BTS turns 13: From Run BTS to Bon Voyage, 10 moments that made ARMY laugh, cry and love them more

BTS’s Suga was once asked the secret to the band’s global fame.

“We’re really funny,” he answered, without thinking much about it.

The answer wasn’t completely wrong.

After all, with Jimin’s carbonara gaffe, V not recognising Robert Downey Jr, or RM losing his passport, J-Hope getting left behind at the gas station, BTS has built a parallel discography of chaos.

As the group approaches its 13th anniversary, it's clear that beyond the record-breaking songs and razor-sharp choreography, it's this unpredictable, unscripted chemistry that fans cherish just as much.

If you're wondering where to start, these are some of the BTS shows and moments worth revisiting.

Seven men competing over food, arguing over rules they invented themselves, forming alliances and then immediately betraying each other. That's essentially Run BTS. Tune in for the Mafia games, water spraying, escape rooms or pillow fights, the variety show remains the best introduction to BTS's group dynamic.

BTS attempts a peaceful countryside retreat. The keyword here is attempts. Across two seasons, the members cook, fish, paint, nap and spend time together away from the spotlight. It's also the birthplace of Jin's legendary cooking advice to V: "If he flips it, he flips it."

Put BTS in a foreign country with minimal supervision and the result is television gold. The travel series follows the members as they wander through airports, get lost, bicker over directions and create some of the fandom's most beloved memories.

Some of BTS's funniest moments weren't planned at all. Whether it's RM and Jin dissolving into laughter over seemingly nothing, V repeatedly knocking on Suga's door, or Jin passionately complaining about an underappreciated gift, the group's live broadcasts have produced endless fan-favourite clips and compilations.

We've rounded up some of the best BTS moments caught on camera, too.

Cooking chaos

RM and Jimin in the same team: You know the confusion that could break loose. In this episode of Run BTS, chefs Jin and Suga were assigned two teams and had to direct them through a mic how to cook in the kitchen, with J-Hope as emcee. Jin managed fairly well with Jungkook and V despite a few hiccups while Suga had a tough time with RM and Jimin. At one point, an exasperated Suga told RM to go stand in a corner in punishment. Worse, both RM and Jimin failed to taste salt or sugar, and in an attempt to save their stew, lathered more salt on it by mistake. Finally, Jimin used an old squirrel bowl for the stew, plated it, by placing his pancake on a bunch of spring onions.

The guessing game (Run BTS Episode 140-141)

This was just pure serotonin. It kicked off with the attendance game, where each member had to point at another member, while saying a different name. After three attempts, Jimin finally mastered the game, while surprisingly, Jin got out next, with Suga following suit. The game boiled down to V and Jungkook. The next part of the episode, was when they had to guess a celebrity quickly when the picture was shown to them. Failure to do so, would result in one less dish for lunch. And, seasoned ARMY’s know that BTS loves their food more than anything else, to the point that they sacrificed their album instead of giving up a dish.  The best moments were when V failed to recognise Robert Downey Jr, and called Leonardo DiCaprio ‘Ricaprio’, leaving the rest of the members flouncing in anguish.

House of ARMY (ahead of BTS 3^rd Muster)

If you can already hear ‘Calm down, calm down my daughter’, you know this one a little too well. In this BTS played ARMY themselves. RM is an excited teenager, while J-Hope plays his mother and Jimin plays the family dog. Jungkook plays the role of the father, while Suga is an over-enthusiastic uncle and Jin plays the role of household items, including a clock, banana plant.

Finding, losing, and finding each other again (Run BTS)

In this emotional, bittersweet episode of Run BTS in 2022, the band was temporarily separated and had to find each other again at their old haunts: One being their first dorm. In one of the most wholesomemoments from the episode, V, Jin and Jimin reunite with a hug at the same spot. “I knew that you would be here.” It was a moment that was often replayed, when they were at the military.

Bon Voyage letters

A tearjerker for sure. In this episode from the travel series Bon Voyage, , each member penned a letter to the other: J-Hope wrote for his ‘saviour’ Suga, while Suga wrote for Jin, Jin wrote for Jungkook, Jungkook wrote for RM, and RM wrote for V, who wrote an emotional letter for Jimin. Each letter carried bittersweet remembrances, the joy and difficulties of growing up together.

V actually teared up while sharing his letter as it read, “Before our debut, you once got anxious about it. At the time, I had a meeting with the company, and they asked me what I thought of you being on the team. I thought it over and said that you were there for me through the ups and downs. You were the one who laughed and cried with me. So I said that it would be good if such a good friend could debut with me. It felt good to say that and I was happy to be able to debut with you.”

He also added in the letter, “When I cry in the bathroom, you’re there to cry with me. You come at dawn to laugh with me. You care about me and have me in your thoughts. I love you buddy.” This letter left Jimin in tears.

Jimin added, “I don’t know what others might think. I actually learn a lot from him. He makes me feel good and touches my heart often. That’s when I’m grateful to have Taehyung as my friend. So I want to say I’m grateful.”

Halloween videos

There was a time, when BTS did Halloween videos for ARMY. In one of the most memorable ones, where they danced to Go Go, V had to dress as Snow White, while the others played the seven dwarves. The shoes were too big for Jin, and during the course of the choreography, it went flying.