Hit series Culinary Class Wars’ producers deny manipulating results

SEOUL – Netflix’s cooking competition Culinary Class Wars is one of the hottest shows on the streaming platform at the moment.

The 12-episode series features 100 participants divided into two teams – the white team of 20 established and famous chefs, and the black team of 80 lesser-known cooks and local restaurant owners.

The contestants are whittled down through various elimination challenges judged by popular restaurateur Paik Jong-won and South Korea’s only three-Michelin-star chef Ahn Sung-jae.

The first episode was released on Sept 17 and the show has topped Netflix’s global weekly most-watched non-English series list for two consecutive weeks.

Riding high on the show’s popularity, the participating chefs’ restaurants are experiencing a surge in reservations.

And viral memes of the contestants and judges have taken over social media. Convenience stores have jumped in, offering products inspired by creations from the show.

But the series – the final two episodes are out on Oct 8 – has also had its share of controversies. There were allegations that producers worked to deliberately have an equal number of contestants from each team advance through the rounds.

During a press conference held with the show’s top eight contestants in Seoul on Oct 7, the show’s co-producer Kim Hak-min denied engineering the results.

He said: “What I found disappointing was when the judges chose two contestants from the black team to advance (after the one-on-one duel challenge between chefs of the two teams in episodes three to five), resulting in an equal 11 to 11 distribution between the black and white teams.

“That moment was particularly regrettable for me. The production team was secretly hoping for a different outcome. That would have felt more real.”

Some netizens have also criticised the frequent team-based challenges, which they say prevented some chefs from showcasing their individual talents.

In response, the producers said they have been listening to the criticisms and informed fans that the final two episodes would address audiences’ concerns.

“We’ve been hearing a lot of voices asking for more individual competitions, and I think in the Oct 8 episodes, we might see the ultimate version of the individual matches. Those who are looking forward to individual competitions should be excited for this week’s episodes,” said Kim.

The established chefs in the white team said they thought they had a lot to lose by participating in the show, but wanted to set an example for those working for them by taking on the challenge.

“There are some chefs who think it would be embarrassing to lose while representing their staff. But I thought that fighting hard would set a good example. Studying and working with new food themes, rather than just the cooking I do at the restaurant, also became a new learning experience that I enjoyed,” said chef Jung Ji-sun, a member of the white team who is known as the “queen of dim sum” in South Korea.

Black team contestants said they were glad for the positive effect Culinary Class Wars has had on their industry.

Kim Mi-ryung, who is known by her nickname Auntie Omakase #1 on the show, is a finalist from the black team who runs a Korean restaurant at Gyeongdong Market in eastern Seoul.

She said: “Traditional markets are currently experiencing a significant decline. However, since appearing on this programme, many people have begun to visit these markets again. I’m proud that I am contributing, even if just a little, to their revival.” THE KOREA HERALD/ASIA NEWS NETWORK