Netflix’s variety show Black and White Chef: Culinary Class War is facing an ongoing controversy over the forced removal process. Viewers described it as disturbing, similar to witnessing bullying at school or work. Criticism continues to mount, accusing the show of undermining a South Korean culinary master, a rare title given to only one person a year, while treating Korean chefs as mere background figures. As the program is broadcast around the world, the negative reaction has intensified.
On October 6, social media users continued to criticize the introduction of a sudden “delete” rule in episode 9, released by Netflix on October 1. The chefs, divided into three teams, had already completed menus, prices, concepts and role assignments when a surprise vote was held to eliminate one member from each team.
The three eliminated chefs were then grouped into a new team, which was actually penalized since six hours of the mission had already passed. With one less team member than the other teams, each chef had to manage the entire cooking process, from preparation of ingredients to completion, leaving them with insufficient time and little chance of survival in the competition.
The selection procedure for the eliminated chefs also sparked controversy. Two chefs stepped forward voluntarily due to the uncomfortable situation, but master chef Ahn Yoo-sung was rejected by team leader chef Choi Hyun-seok, adding to the criticism.
Notably, after Ahn’s elimination, Chef Choi introduced the team’s restaurant as “Eoksul’s Diner” and referred to “Imokase” as a “master”, sparking negative reactions. As he introduced a dish of caviar rice, he said, “Please wrap it with Master Imokase’s toasted seaweed,” a remark that trivialized the prestigious title.
The casual use of the title “master” for another contestant led to misunderstanding among viewers, suggesting that anyone who has cooked for a long time could be called a “master.” This is a significant problem, especially considering that since 2000, only 16 chefs have received the officially recognized title of Korean National Master Chef. Chef Ahn Yoo-sung obtained this title in 2023, a recognition achieved after years of rigorous testing and professional experience.
As the controversy spread, Netflix responded by posting a “7 Special Messages” video on YouTube on October 3, featuring interviews with cast members involved in the derogatory remarks. However, public opinion remains cold.
Viewers expressed their frustration online: “It’s embarrassing to see how our best chefs are treated,” “Korean culinary masters are reduced to prep work and cutting ingredients,” “They brought in a national master chef just to cut it after preparation”. Work; it’s clear that the producers had already chosen the winners and used the masters as props,” and “The real villain here is the production team. Who had the idea of elimination?”
In response, Chef Ahn Yoo-sung held a live broadcast on his YouTube channel titled Behind the scenes of Black & White Chef with chef Ahn Yoo-sungwhere he expressed his disappointment. On October 3, shortly after the broadcast, he also shared a personal message on social media: “The most difficult moment was when I hadn’t slept for two days and I went out alone early in the morning during filming to look at a photo of the my mom and calm me down.
Born in 1972, chef Ahn Yoo-sung is a specialist in Japanese cuisine and runs the “Game Japanese Cuisine” restaurant in Gwangju’s Seo-gu district. He is also known as the “President’s Sushi Chef”, having served former presidents Kim Dae-jung, Roh Moo-hyun, Moon Jae-in and President Yoon Suk-yeol when they visited Gwangju.
