“Undercover Chef” Announces New Spin-Off To Air Later This Year

Variety show “Undercover Chef” is getting a new spin-off later this year!

On September 18, tvN announced “Undercover Chef: Friends Who Came From Afar” (literal title), a spin-off that brings the local chefs from the original series to Korea, where they will experience unfamiliar Korean kitchens firsthand.

“Undercover Chef,” which concluded in July, follows Korea’s top chefs as they go undercover as the most junior employees at restaurants in the countries where they built their culinary foundations. Stripped of their titles, they take on hidden missions while navigating unfamiliar environments and language barriers. Sam Kim went undercover at a restaurant in Parma, Italy; Jung Ji Sun in Chengdu, China; and Kwon Sung Jun in Naples, Italy.

The show topped its time slot in viewership ratings from its premiere, with its finale reaching a peak rating of 8.6 percent according to Nielsen Korea—the show’s highest rating yet.

While the Korean chefs were the most junior members in the kitchens overseas, the spin-off will offer a fun role reversal as they welcome their new friends to Korea as owner chefs.

The production team shared, “Since the chefs run restaurants for a living, it wasn’t easy to coordinate their schedules. The Naples team with Chef Kwon Sung Jun and the Chengdu team with Chef Jung Ji Sun have completed filming, but unfortunately, Chef Sam Kim’s Parma team was unable to join this spin-off.”

They continued, “However, as mentioned in the finale of ‘Undercover Chef,’ the Parma team is planning to visit Korea in February next year. We also talked about hopefully joining forces again and having fun together if the opportunity arises.”

The production team added, “The chefs from Naples and Chengdu will open up a new world of gastronomy in unfamiliar Korea. With the tables turned, many unexpected episodes came about. We hope viewers will look forward to the show’s diverse entertainment and the new chemistry between the chefs.”

“Undercover Chef: Friends Who Came From Afar” will air later this year. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, watch “Undercover Chef” with subtitles on Viki below: