The series, which pits hungry “Black Spoon” challengers against Korea’s top “White Spoon” star chefs in a class-flipping cook-off, will reveal the very last chef to make the Top 7 in Episodes 11 and 12, dropping Jan. 6.
In the earlier Top 7 team round, Im Sung-geun (winner of "Korean Food War 3") and artisan brewer Yoon Joo-mo topped the rankings to punch their tickets straight to the next stage, while Park Hyo-nam and Choi Yu-gang were eliminated at the bottom. Then came a ruthless 1:1 showdown, turning yesterday’s partners into today’s rivals: Hu Deok-juk vs. Chun Sang-hyun, Son Jong-won vs. the so-called “Cooking Monster,” Ven. Seonjae vs. Kim Hee-eun, Choi Kang-rok vs. Kim Sung-woon, and Jung Ho-young vs. Sam Kim went head-to-head for the remaining five slots.
The results? Hu Deok-juk, a 57-year master of Chinese cuisine; Ven. Seonjae, Korea’s first certified master of temple food; comeback king Choi Kang-rok; and Japanese-cuisine star Jung Ho-young all sealed their places in the Top 7 ― leaving one final seat up for grabs. The cliffhanger teased by judge Ahn Sung-jae ― “not even a paper-thin margin, just a hair’s breadth” ― set fandoms buzzing. Whether Son Jong-won or the “Cooking Monster” survives the cut will be revealed in the new episodes.
The semifinals promise another twist. A fresh theme ups the ante with the show’s signature big-scale mission design ― one that reportedly left every chef slack-jawed. Last season’s semis infamously unleashed an endless tofu gauntlet, a dramatic marathon that went viral. This time, expect a challenge that one-ups even that endurance test.
Episodes 11 and 12 of "Culinary Class Wars 2", featuring the make-or-break semifinals, premiere today (Jan. 6) at 5 p.m. KST on Netflix.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)