Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.
- 158
- 1
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
Culinary Class Wars on Netflix might be the most fun, if unfair, cooking show I've seen in a long time, and the most nefariously commercial.
Brief synopsis: 20 well known chefs ("white spoons") compete against 80 lesser known chefs ("black spoons") for a USD220K prize. The black spoons are no slouches, largely being restauranteurs themselves with their own successful businesses, but the white spoons are multiyear winners of michelin stars or international awards. The cooking challenges get weird, and something in the Korean editing gets the slow and fast moments right, with surprisingly competent emotional hits. One round in particular, the Infinite Tofu Hell, is honestly the absolute best cooking challenge I've ever seen, in concept and in execution.
The show optimizes for visual flair, dramatic setpiece reveals and novel challenges. Its not mechanically fair, and certain challenges seem introduced to maintain dramatic tension.
In particular, there is a survival challenge, where after an elimination round the losers do a cooking challenge to get advanced regardless. In this round, the contestants must make a dish out of convenience store food. One dish in particular stood out to a ridiculous degree, and makes this Netflix cooking show go from 'fun distraction' to 'mr burns money'.
See, it is inevitable that competent chefs get good bookings at their restaurants following a cooking show blowup. Half these contestants definitely are there just to boost social media, with the USD220K prize pool secondary to yearlong full covers. There are already secondary markets for reservations at the restaurants for the higher profile chefs, with scalpers for their restaurants.
But the real genius is in the convenience store round, moreso than Netflix. Netflix made a deal with a convenience store chain featured to sell dishes created by chefs featured on the show. That's already a good enough gimmick, and certainly will be profitable given the positive reception of the show, and the overall quality of Korean (and Asian in general) convenience store products.
The nefarious genius comes from the manufacturer of the convenience challenge winner ingredients. The convenience store in the show is genericized, but the products used are not. Because the key ingredients used by the winner were in-house products manufactured from the a different conglomerate, the conglomerate made a collaboration with that chef specifically to sell that winning dish as a product in their own convenience stores.
Sales of the ingredients used for that dish alone spiked more than 30% in the week the chef made that dish, and preorders for his creation sold out in 20 minutes.
It is a fun enough show, but this is the one example of a media hype cycle translating into likely significant financial benefits to the contestants, and even Netflix itself. I strongly suspect other producers will eye this show and its subsequent impact closely.
They have a challenge called "Squid Game," right?
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link