Netflix’s latest runaway hit is a Korean reality cooking show – BNN Bloomberg

(Bloomberg) — Netflix Inc.’s latest bet on Korean reality series has delivered another big hit. For the past two weeks, cooking competition Culinary Class Wars has topped the global weekly TV chart for non-English titles.

The unscripted 12-episode show started with 100 chefs divided into two categories. The ‘white spoons’ run in acclaimed places, many with Michelin stars; they’re pitted against underdog chefs who have been labeled “black spoons.”

The last two episodes were released on Tuesday. Spoiler alert: the winner was black spoon Kwon Sung-Joon, better known by his nickname ‘Napoli Mafia’. His prize was 300 million Korean won ($222,000).

Among his White Spoon finalist opponents was American chef Edward Lee, whose restaurants include 610 Magnolia in Louisville, Kentucky.

The show’s popularity has created online buzz, memes and colorful characters of the chefs from the culinary battles and revived Korean food companies, many of which have struggled since the pandemic. Bookings at restaurants run by chefs who have participated in the show have soared, while YouTube videos about the show – for example, tiramisu made from supermarket ingredients – have racked up millions of collective views.

Commentaries from the two acclaimed judges – chef Anh Sung-jae who runs the three-Michelin-starred Mosu food hall, and local food mogul Baek Jong-won – spice up the show with their passionate and sometimes opposing views.

The success of South Korea’s latest unscripted show comes as the US streaming service ramps up new reality show titles in the country, following several global hit series such as dating reality show Single’s Inferno and fitness competition show Physical: 100.

Netflix has expanded its variety of unscripted shows, ranging from the Seoul-based zombie survival series Zombieverse to a competition show among social influencers and a talk show series about daring issues.

READ: The best restaurants in Seoul and Busan according to Michelin (1)

“It will be a good environment for chefs, because the food industry that has been struggling has regained a lot of attention,” participant Choi Hyun-seok, chef-owner of fine-dining restaurant Choi Dot, said at a press conference on Monday. . “I always try to create something new and this project has convinced me that I am on the right track.”

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