‘Black and White Chef 2’ Chef Lim Seong-geun Ranks First in TV-OTT Non-Drama Popularity

Netflix original variety show 〈Black and White Chef: Cooking Class War Season 2〉 (hereafter Black and White Chef 2) participant Chef Lim Seong-geun has dominated online popularity, proving his status. According to the results of the first week of January released on the 6th by the K-content competitiveness analysis agency Good Data Corporation's FUNdex, Lim Seong-geun ranked first in the TV-OTT integrated non-drama participant popularity category.

Lim Seong-geun pushed aside Chef Son Jong-won, who was ranked first the previous week, and rose to the top, while the program itself has maintained its position as the number one non-drama in popularity for three consecutive weeks, showcasing its unique popularity. This upward trend for Lim Seong-geun is analyzed to be effective due to the 'reversal narrative' that quelled early controversies with skill.

Overwhelming skill that quelled the “50,000 sauces” boast controversy

As a representative of the 'silver spoon' camp, Lim Seong-geun initially garnered a 'villain' image among viewers with his shocking statement, "I know about 50,000 sauces." However, in the team competition during the third round, he demonstrated his precise meat handling skills and excellent sauce blending abilities, leading his team to first place, proving that his confidence stemmed from long-standing expertise rather than mere bravado.

This popularity has led to explosive growth of his personal channel. Lim Seong-geun's YouTube channel 'Im Seong-geun Im-jjang TV' has seen view counts exceeding 600,000 per video since the broadcast, with thousands of supportive comments on each video, forming a passionate fandom. As his popularity skyrockets, there have even been recent appearances of SNS accounts impersonating him, prompting warnings about his strong influence.

Tension rises ahead of the TOP7 decision… Final episode to be released on the 13th

Since its first release on December 16 of last year, 〈Black and White Chef 2〉 has been at the center of attention every week and is currently engaged in fierce survival competition ahead of the TOP7 advancement. It remains to be seen whether Lim Seong-geun's momentum, which surged from fifth to first place in the popularity rankings for the fourth week of December, will lead to ultimate victory.

Captivating the taste and sight of viewers worldwide, 〈Black and White Chef 2〉 is set to determine the final winner through the release of its final episode on January 13.