BOSS RIIZE Episode 6: The Great Bankruptcy Feast

Back to Site Table of Contents

(Written September 22, 2024)

This series does cliffhangers really well.  While we’re all pretty sure Shotaro will be the next BOSS, we won’t know for sure until the results are read, even though Shotaro is currently stuffing the box with 17 ballots.  Seriously,  I would not be surprised if Eun Seok somehow holds on to power, or even if the winner turns out to be one of the camera crew.  Let’s find out.

We open with the boys waiting for the votes to be counted.  Eun Seok refuses to take off the BOSS laurel, insisting that it ain’t over ‘til it’s over.  Sung Chan says we never know, Eun Seok could get it again.  Won Bin says that’s statistically impossible, but he just lost the 369 game, so his math skills are probably worse than mine.

Offscreen, a crew member announces the winner.  It’s … Shotaro!  I’m worried when Eun Seok stands up and applauds.  Oh, God.  He’s up to something, isn’t he?  He’s even smirking.

So Hee and Anton practically rip the laurel and BOSS stamp off Eun Seok and bestow them upon Shotaro.  Eun Seok bows to the new ruler.

Shotaro signs and stamps his appointment letter.  Now he checks the budget.  There’s 87,000 won left ($65 USD), plus the 100,000 won added to the budget for the new ruler.  He’s got a total of about $140 USD.

The next step is to choose the two workers.  Eun Seok is the only one who hasn’t been a worker.  I can’t decide if Shotaro should choose him.  Being a worker would put Eun Seok in a position to do some damage.  On the other hand, he could be stuck doing menial tasks, which would keep him too busy to cause mischief.

Suddenly, So Hee suggests playing a game to decide the workers.  So Hee, I say this with love, what the hell are you doing?  Don’t give Eun Seok the opportunity to weasel out of being a worker!

They choose a game called “Reading the Room.”  Apparently, this game just involves standing up.  Win Bin is the last one on his feet, so he loses.  He’s a worker again.  But to soften the blow, Shotaro talls him he can chose the second worker.  It’s an easy decision. 

But Eun Seok refuses, saying they should play another game to decide the second worker.  The others ask him if he’s really disobeying the BOSS.  They turn to Shotaro for his reaction, and my heart sinks when he asks Won Bin to state his choice again, just to be sure.  For some reason, he’s still protecting Eun Seok.

Won Bin looks confused, but he digs his heels in and makes his same choice again.  Good for you, Won Bin!  Did     I reinstate you as my bias yet?  (checking notes)  Yes, you’re still my favorite.  Proceed.

Everyone else applauds enthusiastically while Won Bin clings to Eun Seok’s arm.

Thankfully, the decision stands, and Eun Seok accepts it.  For now.  “From BOSS to worker in five minutes,” he says.  Damn right.  Everyone keep a close eye on him.

The crew tells them it’s time for dinner.  They tell the band if they spend 150,000 won for the ingredients, they can take as many ingredients as they want from the house.  Okay, even I can do the math on that.  They have 187,000 won.  Spending 150,000 won blows almost their whole budget on one meal.  I did some Googling, and they could order six large pizzas from a popular place in South Korea called Pizza School for a total of 30,000-42,000 won, plus a tip for delivery, and still come out with most of their budget intact.  After even more Googling, I found that tipping is not customary in South Korea, so they could splurge on as many ingredients as they want on those pizzas and still end the day with 100,000 in the budget.

But our band wants to take the offer.  Sung Chan tells the BOSS that the workers could do a lot with this money.  “Make them do it,” he says.  Wait, so the workers have to cook?  CAN they cook?  Do we know what ingredients are in the house?  How do they know the house doesn’t just have 100,000 won worth of salt and mustard?

Eun Seok speaks up and says that’s ineffective.  I can’t believe I’m about to agree with this guy.  Except we don’t get to hear his argument because Anton shuts him down.  Shotaro decides to go ahead with this plan of blowing the budget on one meal with mystery ingredients and two workers who might not be good at cooking, one of whom may be out for revenge by poisoning their food.  Shotaro’s reign is off to a GREAT start.

“They’re good at making fried rice,” Sung Chan says.  Oh, good.  You want to spend 100,000 won on fried rice.  At least the show does tell us that Eun Seok and Won Bin are good cooks.

But it gets worse.  The workers aren’t just getting the ingredients from the kitchen.  There’s a huge garden out back where they’ll have to pick the vegetables.  

Our workers have clearly never seen a garden before.  “How do we get it?” they ask.  “Can we just rip it out?  With our hands?”  As they start pulling up the lettuce, they say, “Wow, lettuce grows like this?”

Shotaro comes out to check on progress.  “You’ve got a lot done,” he observes.  “Is this real lettuce?”

Okay, to be fair … no, I got nothing.  Where did they think lettuce came from?

Everyone wants Won Bin to make kimchi fried rice, because apparently he’s an excellent cook.  A barbecue area has been set up with grills.  Anton and Sung Chan do the grilling while So Hee and Shotaro criticize.  I feel like I’m watching Americans on the Fourth of July.

Meanwhile, Won Bin is in the kitchen with no idea how to wash lettuce.

I thought he was supposed to be a good cook.  Also, he and Eun Seok decide to bury the hatchet and forget the cruelty of the past.  I’m not buying it for a second.

They start plotting to make Won Bin the next BOSS.  They remember the BOSS’ reign ends at night, so there will be another vote.  They need one more person on their side.  They’re forming an alliance and decide to recruit Anton.

They bring the lettuce out to the barbecue area.  The cooking is not going well.  The guys add too much charcoal and close the lids, and smoke starts pouring out the sides.  I knew they should have ordered pizza.

Eun Seok and Won Bin finally start making the kimchi fried rice while the rest of the band salvages the meat.  It’s time for another mukbang segment. 

We get almost ten full minutes of these guys eating.  During the meal, they finally decide to re-do the room assignments.  We get a sweet moment when Shotaro says he gets scared at night, so he actually wants everyone to sleep together in one room.  Then he wants to know if the workers can make breakfast.  Unless they plan on having leftovers, I don’t think they have enough money left for breakfast. 

After dinner, they remember the heated pool and decide to go swimming.  They all rush to the pool.  But before they can dive in, the crew tells them they will start a game to win the ballots.  Shotaro looks genuinely alarmed.  Everyone else is happy.

I do feel a little bad for Shotaro, who points out that he’s only been the BOSS for about two hours.  But his protests fall on deaf ears. 

We start with a water gun battle to determine the teams.  Shotaro wins and chooses So Hee and Anton for his team.  

And the episode ends here.

I would argue that Shotaro’s reign should absolutely end here.  He has nearly bankrupted his team for one feast.  He still seems to harbor sympathy for the former tyrant Eun Seok.  He didn’t know where lettuce comes from.  It may be time to hand things over to Won Bin.

See you at the next battle.

Episode 7:  The First RIIZE Olympiad

Back to Site Table of Contents