dramabaobao

Yes, MZY has been a guest on the show many times, in fact the second most in the history of the program, only behind Wei Da Xun #1, and ahead of Yu Yang #3.
So the producers must see something in her that some of her detractors don't. In the episode following her last appearance some commenters on YouTube were asking "Where's Meng Zi Yi?"

Alternate explanation is that the show's producers are idiots and have managed to keep the show going for 13 seasons by pure luck

If you watch that latest episode, in the name tag ripping segment when Zheng Kai went to rip Bai Lu's name tag she didn't put up a fight, i.e. surrendered. Which is fine, not only because I'm a Bai Lu fan. What are the odds that someone will criticize her for doing this? Meng Zi Yi on the other hand did the same thing, but surrounded by not just one but several opposing team members, and some chose to criticize her for it as an example that she is not fit for Keep Running.

MDL tried to fix the episode names, now 13 episodes - but episode 13 would be Ep 12 on YouTube ZJTV.

It appears MDL counts each program air date as a separate episode while the program producers numbers the weeks. Wonderland, produced by Tencent, is 10 weeks and airs twice a week. Thus for Tencent, Week 1: is 1-1 and 1-2... Week 2 is 2-1 and 2-2, etc. On MDL the episode count is 20. (But I know MDL Ep 20 is 10-2 on YouTube)

Also the episode list for Bail Lu was changed, now Ep 5-10 (6 episodes?). And Yuqi is still listed as Ep 1-8 (is she really out for the rest of the episodes?) Wouldn't the program producers know well in advance which episodes each member will appear in. and MDL can get this information?

More relaxed??? It's unclear whether MZY has done a tug-of-war before so the first match 1-on-1 was likely a learning experience. And her form was not great. But Yuqi definitely has since it was a segment in some prior episodes and she has also received coaching on technique. Okay, I'll agree Yuqi is stronger than MZY and the other females, and even twice as strong.. But is she stronger than Li Chen or Zheng Kai? The point is these physical contests are a bit contrived. The name tag ripping confrontations can be quite violent. In a recent one, a member's shirt was ripped to shreds (I think it was Ao Rui Peng vs. Zheng Kai). Can you imagine this with a male vs. female member? In these confrontations the men tend to hold back.

Many? There's only a handful of people making disparaging remarks to which they upvote each other. Almost like an echo chamber. The vast majority probably don't really care.

Yes, 1-1, 1-2, but on kisskh they're counted as separate episodes so there's a mismatch where on YouTube/ZJTV the current episode is #8, but on MDL it's #9.

One of the reasons some people complained about MZY is that in the earlier episodes she appeared distracted and less than enthusiastic, which is true. Almost like she was forced by her management company to appear. But that's between her and the PD/producers. She's already a regular member of another variety show, Wonderland, produced by Tencent, where she is one of the original and most popular members. Dylan Wang was a regular member for the past 3 seasons, but not the current one.
https://kisskh.at/786842-wonderland-season-5

I'm also not sure what's going on here. In a recent tug-of-war segment MZY lost a 1-on-1 against Ning Jing. Then later it was 2-on-2 with MZY and Song Yuqi against Ning Jing and Bai Lu, that MYZ and Yuqi won. But someone commented here that it was all Yuqi's doing, which is kind of an odd thing to say, essentially that MZY played no part. So if MZY didn't pull, Yuqi would've still won?
These physical segments among celebrities are kind of contrived anyway where there is a mix of typically skinny females and tall/muscular males.
What Yuqi said to Fan Cheng Cheng in a recent episode might be applicable here: "It's just a game, relax bro!"

Here's the actual clip of the 2-on-2 tug-of-war where you can see MZY doing her part - but some people only see what they want to see
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/2Vt1G6l8LFg

Here's the program's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/@KeepRunningChina

New episodes every Friday with English subs by Monday or Tuesday. Today's episode is in Bai Lu's hometown and has her Feud co-star as a guest.

Apparently Meng Zi Yi has stirred up some vitriol after being named a regular member. She had been a guest on the show six times before so the producers definite knew what her capabilities and persona were before adding her as a regular member, i.e. it's not a decision they made arbitrarily.

Yes, and brand endorsement engagements which can be quite lucrative depending on how popular the star is. Normally you would think that "Regular Member" indicates the star will be in all, or almost all, episodes like Zheng Kai and Zhang Zhen Yuan. But a few episodes with Bai Lu is better than none, which is maybe how the PD thinks about it 😊

"Female guest from the mud game," maybe you're referring to Taiwanese actress Evonne Xie? She was also a guest in the very first season of Keep Running.

It does look like the show is trying to accommodate their top stars with Bai Lu appearing in only 5 episodes, Zhou Shen 7 episodes and Yuqi 8 episodes (at least based on what is listed on kisskh).

Sometimes Keep Running might edit out certain segments to protect the star or the show. In the previous name ripping contest there were two remaining players Yuqi and Ao Rui Peng and you would think they would want to show the final battle. But a lot of it was edited out including the part where her name tag was ripped. And also the part right before that with Rui Peng, Yuqi and MZY where they edited out MZY’s name tag being ripped along with much of the action before that. (Funny scene where Yuqi is behind MZY holding her either to protect MZY's name tag or to use her as a shield 😂.) Yuqi is a fierce competitor, just like Angelababy and Bai Lu, but AO Rui Peng has a clear physical advantage at 6’2” and Yuqi 5’4”. And in these male-female battles the men have to be careful since there’s a lot of grabbing and physical contact. (Recall Ning Jing freaking out when Victor Ma tried to rip her name tag.)

There was a similar situation in an episode of Wonderland where the final players were two men on one team and MZY on the other, her team’s sole survivor. And one of the men wisely said this is not a good look (two men, celebrities no less, attacking a female), let’s settle this with rock, paper, scissors.

The topic was screen time which the show has decided to give the most to FCC. Which means less for everyone else including Bai Lu. At the same time they heavily promote her appearance in the episodes that she's in placing her in the center of the posters among five selected cast members. PD also gave her new drama a plug.
This might make sense if Bai Lu has decided not to continue next season so the show is emphasizing other members. I read she has picked up two more brand ambassadorships which will take up some more of her time.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and some think MZY shouldn't be on the show, i.e. zero screentime. Fine. But she has her fans and the Show included her among the five cast members on their posters (in fact there's one with her but not FCC) - which indicates she is popular among some fans.

Is Bai Lu really going to be in only 5 episodes this season?

Bai Lu is listed as appearing in episodes 5-9, or only 5 episodes? Hope that's incorrect.

In the last episode at the very end FCC is shown confronting the PD looking upset (maybe acting) and the PD said "You've got enough screen time. Thanks for your hard work" which I thought was strange that the editor decided to leave it in. He does receive the most screen time.

In the current episode a number of commenters asked where Meng Ziyi was. So she is not without her fans. I seen some suggestions as to who would be a great addition as a regular member but they're all men (aside from bringing back Angelababy). So it would be 2 females and 8 men? And the male celebrities have a natural advantage when it come to physical competition since they all tend to be very tall with long arms, and the females much shorter and skinny.

Bai Lu, my favorite cast member, may not want to continue with KR given she has many other demands for her time including the growing number of product endorsements. Perhaps to entice her to stay, the Show invited many of her drama costars as guests and also have an upcoming episode in her hometown in Chang Zhou.

There was a rumor that Bai Lu had injured her back filming a xianxia scene while on a harness a while ago. And injury is also a possibility in KR. Both Li Chen and Zheng Kai were nursing injuries at one time or another, but maybe not from KR.

In the first few episodes of this season MZY looked like she really didn't want to be there, but maybe *encouraged* to do so by her management company. She has warmed up to the role though and her friendship with sister Yuqi appears genuine.

Love all the cast members, but especially Bai Lu, Zhou Shen and Yuqi... and including the one who likes to pick on the female members like a HS kid with a secret crush 😂.

On athleticism, new member Li Yun Rui essentially won the marathon for the team.

For those who might be interested, MZY is an original cast member in Wonderland, currently in its 5th season, where she is very popular with fans.

A recent post by a fan:
“Meng ziyi is truly the main essence of the show, I can't image wonderland without her anymore. Even this season the whole pawn shop drama and them getting sued was hilarious 😭 easily my top 5 moments from all of the seasons.”

Totally agree!
“KR is about… fun, warmth, family, sportsmanship, good vibes, and motivation for life!”

MZY is not athletic but tries her best while trying not to get injured. In the marathon some criticized her but she did her part coming in below the 2:30 target (the team wanted 3 mins), and the team avoided having to regroup. For real athletic competition watch pro sports. Another plus for MZY is that she defends herself when other cast members pick on her.

The Show probably wanted to add another female regular cast member. But how many popular celebrities would be willing to join seeing how rough some of the male members are. Remember the episode where FCC was overly aggressive holding Bail Lu’s head down in the mud?!

Angelababy is an exception who’s competitive, athletic and quick witted. It would be nice if they can bring her back - assuming she is willing to return.