Overcoming Spoiler Controversy with Authenticity: Behind the Scenes of 'Black and White Chef 2' with Kim Hak-min and Kim Eun-ji PD

If season 1 was a collection of primal fun that constantly stitched together memes, season 2 is a well-crafted narrative.

The iconic image of judges eating with their eyes closed, the "class war" look where the black spoon cooks on the first floor while the white spoon looks down from above, and the "infinite cooking hell" where countless dishes are made from a single ingredient. Unlike season 1 of 〈Black and White Chef: Infinite Class War〉 (hereafter 〈Black and White Chef〉), which exploded dopamine with shocking and fresh images, I was curious about how season 2 would break the sense of déjà vu.

Despite numerous elements that could dampen the program's fun, such as the déjà vu from season 1, spoiler controversies from the production team and stakeholders, and the weakened contrast between black and white, 〈Black and White Chef 2〉 had more than enough reasons to binge-watch until the end. 〈Black and White Chef〉 season 2 used 'authenticity' as a weapon to overcome challenges. Even in a situation where the winner and finalists were publicly known, 〈Black and White Chef 2〉 captivated viewers once again by showcasing the confidence of chefs who risked their careers and the heartfelt narratives they poured into their cooking.

On the afternoon of the 16th, an interview commemorating the end of the Netflix variety show 〈Black and White Chef 2〉 was held in Jongno-gu. On this day, Kim Hak-min and Kim Eun-ji PD of 〈Black and White Chef 2〉 met with Cineplay to reveal the behind-the-scenes of the competition. Below is the full text of the interview.

The most noticeable change this season was undoubtedly the introduction of the 'Hidden White Spoon'. I'm curious about the motivation behind the 'Hidden White Spoon' rule.

Kim Eun-ji PD It was to create fun that we didn't see in season 1. After season 1 ended, I could feel the viewers' expectations rising significantly. So, I thought of a structure that could meet those expectations. The part that triggered the most dopamine in the early part of 〈Black and White Chef〉 season 1 was that the white spoon did not participate in the first round. So, I thought that if the white spoon participated from the first round this time, the first round of this season would be even more special. Also, when considering why the white spoon should participate in the first round, I thought it would be reasonable for viewers if it was a white spoon that was retrying. That's how we introduced the 'Hidden White Spoon'.

Kim Hak-min PD Also, I thought that the 'Hidden White Spoon' should not be seen as a privilege. The retry is not a privilege; it carries the weight of sharing the fate of the black spoon by challenging from the first round. We were curious about what kind of picture would unfold in that case.

I'm curious about the casting process of chefs Choi Gang-rok and Kim Do-yoon, who appeared as 'Hidden White Spoons'. Were there any proposals made to other season 1 participants that fell through?

Kim Hak-min PD No, there were only two. Among those who appeared in season 1, we decided through meetings on those whom viewers wanted to see more and had expectations. We were in a position to ask rather than give them an opportunity, and in fact, we did not inform them about the rules before casting, as usual. We proposed it without mentioning the name 'Hidden White Spoon' and that they had to get simultaneous approval from two judges to participate.

One of the many feedbacks about season 2 is that the boundary between black and white is ambiguous. Therefore, the identity of the class battle has somewhat weakened, which is not fitting for the title 'Cooking Class War'. What do you think about this?

Kim Eun-ji PD We had a desire to gather many excellent and charming chefs. Many chefs applied for season 2, but during the selection process, there was inevitably an increase in skill level. So, I think season 2 ended up being a competition of really top-tier chefs.

On the other hand, chef Lee Ha-sung, the 'Cooking Monster', created new tension until the finals in a situation where the contrast between black and white was not clear. I'm curious if you specifically highlighted the character of the participant 'Cooking Monster' to maintain the black and white structure.

Kim Hak-min PD Every time we interviewed, the first answer that chef Lee Ha-sung gave was 'I'm going to win.' I don't think that's bad or arrogant. It's a statement that reveals confidence in his own skills, and as chef Ha-sung himself said, it's also a statement to not be intimidated, and I think it's an expression of his will. So, I hope you see it as an edit that contains respect for his skills, experience, and confidence. We did not add settings to match the black and white structure; we thought it would be fine if it became 'White White Chef' or 'Black Black Chef'. Ultimately, it's good for someone who does well to rise. So, we structured the mission 'All or Nothing' to reflect that resolve.

The final mission, 'Cooking for Myself', touched many viewers deeply. I'm curious about why you chose this theme for the final mission.

Kim Eun-ji PD I wanted to create a mission where the chefs' personal stories could be deeply embedded. If season 1 had 'Cook Your Life', I wanted to throw such a theme in the finals this time, and after discussions, I thought it would be great if the chefs cooked for themselves. I was confident that when this theme was thrown, any chef among the 100 would have enough storytelling to make it to the finals. So, when the final mission was revealed, the chefs on the second floor were so moved that they were on the verge of tears, as it was a theme that all chefs could relate to.

Chef Choi Gang-rok, who participated in three competitions including 〈Master Chef Korea 2〉, 〈Black and White Chef〉 season 1, and season 2, won the final mission and became the champion. Do you think chef Choi Gang-rok had an advantage due to his experience and story from participating in three competitions?

Kim Eun-ji PD The final mission is definitely not a mission to see whose story is more touching based on storytelling. The judges evaluate all missions based on taste.

Kim Hak-min PD I actually think chef Choi Gang-rok was at a disadvantage. From my perspective as someone who directed the audition program 〈Singer Gain - Unknown Singer Competition〉, generally, those with audition experience tend to be at a disadvantage in retries. This is because they have already shown everything, so there is nothing new.

It seems that you reflected a lot of viewer feedback from season 1 in season 2. For example, elements like the elimination rule in team competitions, which received the most criticism in season 1, seem to have been removed this time. Was there a point among the feedback from season 1 that you judged as 'this must be fixed'?

Kim Hak-min PD The answer is in the question. After season 1, my personal taboo was 'elimination'. I received a lot of criticism during season 1, so I thought that this time, there should be no rules like elimination. I clearly realized that what viewers expect from our program is not elimination or 'restaurant missions', but rather a scene where they compete solely based on cooking. So, this time, I approached it with the thought that we should focus more on cooking and compete.

Kim Eun-ji PD It was very gratifying to hear viewers say, 'The production team reflected feedback well' and 'They are a growing production team.' In the meantime, we made a huge editing mistake, and I felt really guilty and pained. I would like to say that correcting such ridiculous mistakes is the first point of improvement for season 3.

Before the airing of 〈Black and White Chef 2〉, spoilers about the winner circulated online, and due to editing mistakes by the production team, the finalists were revealed, leading to various spoiler controversies this season. What are your thoughts on this?

Kim Hak-min PD There are spoiler prevention clauses and penalties in the participant contracts and staff contracts. We are currently trying to understand the circumstances of the leaks. We are contemplating what systemic improvements need to be made in the industry to prevent spoilers that interfere with viewing in season 3. Additionally, we feel a clear sense of responsibility for spoilers caused by the production team, and I think we need to clearly apologize to the viewers for that. It was clearly an incident that occurred due to a mistake on our part. If viewers criticize us for that, I think we should accept it because we ultimately failed to catch that cut despite going through numerous processes. However, I believe that any spoilers intended to interfere with viewing should definitely be avoided.

It seems that this season made an effort to distribute more screen time to more participants compared to previous seasons.

Kim Hak-min PD In fact, the running time of season 2 has increased significantly compared to season 1. The average running time of an episode in season 1 was around 60-70 minutes, while season 2 increased to 80-90 minutes. From the production team's perspective, increasing the running time like this could become boring, and the flow could be interrupted or become uninteresting, yet our goal was to hear reactions like 'It's as fun as season 1' or 'It's more fun than season 1'. In fact, it was a tremendous challenge for us. This time, unlike season 1, we also tried to reveal behind-the-scenes content that did not make it to the main broadcast on YouTube, and I hope you can see that part a bit cutely.

The confirmed production of 〈Black and White Chef〉 season 3 is set to be a restaurant competition, unlike seasons 1 and 2. Will there be changes in the judging panel or format in season 3?

Kim Eun-ji PD All configurations other than the publicly disclosed content are undecided. We are doing our best to show new fun and evolved enjoyment. In season 3, we wanted to expand the story and create a space to introduce chefs from more diverse generations, so we chose the theme of competition between restaurants.