In September 2024, Netflix debuted Culinary Class Wars, an inventive spin on the classic cooking competition channeling Squid Game in its aesthetics and intensity. Led by famed restaurateur Paik Jong-won and three-star Michelin chef Ahn Sung-jae, the Korean reality show gathers 100 chefs to compete in a cutthroat battle of the culinary arts with 20 White Spoon chefs, star cooks, and TV personalities in Korea, facing off against 80 Black Spoon chefs, a diverse cast of talented up-and-comers.
Season 1 Culinary Class Wars established itself as the best new cooking show in recent years, with millions of viewers cheering for their favorite contestants. After the season ended with Napoli Matfia defeating Edward Lee to claim the 300 million won (around $200,000) prize, countless fans began clamoring for the reality hit to return. Below, we're breaking down everything we know about Culinary Class Wars season 2 so far.
Has 'Culinary Class Wars' been renewed for season 2?
Yes! Netflix announced the season 2 renewal on October 15, 2024, just one week after the season 1 finale. In a way, the news was no surprise; per Variety, Culinary Class Wars was "the first Korean unscripted title to rank No. 1 on Netflix’s Global Top 10 TV (Non-English) list for three consecutive weeks," surpassing the popularity of even Single's Inferno and Physical: 100. The series has also become a smash hit in Korea, with many of the chefs's restaurants having a surge in reservations following the show's airing, according to The Korea Times.
“We’re delighted to announce the production of Culinary Class Wars season 2, driven by the incredible fan response both in Korea and around the world,” Yoo Ki-hwan, the director of content at Netflix Korea, said in a statement. “Bringing a show of this scale to life requires immense effort, and we’re deeply grateful for the love and enthusiasm we’ve received so far. As we continue to expand our unscripted offerings, we look forward to bringing even more distinctive and exciting shows to our audience in the near future.”
When will 'Culinary Class Wars' season 2 be released?
Get ready to meet a new round of culinary stars! Netflix has announced that Culinary Class Wars season 2 premieres on December 16, 2025. The streamer has yet to confirm season 2's episode schedule, but if it follows the previous installment, the competition may air through the holidays into next year.
The date reveal dropped along with the season's official teaser, previewing the moment when the ambitious Black Spoons meet the famous White Spoons competing for further glory this year. (More on the new contestants below.)
Is there a trailer for 'Culinary Class Wars' season 2?
On December 2, Netflix released the official trailer for Culinary Class Wars season 2, teasing how the Korean cooking challenge will level up for its second installment. Per the trailer, season 2 will introduce new rules for the famed White Spoons and rising Black Spoons to follow. Though the changes remain a surprise until the season premieres, we also hear judge Ahn Sung-jae promising via voiceover, "This time, I'll be more meticulous."
The trailer also ends with a big twist, introducing two chefs with face masks split between black and white. Per Tudum, the mystery chefs are "back for a second chance," with one man saying via voiceover, "I guess I'm Mr. Do-over." (Don't worry, fans have theories of who the returning stars might be.)
Who will be in the cast of 'Culinary Class Wars' season 2?
With Culinary Class Wars season 2 approaching, the reality hit has begun introducing some of the star chefs joining the competition. The first batch of White Spoons introduced in the teaser includes two-star Michelin chef Lee Jun; Michelin-starred chef Son Jong-won; Venerable Sunjae, Korea's first master of temple cuisine; and Chinese cuisine master Hou Deok-juk.
Two weeks later, the full-length trailer showed fans even more White Spoons entering the competition, including French cuisine legend Park Hyo-nam; Korean Food War (a.k.a. Hansik Battle) season 3 winner Im Seong-keun; and MasterChef Korea season 4 judge Song Hoon. Rounding out this batch are three star chefs from Netflix's Chef & My Fridge: Jung Ho-young, Sam Kim, Raymon Kim.
Per Tudum, the other esteemed chefs joining season 2 include Chun Sang-hyun, Choi Yu-gang, Jennie Walldèn, Shim Sung-chul, Lee Keum-hee, Kim Sung-woon, Kim Geon, Kim Hee-eun.
The season 2 trailer also reveals some standout Black Spoons from the upcoming season. Following the show's custom, these chefs are only introduced by their nicknames, including "Barbecue Lab Director," "Culinary Monster," "Three Star Killer," "Seochon Prince," "Culinary Innovator," and "Wok Rider."
As for the two returning chefs, Reddit fans have some theories on who the mystery duo could be. Many believe that the chefs could be two fan-favorite White Spoons from season 1: Choi Kang-rok, the former MasterChef Korea season 2 winner who joined Chef & My Fridge earlier this year; and Kim Do-yun, the "weirdo obsessed with ingredients" behind the Michelin-starred restaurant Yun Seoul.
There's also some speculation that season 1 runner-up Edward Lee could make a comeback, but since he got so far last year, it seems more likely that he'd be part of a special challenge, rather than a contestant. Last year, some Reddit users were even calling for Lee to join Paik and Ahn as a third judge.
Before this year's cast was announced, the series' creative team shared their dream White Spoon contestant while speaking with local press. Per Korea JoongAng Daily, co-producers Kim Hak-min and Kim Eun-ji mentioned a surprising name: British TV personality Gordon Ramsay. (Imagine facing off against Mr. MasterChef himself as a Black Spoon.)
"We expect casting will be easier for the next season and will actively take on viewers’ comments to create a show that can receive even more love," Kim said. The producer added of the show's casting, "More important than editing are the ingredients. It is about the people and their stories and journeys on the show. What we do is put that inside the frame of a camera. We wanted to respect everyone and never tried to exaggerate anything."
