a standard intro but rather just used the footage of the episode over ‘Fire’ to introduce the members.

• As of episode 12 we started hearing ‘Blood Sweat & Tears’ over footage from the episode as the intro. This lasted until episode 16.

• Starting with episode 17, they standardized their intro video sequence with static pictures instead of episode footage, still using ‘Blood Sweat & Tears.’ This lasted until they deemed the end of that season, which in this case closed with episode 56.

Without further ado, here are the top Run BTS episodes you can’t miss!

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• Episodes 30 and 31: two-parter that is infamous within Army and probably still ranks as one of the top episodes despite the passage of time. You watch the members go to sleep, wake up groggy, and play old Korean variety show games (so it’s not at all a guilty pleasure watch, but practically a cultural exchange).

• Episode 39 & 41: “Lachimolala” is inrun bts episode 83 the Army hall of fame BTS moments that will never be put to rest, and so you have to watch these bundled episodes (episode 40 was a holiday special that aired in between). It’s also the only time they tried putting Kookie in the MC role and then gave it right back to Jin because everyone has their talent and Kookie’s is not MCing. So if you want to see this rare occurrence, this is your only chance. Run BTS Fact: Jin and Suga are the best MCs in the group.

(FYI, HYBE got lazy and stopped adding subtitles to the Run BTS episodes they uploaded to YouTube after episode 40, so the links from here on take you to Weverse so you can watch the rest with proper subtitling)

• Episode 51: BTS at an amusement park. Need I say more? Ok, I will. Fearless members wanting to ride every ride multiple times, cowardly members struggling with their fears as they try to complete challenges, quotables forever and ever, signature outfits for Army to recreate, an unforgettable prize at the end (and their genuine excitement over it…). Just trust me. 

• Episodes 53, 54, 55, and 56: I’m not trying to be unhinged giving you a 4-4-1, but these are all part of a day-long road trip they did. There’s karaoke, betrayals, bad sports, trading members for ice cream, “don’t laugh” challenges… But fine, if you can’t watch all of them, at least watch episode 56. It’s a turning point moment. The end of episode 56 has them all sitting around a bonfire reading poems they wrote and it’s just as wholesome and heartwarming as it gets. Things were really changing for them around this time, started to get more recognition and respect, and it’s just a really precious time to look back on. 

(This was the last episode of that season so after this one they changed their intro sequence song from ‘Blood Sweat & Tears’ to ‘Idol,’ and they entered a groove in the show. Even though they started traveling a lot around this time and they had to film a lot of episodes in hotel rooms, the quality of the show and its effect on us did not go down or change at all.) 

• Episodes 79 and 80: this two-parter is so riveting you won’t even notice it was two episodes. If you ask Army about the biggest plot twist in a Run BTS episode for both the audience and the members, this is the one. Betrayal, lies, games, shocking results. It’s a masterpiece. Fun fact: when I was debating whether to give K-Pop and more specifically BTS a chance, there’s a moment at the end of episode 80 when truths are coming to light and Jungkook does a nose scrunch smile, and THAT was what made me decide to look into BTS. His smile. I saw it on TikTok and it was over for me after that. 

• Episodes 83 and 84: another two-parter to heal your soul. They go to a beautiful natural water park where they play games and compete, and chaos ensues at every moment because of the high stakes of the water activities. There is so much laughter that it’s a great set of episodes to watch when you want to take yourself out of a slump or feel better. Also, Namjoon’s thighs. Enough said. 

• Episodes 86, 87, and 88: this is a trilogy, but if you’re short on time you can skip the first one. You know how episodes 79 and 80 had *some* level of betrayal? Well, episodes 87 and 88 are by far and wide THE BIGGEST betrayal in the history of Run BTS. The plot twist isn’t as big for the audience because we know who is playing against who, but it’s definitely a huge shocker for the ultimate loser. But the most shocked people after this episode? RM and SUGA’s cameramen. Jungkook’s cameraman knows his fate, but Yoongi’s was caught off guard FOR SURE when he actually had to move fast that day. It’s a great episode, and also very educational as it celebrates Hangul Day, which honors the creation of the Korean language. 

• Episodes 97 and 98: have you ever played Thumper? They play a clean version of it here and it leaves them in stitches, and their laughter provides unlimited amounts of unadulterated dopamine, serotonin, and endorphins all in one go. Jungkook’s Elmo laugh comes OUT. Also, one of the many times we’re BLESSED with rapper Jin in the building doing ‘Loner.’ It’s amazing. They were still so young and fresh. It felt like everyone was having a good day and was fully committed to the gag. Ah, let me go watch it again. 

Pause. Because I’m regretting ALL of my life choices right now because how do I only have two spots left to recommend episodes and there are more than 60 left to choose from?! This is impossible.

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(The ‘Idol’ intro – which was my favorite of all – ran from episode 57 until episode 99. Episode 100 began their ‘ON’ intro era!)

• Episode 128: Don’t let this time jump fool you. There are plenty of great, can’t-miss episodes in between, but there’s just something about when they laugh a lot, it just makes for the best episodes. This was such a simply produced one with zero frills, but the laughter was HIGH and it delivered every ounce of mischievous energy they have in them. Also, Hobi is amazing at so many things, but Run BTS is not typically his strength, except for *this* episode when he was particularly on his A game. It feels like this type of episode brings them back to their childhood and they unleash those little rascal impulses they still have inside. 

• The entire Game Caterers series. It’s a four-parter, and this is a highly produced show from an independent variety program. The Game Caterers is a production company that is extremely famous in South Korea for broadcasting high stakes amazing games, and they partnered with BTS to bring four episodes – parts 1 and 3 on BTS’s own channel (as episodes 140 and 141), and parts two and four on The Game Caterers’ channel. You should watch them in the following order: Part 1 (on BTS), Part 2 (on TGC), Part 3 (on BTS), Part 4 (on TGC). This marked the slow re-entry of BTS into the variety show circle after doing their own thing for so long, but in their own space still. Is the best of both worlds, and it was SO fun.

(This was the last time they used the ‘ON’ intro. After this, ‘Butter’ era began, which lasted until episode 155. The special episodes that aired after their PROOF album came out all had ‘Run BTS’ as the intro track, for obvious reasons.) 

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If you happen to watch all of these and are feeling yourself getting HOOKED, I have good news for you: I couldn’t help myself and gathered another top list of episodes with the ones I couldn’t include above.

These are the honorable mentions I won’t be able to sleep ever again if I don’t include them somehow some way: 

• 63, 64, 65 – SCHOOL THEME PART 2 – very fun!
• 104, 105, 106 – PHOTOSHOOT – an absolute riot.
• 109 – DUBBING MOVIES (seriously, what can’t they do?!)
• 112, 113 – SCHOOL THEME PART 3 – so many funny moments!
• 118, 119 – JIN’S BETRAYAL PHOTO SPY – why is Jin always IT?!
• 136, 137 – OLD KOREAN SONGS, SO FUNNY – Namjoon’s ep.
• 120, 121 – TRAVEL IN TIME MAFIA 1 – Narco Kookie?!
• 145, 146, 147 – TRAVEL IN TIME MAFIA 2 – Human emoji.
• 154, 155 – RUN BTS BEST MOMENTS REVIEW – feels.

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Here’s my promise: You’ll get hooked one way or another, so I think you should just watch them all from the beginning, because it will make more sense to watch them grow and evolve as people than to watch the top episodes and then go back or jump around and you kind of get thrown off because the vibes are simply different. The bottom line is that it’s impossible to not find them endearing or fall for their charms as you watch. There’s something in every single episode that makes you want to risk it all for them, and that’s not an exaggeration. Just ask Army how much they spent on D-DAY tour tickets or how much we regularly pay in merch shipping fees. It’s ridiculous the hold they have on us.

And that’s what will happen to anyone who watches Run BTS.