MBN K-bakery survival 'Cheonhajeppang' Hwang Ji-o, Lee Kyung-moo, Kim Jin-seo, Kim Si-yeop, Seong Min-su, Yoon Hwa-young and Joo Young-seok secured spots in the TOP7 and entered the nerve-wracking 'finals first round' to become the ultimate baker.
On the 22nd, the broadcast of MBN 'Cheonhajeppang' episode 8 entered the final where the supreme baker who will raise the status of K-bread will be born. The challengers staged tense pastry and baking showdowns that captivated viewers' attention with larger scale and more astonishing ideas.
The broadcast opened with the "semifinal" contest of Joo Young-seok, Seong Min-su, Jang Kyung-joo, Lee Kyung-moo and Yoon Hwa-young, which had not been revealed in episode 7. Joo Young-seok said, "I practiced so much it came out in my dreams," and used Gumi's specialty "milgari" to create "Gumi Seire langue de chat 3 types," adding jellies made from Gumi's other specialties, grapes and melon, as a point to the French traditional cookie "langue de chat," famous for "coucou-s." Seong Min-su, who ranked first in the 'revival round,' used Geoje's "yuzu" to make "Geoje yuzu crepe noodle 2 types," notably completing the crepe like pasta sheets to present it as a spoonable dessert, showcasing his idea.
Jang Kyung-joo, in charge of 'Mungyeong apple,' showcased 'Mungyeong taste map' (three desserts) using a three-item set of Mungyeong specialties including apple, yakdol pork and omija. Lee Kyung-moo, in charge of 'Jeongseon apple,' boldly challenged the "choux" that other challengers had repeatedly failed at to preserve the crispness of Jeongseon apples, completing a red-colored "hongshu" and an apple-and-black-themed "heukgeumshu" that evoked a gold mine, and an Auraji cookie using another specialty, gondre powder. Yoon Hwa-young chose a financier using Namwon's 'passion fruit' as the theme and created a five-piece set called "Passionable," from the passion fruit's original flavor to orange, mango, coconut and earl grey, but she was anxious because she could not complete the finishing touches due to time lost while refining it.
After all the contests ended, the 'semifinal' judging results were announced. In particular, the 'semifinal' result announcement, out of a total of 600 points, was conducted in a "real-time ranking push-out" manner, applying the brutal rule that a contestant is eliminated the moment they are pushed out of the top seven.
The first, Yoon Hwa-young, received 424 points with the critique, "It's a pity that the chosen passion fruit seeds' different texture and the recipe changes made the texture hard," The second, Jang Kyung-joo, earned 413 points with the comment, "I acknowledge the flawless technique, but because she tried to do too many things, it feels mixed." The third, Lee Kyung-moo, received high praise from Master Kwon Sung-joon who said, "Among the choux I have eaten on 'Cheonhajeppang,' this is the best," earning 519 points and leaping to first place. The fourth, Kim Jin-seo, with 'Imsil burrata bread,' got 479 points from Master Lee Seok-won, who said, "I've never seen bread wrapped in cheese before. Good idea," rising to second place.
The fifth, Lee Hye-seong, was criticized for soggy kataifi sheets and an immature expression of the roll cake with 'Gamddeulppang.' Master Kwon Sung-joon said in his critique, "Some may think the contestant Lee Hye-seong could lower the program's credibility. But I think she has enough qualities to go up. She has very developed taste." In response, Lee Hye-seong, choking up, said, "My existence itself might lower the program's credibility, and I have been thinking that," and she shed tears, receiving 401 points.
The sixth, Seong Min-su, received 443 points and took third place, earning praise from Master Lee Seok-won who said, "It seemed like a change of mindset." The seventh, Hwang Ji-o, with 'Icheon meeting (Matnam) 2 types,' received rave reviews from Masters Kwon Sung-joon and Mimi: "She seems like a growth-type contestant. You can see her level rise with each match," and "I'd go buy this bread even if it took five or six hours," and took the top score of 568 points to seize first place. On the other hand, the eighth, Kwak Dong-wook, who made 'dried pollack kunafa,' received the lowest score of 394 points and became the first eliminated contestant after harsh criticism that the dried pollack did not stand out and the taste was muddled, lowering the completion.
Next, the ninth, Kim Si-yeop, who presented 'Goyang Gawaji rice dog,' was recognized for his use of rice and received 454 points, rising to fourth place, and Lee Hye-seong, who had been perilously holding the 7th spot, was immediately eliminated. The tenth, Joo Young-seok, received 415 points amid criticism that his increased gelatin ratio made the jelly hard, and he dramatically rose to 7th place by only 2 points over Jang Kyung-joo. With Jang Kyung-joo eliminated, Hwang Ji-o, Lee Kyung-moo, Kim Jin-seo, Kim Si-yeop, Seong Min-su, Yoon Hwa-young and Joo Young-seok advanced as the final TOP7 to the 'final.'
With the proud TOP7 gathered, the long-awaited final round, the 'final,' was announced. The overall winner will be decided by the combined scores of the finals first and second rounds, and the 'finals first round' proceeded as a "one-meal bread (making a bread that serves as a meal)" mission with the TOP7 teamed up with Korea's top chefs Hwang Jin-sun, Ahn Yoo-sung, Kim Yu-a, Lee Seung-jun, Lee Won-il, Oh Se-deuk and Jo Seo-hyung. Park Jung-eun, CEO of New York Korean restaurant 'Atomix,' selected as the top restaurant in North America, appeared as a special master for the "one-meal bread" mission, and teams were Hwang Ji-o with Hwang Jin-sun, Lee Kyung-moo with Ahn Yoo-sung, Kim Jin-seo with Kim Yu-a, Kim Si-yeop with Lee Seung-jun, Seong Min-su with Lee Won-il, Yoon Hwa-young with Oh Se-deuk, and Joo Young-seok with Jo Seo-hyung. Master Lee Seok-won delivered the firm admonition, "Don't forget the theme. The bread must stand out," raising intense interest about what style of Chinese-Japanese-Thai-French-Korean "one-meal bread" will be born.
Meanwhile, the duo Seong Min-su and Lee Won-il requested that since their bread's characteristics required incorporating fillings before baking, Chef Lee Won-il, who was supposed to be in the later round, be allowed to participate in the earlier round; with everyone's permission, Chef Lee Won-il cooked in the earlier round, drawing attention. Also, Lee Kyung-moo collaborated with Japanese chef Ahn Yoo-sung to create a bread shaped like sushi rice, arousing curiosity and concerns whether raw fish might even appear. In addition, Yoon Hwa-young, who advanced to the final as sixth in the 'semifinal' and had expressed regret, burned with determination for the final by pouring in luxury ingredients such as truffle and lobster. However, in the preview she left the comment, "It was really a mess," raising anxiousness. Viewers are curious whether Yoon Hwa-young can safely compete in the 'finals first round.'
[Photo] MBN 'Cheonhajeppang' broadcast capture
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