SEOUL, Nov 18 — Netflix is firing up the kitchen again — and fans of Culinary Class Wars are in for a feast.
The hit South Korean cooking survival show returns on December 16, serving up a second season packed with new rules, sharper rivalries and a Michelin-star-studded line-up guaranteed to keep viewers glued to their screens.
The first season became one of Netflix’s biggest global sensations of 2024, topping charts in multiple regions and even boosting South Korea’s dining scene, with contestants’ restaurants constantly booked out.
In a statement to Korea JoongAng Daily, producers Kim Hak-min and Kim Eun-ji said Season 2 was built on everything fans loved — with some long-requested tweaks.
“We’ve poured our hearts into crafting the second season to meet the audience’s expectations. Expect upgraded rules, new missions and plenty of surprises,” they teased.
This time around, the show revisits its irresistible premise: self-taught underdogs known as the Black Spoons battling polished, high-profile White Spoon culinary elites.
Last season’s showdown saw 80 promising newcomers face off against 20 celebrity chefs for 300 million won (RM855,000), ending in a dramatic victory for Black Spoon champion Kwon Seong-joon — better known to viewers as Napoli Mafia — over American chef Edward Lee.
Season 2 raises the stakes with a broader range of contestants spanning Korean, Western, Japanese, Chinese and fusion cuisines.
And the White Spoon team is more intimidating than ever. The newly released teaser features two-Michelin-star chef Jun Lee from Soigné, culinary star Son Jong-won with Michelin accolades in both Korean and Western cuisine, temple cuisine master Venerable Sunjae, and Chinese cuisine veteran Hu Deok-juk, who brings 57 years of experience to the kitchen battlefield.
Joining them once more as judges are chef Ahn Sung-jae and beloved restaurateur Paik Jong-won — both ready to crank up the pressure.
Netflix also dropped a striking new poster showcasing the underdog Black Spoon brigade, hinting at heightened tensions and bold personalities.
With fresh twists, refined challenges and a production team — Studio Slam — determined to top last year’s breakout success, fans can expect even wilder cooking battles, bigger egos and the kind of melt-your-screen drama only Culinary Class Wars can deliver.
Get your aprons — and your popcorn — ready.
