Netflix confirms third season of 'Culinary Class Wars,' with a twist: Team-based competition

Teamwork will take center stage in the next season of “Culinary Class Wars.” Netflix on Friday confirmed the show's third season, opening applications and shifting the cooking competition from individual chefs to restaurant-based teams.

A set for Netflix's cooking competition ″Culinary Class Wars″ is shown in this still provided by the company. [NETFLIX]

Teamwork will take center stage in the next season of “Culinary Class Wars” (2024-). Netflix on Friday confirmed a third season of the globally successful cooking competition and opened applications exclusively for restaurant-based teams, not individual chefs.

The announcement follows the conclusion of the show’s second season on Wednesday. The series topped Netflix’s global rankings for non-English television for two consecutive seasons and cemented its status as one of the platform’s most successful Korean reality show titles.

Unlike previous seasons, which centered on individual chefs, the third season will shift the competition to restaurant-based teams, with four chefs on a team.

Applications opened on Friday through Netflix’s official social media channels. Eligibility is limited to chefs currently working at the same restaurant, and teams formed across different workplaces or through personal connections will not be accepted. Restaurants operating multiple branches under the same brand may apply jointly, Netflix said.

“Culinary Class Wars” stages a high-stakes rivalry between lesser-known chefs, dubbed “Black Spoons,” seeking to overturn the culinary hierarchy through taste alone, and elite, well-established chefs known as “White Spoons,” who aim to defend their standing.

Chef Anh Sung-jae and entrepreneur Paik Jong-won judged the contestants' dishes in the first and second seasons. Netflix did not say if the two judges will return for the third.

The upcoming season will again be led by producer Kim Eun-ji and writer Mo Eun-seol of Studio Slam, the creative team behind the first two seasons. Studio Slam is under SLL, an affiliate of the JoongAng Ilbo.

Kim said the new season would deliver a more developed structure and fresh challenges while meeting growing audience expectations.

“We are sincerely grateful for the support viewers around the world have shown us through the first two seasons,” Kim said through Netflix's news release.

Netflix did not disclose a release date for the third season.

BY KIM JU-YEON [kim.juyeon2@joongang.co.kr]