Culinary Class Wars 2 ‘All or Nothing’ match recap: Were all Black Spoon Chefs eliminated?

On December 30, Netflix released episodes 8 through 10 of Culinary Class Wars. In the show, one hundred chefs from different backgrounds compete for dominance in the kitchen. The series splits them into two groups. The White Spoons are veteran chefs and Michelin-starred. The Black Spoons are rising talents and hidden experts.

Episode 7 ended without revealing the outcome of the All or Nothing challenge. However, the episodes released today clarified that not all Black Spoons were eliminated. According to the rules, the losing team should have left the competition entirely, yet the Black Spoons were given a second chance.

The twist was that only two contestants could survive the Last Box Match and advance, facing the victorious White Spoons in the next round. In the survival challenge, Black Spoons Brewmaster Yun and Culinary Monster emerged victorious, securing their spots in the Culinary Class Wars season 2.

---

Culinary Class Wars season 2: Two Black Spoons survival explained

The third round of Culinary Class Wars season two is revealed as a direct Black Spoon versus White Spoon showdown. The structure followed an All or Nothing format. The battle unfolded across three separate rounds, each carrying a value of 100 points. Seven chefs compete first, then five, followed by a final match between three.

Every remaining contestant must step into the kitchen at least once. The challenge was officially titled The Wheels of Fate. There are two spinning wheels that determine the ingredients. One had land-based produce like burdock root, chicken, peas, bone-in veal loin, spinach, and Korean melon. Meanwhile, the seafood wheel included rockfish, pollock roe, gaebul, squid, and salmon.

In it, each team must select one ingredient from each wheel and combine them into a single collaborative dish. The opening match placed seven chefs against seven. Teams were tasked with producing 100 portions within 150 minutes for a blind panel of 100 tasters. Judge Paik Jong-won spun the wheels and landed on squid and Korean melon.

White Spoons delivered a Korean melon and squid salad. Black Spoons countered with a dish titled The Squid and Korean Melon Flower Has Bloomed. Both judges side with Black Spoons, yet the mystery panel gives White Spoons 66 points, while Black Spoons earn 34. The second round shifted to five versus five under a tighter 120-minute deadline. White Spoons secure chicken first, leaving pollock roe for Black Spoons.

White Spoons serve Cock-a-doodle-doo, incorporating roe into the dish. Black Spoons made kkanpunggi paired with a roe-based sauce. The panel awarded White Spoons 52 points and Black Spoons 48. The final confrontation brought three chefs from each side. The judging panel was reduced to ten, with every vote multiplied by ten.

A concealed ingredient was revealed as tofu. So, White Spoons paired it with rockfish, while Black Spoons matched it with veal loin. After two rounds, White Spoons led with 118 points against Black Spoons’ 82. In the decisive tasting, six judges favored Black Spoons, while three supported White Spoons. One vote remained hidden. The episode closed with Black Spoons at 148 points and White Spoons at 142, ending episode seven on a cliffhanger.

Episode eight of Culinary Class Wars season two then resumed by unveiling the remaining result. In this round, all of the Black Spoons were eliminated in accordance with the competition rules. However, the focus immediately shifted to the Last Box Match, the final test for Black Spoons' survival.

In it, each sealed box contains one ingredient personally selected by the chef before the round. Chefs must extract maximum flavor from that single ingredient. However, strict limits apply. Only ten additional ingredients are permitted, including essentials such as salt, sugar, and basic seasonings. Here are the ingredients of each Black Spoon contestant.

• Barbeque Lab Director - Ingredient: Triploid oysters
• Annyeong Bonjour - Ingredient: Premium beef tenderloin
• Seoul Mother - Ingredient: Croaker
• Knife Omakase - Ingredient: Daggertooth pike conger
• Culinary Monster - Ingredient: Asparagus
• Witch with a Wok - Ingredient: Eggs
• Dweji Gomtang - Ingredient: Black trumpet mushrooms
• Brewmaster Yun - Ingredient: Dried pollack
• Rebellious Genius - Ingredient: Concealed until presentation

Only two of the nine will advance in the Culinary Class Wars season 2. The chefs receive sixty minutes to complete every component. Annyeong Bonjour plates a beef tartare. Barbeque Lab Director presents an oyster preparation. Witch with a Wok serves steamed golden eggs. Culinary Monster grills asparagus and finishes it with lemon nuruk purée.

Seoul Mother delivers brown croaker bulgogi steak. Dweji Gomtang offers a blue chanterelle gomtang. Brewmaster Yun prepares dried pollack hangover soup. Knife Omakase presents daggertooth pike conger shabu shabu. At last, Rebellious Genius shocks the panel with fried sea pineapple. After deliberation, Culinary Monster and Brewmaster Yun secure the final two survival slots in Culinary Class Wars season two.

---

In other news, Culinary Class Wars season 2 topped Netflix’s Global Top 10 for Non-English TV shows.

Edited by Shreya Jha