tvN's 'Undercover Chef' Tops Thursday Ratings With Star Chefs as Rookies

tvN's variety show 'Undercover Chef' is settling in as the new leader of Thursday-night programming in South Korea, with its star chefs trading their reputations for entry-level jobs in foreign kitchens.

The fifth episode, which aired on the 18th, drew an average household rating of 4.3% in the Seoul metropolitan area and peaked at 5.5%, a series high. The show has also held the No. 1 spot in its time slot across cable and general programming channels for five straight weeks since its premiere. In Good Data Corporation's FUNdex rankings for the third week of June, Jung Ji-sun took first place in the non-drama TV cast buzz category.

'Undercover Chef' follows Sam Kim, Jung Ji-sun and Kwon Sung-jun as they hide their identities and slip into overseas restaurants as the lowest-ranking rookies, working their way up until they can put their own dish on the menu. Stripped of their celebrity-chef status, the three are shown starting over from the bottom, and that reset has become the heart of the show.

The format's twist is simple: send chefs who have already reached the top back to the rookie station. Sam Kim, Jung Ji-sun and Kwon Sung-jun make mistakes in unfamiliar kitchens, take corrections from new bosses, and quietly push through the work in front of them. Watching established names learn again, rather than perform expertise, has been the show's biggest draw.

The setup of having to earn respect within a limited window, while keeping their real identities a secret, adds another layer of tension. The three handle rookie tasks in full, then flash their veteran instincts at key moments, often turning a shift around. The show also leaves the real hierarchy and unpredictable rushes of a working kitchen on camera, which gives the comedy a grounded edge.

Each chef has his own way of surviving. Sam Kim builds trust through steady, reliable work. Jung Ji-sun studies and practices constantly to make herself useful. Kwon Sung-jun leans on confidence and sharp observation to create his own openings. Local coworkers who were wary at first warm up as the three prove themselves, and the bond that forms in the kitchen has become its own storyline.

With the season heading into its back half, attention is turning to whether Jung Ji-sun and Kwon Sung-jun can follow Sam Kim, the first to earn a promotion, by getting their own dishes onto the menu and clearing the show's final mission. How the three reveal their identities after the five-day challenge, and how they say goodbye to the kitchens that took them in, are the remaining hooks.

'Undercover Chef' airs Thursdays at 8:40 p.m. KST.