JTBC's 'Chef & My Fridge' jokes about cutting fees amid management struggles

The JTBC variety show 'Chef & My Fridge' captured viewers' attention by candidly using the network's own management difficulties as comedic material. While discussing the competition among chefs to appear on the show, a joke was made that "JTBC is struggling, so we have to reduce appearance fees." The production team leaned into the moment, adding subtitles that read, "It's difficult these days," naturally referencing the recent management challenges faced by JTBC affiliates.

In the episode of JTBC's 'Chef & My Fridge' aired on the 19th, Chef Yoo Yong-wook, head of the Barbecue Research Institute who appeared in the Netflix cooking survival show 'Culinary Class Wars: Season 2', appeared as a guest. The broadcast drew laughter through unexpected 'self-dissing' as the new chefs and existing members playfully navigated their competitive dynamics.

At the beginning of the show, MC Kim Sung-joo opened the conversation by stating, "There are reports that Chef Yoo Yong-wook faced hazing from a specific chef." In response, Yoo remarked, "It's not quite at the level of hazing," but naturally pointed to Chef Kwon Sung-jun, turning the studio into a sea of laughter.

Yoo introduced a conversation he had with Kwon at a past event. He revealed, "When the topic of 'Chef & My Fridge' came up, Chef Kwon Sung-jun said that because the existing members have such great chemistry and solid teamwork, it wouldn't be easy for even someone from 'Culinary Class Wars: Season 2' to join the ranks."

As the unexpected revelation continued, other chefs sent playful jeers toward Kwon, who immediately moved to explain himself. He confessed, "That was said from a writer's perspective. At the time, there were rumors that a large number of chefs from 'Culinary Class Wars: Season 2' would appear, so even the existing members were nervous. Chef Yoon Nam-no and I were even worried, asking, 'Are we finished now?' It was a defense mechanism."

Hearing this, Chef Choi Hyun Seok heated up the atmosphere further with a witty joke. He said, "I don't think anyone would notice if one person went missing," adding, "Since things are difficult these days, let's leave a spot empty to save on appearance fees," which filled the studio with laughter.

Kwon also joined in, suggesting, "Let's just go with a survival system instead," or "Let's operate a second-tier system." Ahn Jung-hwan added to the joke about the company's situation, saying, "JTBC is in that kind of situation right now. It's because things are difficult."

Ahn caused the cast to burst into laughter by saying, "If someone disappears in the middle of recording, you can just think, 'Ah, they're gone,'" and the production team heightened the joke by inserting the subtitle "It's difficult these days" on the screen.

These remarks drew even more attention as they coincided with recent management issues surrounding JTBC. Recently, JTBC has faced changes in its management environment due to the financial issues of its affiliates.

Previously, JTBC affiliates entered management normalization procedures due to liquidity issues. Some affiliates, including JoongAng Holdings, Megabox JoongAng, JoongAng P&I, and Contentree JoongAng, received court decisions to initiate corporate rehabilitation procedures. However, the JTBC legal entity was not included in the rehabilitation process.

In this process, interest from within and outside the industry grew as rumors of adjustments to content production schedules and delays in appearance fee payments surfaced. In this broadcast, the cast drew attention by using these very situations as comedic material.

By resolving heavy management issues in the lighthearted manner typical of variety shows, this episode provided laughter through the chefs' honest remarks and witty 'Tiki-taCAR.' At the same time, the approach of 'self-dissing'—mentioning reality rather than hiding it—left a fresh impression on viewers and drew various reactions online.