Edward Lee was actually first offered a judge spot on Culinary Class Wars

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He also shared some behind-the-scenes tea about 'Culinary Class Wars'.

“At first, I was scouted to be a judge. We did a Zoom interview, but it fell through because ‘my Korean wasn't good enough.’ Two weeks later, they asked if I could participate as a contestant, but I turned it down at first because of my age. But the more I thought about it, the more it seemed like a great opportunity. I’d always wanted to do something in Korea before I died. I wanted to reconnect with Korea, but I didn't have any family or friends left there. I decided that for this competition, I wouldn't do the French or American cuisine I’d learned before, but use Korean ingredients to make something new. Meeting so many different Korean people through this show makes me feel like I’m living a beautiful dream every day. Another reason I joined was that I could fly to Korea for free.”

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Since Edward Lee—a name everyone would respect as a judge—was off the table, PD Kim Hak-min thought, 'If we get the only Michelin 3-star chef in Korea, surely the contestants will respect that?' and went to meet Ahn Sung-jae.

When he met Ahn at his restaurant, Ahn apparently said, 'If I’m the judge, no one in Korea will be able to talk back.'

The PD thought, 'Isn’t this guy a bit too full of himself?' but then realized, 'Ah, he’s the one,' and recruited him right then and there based on that one line.