Why Secret Chef Has No Culinary Judges, According To David Chang - Exclusive
What do most cooking competition series have in common? No matter who the competitors are, what's being cooked, or what other rules may come into play, these shows tend to feature experienced chefs adorned with culinary accolades sitting at the judges' table. But David Chang decided to go in a different direction with Hulu's newest 10-episode competition series, "Secret Chef." "The basic premise is that almost all the food shows, the plot lines, et cetera, have already been done," the executive producer told Mashed in an exclusive interview. "There's almost nothing new for the audience, in my opinion."
Instead, "Secret Chef" features an animated chef's hat called Cheffy, who dictates the challenges to the contestants. They, in turn, vote each other off ("Big Brother"-style). In a "normal" cooking competition show, judges would be the ones tasting the best and worst dishes and deciding who goes home. But Chang told us he had a good reason he decided to kick judges to the curb: "Trying to keep it fresh, trying to keep it exciting and new, was a priority for us," he said, and based on his own experiences, he was ready to mix things up.
Having no judges changes the game strategy
David Chang knows the pressure of cooking competitions, and he didn't want the typical build-up that you might see in other shows. "When you're in kitchens, you don't need to manufacture any drama," he explained to Mashed. "The drama can happen with the people themselves ... Those rooms where you might be making a dish for your peers [is] the most stressful thing possible." After all, even the most basic of food series can add stress to competitors with time constraints, challenges, and unexpected ingredients. And where a judges' table might be lenient toward minor mistakes, fellow competitors won't be. Chang continued, "The dramatic element is not having a judge and making it not necessarily mysterious, but there's nowhere to hide. That changes the strategy."
"Secret Chef" also allows contestants to taste each other's dishes anonymously, with each person cooking under an alias. The episodes feature people of all culinary skill levels, with home cooks, restaurateurs, and seasoned chefs stepping up to the plate — literally. But Chang assured us that the varying skill sets don't get in the way of an even playing field. "This gives us a little bit of a motley crew, and that was intentional," the podcaster added. In the end, the show all comes down to the food on the plates, so that's one thing that won't change from the cooking competitions you love.
All 10 episodes of "Secret Chef" are now available on Hulu. Check out David Chang's Instagram to keep up with his latest projects and home cooking.