Culinary Class Wars reimagined what a cooking competition can be

When you put 100 chefs in a room, things are bound to get heated. 

The Korean reality show Culinary Class Wars is a high-stakes series that brings together culinary professionals with backgrounds ranging from unassuming cook to celebrity chef, in a competition to be named the best in Korea.

With its unique set and pressure-cooker concept, TV critics are saying it has upended the formula for food competition TV. But is it a recipe for success?

Today on Commotion, professor Michelle Cho and TV critic Roxana Hadidi tell host Elamin Abdelmahmoud why they think other cooking shows should take note.

We've included some highlights below, edited for length and clarity. For the full discussion, listen and follow Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud on your favourite podcast player.

Elamin: Roxana, can you briefly describe the premise of Culinary Class Wars?

Roxana: Yeah. So, it has a sort of faux political premise in that there is a group of unnamed chefs called the black spoons, and a group of famous, established chefs called the white spoons. The black spoons are not allowed to use their given names; they're only allowed to use nicknames they choose for themselves. But the white spoons get all of the acclaim and respect that they have built over the years. So it's a very simple, like, "who is better" core premise. But it is wrapped in these absurd challenges that are so creative and dynamic, the electronica, Challengers-esque score, and it just gets very hyped, very quickly.

Elamin: It is a very Challengers score. Also I should say, as people are hearing you describe that, you go, "What a wonderful premise. Is that 10 chefs? 12?" No, we start with 100 chefs. The pure scale of this thing, at least at first, is kind of unimaginable.

Michelle, the idea that "class wars" is in the title is a big selling concept. How much do you think that premise actually works in the show?

Michelle: So I will say, there is something a little bit lost in translation, or maybe can be added if I explain the translation. So Culinary Class Wars is actually the literal translation of part of the Korean title, which is 요리 계급 전쟁. So 계급 is the word "class," but it can also mean just "level" or "tier." So it's really fascinating because throughout the series, this idea of class difference morphs so it's like, is it credentialed versus self-taught? Is it master versus apprentice? Is it elite versus popular? It's all of those things at different times. And so I would say that's a pretty neoliberal approach, actually — this idea of overcoming difference.

And so it's not a coherent political statement at all, although it's playing on the association with some other Korean content that's been super successful. For example, Squid Game, where that class distinction idea was so important. But it's also kind of ingenious because it sets up the maximally dramatic but wide range of possible match-ups, and it kind of negotiates this question of is the difference between these competitors attributable to individual talents, or is it structural in some ways? It's always skirting that, or it's able to encompass all of it. So I think that concept works. But it can also be disappointing for some viewers who are maybe expecting more on the politics side.

Elamin:There are critiques of neoliberalism everywhere for those with the eyes to see. Roxana, can you talk about some of the other differences that this show has that maybe other food competition shows like MasterChef don't?

Roxana: The whole set up is very similar to Physical: 100, which is another South Korean reality show that is incredible. Top Chef, Chopped — a lot of these Food Network shows and Bravo shows are very episodic. You can turn one on and you understand there are three self-contained challenges. The judging is sort of nebulous; you don't always get a glimpse into how decisions are made. And I would say that the challenges are generally pretty static, right?

I think with Culinary Class Wars, every episode is changing up the physical space. They're in this huge warehouse set, but they're always, like, raising up walls and showing another hallway to another space. But also, the challenges and how they judge them are very fascinating. As you said, we start with 100, and there is immediately this cut-throat elimination where 80 black spoons have to cook a meal, and each judge takes one bite, and you're in or you're out. So there is a very rapid pace that is established in the beginning.

But then you might get an episode where nobody goes home. You might get an episode where 20 minutes in there is an elimination, 40 minutes in there's an elimination, and the cliffhanger is something totally unrelated. So there's a lot of changes in terms of challenge structure, and the transparency of the judges. I love that we see the notes on the meal, right? As someone who watches a lot of American food TV, that is amazing. You never get that in American food TV because—

Elamin: Never. They just take a bite, and they don't even tell you what they're judging on. 

Roxana: They want to keep the judges very mysterious. Whereas here, I think there is a lot of built in transparency that makes it really fascinating to watch.

You can listen to the full discussion from today's show on CBC Listen or on our podcast, Commotion with Elamin Abdelmahmoud, available wherever you get your podcasts.

Panel produced by Jean Kim.