A production presentation was held at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul on December 17th. Among those present were Chef Jung Ho-young, Hudeokjuk, Monk Seonjae, Chef Son Jong-won, Yoon Ju-mo the Brewer, French Papa, the Chinese Witch, and Baby Beast. The group discussed the series and their experiences filming it.
After the press event, online communities speculated that the eight participants must have survived at least until the second round, since contestants eliminated early typically do not appear at press conferences, while simultaneously publicly revealing the eight finalists would be unlikely. Some viewers even criticized Netflix’s official posts on social media, saying: “Why does the official channel ruin the competition?”
However, these assumptions turned out to be wrong. It turns out that Monk Seonjae, Baby Beast, Chef Jung Ho-young, and French Dad were eliminated in the second round.
Episode 4, released on December 23 at 5pm, opened with ratings of Monk Seonjae and Gomtang in New York. Monk Seonjae introduced Seungso Pine Nut Noodles, highlighting the natural flavors of temple cuisine. Meanwhile, Gomtang in New York has ditched meat, its usual specialty, and introduced a vegetarian japchae without the five spicy vegetables. The result was a 2-0 victory for Gomtang in New York.
Judge Baek Jong-won commented: “Both dishes were clean and relaxing, but had limitations in delivering different flavors. They were still excellent.”
Chef Ahn Sung-jae added that while the monk Seonjae noodles were refined, the japchae tasted “purely natural, showing exceptional care.”
A mentor vs. student match between Chef Kim Hee-eun and Baby Beast followed. Baby Beast, who trained with Chef Kim for nearly a decade, presented Joseon Japchae using spring greens, adding shiitake mushrooms and green garlic. Chef Kim Hee-eun took the opposite approach, slow-cooking the beef shank, lightly smoking it with thyme, shredding it and mixing it with rice in an intuitive, comforting style.
The result was a 1–1 draw: Ahn Sung-jae chose Baby Beast’s dish, while Baek Jong-won chose Chef Kim’s. Baek observed that some aspects of Baby Beast’s dish were polarizing, while Ahn praised its novelty and creativity.
The final decision went to Chef Kim Hee-eun. Ahn said: “If I were to eat again, I would choose Chef Kim’s dish,” while Baek noted that Baby Beast’s strong spring greens overshadowed the balance. However, Ahn added, “It’s wonderful to see a young chef who genuinely loves seasonal vegetables.”
Before moving on to the third round, the judges gave a “survival pass” to two previously eliminated chefs: Jung Ho-young and Monk Seonjae. Chef Jung faced Seoul Mom with a monkfish dish and fought in two rounds of voting to a draw, but ultimately lost in the final decision, confirming his elimination in the second round. Monk Seonjae, however, got an advancement after both judges agreed on his selection.
Although theories ran wild after the press conference, the results firmly proved that Netflix had not screwed up the show’s results, leaving viewers surprised and relieved.
Sources: Daum
