Culinary Class Wars

Culinary Class Wars (Korean: 흑백요리사: 요리 계급 전쟁, romanized: Heukbaegyorisa: Yori Gyegeup Jeonjaeng) is a South Korean reality competition series which was first broadcast on Netflix in 2024.

It was a cookery contest in the dramatic style of Physical: 100 with a hundred elite chefs who were divided into two cohorts of white and black spoons who were then eliminated until one triumphed and won the prize of 300 million won.^[2]

The two judges were veteran restaurateur and celebrity chef, Paik Jong-won and the only Michelin 3-star chef in Korea, Anh Sung-jae.

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]

Its format is a cookery contest in which contestants competed and eliminated throughout various rounds.

The judges were Michelin 3-star chef, Anh Sung-jae, and veteran restaurateur and celebrity chef, Paik Jong-won.^[3]

In the first round, the 80 Black Spoons were given 100 minutes to cook a personal signature dish. A judge would taste this and would decide to either pass or eliminate the contestant. If the judge was uncertain then the contestant was put on hold for a second opinion by the other judge. Only 20 Black Spoons could pass the first round; if less than 20 contestants passed after the end of the challenge, the judges chose from the deferred contestants to fill the remaining places. The 20 White Spoons were given a bye and automatically advanced to the second round. ^[2]

Color key

•   Contestant was passed, advancing to Round 2
•   Contestant was deferred but then selected to advance
•   Contestant was eliminated

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 a blind 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

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

The show was rated as suitable for ages 12 and above by the British Board of Film Censors.^[1]

The show was the most popular foreign-language series on Netflix in its first week of broadcast, getting about four million views.^[4][5]

Lee Yoon-seo reviewed the show for The 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 others' 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 Gang-rok and its new month of online bookings sold out in one minute.^[6]