Culinary Class Wars
Hangul	흑백요리사: 요리 계급 전쟁
Hanja	黑白料理師: 料理 階級 戰爭
Lit.	Black and White Chef: Culinary Class Wars
RR	Heukbaegyorisa: yori gyegeup jeonjaeng
MR	Hŭkpaegyorisa: yori kyegŭp chŏnjaeng
Genre	Cooking Reality competition
Written by	Mo Eun-seol[1]
Directed by	Kim Hak-min[1] Kim Eun-ji[1]
Judges	Paik Jong-won Anh Sung-jae
Music by	Park Gyo-yeon[1] Seok Seung-hee[1]
Country of origin	South Korea
Original language	Korean
No. of seasons	2
No. of episodes	25
Production
Cinematography	Hong Jung-pyo[1]
Running time	60–96 minutes
Production company	Studio Slam[1]
Original release
Network	Netflix
Release	September 17, 2024 (2024-09-17) – present

Culinary Class Wars (Korean: 흑백요리사: 요리 계급 전쟁) is a South Korean cookingreality competition in the dramatic style ofPhysical: 100. The first season was released onNetflix in 2024 and featured one hundred elite chefs divided into two classes: white spoons (veterans) and black spoons (newcomers), competing for the prize of₩300 million.^[2] The first three episodes of season two aired on December 16, 2025, with the last episode of the season released on January 13, 2026.^[3] In January 2026, Netflix announced the series was renewed for a team-based third season.^[4]

The two judges were veteran restaurateur and celebrity chef,Paik Jong-won, and the onlyMichelin three-star chef in Korea,Anh Sung-jae.^[5][6] They became full from tasting so much food during the contest but Paik still ate hispacked lunch too.^[7]

Care was taken to ensure impartial judging. In the first black versus white round, the judges were blindfolded so that they would not be influenced by the status of the contestants. All the food was discarded after judging so that the crew and contestants could not taste it and then challenge or influence the judges' decisions.^[8]

The contestants were divided at the outset into 20 experienced chefs who were classed as White Spoons and competed under their real names, while the remaining 80 contestants were comparative newcomers who were classed as Black Spoons and competed under aliases.^[2]

The White Spoons of season 1 were: Ahn You-seong, Bang Ki-su, Cho Eun-ju,Choi Hyun-seok, Choi Ji-hyung,Choi Kang-rok,Edward Lee,Fabrizio Ferrari, Hwang Jin-seon, Jang Ho-joon, Jung Ji-sun,Joseph Lidgerwood, Kim Do-yun, Kim Seung-min, Lee Young-suk, Lu Chinglai, Nam Jeong-seok, Oh Se-deuk, Park Joon-woo, andSeonkyoung Longest.^[6]

The White Spoons of season 2 were: Lee Jun, Cheon Sang-hyun, Venerable Sunjae,Son Jong-won, Kim Sung-woon, Kim Hee-eun, Kim Geon,Hu Deok-juk, Park Hyo-nam, Jennie Walldén, Shim Sung-chul, Jung Ho-young,Sam Kim,Raymon Kim, Song Hoon, Lee Geum-hee, Im Seong-geun and Choi Yu-gang. The Hidden White Spoons were Choi Kang-rok and Kim Do-yun.^[9][10][11]

Its format was a cookery contest with different challenges in each round and elimination of contestants until only one remained.

In the first round, the 80 Black Spoons were given 100 minutes to cook a personal signature dish.

One of the judges would taste the dish, and then decide if the contestant would move on to the next round, or if they were eliminated on the spot. Contestants could also be deferred or put on hold, if the judge tasting their dish was unsure if they should progress to the next round, and allowed for the other judge to weigh in with a second opinion.

For this round, 20 Black Spoon chefs were chosen to advance to the next round, to match the number of White Spoon chefs. As fewer than 20 contestants had received passes to continue to the next round at the end of the cooking time, the judges chose from the deferred contestants to fill the remaining places. The 20 White Spoons were given abye and automatically advanced to the second round.^[2]

The 20 survivors of this round and their signature dishes were as follows. The final four required a second opinion.

1. Goddess of Chinese Cuisine –Dongpo snowflower dumplings (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
2. Hidden Genius –Spaghetti aglio e olio (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)
3. Genius Restaurateur –Tongyeong-stylebibimbap + driedpollock-skin sundae (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
4. Side Dish Chef – mixed-grain rice, seaweed soup withPerilla seed powder, braised Japanese Spanishmackerel, 3 kinds of seasoned vegetables (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)
5. Yeong Chicken – assorted chicken dishes (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
6. God of Seasoning –Golden ratioMapo tofu (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
7. One Two Three –Bonghwa duck withKorean blackberry (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)
8. Triple Star – Lobster with pepper sauce + LobsterKinilaw (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
9. Auntie Omakase #1 – Assorted home-cooked meals (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
10. Self-Made Chef – Eight Treasure meatball (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)
11. Comic Book Chef –Dongpo pork fromOishinbo + Crab Spring Roll fromIron Wok Jan (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
12. Meat Master –Galbuignon (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
13. Celebrities' Chef – VegetarianSashimi + vegetarianFutomaki (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)
14. Seung-woo's Dad –Sous vide chicken breast + winter watermelon salad (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
15. Yakitori King – Korean chickenyakitori with various cuts (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
16. Kitchen Boss – Braised octopus + lemon cheese pasta (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)
17. Napoli Matfia –Naples fresh pasta with 3 kinds of potato purée (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)
18. Cooking Maniac – Codmilt with curry butter sauce, fried fish with asparagus, brocoli and saffron veloute sauce (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)
19. Chef Spark – seafood fresh pasta (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)
20. Master of School Meals – Boiled pork andSsamjang,Gochujang-fried anchovies,Yukgaejang,kimchi, lettuce wraps (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)

In the second round, the White Spoons and Black Spoons competed against each other in 1-on-1 matches. White Spoons were called to the stage and a Black Spoon could join if they would like to challenge them. If a White Spoon received two or more opponents, they could choose whom they would like to compete against. The pair then chose between 20 fridges which contained a random ingredient they must use in any dish of their own devising. Contestants were given 70 minutes to cook their dish, then the two creations were then subject to ablind tasting by the judges who were blindfolded and hand-fed by spoon. The judges voted anonymously and then removed their blindfold if the decision was unanimous. If there was a tie, the contestants were asked to leave so that the judges could deliberate on both dishes and make a final decision. The contestant of the winning dish would then advance while the other was eliminated. At the end of the round, both judges selected one contestant each among those who were eliminated to receive a "super pass" and return to the competition.^[2]

Color key

•   Contestant won their match and advanced to Round 3
•   Contestant received a "super pass" from the judges
•   Contestant lost their match and was eliminated

Key

^[1] Paik Jong-won chose Goddess of Chinese Cuisine to receive the super pass.
^[2] Ahn Sung-jae chose Comic Book Chef to receive the super pass.

In the third round, the White Spoons and the Black Spoons divided themselves into two teams, one to cook a meat-based dish and another to cook a seafood-based dish. The White Spoon team in one category competed against the respective Black Spoon team. Each team had 200 minutes to prepare and serve their dish to a panel of 100 audience members, including the two judges. In each match the team with the most votes was declared the winner with all contestants in the team advancing to the next round.

Color key

•   Winning Team, all members advance to Round 4
•   Losing Team, all members sent to the Consolation Round
•   Head Chef

Exclusively for the teams that lost Round 3. Contestants had 40 minutes to prepare any dish of their devising using ingredients typically found in aconvenience store. The judges tasted each dish in the order that it was finished. After all dishes were sampled, the judges selected three contestants regardless of their class to advance to Round 4.

Color key

•   Contestant was selected to advance to Round 4
•   Contestant was eliminated

For the fourth round, the contestants divided themselves into three teams of five, regardless of class. The head chefs for each team were predetermined by a survey where contestants voted on three others whom they believe are most likely to win the competition. The first place contestant (with eleven votes) was Black Spoon's Triple Star, followed by White Spoon's Choi Hyun-seok and White Spoon's Edward Lee. After all teams were decided, the restaurant mission was announced. Each team has 24 hours to create their own restaurant from the ground up, including its concept, menu items and pricing, and shopping and preparing the ingredients. After the 24 hours, all restaurants will open simultaneously to customers for 2 hours and 30 minutes. For the restaurant with the most sales, all of their members will advance to the Semifinal, while for the restaurant with the lowest sales, all of their members will be eliminated. Only eight contestants will survive based on restaurant sales and judges' evaluations.

At the six-hour mark, it was announced that each team must dismiss one member whom they believe will be least helpful in the round. Contestants could also volunteer to dismiss themselves. The three dismissed contestants would form a fourth team that must design a new restaurant to compete against the opposing teams. The dismissed contestants were Black Spoon's Self-Made Chef (from Triple Star's team), White Spoon's Ahn You-seong (from Choi Hyun-seok's team), and Black Spoon's Comic Book Chef (from Edward Lee's team). At the end of the 24 hours, the customers were revealed to be twentymukbang creators. Each customer was given one millionwon to order as many dishes as they want during the allotted business hours.

Color key

•   First place team, all members advance to the semifinal
•   Contestant advanced to the semifinal via judges' evaluations
•   Contestant was eliminated

Names inbold denote Head Chef.

Among the second and third-place teams, the judges picked four more contestants to advance to the semifinal.

1. Jung Ji-sun – Her Mala Cream Shrimp Dim sum was the best-selling dish (with 39 orders), and she was the first contestant to observe the customers' reactions by checking the leftovers.
2. Triple Star - He was commended for his strong leadership throughout the round.
3. Napoli Matfia - He was commended for his ability to keep the restaurant running smoothly.
4. Edward Lee - He was commended for his communication with customers and adapting his dishes throughout the round.

For the semifinal round, the contestants competed in two themed missions: "Cook Your Life" and "Endless Cooking Hell". Only two contestants will advance to the final round.

The contestants were given 70 minutes to cook a dish representing their life. The judges would evaluate their dish and give a score out of 100 points, then both judges' scores were combined to determine the contestant's total score. The contestant with the most points would automatically advance to the final round.

Color key

•   Top Score

As the winner of the "Cook Your Life" mission, Napoli Matfia automatically advanced to the final round without competing in the next semifinal mission.

The remaining seven chefs competed in an endurance round to select the other finalist. The chefs had to keep creating dishes using the same key ingredient:tofu. Each dish had to be created in just 30 minutes using tofu taken from a large stack. The judges used three criteria: ensuring that tofu was a significant ingredient; the creativity of the dish; and its overall execution and presentation. Dishes were served to the judges in the order of completion and the worst submission each round was eliminated.^[14]

Edward Lee won this stage by creating a varied and novel selection of dishes such as Kentucky-Fried Tofu, which resembled the famous chicken dish and used chicken fat as a sauce to give it an appropriate and savoury taste.^[14]

Color key

•   Contestant survived the round
•   Contestant was eliminated in this round

The final round's theme was a "name on the line" dish. The two chefs had to prepare any dish of their desire within the span of 80 minutes. Similarly to the second round's 1-on-1 match, the judges had to vote independently from one another, albeit with the caveat that instead of a deliberation period, the chefs would have to create another dish should the judges not unanimously agree on the best dish. Prior contestants were invited to return and spectate the final round.

At the start of the round, Napoli Matfia's real name was revealed to be Kwon Seong-joon.

The two dishes were:

Edward Lee:Tteokbokkisemifreddo with agochujang caramel served with achamoe-makgeolli "old fashioned."

Inspiration: Edward joined the competition to get in touch with his Korean heritage and noticed how chefs were typically generous with their portions, especially with tteokbokki. He realised that this came from a place of love and he made a dish to commemorate the leftover tteokbokki.

Kwon Seong-joon: Piedmontese-style pistachio-crusted lamb rack with barollo wine sauce, mushrooms and beet and lamb heart ravioli.

Inspiration: Kwon interpreted his "name" as referring to his life, and as of such wanted to create a dish that represented his entire being. The wine was selected due to it both being a vintage from the year he was born, as well as his favourite grape varietal.

Kwon Seong-joon was declared the winner and won the ₩300 million prize.

Similar to Season 1, the show was aired as a series of cooking challenges. The show began with another 100 chefs, with them competing against each other and the clock.

The first challenge was similar to last season's opening challenge, with the Black Spoons cooking their signature dishes within 100 minutes to impress at least one of the judges to progress to the next phase, and the White Spoons receiving a bye to progress to the next round.

This time, only 18 White Spoon chefs were introduced at the start of the season. Before the challenge began, two additional chefs joined the cooking as "Hidden White Spoons" - Michelin-starred chef Kim Do-yun, and MasterChef Korea winner Choi Kang-rok. Both were White Spoons from Season 1, and had been eliminated in the previous season. They were given a chance to be reinstated as White Spoons, with the caveat that both judges needed to approve of their dish. If a "Hidden White Spoon" managed to reinstate themselves, the number of Black Spoon Chefs that would be allowed to advance would increase. Choi received approval from both judges for his braised eel and vegetables, while Kim only received one yes from judge Paik, eliminating him from the competition. Because Choi successfully reinstated himself, the number of Black Spoon Chefs allowed to progress to Round 2 was raised to 19.

The top 19 Black Spoon Chefs and their dishes are as follows, with the final five being chosen from deferred chefs.

1. Brewmaster Yun – "Brewmaster's Set Meal" with home-distilledsoju (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)
2. Dweji-Gomtang in New York – Signaturedweji-gomtang (pork dish with soup and rice) (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
3. Seoul Mother – Seoul-style set meal withneobiani beef, beef brisket and radish soup, and cold vegetable salad (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
4. Loner In a Hole In a Wall – "Modern Korean Juansang" with beef and truffletteokgalbi skewers and mackerelbibimbap (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
5. Little Tiger – "A Humble Drink and Mountain Vegetables" - vegetablejuansang withmugwort and tofu mix, seasoneddaylily, andcoastal hog fennel and blue crab salad (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
6. French Papa –Bouillabaisse (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
7. Culinary Monster – Spring vegetable porridge with truffles (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)
8. Witch With a Wok – Chinese-Korean "Happy Family" Stir-fry (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
9. Barbecue Lab Director – Signaturebarbecued beef rib (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
10. Iron Arms –Soba noodles with chicken brothtsuyu (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)
11. Annyeong Bonjour – Poached lobster withkimchibisque (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)
12. Perfect Match – Lobster salad with "lobster shell"tuile (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
13. Boss In the Kitchen – Shrimp porridge with spring greens (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)
14. Banchan Wizard –Banchan set meal with grilled dried pollock with glutinous rice (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)
15. Rebellious Genius –Rabbit andprosciuttoroulade with rabbit liver sauce (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)
16. Three Star Killer – Squid inkrisotto with friedcalamari (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)
17. Knife Omakase – "Four-Course KnifeOmakase" set with Chinese yamsomyeon, cucumber and plumdaikon maki roll, and grilled blackthroat sea perch (Judged by Anh Sung Jae)
18. Fan Master –Unagi-don (grilled eel with rice) (Judged by Paik Jong Won)
19. Trendsetter – Rolledlasagna (Judged by Paik Jong Won)

Like the first season, the Black and White Spoon chefs cooked head to head in one-on-one duels, to determine who would progress to the next round. White Spoons would be called forward, and any of the Black Spoons could voluntarily challenge the White Spoon to a cook-off. If more than one Black Spoon wanted to challenge a White Spoon, the latter was allowed to choose their opponent.

This season, the theme of the challenge was "regional specialties". Each of the mystery ingredients came from a particular region of South Korea, and the pairs would have to use that ingredient as the main component of their dishes. The dishes would then be judged head to head in a blind taste test. Judges Paik and Anh would then vote on the winning dish, with the winner advancing to the next round. If the dishes were tied, the judges would then deliberate further on which dish had the edge, before choosing a winner.

At the end of the round, the judges allocated a "super pass" to two eliminated chefs (one for each judge), for them to return to the competition.

Color key

•   Contestant won their match and advanced to Round 3
•   Contestant received a "super pass" from the judges
•   Contestant lost their match and was eliminated

Key

^[1] Paik Jong-won chose Venerable Sunjae to receive the super pass.
^[2] Ahn Sung-jae chose Jung Ho-young to receive the super pass.
^[3] The judges voted on this round twice, with both times resulting in a split vote. Each of the judges voted for a different chef in both rounds.

In the third round, the White Spoons and the Black Spoons divided themselves into three teams, where the White Spoon team in one match competed against the respective Black Spoon team. All contestants were required to participate in at least one match and can also appear in multiple matches. Contestants that did not participate in a match were allowed to observe the cooking process and advise their team. Each match required the teams to utilize one ingredient from the "Wheel of Land" and one ingredient from the "Wheel of Sea" to create a dish that highlights both ingredients. They must also prepare and serve their dish to a large panel of audience members within an allotted time frame. After each match, the teams would earn points based on the total votes they receive which would be combined into a final score at the end of the round. For the winning team with the most points, all contestants would advance to the next round while for the losing team, all contestants would be subjected to elimination.

The first match was a 7 vs. 7 match and the judges selected the ingredients:squid from the "Wheel of Sea" (selected by Paik Jong-won) andchamoe from the "Wheel of Land" (selected by Anh Sung-jae). Both teams had 150 minutes to prepare and serve their dish to a panel of 100 audience members, including the two judges. Each vote was worth 1 point.

Color key

•   Winning Team
•   Losing Team
•   Team Captain

Both Paik Jong-won and Ahn Sung-jae voted for the Black Spoon's dish this match.

The second match was a 5 vs. 5 match and the teams selected the ingredients:chicken from the "Wheel of Land" (selected by the White Spoons) andpollock roe from the "Wheel of Sea" (selected by the Black Spoons). Both teams had 120 minutes to prepare and serve their dish to a panel of 50 audience members, this time consisting of 25 members that initially voted for the White Spoon's dish and 25 members that initially voted for the Black Spoon's dish, including the two judges. Each vote was worth 2 points.

Color key

•   Winning Team
•   Losing Team
•   Team Captain

Paik Jong-won voted for the Black Spoon's dish and Ahn Sung-jae voted for the White Spoon's dish this match.

The third match was a 3 vs. 3 ace match with the three best contestants from each team competing and the teams selecting the ingredients:wooreok from the "Wheel of Sea" (selected by the White Spoons) andveal bone-in sirloin from the "Wheel of Land" (selected by the Black Spoons). The teams were also required to incorporate a hidden ingredient in their dish:tofu. Both teams had 60 minutes to prepare and serve their dish to a panel of 10 audience members, including the two judges and eight former contestants from the first season: White SpoonsChoi Hyun-seok,Edward Lee, Jang Ho-joon, Jung Ji-sun, and Lu Chinglai, and Black Spoons Auntie Omakase #1, Cooking Maniac, and Napoli Matfia. Each vote was worth 10 points.

Color key

•   Winning Team
•   Losing Team
•   Team Captain

The White Spoons received four votes from Edward Lee, Lu Chinglai, Auntie Omakase #1, and Napoli Matfia.

The Black Spoons received six votes from Paik Jong-won, Ahn Sung-jae, Choi Hyun-seok, Jang Ho-joon, Jung Ji-sun, and Cooking Maniac.

The final score was158 (White Spoons) to 142 (Black Spoons), with the White Spoons winning the Black vs. White Team Match, while the Black Spoons were eliminated.

Exclusively for the team that lost the third round. The Black Spoons had 60 minutes to prepare a dish highlighting a main ingredient of their choice and could only use up to ten additional ingredients, including seasonings, to support their dish. The judges sampled each dish in the order they were completed. After all dishes were sampled, the judges selected two contestants to advance to Round 4.

Color key

•   Contestant was selected to advance to Round 4
•   Contestant was eliminated

^[1] Rebellious Genius' main ingredient was kept hidden under his request until after his dish was evaluated. When the contestants opened their boxes to reveal their main ingredient, his box was empty.

In the fourth round, the contestants formed teams of two to create a dish together. As the winners of the Consolation Round, Black Spoons Brewmaster Yun and Culinary Monster were given first priority in choosing their teammate, then the remaining contestants formed teams among themselves. Teams had 120 minutes to prepare a dish showcasing their synergy. The judges sampled each dish in the order they were completed and then sent each team to either the "survival candidate" pool to be considered for the semifinal round or the "elimination candidate" pool to be considered for elimination. After all dishes were sampled, the judges picked one team to advance to the semifinal round and one team to be eliminated from the competition.

Only seven contestants advanced to the semifinal round: the winning team from the Black and White Alliance Match and five contestants from the 1 vs. 1 Duel.

Color key

•   "Survival candidate" team that was selected to advance to the semifinal round
•   Team was sent to the "survival candidate" pool, but was not selected to advance
•   Team was sent to the "elimination candidate" pool, but was not eliminated
•   "Elimination candidate" team that was eliminated

From the remaining five teams, each contestant cooked head to head in one-on-one duels, to determine who would progress to the next round. Contestants had 100 minutes to cook a dish using only the ingredients they brought for the Black and White Alliance Match. The judges would then vote on the winning dish, with the winning contestant advancing to the next round and the losing contestant being eliminated. If the dishes were tied, the judges would then deliberate further on which dish had the edge, before choosing a winner.

Color key

•   Contestant won their match and advanced to the semifinal
•   Contestant lost their match and was eliminated

^[1] Paik Jong-won voted for Jung Ho-young's dish and Ahn Sung-jae voted for Sam Kim's dish.
^[2] Paik Jong-won voted for Choi Kang-rok's dish and Ahn Sung-jae voted for Kim Sung-woon's dish.
^[3] Paik Jong-won voted for Son Jong-won's dish and Ahn Sung-jae voted for Culinary Monster's dish.

For the semifinal round, the contestants competed in two themed missions: "Endless Cooking Paradise" and "Endless Cooking Hell". Only two contestants will advance to the final round.

The contestants were given 180 minutes to create dishes with ingredients from an "Endless Pantry" of over 500 ingredients. There were no restrictions on the type of dish or menu, and contestants could attempt as many dishes as they would like. The judges would evaluate their dish and give a score out of 100 points, then both judges' scores were combined to determine the contestant's total score. The top-scoring contestant would also be revealed in real-time, allowing other contestants to break their record if the judges gave them a higher score. The contestant with the highest score at the end of the mission would automatically advance to the final round.

Color key

•   Winning Top Score
•   Top Score that was broken by a later attempt

As the winner of the "Endless Cooking Paradise" mission, Choi Kang-rok automatically advanced to the final round without competing in the next semifinal mission.

The remaining six chefs faced an endurance showdown to claim the last spot in the finale. For this round, every dish had to featurecarrot. As the star ingredient, chefs had just 30 minutes to whip up something unique using carrots from a big pile set out for them. The judges used three criteria: how central the carrot was in the creation, the creativity of the concept, and the overall execution plus presentation. Dishes were served as soon in the order of completion, and the chef with the weakest dish in each round was eliminated.

Culinary Monster won this stage by preparing a variety of dishes featuring carrot as the primary ingredient.

Color key

•   Contestant survived the round
•   Contestant was eliminated in this round

The final round's theme was a "one-of-a-kind" dish. The two chefs had to prepare any dish they would make for themselves in the span of 90 minutes — essentially, they had to cook the best dish for themselves within that time. Similarly to the second round's 1-on-1 match, the judges tasted the finished dishes alongside the participants and voted independently, but instead of a deliberation period, the chefs would have to create another dish if the judges did not unanimously agree on the best dish. As inSeason 1, if the judges' selection was unanimous, the match ended and the winner was determined immediately; if there was a difference, there would be endless rematches until a winner was chosen. Prior contestants were invited to return and spectate the final round.

At the start of the round, Culinary Monster’s real name was revealed to be Lee Ha-sung.

The two dishes were:

Lee Ha-sung:Sundaeguk (Blood sausage soup)

In the final, Lee Ha-sung prepared asundaeguk which he reinterpreted as a high-end dish. The dish was inspired by his father, who would take him to the Korean bathhouse and treat him to this soup afterwards, which Lee described as a comforting, nostalgic, and tear-jerking memory.

Choi Kang-rok: Broth-based dish with sesame tofu

Everyone expected a braised dish, but Choi surprised everyone with a soup featuring sesame tofu. He explained, "I happened to be lucky and became a 'braised braiser' and a 'serial braising expert.' Honestly, I wasn’t that good at braising, but I ‘pretended’ to be. I didn’t even want to braise for myself."

Choi Kang-rok was declared the winner and won the ₩300 million prize.Ahn Sung-jae praised Choi's approach, saying, "I think every chef goes through that ‘pretending’ phase. It’s the same for me. This was very honest food."

On 16 January 2026, Netflix announced the third season of Culinary Class Wars. Unlike the first two seasons, it will employ a team format, with groups of four representing a single restaurant.^[15]

The show was rated as suitable for ages 12 and above by theBritish Board of Film Censors.^[16]

The show was the most popular foreign-language series on Netflix in its first week of broadcast, getting about four million views.^[17][18]

Lee Yoon-seo reviewed the show forThe Korea Herald. She reported that the show was popular and that the reasons for this included the high level of expertise and creativity displayed by the contestants and their respect for each other's skills. The two judges and their differences of opinion were also thought to make good viewing. She reported that the participants' restaurants had boomed since their exposure on the show. For example, over 20,000 people tried to reserve a table at the Neo restaurant of Choi Kang-rok and its new month of online bookings sold out in one minute.^[19]

Culinary Class Wars achieved international recognition, debuting as the first Korean unscripted series to reach No. 1 on Netflix's Global Top 10 TV (Non-English) list for three weeks.^[20] Netflix data indicates the show garnered 3.8 million views (calculated by dividing total hours watched by the series' running time) between September 16 and September 22, 2024, and appeared in the Top 10 lists in 18 countries.^[21] Viewership increased the following week, with data released on October 2, 2024, showing 4.9 million views between September 23 and 29, a rise of 1.1 million from the previous week.^[22]

According to Good Data Corporation,^[a]Culinary Class Wars consistently ranked first in integrated TV-OTT non-drama topicality for seven weeks, beginning in the third week of September 2024 and extending through the fourth week of October. It briefly fell to second place in the fifth week before regaining the top position in the first week of November.^[24] While its overall rank decreased to fourth in the second week of November, it remained the top-ranked non-drama program.^[25] The show's cast members also featured prominently in Good Data's non-drama performer buzzworthiness rankings.^[b]

Good Data researcher Eo Yu-seon noted that the show's initial topicality score of 50,000 points was significant, reaching levels comparable toTransfer Love 2 (2022) and representing the highest score for original content released in 2024. In the fourth week of September 2024, it maintained its top spot with a 66.1% increase in topicality, recording 81,000 points, the highest weekly score since 2022 and the highest among Netflix original dramas and non-dramas sinceThe Glory Part 2.^[21]

Culinary Class Wars was recognized as Korea's Favorite Program byGallup Korea in September and October 2024.^[c][28] Its preference rating increased from 5.2% in September to 7.8% in October, making it the first web variety show to rank first in a survey of preferred programs, and the second among Netflix's own productions to achieve this ranking. Several OTT programs, such asThe Glory (Netflix, 1st rank in March 2023) andMoving (Disney+, 1st rank in September 2023), had previously entered the top 10, withWhirlwind (Netflix, 1st rank in July 2024) being the only other to achieve this in 2024.^[28]

On October 15, 2024, Netflix announced the renewal ofCulinary Class Wars for a second season, scheduled for release in 2025. According to Mo, casting for Season 2 is expected to be less challenging than for Season 1 due to the established concept. Mo aims to invite chefs of comparable caliber to those from Season 1.^[29]

In December 2024, the show received the FunDex Award 2024 from Good Data in the OTT Original Show Category. In May 2025, it won the Grand Prize in the Broadcast category at the 61st Baeksang Arts Awards, marking the first time an entertainment program has received this honor in the history of the Baeksang Arts Awards.^[30]

• Production website at Studio Slam(in Korean)
• Culinary Class Wars onNetflix

• Grand Prize Paeksang Arts Award (television) winners
• 2024 South Korean television series debuts
• 2020s cooking television series
• Korean-language television shows
• Netflix original programming
• Reality cooking competition television series
• South Korean cooking television series
• South Korean reality television series

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