Netflix’s Korean Reality Series ‘Culinary Class Wars’ Set for Season 2

Netflix subscribers will soon be able to stuff their faces with a second helping of the popular cooking competition series Culinary Class Wars. The streamer revealed Tuesday from Seoul that it has renewed the hit Korean show for a second season. 

Similar in format to Netflix’s Korean reality hit Physical 100, Culinary Class Wars follows 100 elite chefs divided into two classes: white spoons (celebrity chefs) and black spoons (non-celebrity chefs). The contestants then face off in a cooking tournament in hopes of winning a prize of 300 million Korean won (about $230,000). They are judged by two sharp-tongued local food experts: veteran restaurateur and celebrity chef, Paik Jong-won, and the only Michelin three-star chef in Korea, Anh Sung-jae. 

Culinary Class Wars was a sizable hit both in Korea and international audiences for Netflix. Released just last month, the show was the company’s first Korean unscripted title to sit atop its global top-ten list for non-English series for three consecutive weeks. 

Netflix says the key creative team behind the first season’s success — producers Kim Hak-min and Kim Eun-ji, along with writer Mo Eun-sol from Studio Slam — will return for the second season. 

“We’re extremely grateful to our viewers. Because of them, we’re able to come back for Season 2. We will do our best to return the love and fulfill expectations,” the trio said in a joint statement.  

Added Ki Hwan Yoo, Netflix’s director of content in Korea: “Shows of this scale take a lot of effort to bring to life, and we’re proud of what we’ve accomplished with our dedicated team. As we continue to expand our unscripted offerings, we’re looking forward to sharing even more unique and exciting titles with you soon.”

For the past two years, Netflix has invested sizably in the Korean unscripted space, hoping to repeat its global success with K-drama in the reality category. Netflix’s unscripted slate in 2024 grew to 10 titles — double the number it was producing in 2022. Beginning in August, the company began releasing a new Korean reality show every month. Upcoming releases include the second season of the zombie variety show, Zombieverse: New Blood, followed by the new series Rugged Rugby: Conquer or Die, showcasing the uniquely intense and gritty world of rugby in Korea. Early next year, Netflix’s first K-reality hit, Single’s Inferno, will drop its anticipated fourth season.