Top 6.2% for tvN ‘Undercover Chef’ Spin-Off… This Time, It’s the Overseas Senior Chefs Coming In

The Evolution of 역지사지 Reality… A Comeback by a Strange Kitchen That’s Set to Hit Home Viewers

tvN 'Undercover Chef', which logged a peak viewership rating of 6.2% and offered a new paradigm for cooking entertainment, is expanding its universe at full speed. The experts from overseas local kitchens—who had been pushing top-tier domestic chefs to the brink throughout the show—are now taking flights to Korea themselves.

tvN announced officially on the 29th that it plans to slot the 'spin-off' program for 'Undercover Chef' sometime this year. While the specific title and broadcast timing are still being coordinated, attention from across the broadcast industry is focused on the project, fueled by the mega hit performance of the original series.

The main show, 'Undercover Chef', drew widespread attention with a bold format in which 'Sam Kim', 'Jung Ji-sun', and 'Kwon Seong-joon'—who had ruled the restaurant industry in the Republic of Korea—put down their ranks and disguise themselves as entry-level staff at overseas restaurants to get hired. Their process of overcoming language barriers and local in-group dynamics while connecting with locals in the unfamiliar kitchens of Parma and Naples in Italy, as well as Chengdu in China, delivered raw, on-the-spot catharsis. That translated directly into a top nationwide viewership rating of 6.2% according to Nielsen Korea, proving the show’s box-office-style breakout success.

The 'spin-off', which is set to lift the curtain on a new chapter, flips the original series’ narrative completely on its head. The tiger senior chefs who had been making a major impact in Parma, Naples, and Chengdu are expected to visit Korea and experience the spicy side of K-chiin. The biggest point to watch is what sudden variables they will trigger inside Korea’s intense kitchen system after stepping out of their familiar zones.

'Hong Jin-ju' PD, who is directing the program from the front, said, “Based on the special bond built beyond borders, we will deliver unpredictable laughs that go beyond the original and a heavy, heartfelt emotional payoff.”