The season’s underdog “Black Spoon” chefs―determined to flip the social order using nothing but flavor―are going head-to-head with Korea’s elite “White Spoon” star chefs in a no-blink semi-final that delivered wall-to-wall tension.
Episodes 11 and 12, released on the 6th, locked in the Top 7―Im Sung-geun, master brewer Yoon Joomo, Hudeokjuk, Venerable Seonjae, Choi Kang-rok, Jung Ho-young, and Son Jong-won―plus one more survivor from a showdown with a self-proclaimed kitchen “monster.” From there, the final stretch began with the semi-finals.
This round unfolded in two parts: the first, Infinite Cooking Paradise; the second, Infinite Cooking Hell. Infinite Cooking Paradise is a new twist this season―an overflowing pantry of 500-plus ingredients (meat, seafood, vegetables, fruit, seasonings and more) and 180 minutes on the clock to chase the judges’ top score. Chefs could plate as many dishes as they wanted, meaning the leaderboard kept flipping until the very end. The format supercharged the show’s survival thrills―and yes, both judges showed up in matching white suits for an extra dash of showmanship.
With the judges promising tougher critiques, all seven chefs went all-in to grab a direct ticket to the finale. Strategies split: some cooked fast and furious to rack up attempts, others put everything on a single, high-stakes plate. As the top score changed hands in real time, one chef clinched the final lead with a dish that felt like the culmination of their entire culinary journey―securing an automatic berth in the final.
Then came Infinite Cooking Hell, where the lone star ingredient was… carrots. If tofu famously “descended from the sky” in Season 1, this time carrots dramatically “shot up from the ground”―and the challenge delivered. Using carrots as the main ingredient, six chefs battled in 30-minute rounds until only one remained.
After a nail-biting fifth face-off between the last two standing, the final roster for the championship episode will be revealed in Episode 13. As judge Ahn Sung-jae put it, it’s less about a gap in skills and more about “who seizes the moment.” Who’ll grab that last ticket to the final?
According to Netflix’s Top 10 website on the 7th, "Culinary Class Wars 2" has held a spot among the Global Top 10 Non-English TV shows for three consecutive weeks, extending its hot streak.
The grand finale―and the crowning of the winner―arrives with Episode 13 on Tuesday the 13th at 5 p.m. KST, exclusively on Netflix.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)