00:00Culinary Class Wars has become one of the most watched and talked about Korean shows
00:04lately, but despite its popularity, there are a ton of interesting hidden details that
00:08most viewers have completely missed.
00:10The series has attracted the attention of viewers worldwide thanks to its unique twist
00:14on the survival show genre, and featured the white team of 20 well-known and established
00:19chefs competing against the black team of 80 owners of small restaurants and less-known
00:24cooks.
00:24As the competitors took part in a series of challenges to determine the best chef, some
00:28of them became very popular among viewers, and even the already famous chefs were glad
00:33that they decided to appear on the show.
00:35One of the most notable competitors in the series was Edward Lee, who ended the show as
00:40the runner-up.
00:40Appearing on the TV show You Quiz on the Block, he spoke about his experience with culinary
00:45class wars and why he decided to take part in the competition.
00:49He explained that as a Korean-American chef, all of his restaurants are in the United States,
00:54so he doesn't get many Korean customers, but he's still proud of his heritage.
00:59He confessed that at first, he wasn't too eager to go on TV because he was scared that
01:03he could embarrass himself and ruin his reputation.
01:06However, he ultimately decided to participate when he heard that the series was a Korean program,
01:11as he wanted to show his version of Korean cuisine to the world.
01:15He even promised himself that he was only going to use Korean ingredients and that he would avoid
01:19doing dishes that he had already done in the past.
01:21Many viewers didn't notice this detail, but Edward kept true to his promise throughout
01:25the entire competition, and his determination brought him all the way to the final.
01:30He went on to explain that after the huge success of the show, a lot of people reached
01:34out to him on social media, and he became so popular that when he took the subway,
01:39nearly 50 people approached him.
01:41Now he's one of the most famous chefs in Korea, and he has already expressed his desire
01:46to open a restaurant there too.
01:47A competitor who was instead very disappointed with the show is Ahn Yusong,
01:51a member of the white team and a famous Korean chef who specializes in Japanese cuisine.
01:56He spoke about the reason why he joined the competition, sharing that the production
01:59team selected him after he said that he would sharpen some knives.
02:03During the show, Yusong did well in the initial rounds, passing all the challenges.
02:07However, everything changed in the fourth round,
02:09when the 15 remaining competitors were divided into three teams of five.
02:14In this round, each team had 24 hours to create their own restaurants from the ground up,
02:19including the concept menu pricing and preparing the ingredients.
02:22This seemed like an exciting and unique contest, but the entire thing was disrupted
02:26when six hours into the mission, the producers revealed that each team had to vote to expel the
02:31least helpful member.
02:33The three eliminated members would then form their own team and compete with the other
02:37chefs in this round. Two competitors volunteered to be eliminated, but Yusong was instead voted
02:43out of his team, and this created an uncomfortable atmosphere among the chefs.
02:48In the end, the disadvantage for the team composed of the eliminated chefs was too much,
02:52and they were all eliminated.
02:54The decision to add this twist to the mission was heavily criticized by viewers,
02:58with many feeling that it was too unfair and that it undermined the entire concept of the show,
03:03as only focused on judging the best dishes. Yusong expressed his feelings about this mission,
03:09saying,
03:09I wish the rules were a bit more fair.
03:11He then shared that a lot of younger viewers were especially disappointed about his elimination,
03:15and many told him that it was like watching their father being treated unfairly at work.
03:20Despite the difficult situation, Yusong revealed that he kept a good relationship with his teammates,
03:25and the decision to eliminate him was only taken after a lot of discussion.
03:30He then explained that his elimination was made much more dramatic by the editing of the show,
03:36so many viewers misunderstood the true feelings of the chefs involved.
03:40He added that despite what it may seem, everyone did their best to respect the rules.
03:45In any case, he thanked fans for their support and wished that the success of the show would help
03:49revitalize the struggling restaurant industry.
03:51Another famous chef who spoke about his experience on the show is Joseph Lidgerwood.
03:56Originally from Australia, he opened a restaurant in South Korea and learned Korean cuisine,
04:00receiving a Michelin star for his ability.
04:03Being a foreigner, many were surprised to see him there in the first place,
04:06but Joseph explained that he decided to join the competition to push himself and showcase his style
04:12to a wider audience. However, he admitted that it was a risky decision,
04:16and in fact, he was eliminated quite early in the competition.
04:19While his experience on the show was shorter than what he expected,
04:23he confessed that he learned a lot, and it was like a clean slate for him.
04:26Joseph also talked about some behind-the-scenes secrets that surprised him.
04:30For example, he explained that there was a two-hour delay between making his dish
04:35and having it judged. He argued that such a long wait really affected the quality of his dishes,
04:40which were best tasted fresh. He also shared that the chefs didn't know that the judges would
04:45be blindfolded and would only take one bite, adding that knowing that in advance would have
04:50been very helpful. Joseph also explained that filming the show took many hours, so much so that
04:56all the chefs became friends and showed their authentic personalities. He added that over time,
05:00the chefs began to share everything they had, and by the end, the show felt less like a rivalry
05:05and more like a collective effort. Joseph even revealed that the chefs have a group chat together,
05:11and they still keep in touch even after the end of the series. The most notable competitor of the
05:15entire series, of course, was the winner, Napoli Mafia, whose real name is Kwon Song Joon.
05:21After the end of the series, he shared his thoughts on his experience, thanking all the fans who
05:26supported him. He also confessed that it was very hard to keep quiet for seven months, as he couldn't
05:31reveal to anyone that he actually won the competition until the show finished airing. Despite his victory,
05:37Song Joon expressed some regret about his behavior on the series, saying that at times he acted too
05:42immaturely. He explained that he felt very intimidated and overwhelmed, so he tried to be more bold.
05:48However, while watching the show, he realized that sometimes he came across as too arrogant,
05:53so he apologized for his manners. He also apologized to his final opponent, Edward Lee, for the rude
06:00comments he made during the final round, admitting that he was once again too arrogant. While the
06:06competitors of the show surely became popular among viewers, a lot of attention was also directed to
06:11the two celebrity judges, Baek Jong Won and Ahn Song Jae. After the end of the show, both of them
06:17talked about their experience with culinary class wars. Jong Won confessed that he was worried about
06:22having to judge famous chefs, and revealed that wearing a blindfold while judging the dishes was an
06:27idea that the production team came up with. However, he shared that judging food while wearing a
06:31blindfold made everything even more difficult. He also explained that when more expert chefs were
06:36involved, it was almost impossible to determine a winner without some intervention. For this reason,
06:41he confessed that the judges gave penalties to the more well-known chefs. This seems to explain why
06:46the white team was often penalized and started losing all of a sudden, an element that made many
06:51viewers think that the show was rigged. Song Jae has also discussed his appearance on the show,
06:57revealing a lot of interesting details. He shockingly confirmed the rumor that the production team
07:02wanted him to go on a diet before the show, adding that they even told him that he couldn't appear
07:07unless he lost some weight. Nevertheless, he accepted the challenge because he wanted to bring fairness to
07:12the competition, arguing that there wasn't anyone in Korea with as much experience as him. Song Jae talked
07:19about some of the most notable competitors that left a mark on the show, and especially complimented Jung Ji-san,
07:25saying that he was amazed by her dishes inspired by Chinese cuisine. He also added that seeing the
07:30improvement of some of his former students, such as Triple Star, almost brought him to tears. He also
07:36talked about his relationship with Jung Wan and confessed that they didn't get along very well. However,
07:41he added that since they were seeing things from different points of view, the competition was fairer.
07:46He then complimented Jung Wan's skills, admitting that as the show went on, he grew to respect him more and
07:51more. Despite this, Song Jae added that he wouldn't back down from his opinions if he were to meet Jung
07:56Wan
07:56again. This is actually a very real possibility, as Song Jae himself revealed that the production team has
08:02already approached him for another appearance in the second season. However, it's still too early to say
08:06if a second season is actually going to happen, and Song Jae said he needs to have more discussions with
08:11the
08:11production team.
