A controversy is unfolding as China's major OTT platform Tencent Video has released a new cooking reality show that appears to closely imitate Netflix's hit Korean variety series 'Culinary Class Wars.' The show, titled '封神 (Yi Feng Shen),' premiered on July 17 and is under fire for its striking resemblance to the original Netflix production, despite no official licensing agreement.
'Culinary Class Wars,' first released in December 2024, is a large-scale cooking survival show where unknown but highly skilled chefs challenge Korea’s top celebrity chef, "White Spoon." The program became a cultural phenomenon with its unique concept of "100 chefs overthrowing class with taste alone." It featured prominent judges including Baek Jong Won, Ahn Sung Jae, Choi Hyun Seok, Edward Kwon, Jung Ji Sun, and Choi Kang Rok. The show topped Netflix’s global non-English TV rankings for three consecutive weeks and was widely regarded as one of the most successful variety shows of the year. A second season is currently in production.
The controversy centers on Yi Feng Shen, which means "Becoming a God with One Meal." The Chinese show claims to celebrate the richness of Chinese cuisine and features 100 chefs competing with fire, knives, and woks. However, viewers and critics have noted that its competition structure, set design, cooking challenges, judging system, public evaluation panel, and celebrity appearances bear a close resemblance to 'Culinary Class Wars.'
Of particular concern are the one-on-one matchups between "black" and "white" chefs, team battles held in pop-up restaurants, and food assessments conducted by ordinary citizens. These elements mirror the key components of the Netflix show so closely that even Chinese audiences have voiced skepticism. Social media users on Weibo commented, “The set and format are exactly the same,” and “Did they just steal the entire show?”
Netflix responded to the controversy through a statement to OSEN, saying, “We have not sold the format rights of 'Culinary Class Wars' to this program.” The company also noted that internal discussions are ongoing regarding possible next steps.
Season 2 of 'Culinary Class Wars,' an official Netflix Original, is scheduled to be released later this year.
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