List of Keep Running cast members explained

The original members of Keep Running are Deng Chao, Angelababy, Li Chen, Chen He, Zheng Kai, Wong Cho-lam, and Wang Baoqiang. After season 1, Wang Baoqiang recorded his last episode and has left the program to focus on his career but returned on season 3, episode 10 as a guest. In season 2, Bao Bei'er was a replacement for Wang Baoqiang but left at the end of the season as he was cast in Stephen Chow's Journey to the West II. Singer Lu Han then replaced Bao Bei'er from season 3 onwards. Dilraba Dilmurat replaced Angelababy in season 5 due to Angelababy's pregnancy. Due to scheduling conflicts, Dilraba left the show in season 6.For season 7, Deng Chao, Chen He and Lu Han left due to scheduling conflicts, while Wong Cho-Lam left to focus on his family. Lucas from South Korean boy group NCT and its Chinese subunit WayV, Song Yuqi from South Korean girl group (G)I-dle and actors Zhu Yawen and Wang Yanlin replaced them in the new season. In Season 8, actors Zhu Yawen and Wang Yanlin left due to scheduling conflicts and they were replaced by singer Cai Xukun, actor Sha Yi and comedian Guo Qilin. In Season 9, Guo Qilin wasn’t there due to scheduling conflicts but returned for the 9th episode as a guest.

Cast

Current cast

NameAgeNickname(s)Theme Song(s)DurationNotesNationality
"Jerry" Li ChenBig Black Bull (大黑牛)
Music Black Hole (音乐黑洞)
The Imperial March, by John WilliamsSeason 1 – presentStrongest member of the team. Whole cast is afraid of his strength in the name tag ripping game.China
"Ryan" Zheng KaiRomantic Prince (护花使者)
The Leopard (小猎豹)
I Believe I Can Fly, by R. KellySeason 1 – presentOne of the fastest. Usually very cool and calm or very hot and raging.China
AngelababyScream Goddess (高音女王)
East BB (Baby)
Off-key Queen (跑调女王)
Wisdom Queen (智慧女王) Music Black Hole (音乐黑洞)
Baby, by Justin Bieber
Can't Take My Eyes Off You, by Frankie Valli
Fantastic Baby, by BIGBANG
Season 1 to 4, Season 5 Episode 8 – presentThe only female member for 6 seasons. Left the cast at the end of Season 4 due to pregnancy. Angelababy came back for the show second half of season 5 on June 2, 2017 during Episode 8.[1] China
Zhu YawenLady Killer (师奶杀手)
Husky (哈士奇)
Stupid Cupid, by Connie FrancisSeason 7 – presentJoined the new cast for season 7.China
LucasJumping Youngster (跳跳少年)
Monkey Xi (猴嘻嘻)
Brother Chicken (鸡哥)
Nine Piece Chicken (九条鸡)
Take Off, by WayV
Regular, by WayV
Beat It, by Michael Jackson
Season 7 – Season 8Second youngest cast, Joined the new cast for season 7, due to covid travel restriction, he didn't continue be on the show.Hong Kong
Song YuqiBrother Yuqi (雨琦弟弟)
Fitness Queen (体力王者)
Just the way you are, by Bruno Mars
Latata, by (G)I-dle
Season 7 – presentYoungest of the team. Joined the new cast for season 7, teamed up with Angelababy as the two female members.China

Former cast

NameAgeNickname(s)Theme Song(s)DurationNotesNationality
Wang BaoqiangShaolin Baoqiang (少林宝强)
Chinese Key Master (中华锁王)
Tall in the Saddle, by George LamSeason 1Couldn't participate in the second season due to scheduling conflicts.China
Bao Bei'erThe Bald (光头强)
Little Bald Donkey
Bowling Ball (保龄球)
Soy Egg (卤蛋)
noneSeason 2Left the crew due to being cast in Stephen Chow's Journey to the West II.China
Dilraba DilmuratLittle Di (小迪)
Fat Di (胖迪)
Captain Tuo (坨队长)
DiliRouba (迪丽肉巴)
Tone Deaf (音痴)
Voice Break Goddess (女破音) Reba (热巴) Rules black hole (规则黑洞)Game black hole (游戏黑洞)
Your Song, by Luhan
Hangover, by Taio Cruz
Season 5Due to scheduling conflicts, Dilraba will not be returning for Season 6.China
Deng ChaoCaptain Deng (邓队长)
Captain Superman (邓感超人)
Dance King (舞王超)
La Song, by RainSeason 1 - Season 6The leader of the whole cast. Usually wins the name-tag ripping. Will not participate in season 7 due to scheduling conflicts.China
Wong Cho-lamGrab-Chance King (捡漏王)
Running Man (奔跑侠)
Game Black Hole (游戏黑洞)
In the Sentimental Past, by Leslie CheungSeason 1 - Season 6Usually thought of as the weakest and funniest. Often teased about his height. Will not participate in season 7 to focus on his family.Hong Kong
"Michael" Chen HeGenius (天才)
Pig (猪)
The Brain (最强大脑)
I Got You (I Feel Good), by James BrownSeason 1 - Season 6Always either very perceptive or very oblivious. Often teased about his flaws like his weight and teeth. Will not participate in season 7 due to scheduling conflicts.China
Lu HanLittle Deer (小鹿)
Silly Roe Deer (傻狍子)
That Good Good, by Lu Han
Football Gang, by Lu Han
Medals by Lu Han
Who's gonna catch me when I fall, by Lu Han
Season 3 - Season 6Replaced Bao Bei'er from season 3 onwards. Often perceived as the "young" one compared to Deng Chao and Li Chen. Will not participate in season 7 due to scheduling conflicts.China
"Ian" Wang Yanlin32King of Garbage (垃圾王中王)天堂, by Tengger
Oynasun, by Shahrizoda
Season 7Joined for season 7. Lest due to conflicting schedules.China

Relationships

Current relationships

MembersRelationDetails
Angelababy,
Zheng Kai
Friday Couple
Friday Partner
Cuckoo Couple
White and Green Snake sistersCuckoo Team

Cuckoo Best Friends

Inspired by the Monday Couple on SBS Running Man, the two became known as the Friday Couple. They are the official loveline of the show. Whenever there are no teams, they ally. When Angelababy is in danger, Zheng Kai always protects and saves her. Even though Angelababy is married, they are usually in one team. After they both have their own partners in real life, they have changed from couple to best friends. They are one of the most compatible pairs in the show because when these two are together, they usually win. They have one of the best tacit understanding. They are also perfectly in sync with each other.
Li Chen,AngelababyMusic Black Hole SiblingsChenBaby SiblingsThese two are known as Music Black hole of the show as they are the only ones who can't sing. Whenever certain episodes are based on singing themes, both of them are at huge disadvantages. They both have a brother-sister relationship and they take care of each other. They also have one of the best tacit understandings, too.
Li Chen,Zheng KaiBull-Leopard combination/brothersThese two are known as Bull and Leopard because of their strength and speed respectively.
Zheng Kai,
Song Yuqi
139 ClubAfter Yuqi joined the show, she is known to have beat Zheng Kai in all kinds of game which embarrasses him and make him weak. For example, in season 7, episode 2, members were given the weightlifting mission. Yuqi ended up with a score of lifting 139kg, while Zheng Kai had a score of 138kg and that is how the club was formed. They have a love-hate relationship. In season 9 when Yuqi has returned, Zheng Kai still can't beat her as expected which he said is a curse. Yuqi is forever above Zheng Kai.
Lucas,
Wang Yanlin
Double Egg groupIn the opening of season 7, episode 1, Lucas mistaken Yanlin's surname as "Wong". The two went head to head in a push-up battle and the group was eventually formed by the two members.
Lucas,
Angelababy
Hong Kong SiblingsBig Eyes Siblings

Visual Siblings

Lucas and Angelababy are both from Hong Kong. They both have big eyes. They are the Visual Siblings of the show. They both have a sister-brother relationship.
Lucas,
Song Yuqi
XuQi Siblings, LuQi coupleLucas and Yuqi are both born in 1999 and they are the youngest members in season 7. They are also shipped together because of their appearances. They have one of the best tacit understandings.
Li Chen,
Song Yuqi
Beijing Uncle and NieceYuqi has been calling Li Chen "uncle" due to his age and since both are born in Beijing, the group was formed. They are one of the strongest teams in the show. When these two team up, they always win.
Zhu Yawen,
Wang Yanlin
Yalin BrothersIn the early episodes of season 7, Yuqi has always mistaken the both of them, calling them "Yalin", the combination of "Ya" from Yawen and "Lin" from Yanlin.
Li Chen,
Zhu Yawen
Old Red SunshineIn season 7, episode 10, Li Chen and Zhu Yawen, both older members, were grouped together for the "Running Man Singing Festival". They were wearing bright red shirts, therefore, Zheng Kai labeled them as "Old Red Sunshine" (夕阳红组合). They are the oldest members of the group. Yawen said this team is a combination of intelligence and strength, which is him and Li Chen respectively.

Former relationships

MembersRelationDetails
Wang Baoqiang,
Wong Cho-lam
Royal Brothers
Bao-Lam Brothers
Because the two of them are of similar height, they were close to each other from the beginning of the series.
Zheng Kai,
Wang Baoqiang
Zheng-Wang CombinationDuring Episode 4, they formed a team to manufacture a cardboard boat. The surnames of Zheng Kai and Wang Baoqiang were combined to create the team name. The name was a homophonic pun of "zhen-wang" (perished) and they were made fun of, especially after theirs became the only boat that sank. The relationship name appears in Episode 9. In Episode 10 of the 3rd season, the group appears again, now with Wong Cho-lam and a different name: "bao-zheng-bu-wang" (guaranteed not to perish).
Dilraba Dilmurat,
Lu Han
Lu-Di CombinationLuhan and Dilireba were paired up together in many episodes in season 5 and they are about the same age. They had some flirtatious moments like during Episode 3 when they had a heart rate game and Luhan pulled Dilireba's hair back and he leaned close to her face to make her heart rate faster. In Episode 8, Luhan blew a kiss to Dilireba twice.
Dilraba Dilmurat,
Angelababy
Attractive SistersAfter Angelababy had returned from her hiatus as a special guest to signify her return on season 5 episode 8, she was temporarily paired up with Dilireba, to jokingly spite the rest of the male members for being unattractive and being unwelcoming.
Chen He,
Dilraba Dilmurat
Ba-He CombinationEver since the beginning of the show, Chen He has been known to be the member that eats the most. Also, since Dilireba arrived, she has known to always be eating throughout the episodes in season 5, and always taking out junk food from random places. In episode 9 of season 5, they, along with Li Chen, were paired up by chance to eat seafood together. Surprisingly, although they did not have the most people in their group, they finished the most food within the given time.
Deng Chao,
Chen He
Chao He Union
Sky Ba Move Ba Tua
In Episode 10, the two had fun acting as dummies and the subtitles referred to them as the dummy brothers. In Episode 4 of the 3rd season, they grouped again and create their catchphrase, Sky Ba Move Ba Tua (in pinyin, "tian-ba-dong-ba-tua"). In one episode, "pao" was tacked on to the end for Luhan, because it meant "deer" and so did "lu". This slogan later appears several times in the later episodes of the show.
Li Chen,
Chen He
Mother and Child
Chen-He Combination
Li-Chen Combination
Since the fight before Episode 4, Chen He often succumbed to the rules set by Li Chen. Though he occasionally disobeys him, he still follows obediently along to Li Chen's instructions. Li Chen comes help Chen He a lot, even though he tends to "betray" Li Chen a lot, ripping off his name tag and such.
Lu Han,
Zheng Kai
Leopard Deer CombinationIn Episode 5 of Season 3, the two were in the same team. Lu Han's nickname is little deer (鹿, or Lu, is his surname and can also mean deer) and Zheng Kai's nickname is leopard (because of his speed), ergo "Leopard Deer".
Deng Chao,
Lu Han
Father and SonAt the beginning of season 4, Deng Chao asked if he was allowed to help Luhan in the game they were playing. Ever since then, Luhan has called Deng Chao his father many times and vice versa (in and outside of the show). This might be partially because Luhan is the youngest among them and Deng Chao the second oldest of the cast.
Angelababy,
Lu Han
Siblings
LuBaby
On the final episode of season 4, Angelababy and Luhan paired up together and would not betray each other, even referring to themselves as siblings in an episode. As a team, they managed to rip the name tag off of Blackie Chen, who is very strong, which shocked and impressed everyone. Angelababy was sad he was eliminated because she would have protected him until the end of the game.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: 跑男公布阵容:热巴常驻baby后期回归. 实习生苏叶. 14 February 2017. ent.sina.com.cn.