[비즈한국] You producers, ending it right there? I found myself screaming again while watching ‘Culinary Class Wars: Culinary Class War Season 2’. I’m sure I’m not the only one. The production team’s 'cliffhanger technique' must be making the entire nation restless. With the massive success of Season 1, expectations for ‘Culinary Class Wars 2’ were amplified, but that naturally brought some concerns. Could they cast as talented individuals as Season 1 with the same format? Wouldn't the tension be less? However, as soon as ‘Culinary Class Wars 2’ was released, those anxieties proved to be useless. I’ve already reached the point where I only wait for Tuesdays.
‘Culinary Class Wars 2’ stands out for upgrading the aspects that were lacking in Season 1 while maintaining the ‘Culinary Class War’ format divided into White Spoons and Black Spoons. In episodes 1–3, released on December 16, the ‘Hidden White Spoon’ concept was interesting. Chefs Kim Do-yun and Choi Kang-rok, who participated as White Spoons in Season 1, returned as challengers, but with a twist: the first round was a competition among 80 Black Spoons, and the Hidden White Spoons had to challenge them and receive approval from both judges, Paik Jong-won and Anh Sung-jae. By removing the early benefits of the White Spoons, they made the re-challenge justifiable, and they successfully maintained tension by adding a strategy where if a Hidden White Spoon passed, the number of Black Spoons moving on to the next round increased by one.
What about episodes 4–7, released on the 23rd? After the first round, which greatly thinned out the 80 Black Spoons, and the second round, a 1:1 showdown between White and Black, it was expected there would be a Black vs. White team battle. ‘Culinary Class Wars 2’ changed this team battle. First, they didn't artificially force an equal number of White and Black Spoons. In Season 1, the Black Spoon chefs ‘Chinese Goddess’ and ‘Manji-nam’ advanced and joined the team battle through the judges’ super-pass.
The judges probably didn't intentionally try to match the numbers, but as a result, the numbers were equal, so I suspected the production team might have had some influence. However, this time, even though there were 10 White Spoons and 9 Black Spoons heading into the team battle, the judges chose Nun Seon-jae and Chef Jung Ho-young as wildcards. Instead of balancing the numbers, the team battle was upgraded to three cooking rounds involving 7, 5, and 3 people respectively. Amidst the overwhelming presence of 100 masked judges, the final showdown between the three aces featured past chefs from Season 1 as special judges, which was a welcome surprise.
Even just 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 useless. While Chef Choi Hyun-seok, who carried Season 1, is still an irreplaceable presence, Chef Son Jong-won of Season 2 brings out a different kind of charm that keeps you glued to the show. In particular, the fun of this ‘Culinary Class Wars 2’ lies in its subtle intersection and synergy with the popular cooking show ‘Please Take Care of My Refrigerator (since 2014)’. Not only do Son Jong-won, Jung Ho-young, and Sam Kim appear, but they also brought in Choi Kang-rok and Raymon Kim, one of the original members of ‘Please Take Care of My Refrigerator’, making their chemistry a joy to watch, while their appearance, quite different from the one in their original show, stimulates the viewers' dopamine.
In the Black vs. White 1:1 showdown, did I alone admire when Son Jong-won shot a sharp gaze at his challenger and said, “Can you block this?” The heated 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 couldn’t block it, Kai Jong-won, fighting!” was an extra element of fun.
The joy of discovering respectable new chefs remained. Seeing Chef Hu Deok-juk, who reminds me of Chef Yeo Kyung-rae from Season 1, or Chef Park Hyo-nam makes me think, “I want to become an adult like them,” even though I am already an adult. I was already aware of Nun Seon-jae’s reputation, but her approach to cooking with the heart of a practitioner was admirable. And the attitude of the 'Pork Gukbap to New York' chef, who volunteered to cook under the same conditions as Nun Seon-jae in their 1:1 battle, was also wonderful.
The master-disciple showdown was also unmissable. The quail battle between Chef Lee Jun, who leads the Michelin 2-star restaurant ‘Soigne’, and the ‘crooked genius’ who worked under him as a sous-chef, gave much food for thought. Chef Lee Jun’s honesty when he said, “It’s good to lose to your disciple,” while genuinely feeling happy that his student did well, but also admitting he wanted to win, was impressive. Chef Park Hyo-nam’s broad-minded nature is great, but I also liked his competitive streak, not wanting to stop the challenge yet. His quick admission and reflection when he looked back on whether his approach was too conservative after his defeat also stood out. I think this reflection on what kind of person one should be while watching a cooking survival show is one of the biggest strengths of ‘Culinary Class Wars’.
The serious approach to ingredients is also a focus of ‘Culinary Class Wars 2’. Seeing top chefs agonize and take creative approaches with ingredients that are hard to encounter or difficult to use as main flavors, such as Uiryeong quail, Changwon sea squirt, Wonju ox tongue, and Paju cheonggukjang, made viewers ruminate on the ingredients and dishes they have encountered so far.
Is there any need to be disappointed if you couldn't book a fancy restaurant for Christmas and the year-end (I’ve been failing to book 'Manji-nam’s' restaurant for a year now)? Because just watching ‘Culinary Class Wars 2’ from my room is enough to feel like I’m savoring a set menu at any Michelin restaurant. Oh, of course, it is essential to have food with it! Watching ‘Culinary Class Wars’ on an empty stomach is clear self-abuse.
Who is the author, Jung Soo-jin?
I have worked across various magazines, covering and writing about movies, travel, and popular culture. I don’t want to fall behind on trends, but I’ve become an 'old-timer' who watches the latest dramas and only predicts obvious clichés for the next scene. I am drifting in the vast OTT world, trying to regain my lost touch, and my current wish is for a unified OTT subscription plan.