Other Shows Like ‘Culinary Class Wars’ You Need to Watch

Get back in the kitchen and add these reality cook shows similar to Culinary Class Wars to your watchlist

Culinary Class Wars, a Korean cooking reality show on Netflix, has taken the world by storm due to its unique concept. As the name suggests, it pits chefs from two diametrically opposite classes – the elites and the commoners – against each other. The Korean show’s popularity has led many to look for more cooking shows like Culinary Class Wars.

It is a smart concept, no doubt, since class struggle is one of the most significant issues in many countries. Even in South Korea, an otherwise developed country, class inequalities continue to exist, which are highlighted in K-dramas and movies. Bong Joon-ho’s Oscar-winning film Parasite (2019), one of the highest-grossing Korean movies of all time, is perhaps the finest example of class depictions in Korean cinema.

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Running along similar lines, Culinary Class Wars sees 80 unknown chefs, grouped as Black Spoons, from across Korea comPeting against 20 award-winning chefs, collectively called White Spoons. It is symbolic of the struggle of the poor people against the rich, which is also smartly played up in the promotional trailer in which the White Spoons are looking down upon the Black Spoons from a higher podium.

The 10-episode Netflix show sees the contestants comPeting in various rounds. In some of them, the Black Spoons take on White Spoons directly, whether one-on-one or as teams. In others, members of Black Spoons and White Spoons are mixed and then pitted against each other. The prize money for the winner was KRW 300 million (around USD 222,000/SGD 290,000).

Paik Jong-won, widely known as South Korea’s most famous restaurateur, and chef Anh Sung-jae of Mosu Seoul, which is South Korea’s only three-Michelin-star restaurant, were the judges. They had to taste the dishes blindfolded to ensure impartiality.

Culinary Class Wars became the most-watched non-English series globally for two consecutive weeks on Netflix. Although the Celebrity chefs were quite popular already, the show has reportedly given a new boost to their restaurants. On the other hand, many of the Black Spoons, who have humble origins, have found popularity among the masses. In fact, when the show concluded on 8 October, the winner standing tall over the 99 others was from the Black Spoons – Napoli Matfia, whose real name is Kwon Sung-jun.

So, if you are still hungry (no pun intended) for more shows like this surprise Netflix hit, we have a list of titles you will definitely enjoy.

This story first appeared on Lifestyle Asia Bangkok

Watch 'Culinary Class Wars' on Netflix

Korean and other cooking reality shows like Culinary Class Wars