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Has China copied Baek Jong Won, Anh Sung Jae’s Culinary Class Wars? Netflix responds to plagiarism allegations
After going viral during its pilot season and announcing Chef Napoli Matfia as the winner, Culinary Class Wars was renewed for a second season.
Culinary Class Wars has been the talk of the culinary world ever since its release in September 2024. The show subsequently went viral in its home country, South Korea, and sparked renewed global interest in Korean cooking methods and food. The chefs who appeared on the show have been hailed for their presence and techniques, but a Chinese version, seemingly heavily inspired by the original, has invited doubts. Amid questions of Netflix selling the official license to their famed Korean cooking show, the OTT giant has responded to reports, denying any sales on its end.
Culinary Class Wars goes global? Know about the Chinese ‘copy’
Known as Yi Fan Feng Shen (Chef of China), the Chinese program premiered on July 17. Run by Tencent Video, the media mogul, it has already invited scrutiny from global viewers over its similarities to the Korean reality show. Said to be a battle involving the Chinese cuisine, it has been heavily cirticized for the undeniable overlaps between the two programs.
The fight between the black-apron and white-apron chefs, a battle-like set-up, and overall vibe match to quite a serious level, according to Chinese viewers who have called out the blatant copy. Amid the concerns, a representative of Netflix has shared with Ilgan Sports that the platform has not officially sold any remake rights for Culinary Class Wars to China and added that they are currently discussing how to respond to the similarities seen in the show. An intellectual property tussle and court case over legal implications may soon follow.
Meanwhile, the inaugural season was led by Paik Jong Won (Baek Jong Won) and Anh Sung Jae, as they judged 100 contestants from known and unknown backgrounds, who competed for the prize money of 300 million KRW. 20 veterans and 80 newbies fought it out over 12 episodes. A second season was confirmed in October 2024 and is expected to air later this year.
