Recap: "A Pink's Showtime" Ep 1 - We Ain't Afraid of No Bungee, Sort of

It has been far too long. We have waited many years but at last the Pandas shall rule the air waves once again. After much teasing and anticipation, A Pink has returned to the world of real variety shows with “A Pink’s Showtime!” As the chief animal of the Soompi team, I believe it is my duty to provide the Pandas of the world with some weekly recaps, to ensure the world is aware of our glorious return.

If this doesn’t turn out as great as everyone is thinking then…well…blame the editors! I’m just a lowly penguin in a panda suit. Anyway lets start this week’s recap!

Dull And Important Disclaimer Stuff: Lordbordem is the official penguin of the Soompi team, as such Lordbordem talks of himself in 3rd person. As a penguin, Lordbordem does not see the world in the same way as those dastardly human editor do. Lordbordem’s opinion definitely do NOT reflect the opinions of the rest of the human Soompi Team or Soompi itself. Seriously, don’t trust a penguin.

Chapter 1 – Lets meet our hosts for the evening~ 

Previously on a A Pink variety show, we saw A Pink go from debut to Chorong getting her driver’s licenses despite the concerns of everyone else. There was also a bit where they raised two puppies but we do no speak of that event any more. 

Having never watched Showtime before, I have no idea what to expect from this show. At least this way, I go in with a blank slate and come out the other end in the positive. 

We begin our Showtime journey with a nice little drive. But before that, am I the only that finds those little character cards on their cameras really cute? No? Just me? Fine lets continue then because we have much more important things to cover, first of which is Eun Ji’s quest to appear on every camera, only to be thwarted by Na Eun’s amazing ability to take up her whole camera to herself.

We then move on to introductions or that’s what I assume the staff would have liked. Instead we get the shortest of intros while Bomi quietly introduces herself in the background before meeting the searing glare of Eun Ji besides her. Anyway we don’t need no extended life story here, we can save that for the inevitable confession/hearing episode in a few weeks time.

We got more pressing matters, such as a morning round of Chu~ poses because if there is one thing A Pink hates more than an empty stomach, it is to act cute outside of a stage. As with all annoying things, better get it done and over with. Eun Ji forces them into action and we get the Chu~ parade we so desperately wanted to see.

But why end there when the staff could torture(?) them even further. This time we are going to get into some Giyomi(Cutie) player business. Will A Pink manage to finish a full lap of the Giyomi player? Will Bomi have no hesitations at all, and finally will Eun Ji look on in absolute abhorrence. The answer to those questions are Yes, Yes and oh absolutely Yes.  

As A Pink continues their car journey into the unknown, dance breaks out in the A Pink Van with Chorong talking about how she wishes to go on an overseas trip while Eun Ji talks about a river picnic, and Nam Joo wants to do a telepathy special. (Meanwhile Naeun is randomly screaming about a Chicken Stew restaurant at the side of the road).

Next Page – Why are sad predictions never wrong…

Chapter 2 – It’s a long…long….way down. 

The scenery begins to change. Gone are the buildings and roads of the modern city, replaced with lush greenery and a picturesque lake. Does any of this matter? Nope because Naeun immediately notices the main attraction, a 50m tall bungee jump platform. Maybe they’re not going to the platform, maybe they will be enjoying the beautiful lake and its myriad of water sports? Ahaha of course not. They know their own fate. Straight up to the bungee jump platform they go!

Group one heads up to the top and Naeun is first to take a peak down from the top, dragging along a screaming Bomi. Meanwhile Chorong, with her fear of water and heights, stays well clear of the edge. Group two, on the other hand, is led by the clearly nonplussed Eun Ji and her band of jolly members. Eun Ji immediately volunteers to go first, much to the shock and awe of the trembling trio. Eun Ji is also insisting that anyone who doesn’t jump should buy everyone dessert while Chorong insists that those poor misfortune souls should be comforted instead. The dessert wars don’t do for long as they are then attacked by a ravenous bee and guess who isn’t bothered at all. 

Enough delays, it’s bungee time. First up is, of course, Eun Ji. With just a short comment about how great it is to be on a real variety show again, Eun Ji steps up to the edge and makes a rather uneventful jump to be honest. Seriously, she is calm enough to be singing and doing superman poses while she is bouncing about on the rope. 

Meanwhile up top, panic is in the air as Bomi jumps about asking whose next, ignoring the clearly frozen Namjoo in her jump vest. Now this is more like it, someone that is actually scared of heights. See, this is normal! Bomi, having calmed down a bit, is now volunteering to give Nam Joo a helping (?) kick to make her jump. Yes, Bomi, I’m sure Nam Joo would really appreciate a Sparta kick to push her over. Down below, carefree Eun Ji is telling them to hurry up, resulting in a brief shouting match between Bomi and Eun Ji. 

Eventually, Nam Joo makes up her mind and as the countdown draws to zero, she screams out a quick “I love you A Pink” then takes the leap of faith (With added screams for the full visceral experience). Looks like the fear is short lived thou as Nam Joo wobbles about in the air with Eun Ji laughing at her compatriot’s struggle. Back down on Mother Earth, Nam Joo describes the initial jump as the scariest thing ever but the end as amazing fun. Umm lets see if the next in line agrees with this review.

Next – The Trembling Trio is Up Next

As Naeun gets ready for her faithful meeting with the bungee cord, Chorong is at a cross roads. She can either go down in a blaze of glory by making the jump or go down the elevator, tail between her legs. But before she can make up her mind, Naeun steps out onto the jump platform, fear clearly seen in her eyes. As she stands on the jump platform, she goes through the many stages of bungee regret, from fear to distrust, reproach, crazy laughter and finally turning stiff as a rock. Despite the best efforts of the other members to provide her with support, the safety crew pulls her away from the platform and her bungee attempt comes to an end.

With Naeun’s attempt coming to an end, Bomi tries to comfort her by insisting the brave jump duo were just weird and that they were the normal ones. This seems to spur on Naeun, who takes a step towards the platform before being stopped because she is missing a very important aspect of the bungee jump, the cord, the thing that stops you from pancaking with the water surface. Next up is the dependable junior of the group, Ha Young. Down below, the carefree duo enjoy their freedom, talking about the inevitable surge of regret that Naeun will go through later in the car and taking some very important selfies. 

Ha Young is now ready for the jump, as the trembling trio sit around contemplating their own misfortunes. Ha Young, on the other hand, is all smiles as she steps up to the edge. Eun Ji continues to believe that everyone is like her and tells them to hurry up. Ha Young seems to have heard her cries, as she jumps off the platform with absolutely no hesitation, she even ends up dunking her toes in the water during the bounce, suddenly bringing into doubt the weight she declared during registration. Ha Young clearly doesn’t care, as she seems to be really enjoying herself.

This was all just the appetizer. We pretty much knew that those three would make the jump. Three down and three very very worried souls up in the sky. Will Bomi stop bouncing around long enough to put on a safety vest, will Chorong even manage to wear a vest at all, and will Naeun actually make the jump without going crazy? The answers to all those very important questions will be revealed…on the next page!

Next – The answers to everything

Previously on Bungee Jump mayhem, Eun Ji, Nam Joo and Ha Young have all managed to jump their way back to rock solid group. Meanwhile, the trio of despair continues to contemplate the pros and cons of going down the elevator instead. Well first to face their demons is Bomi, who has started crying as she puts her safety gear on. If I was a betting man, I would place many many tokens on her taking the elevator down. Despite her tears, she insists on making the jump. 

As Bomi “Wow’s!” herself to the edge of the jump platform, the other compatriots laugh at her detailed(?) explanation of the situation. With the wows out of the way, Bomi is now worried about potential heart attacks during the jump. Down below, Eun Ji offers some quality advice, don’t swear or her jump would be edited out. 

Finally, the countdown begins and with the wonderful melody of “Darling” being performed down below, Bomi takes the bold step forward and leaps towards the sky. As she wobbles about in mid air, going from happiness to pain and tears, the worried eyes of Chorong and Naeun look on. Meanwhile the three Earthlings down below find the dangling crying Bomi to be extremely hilarious, before coming to their senses and heading down to the pier in concern. 

As Bomi is comforted down below, Chorong gets ready to go for the jump. Naeun on the other hand is conflicted. Should she support Chorong in her attempts to jump or should she take advantage of this situation and lure the trembling leader towards the elevator nirvana. Good Naeun wins this war and she offers her support to Chorong. As she stands on the platform, awash with fear, the rest of the members offer words of support. The countdown begins and just before the jump occurs, she grabs onto the railings. First attempt – unsuccessful. As she readies herself for a 2nd attempt, the members down below sing the official Chorong support song. 

The 2nd countdown begins and as she spreads out her arms for the jump….and railings again. Second attempt also unsuccessful. At this point, there is nothing anyone can do. It really is a battle against yourself. She now readies herself for the 3rd and probably last attempt. The countdown begins and when the count reaches zero, Chorong stays glued to the spot, unfortunately unable to take the final step. She chastises herself for being a fool but there really is nothing anyone can do when dealing with crippling fear. On the positive side, Naeun doesn’t have to ride the elevator by herself! 

Next – From Bungee To Cafe

Away from the horrors in the air, we now move to a rather nice looking cafe. As the members sit down on their respective chairs, they talk about how the bungee knocked the wind out of them and they were pretty much dead on the ride back. Anyway, what is happening now and why are they here at this cafe? As the trendsetting idols of 2014, there is a ton of things many of us are curious about. This is the opportunity for the A Pink members to answer some of the most pressing questions, asked by some of the hottest trendsetters in the industry right now.

First on the list is Eun Ji’s trot lover, Ji Hyun Woo. He wants to know who, besides Eun Ji, can sing trot songs in the most tasteful manner. Before the trot battle begins, Eun Ji is asked to demonstrate what great Trot sounds like, singing the famous trot song “With my Lover.” With that out of the way, the members now take turns singing a trot singer, with Naeun quick to pick the “prettiest” one of them all, Jang Yoon Jung’s “Oh My.” Unfortunately she forgets the lyrics for the song and is eliminated, saving Chorong from any more distress. 

Next up is Nam Joo with another Jang Yoon Jung song. She is off to a great start but then ruins it all with an absurdly trot-like expression. She belatedly laments this rather unfortunate event but don’t worry, the internet never forgets (And we shall see this in the highlight reels). Next up is Bomi with her favorite song, “Train heading south.” She demonstrates some great trot skills before she too is eliminated for messing up the lyrics. Chorong is next in line with her version of “With my Lover,” with added gestures and the signature deep throaty voice.

With that out of the way, we now need to pick the Queen of Trot. Judge Eun Ji makes her decision and the winner is….herself! Wow! Such judgement, much objectivity, very unbiased! But the members have no objections and she is declared the winner.

Next – I can haz cuties?

Next question time! This time it’s BEAST’s Do Joon, who wants to see some cute gestures from the A Pink members. We, the general male fan base, salute him for making this very important question. The members then talk about who acts the cutest, with Bomi being the first to be mentioned. Chorong is also mentioned, but she proclaims that she’s only good at “natural” cuteness and isn’t very good when asked. 

Ha Young is the first to go, but even before she begins Bomi and Chorong get the ball rolling with some teasers. The members help out by not looking at Ha Young in these difficult times. With great difficult, she pulls off some minor acts of cuteness before begging them to move on. Next is Chorong but rather than act cute, she instead breathes fire like a dragon. We now have the queen of cuteness, the one person that this question was designed for! It’s Bomi Time! Her amazing cuteness throws the members into turmoil, causing shock and awe for all that is watching.

Eun Ji is next but as we know from past experience, the word “cute” and “aegyo” is about as foreign to her as a K-pop group is in the middle of the Arctic.  After much difficult, she manages to squeeze the cuteness out of her, only to be met with the sound of vomiting from Chorong and Eun Ji giving her best impersonation of a folder glued to the floor. Next we move on to Nam Joo, the member with a million expressions. Her usage of exaggerated facial expressions and popular movie OST is a homerun in the cutie derby. A solid performance from the 4th batter. Last of all is Naeun and she too has difficulties mustering up the cutie spirits and just manages to squeeze something out. 

Next – Sexy Time with added lipstick~

Next question, this time from Seo In Gook. Chorong accidentally mentions that she is enjoying his drama, which Eun Ji is quick to latch onto, interrogating her leader as to why she isn’t watching the first parts of Eun Ji’s drama. Seo In Gook wants to see some sexy dancing from the members. He has clearly seen the episode of “Sketchbook” where some of the members performed some rather sexy moves and he wants to see more (Don’t we all.)

Ha Young, Bomi and Nam Joo steps out to carry out his wishes with some brief steps of Girls’ Day “Anticipation” and Sistar’s “Alone.” But as they step up to dance, Chorong breaks Bomi’s train of thought by insisting that her elastic pants aren’t very sexy. Despite the controversy regarding her elastic training pants, the trio dance their way through this question without too much fuss. Personally I think it’s for the best if they stick with their current youthful concept but one of these days they will do a sexy song and it will be glorious.

Last question is by SHINee’s Key, who wants to know which member looks best in red lipstick. Well there is only one way to find out! Bring out the lipstick! Chorong, however, is already insisting that she will probably be the worst, mentioning how her fans said her lipstick wearing jacket photo was like  a primary school kid dressing up in her mother’s makeup.

Now how about we end this week’s preview with some sexy lipstick shots. 

And one more for posterity. Tune in next week when A Pink takes a trip to the water park. Don’t forget to leave feedback and comments because I certainly have no idea how good this recap is. 

Next – The Bomi-o-meter for Marathon Success

Are We Going To Have A

A Pink

Marathon?

Not Yet!

(1.35% according to TNmS. We need 2%)

Are the Ratings Good? Bomi Says

It’s a great start but we will need a bit more to get our marathon!