'Culinary Class Wars 2' is causing controversy after its finale due to checks into contestant Lim Seong-geun's past offenses. Amid sensational issues, the quiet winner Choi Kang-rok's actions are receiving even more praise.
Netflix original variety show 'Culinary Class Wars season 2' (abbreviated Culinary Class Wars 2, Culinary Class Wars 2) has continued to be discussed since it ended on the 13th. While there is strong interest in the program itself, the issue stems from debates over the production team and Netflix's contestant vetting system surrounding contestant Lim Seong-geun's past criminal record.
Lim Seong-geun, who appeared as a White Spoon on 'Culinary Class Wars 2,' confessed to three counts of drunk driving on his personal YouTube channel on the 18th, sparking controversy, and when various allegations that he hid his criminal record arose, he attempted interviews with domestic reporters. In a recent meeting with OSEN, he admitted his criminal record totaled six counts: four drunk-driving incidents, one instance of driving an electric scooter without a license, and one fine related to a mutual assault dispute.
The problem is that before appearing on the survival program, when a survey asked about recent criminal history, he said the most recent offense was the drunk driving in 2020 that led to license cancellation. Netflix later said it was unaware of prior offenses beyond that crime and announced it would closely review the contestant vetting process. However, debate erupted over whether a single drunk-driving incident should disqualify someone from appearing, creating another controversy.
As controversies around the program keep arising whenever they seem to fade, the winner Choi Kang-rok's actions are quietly measured. Even after receiving intense attention in season 1, Choi Kang-rok kept a low profile as if in seclusion. Although he won 'Culinary Class Wars 2,' aside from an official interview with the production team and three episodes of the web variety show 'Sikdeokhu' released on the production company TEO's YouTube channel that were filmed in advance, he has shown once again a near-secluded quietness with no particular words or actions.
Fans' assessment that he is a "person who throws away the oar instead of rowing when the tide comes in" is being proven once again. Paradoxically, his calmness seems to be welcomed by his fans. It appears he acts according to his own standards and principles rather than fame or popularity. His steadfastness and apparent pursuit of his own path, unaffected by surrounding circumstances, seems to make fans eager.
This resembles the healing victory narrative Choi Kang-rok showed on 'Culinary Class Wars 2.' Throughout Culinary Class Wars 2's journey, dazzling dishes and intense competition stimulated viewers' dopamine, but the final winner was Choi Kang-rok, who quietly focused on his own work.
Rather than massive and diverse equipment, he became known as a 'braised-food person' by winning public approval even with braised dishes he had been poor at. But in his final dish for himself, he symbolized other chefs who silently did their jobs in the kitchen unnoticed, decorating labor-intensive tofu-scramble dishes and labor-like red-lidded soju bottles.
According to a recent report released by the PAI Institute, Choi Kang-rok's qualities resonate with the public as a solitary dopamine detox and growth-oriented antihero in a world where even trivial things trigger a dopamine party. Even without the flashy, confident image of a "munchkin," he is evaluated as a realistic hero with a sincere life story. That is why the calm Choi Kang-rok makes people look forward even more to what comes next despite surrounding controversies.
[Photo] Provided by Netflix.
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