[비즈한국] Wah, are the producers really cutting it off here? I found myself screaming again while watching ‘Culinary Class Wars Season 2’. I’m sure I’m not the only one. The producers' ‘cliffhanger mastery’ must be keeping the whole nation on edge. With the immense success of Season 1, expectations for ‘Culinary Class Wars 2’ were sky-high, but that naturally brought some anxieties. Could they really cast as many skilled chefs with the same format as Season 1? Wouldn't the tension be less? However, as soon as ‘Culinary Class Wars 2’ was released, it became clear that those worries were completely unfounded. I’ve already reached the point where I live only for Tuesdays.
‘Culinary Class Wars 2’ stands out by upgrading the aspects that were lacking in Season 1 while maintaining the ‘Culinary Class War’ format divided into White Spoon and Black Spoon chefs. In episodes 1-3 released on December 16, the setup of ‘Hidden White Spoons’ was fun. Chef Kim Do-yun and Chef Choi Kang-rok, who participated as White Spoons in Season 1, challenged themselves again. While the first round was a competition among 80 Black Spoons, the setting allowed Hidden White Spoons to challenge, requiring them to receive approval from both judges, Baek Jong-won and Anh Sung-jae. By removing the early benefits of the White Spoons, it made their reentry acceptable, and at the same time, it successfully maintained tension by adding a strategy that increased the number of Black Spoons passing the first round if a Hidden White Spoon was accepted.
What about episodes 4-7 released on the 23rd? After the first round, which significantly reduced the 80 Black Spoons, and the second round, a 1:1 battle between White and Black Spoons, one could expect a team battle between the two groups. ‘Culinary Class Wars 2’ brought changes to this team competition. First, they didn't artificially force an equal number of White and Black Spoon chefs in the teams. In Season 1, Black Spoons ‘Chinese Goddess’ and ‘Man-Jjit-Nam’ advanced to the team competition via the judges' super pass.
The judges probably didn't intentionally try to match the numbers (?), but since the numbers turned out to be equal, I suspected there might have been some influence from the producers. However, this time, even though there were 10 White Spoons and 9 Black Spoons advancing to the team battle, the ones chosen by the judges as survivors were Sunjae Sunim and Chef Jung Ho-young from the White Spoons. Instead of matching numbers, the team battle was upgraded to three cooking competitions involving 7, 5, and 3 people respectively. While the overwhelming presence of the 100 masked judges remained, it was a pleasant surprise to have former Season 1 chefs as special judges for the final battle between the three aces.
Just by watching episodes 1-3, I wondered if the characters of the participating chefs were less interesting compared to Season 1. I realized that was also completely pointless. While Chef Choi Hyun-seok, who carried Season 1, remains an irreplaceable presence, Chef Son Jong-won of Season 2 highlighted a different charm, keeping me focused on the show. In particular, the fun of ‘Culinary Class Wars 2’ lies in its subtle intersection and synergy with the popular cooking entertainment show ‘Please Take Care of My Refrigerator (since 2014)’. Not only do we get the trio of Son Jong-won, Jung Ho-young, and Sam Kim, but also Choi Kang-rok and Raymon Kim—an original member of ‘Please Take Care of My Refrigerator’—making their chemistry a treat to watch. At the same time, their appearances, which are quite different from the previous show, stimulate the viewers' dopamine.
Did I really find myself the only one admiring when Son Jong-won threw a sharp look at his challenger in the 1:1 Black vs White battle and said, “Can you block this?” Added to that, the hot reaction from the public when Kim Poong, who boasts fantastic chemistry with Son Jong-won from ‘Please Take Care of My Refrigerator’, posted a screenshot of that scene on social media with the caption “You guy, you can't block it, Kai-Jongwon, fighting!” was a hilarious bonus.
The joy of discovering respectable new chefs remained. Watching chefs like Hu Deok-juk, who reminded me of Chef Yeo Kyung-rae from Season 1 who received the reaction “A mountain is still a mountain even if it’s carved,” or Chef Park Hyo-nam, makes me think, “I want to become an adult like that,” even though I am already an adult. While I already knew of Sunjae Sunim’s reputation, watching her approach cooking with the mind of a practitioner was admirable. The attitude of ‘Pig Gukbap for New York,’ who volunteered to cook under the same conditions as Sunjae Sunim in their 1:1 battle, was also very cool.
The mentor-disciple battle was also unmissable. The quail battle between Chef Lee Joon, who leads the Michelin 2-star restaurant ‘Soigne’, and his former sous-chef, the ‘crooked genius’, gave plenty of food for thought. It was impressive to see Chef Lee Joon, who said “Losing to a student is a good thing,” show honesty by saying he was genuinely happy for his student's success while also wanting to win himself. Chef Park Hyo-nam’s broad-mindedness was great, but so was his competitor’s spirit, not wanting to stop the challenge just yet. His quick acknowledgement and reflection when he realized his approach might have been too conservative after defeat were also standout moments. Perhaps that is the great advantage of ‘Culinary Class Wars’—providing introspection on what kind of person to be while watching a cooking survival show.
A serious approach to ingredients is also a focus factor of ‘Culinary Class Wars 2’. Watching top-tier chefs struggle and take creative approaches with ingredients that are usually difficult to encounter or hard to flavor as a main dish—like Uiryeong quail, Changwon sea squirt, Wonju beef tongue, and Paju cheonggukjang—made viewers think back on the ingredients and dishes they had encountered, which was a great joy.
Should you be disappointed if you couldn't book a fancy restaurant for Christmas or the end of the year (I’ve been failing to book the ‘Man-Jjit-Nam’ restaurant for a year now ㅠㅠ)? Even if you just watch ‘Culinary Class Wars 2’ from your room, you’ll feel like you’re savoring a course meal at a Michelin-starred restaurant. Oh, of course, having food with you is a must! Watching ‘Culinary Class Wars’ on an empty stomach is clearly a form of self-torture.
About the writer, Jeong Su-jin?
I have worked across various magazines, covering and writing about movies, travel, and popular culture. I don't want to fall behind trends, but I have become an old-fashioned person who expects nothing but obvious clichés while watching the latest dramas. I am currently drifting through the vast world of OTT, trying to regain my lost intuition, and my current wish is for an integrated OTT subscription plan to be released.